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Wielding Power Wisely

“I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases… Power tends to corrupt...

My Favorite Job

I was about twenty when I realized that my life-long tendency to seek out ministry involvement was more than simple happenstance. I began to grasp that “ministry drift,” my tendency to spontaneously flow into ministry situations, might be a sign pointing to God’s...

In The Good Ol’ Summertime

Ah, summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Summer is probably my favorite season. Dry, hot days (some of us like the heat, thank you very much, as long as it’s not muggy) that linger into warm evenings. Fresh watermelon, peaches, corn on the cob, and homemade ice cream....

What Are We Really?

The following poem, “Zebra Question” by Shel Silverstein, uses humor to raise age-old questions concerning how we perceive ourselves and others. I asked the zebra, Are you black with white stripes? Or white with black stripes? And the zebra asked me, Are you good with...

The Warm Air Felt Stuffy

[Editor’s note: This article, by Matt Soper, presents an innervating challenge to us to get out of “the visitor’s center” and “climb the mountains” of faith that intimidate us.] I recently began reading Gary Haugen’s book, “Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the...

A Prayer for Pentecost

A Prayer for Pentecost [Editor’s note: Today is Pentecost, the day in which the Holy Spirit fell upon the early gathering of Christians gathered in Jerusalem and marking the birthday of the Early Church. The following prayer, by C. Welton Gaddy, leans into that...

Re-enchanting the Disenchanted

Allow me to paint in broad brushstrokes. The world in which we live, the modern West, is a “disenchanted” world and many people have come to view the world in a mechanized way. Science is seen by many as being able to explain any and all phenomena, from earthquakes...
The Old Threads Are Unraveling

The Old Threads Are Unraveling

[Editor’s note: This Mother’s Day, the following poem by Julia Myers offers an invitation to the work of mending. I’m reminded of the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam (“repair of the world”) as well as Paul’s teaching on the New Creation, both of which remind us of our place...

A Place At the Table

In the Wall household of my childhood, our family of five often sat down to meals together. We positioned ourselves according to a seating arrangement that was never discussed, but was always followed. Dad sat at the head of the table, Mom sat to his right, and little...

Stop, Drop, and Roll

“God is our refuge and strength, a present help in times of trouble.” So goes this paraphrase from Psalm 46:1. If you are like me, you have no trouble believing that God is there for you when tragedy strikes or when times are particularly difficult.  My problem is...