Daniel Bonnell is a contemplative artist who infuses biblical stories with new light. Because of what he sees as the ambiguity in the current moment, he has started painting on paper grocery bags to symbolize poverty of spirit conveying the…
A pastoral dilemma about art and nudity: embodied faith and raising children in the church
Oh, the dilemmas of pastoral ministry. Here I sit, looking at a beautiful piece of art for Sunday’s order of worship, trying to determine whether to cover the nakedness of the man helped by the Good Samaritan.
With little opportunity for youth and children — or almost anyone else — Christian community builds chances from the ground up
Helms Jarrell, co-director of the QC Family Tree intentional Christian community, had given crystal-clear instructions for the youth group’s annual trip to Boone, N.C. They had just hauled a van-full of Enderly Park teenagers up from Charlotte and the group…
Before execution, ‘Bali 9’ member found redemption, spiritual transformation
It has been more than a year since Tina Bailey’s friend and student was executed by a firing squad in an Indonesian jungle, but that pain is still fresh on her face. “It’s been hard; but being a part of…
Students’ art project generates big bucks for Zambian orphans
Artwork created by several U.S. university students has fired up the imaginations and spirits of Zambian orphans and generated tens of thousands of dollars to help those struggling with disease and poverty in the African nation.
The art of the collapse
When I make a work, I often take it to the very edge of its collapse. — Andy Goldsworthy Churches are fragile things. Not the buildings, of course. We build those out of sturdy material. Heavy stone and thick timber…
Beauty for Life
Our youngest son Seth has gone deep into the world of The Hobbit. Seth reads stories from the shire with feverish energy. He sketches scenes from Middle Earth and regales us with talk of his beloved Dwarves. At every opportunity,…
Virginia church sees album as missional way to live its calling
By Jeff Brumley All Souls Charlottesville is a Baptist church in Virginia where ancient church practices are embraced, from focusing on hospitality and following the liturgical calendar to embracing creeds and celebrating the Eucharist. But spiritual formation took on a…
Pastor blends art, preaching to share Good News
By George Henson It’s not preaching or painting for Pastor Randall Worley. It’s both. And his passion for spreading the gospel through oratory and visual expression has inspired Worley to conduct weeklong art camps at Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, the…