Among those church families most needing ministry are those who can leave their homes only with difficulty. These “homebound” members often find their worlds have shrunk to their immediate surroundings and are sometimes desperate for human contact and news of…
OPINION: Not afraid of kangaroos — Fear-based decision making
At my house, we love to play games. My son, at 3 the youngest member of our family, will play games until he literally falls asleep sitting up. He has a few favorites: Granny’s House, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, Trouble…
OPINION: ‘Everybody Loves Kostya’
Everybody loves Raymond. Or do they? The hit comedic sitcom lasted from 1996 to 2005 and can still be seen regularly in syndicated reruns almost any day of the week. It was created around the universal themes of family and…
TRENDING: Lessons from Argentina, part 2: Cities
If you want to know what is coming to the United States, look south. As a Tar Heel, I’ve always known this. But now, I’m suggesting we look even further south than Chapel Hill — all the way to the…
OPINION: Louie Giglio and a call for dynamic faith
The eyes of the world gazed upon Washington this week for the second inauguration of President Barack H. Obama on a monumental Monday morning also remembering the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his inaugural address,…
OPINION: Awkward yoga — embracing instability
When my wife and I got engaged, we decided that in addition to planning for the wedding, we would also start working out together. She had been a member at a gym near her house, and I had been working…
OPINION: An epistle of truth for all ages — MLK’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’
Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I re-read King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Every so often I need to be reminded of deep truths so eloquently and timelessly expressed. King had traveled to Birmingham to lead a non-violent demonstration…
OPINION: Put your heart into it!
Recently, our staff was talking about things our parents would tell us that we find ourselves repeating to our children or ourselves. We had to admit that we increasingly sound like those voices we vowed never to imitate. Some of…
OPINION: A place for Panamanian pandemonium
This winter break I found myself in Panama with a group of seven individuals from Rock 17, the young adult group from Virginia’s Peninsula Baptist Association. Our travels were spurred by the partnership between Virginia Baptists and the Panamanian Baptist…