By Robert Dilday Whether inspired by religious devotion or just frustration with modernity, some people feel drawn to simple living. Since at least the middle of the 19th century, when Henry Thoreau described his solitary two years in a hut on…
Creativity and contemplation
In October of last year, I settled into my old Impala and drove to downtown Duluth, just outside of Atlanta. Filled with excitement, I pulled into the parking lot behind the Red Clay Theatre and checked my pocket to make…
Church sold as members go missional
By Jeff Brumley They tried hiring a consultant, new worship styles, luring nonprofits as renters and seeking other churches for mergers. But each approach fell through for the roughly 50 aging members of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. The congregation’s next step…
Working poor a ministry focus
By Daniel Wallace The problem isn’t that they can’t find jobs. The problem is the jobs they find don’t support their families’ basic needs. Welcome to the plight of America’s working poor. “As long as the economy is struggling the…
Would you wear a hijab for a day?
February 1st was World Hijab Day. For those of you who might not know, hijab is the head covering worn by some Muslim women. The idea was to invite women who do not hijab, both Muslim and women of other…
Baptists mark Ash Wednesday
By Jeff Brumley Baptists are increasingly observing Lent this year if Facebook is any indication, with news feeds filled with announcements of morning, afternoon and evening Ash Wednesday services today. Among the first were the folks at Park Avenue Baptist…
Who cares for the caregivers?
By Ken Camp The New Testament commands Christ’s followers to “bear one another’s burdens.” But applying that principle to caregivers—people who shoulder the around-the-clock responsibility for meeting the needs of someone who cannot live independently because of advanced age, illness…
Did I care enough?
By Ken Camp During the five years she served as his caregiver, Sue Strother and her husband, Joe, understood the roles each filled. “He bore the pain. I bore the strain,” she said. Her husband, pastor of North Riverside Baptist…
Baptist church sign wows NYC, media
By Jeff Brumley “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks…