I’ve noticed something in congregational life. When a question comes up that challenges long-held beliefs or traditions, anxiety can spread quickly. People sense that more than just opinions are at stake. For some, this affects how they read scripture. For…
Mary and the long work of God
Advent teaches us how to live inside a promise that hasn’t yet finished unfolding. The light is thinner. The nights arrive early. We find ourselves listening more carefully, because certainty has loosened its grip. Scripture doesn’t rush to resolve this…
When patriotism becomes worship and we don’t even notice
I remember the yellow first. It shimmered in the early light. —draped across the pulpit, woven into the choir rail, curling like a ribbon around the sanctuary ceiling. Yellow is the royal color in Thailand, the color of loyalty to…
The girl at the edge of belonging
She was 15, and she believed. She hadn’t been raised in church exactly. But somewhere along the way, she found her way in — drawn by something tender and true, something that stirred in the songs and the stories, the…
You think Christmas is a challenge for church leaders? Look at the calendar convergence coming in two months
The candles haven’t even been lit for Christmas Eve services, but for pastors and church staff looking ahead to the new year, an unusual calendar conflict is waiting in the wings two months from today. For only the fifth time…
Eugene Peterson: a wise, textured soul with an uncommon congruence between page and person
Eugene Peterson was, of course, good with the pen. But the deeper reason his words reverberated within so many of us is because of how deeply God’s ways and Word reverberated in his own soul.
7 things I (re)discovered on sabbatical
C.S. Lewis once said that most of us don’t need to be told new things, but rather reminded of old truths. This has certainly been true in my own journey these past few months. On June 1, I entered into…
A rare, sacred and necessary gift
By Jason Edwards A few Christmases ago while celebrating with family in my childhood home, I got the distinct feeling that I had entered sacred space. To some extent, I almost always feel like that on these visits. Usually it…