By Amy Butler A long-time member of our church went on to her heavenly reward a few weeks ago. Flora was the soul of kindness and grace, serving as an usher every single Sunday, welcoming people to worship from the…
Online ministry offers diverse prayer resources
By Alice Horner John Roland was studying for the ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas in 1999 when Hurricane Floyd hit his home state of Florida. He got so busy calling to check on his parents, grandmother and…
Dear Social Media Consultant
By Natalie Aho I am very aware of the switch to social media and the need to use the tools available to connect with people. Yet I am old-school and don’t like computer-mediated relationships. I feel like I should know…
The apocalypse is coming
By Jim Denison Some warn that Planet X, or Nibiru, will collide with us or otherwise wreak havoc. Astronomers disagree: such a close object, if it existed, would already be visible in the night sky. Others predict that a geomagnetic…
The Christmas miracle — by the numbers
By Michael Ruffin Last summer Dr. Ali Binazir wrote a blog post in which he posed the question, “What are your chances of coming into being?” He considered such questions as (1) the odds of your parents meeting, which he…
Lessons we can learn from Joseph
By Carl Hoover He stands near the center of countless creches, watching the Baby Jesus over Mary’s shoulder, with the stable behind him and flanked by shepherds, animals and wise men. Other players in the Christmas story told in miniature…
The perfect gift
By Amy Butler This time of year especially, I wish that gift-giving in our society happened a little differently than it does. The giving of gifts is forced into excessive displays concentrated in short periods of time every once in…
Take a digital fast this Advent
By Alan Rudnick Driving to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my family I wasn’t thinking about turkey, cranberry sauce or who would get to try their luck at the wishbone. I thought about only one thing: Twitter. This year I…
Attentiveness at Advent
By Daniel Vestal “Where have we discerned God at work in our midst?” The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship considers this question at the end of each monthly staff meeting. This time of reflection and sharing is usually the highlight of the…