By Corey Fields I sometimes attend neighborhood watch meetings. The idea behind such gatherings is a very good one. When neighbors know each other and work together, the neighborhood is stronger and crime rates decrease. Most folks I encounter are…
From despair to hope, sans seraphim
By Aileen Lawrimore “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings:…
10 ways pastors can engage church conflict
By Bill Wilson It was early in my pastoral ministry. I still thought my primary job was to please people and make them happy, ensure their comfort and leave them liking me. Thus, when someone disagreed with me or criticized…
Among the not-yet-housed
By Bill Leonard Each January for several years, I’ve joined a group of theology students for a Wednesday visit to the Haywood Street Congregation in Asheville, N.C. I can’t help but write about it, since the experience is always “transforming,”…
5 ways to respond when your pastor actually turns out to be human
By Amy Butler Before you begin reading this column, I want you to know that I’m assuming we’re all clear on the fact that the pastor is a human being. This might sound like a strange way to start off….
52 questions Jesus is still asking
By Jayne Hugo Davis “How would you dispose of a dead body?” Our staff team was playing a board game called Loaded Questions last week. We had gotten together for a meal and some forced family fun and that was…
The charism of creativity
By Molly T. Marshall One of the first Hebrew words I learned in seminary was bara, the word used of God’s creative activity as recounted in Genesis. My Hebrew teacher carefully instructed the nascent scholars that this word could only…
The Incarnation matters all year long
By Doyle Sager Not very many weeks ago, many of us sang the words of Charles Wesley’s familiar Christmas carol, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate deity ….” We likely also heard the powerful witness of John’s…
When you stop coming to church
By Mark Wingfield As a pastor, I try not to take it personally when you stop coming to church. Most of the time, I understand that it’s not about me and that it’s not even about the church. It’s about…
Work in the new office — an opportunity for spiritual formation
By John Chandler The can’t-miss trend of 2016 will be that North American disciples pay strategic attention to what it means to be a follower of Jesus at work. “Faith@Work” is not a new topic, but it is and will…
Happy New Life!
By Starlette McNeill I need to see your hands. Put the pen down and slowly back away from the list. Before you begin your annual declaration of independence from unhealthy food and toxic people, before you purchase the gym membership…
Contending with texts
By Bill Leonard In a 2006 New Yorker story on writer Gertrude Stein, Janet Malcom wrote: “The instability of human knowledge is one of our few certainties. Almost everything we know we know incompletely at best. And almost nothing we are…