In 1992, artist Nick Cave was devastated by the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles. As a young Black man, Cave knew the dangerous injustices of racial profiling and then, like the rest of America, viewed King’s beating…
Health care crises reveal our nation’s character flaws
This is a column about crises and injustices in the health care system in America. I interpret these crises and injustices as an indictment on the character and the governance of this country. What follows is inspired by hard personal…
Faced with a health scare and a pandemic, Max Lucado is thinking about how to maximize the moment
It has been 36 years since Max Lucado debuted his first book, and even he is amazed how far he’s come since 1985. Just a few years prior to that, he was an associate pastor tasked with writing the church’s…
Despite cease-fire in Tigray, concerns persist about how to tackle the humanitarian problem in the region
With the cessation of hostilities in Tigray, Ethiopia, the attention of many observers now shifts to the humanitarian crisis created by the conflict within and outside the East African country. Eight months of fighting and violence in the multi-lingual and…
Kieve senses a calling to new role helping churches prevent and respond to sexual abuse
One of the worst mistakes a church can make in cases of clergy sexual abuse or other sexual abuse is to be unprepared for the situation, said Jay Kieve, the recently appointed abuse prevention and response advocate for the Cooperative…
Confronted by crises, we and our churches need to cultivate a holy curiosity
I believe the current crises in our churches, our communities and our nation will only be transformed into avenues of blessing when we humbly adopt a commitment to cultivate a spirit of holy curiosity.
Comparative vocabularies of pandemic and faith in a time of chaos
These comparative lists kept running through my mind – one describing our reaction to a spreading virus, the other reminding me of faith and joy, regardless of circumstances.
What self-care means for pastors and other church leaders in a time of crisis | #intimeslikethese
In these unprecedented times, it’s important for all of us to remember that, because we’ve never been precisely here before, there is no template, map, app or handbook for the right way to lead and to be church.
A tale of two futures for your church | #intimeslikethese
Every day brings increasingly urgent instructions to retreat physically away from others. While that is a physical necessity, a corresponding relational move toward others is a massive opportunity to show the difference we make in our communities.