“But a Samaritan came, and when he saw him…he bandaged his wounds.” (Luke 10: 33f.) “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink….?” (Matt. 25: 37) Years ago when I was...
At a recent worship service in my home congregation, we moved through the ordinary rhythms of common worship: singing songs of praise and gratitude for God’s work among and for us, confessing our...
“I feel sad,” I admitted to my friend Wynette as she rode with me while driving around Tulsa, noticing how things had changed. I was grieving. I was in town to attend services for my former roommate...
I “attended” two funerals this month: I followed President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service on TV, and a funeral for a two month old infant was held in our church the following week. Superficially, they...
I am not usually one for New Year’s resolutions, but I thought I’d give it a try this year. My resolution? More tears. I’ll put the gym membership off for another year, keep the low-sugar recipes on...
The sum of all our efforts didn’t add up and meet our expectations. We read books on how to renew a church. We discerned the future with the congregation. The Council met late into the night...
“Do you have any new year’s resolutions?” I asked students one time during a campus ministry Christmas gathering. “Yes, I want to be more spiritually grounded and sin less this new year”, one of the...
A New Year’s Examen for those who work for justice and mercy Where have you been God, in all of it? Where was trust? Where was mercy? Where was new life? Where was love? We know that you love justice...
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were...
It’s that most wonderful time of year! The time to tune your car radio to play 24/7 Christmas songs and get a head start on the holiday cheer! Maybe you’re groaning, but I love that for the final six...
Syd Hielema joins us for this episode about fostering pastoral care and hospitality for the LGBTQ+ community within the Christian Reformed Church. In this episode we hear from participants of the...
I sang in the junior church choir, I wore a white shirt and black slacks as the official uniform at Unity Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. If my mother did not secure a ride from a church deacon...
