My beloved neighborhood in west Charlotte is on the brink of big changes. Neighbors are trying to figure out what those changes will be and how to have a voice in them, and we keep coming back to one term…
The only vision that works for congregations is God’s vision
“The Triune God is the only true source of vision that is clearly spiritual and has any chance of pulling a congregation forward in the direction of its full Kingdom potential. Humankind has great ideas. Humankind has experiences of inspiration….
Southern communion
By Laura-Lee Kidwell Jones As a hospice chaplain, I am regularly asked, “Why do you visit with Alzheimer’s patients?” My standard answer includes, “Because perhaps they will know that someone is there and they will, possibly, for even a moment…
Sometimes it’s just a matter of showing up
By Jayne Davis It was really such a simple plan. The group would meet at my house at 4:30 for coffee and dessert and then head off together to the nursing home at 6 to sing Christmas carols for residents…
A border already crossed
Recent studies suggest that one out of four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. That equates to 50 million people in the United States, with 12 million falling in the “serious or chronic” category. This is equal to the…
Locating your door
By Molly T. Marshall I have invested time this summer reading David Brooks’ fine book, The Road to Character. He did not write it quickly — nearly seven years in the making — and in it he contrasts two forms…
When angels laugh
By Doyle Sager What is it about church life and all things religious which cause us to take ourselves so seriously? Jesus seemed to have lots of fun at the expense of the self-important religious leaders of his day. He…
The sound of silence
I am pastor of a Baptist congregation in Fort Collins, Colorado, and for the past two plus months, I have been on sabbatical. In addition to pursuing goals of resting, studying and revisioning, I have also attended three conferences, visited…
Increasing diversity offers platform for authenticating faith
Diversity is scaring the bejabbers out of America. Watch news programs on television. Listen to call-in stations on radio. And if you’ve got the gumption, read posts on Facebook and pay attention to the stuff that gets forwarded on email….
#SayHerName: A shoutout to my sisters in the wilderness
By Elijah Zehyoue #Sayhername! Tell her story! Her name is Hagar. And her story is this: As soon as the Bible begins, we learn of Hagar. As Sarah’s slave we can presume she has been with Sarah and Abraham for…
When do lives not matter?
Question: When do 140,000 American lives not matter? Answer: When they are lost at the hand of other Americans, wielding the weapons which have cost us our freedom. To be more exact, a recent study has shown that between 2002…
Too busy NOT to stop
Over 20 years ago, Bill Hybels wrote a terrific book, Too Busy NOT to Pray . In it he challenged our passive willingness to allow busyness to muscle out time for prayer in our daily schedules.