By Brett Younger For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking? This year, with Christmas falling on Sunday, many…
The 20-year war in Iraq
By Ken Sehested I don’t know what it was that penetrated my groggy reading of the Sunday morning paper, sitting at the kitchen table, the coffee maker’s final perks hacking like a smoker’s cough. Something, subliminally, coming from the radio…
How merry can your pastor’s Christmas be?
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan “Are we having church on Christmas Day this year?” Such has been a constant question asked at my office door since Thanksgiving. The answer is an enthusiastic “yes, of course we are” (even if the music…
Celebrate our missionaries
By Ricky Creech How blessed Baptists are to be known as a missionary people. I love missionaries. They are my heroes, not because they are superhuman or different from me, but because they sacrifice much every day for the cause…
How would Tim Tebow defend Christmas?
By Jim Denison Gov. Lincoln Chafee recently made national headlines by calling the Rhode Island State House’s 17-foot spruce a “holiday” tree. When critics complained, he urged them to volunteer to help needy people instead. In response, the Providence Catholic…
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…
Can we have2 a healthier search process?
By Bill Wilson An increasing part of my life is spent advising and coaching pastor search committees. A healthy search process requires great patience, spiritual maturity and hard work. Done well, it can lead to a season of hope and…
When Jesus had a pacifier
By Bill Leonard For more years than anyone remembers First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue, in Winston-Salem, N.C., has marked Advent with “The Nativity,” a living reenactment of the birth of Jesus presented in worship on the second Sunday of the…
Enrich your life by living gratefully
By Rabbi Rami Shapiro What are you grateful for? Try not to cough up the usual suspects: sunsets, daisies, puppies, babies and babies playing with puppies among the daisies at sunset. True, I’m grateful that the earth orbits the sun,…
Lovers and dreamers
By Amy Butler The feelings the movie brought back were warm, and leaving the theater in gathering darkness I couldn’t help thinking to myself: “Some days I wish life were as simple now as it was back when The Muppet…
Confession from a consultant
By Bill Wilson Time for a confession. Let me tell you a consultant’s dirty little secret: congregational strategic planning is frequently a waste of time and can be counterproductive. There, it’s out. Now, it’s time to explain. Many congregations, for…
Giving thanks
By David Gushee In this Thanksgiving week, your curmudgeonly controversialist has chosen to give thanks rather than — this one time — make any more trouble. I am grateful to God for: — Reaching out to me and saving me…