by: Andrew Gale A friend of mine, Art, told a story recently about going to a play about the life of Jesus years ago. He went with a friend who already had a ticket, but when they arrived the show was sold out. Art decided to just go back to his car and wait for … Continue reading
by Amy Haynie Once in a pastoral care class we were asked to bring an item to class that reminded us of an altar. I brought a pillow. From the very beginning of my sons’ lives, bedtime rituals have been very important. My older son needed the ritual so that he could slow down and … Continue reading
–by Bromleigh McCleneghan Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses … Continue reading
~ by Janet Trevino-Elizarraraz We never ‘arrive’ in parenting. There’s an endless stream of questions we face when we’re in an ever-changing, dynamic relationship with such amazing, little people. What do I do about a child that expresses boredom, or how do I get my son to stop doing something undesirable? In our world of … Continue reading
By Laura Kelly Fanucci I stir in the dark before dawn. Black trees outlined through our windows slowly sharpen into focus as the sky lightens into blue behind them. I slip between sleep and waking, but eventually decide the dreams are gone for good. I think of turning towards the prayer book on the nightstand … Continue reading
—Erika Marksbury Scripture Reading Matthew 5:38-42 (NRSV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you … Continue reading
Corey Fields I recently heard Amy Bulter, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC, say, “As a culture, we seem to walk around with a kind of PTSD.” She was in no way diminishing the serious, psychological diagnosis PTSD, but she was observing that our culture as an emotional system, especially since Sept. 11 … Continue reading
Originally posted on Practicing Families:
From the backseat, my five-year-old asked, slowly, “Mommy, is ‘T’ the first number for God?” It took me a minute, but I figured out he was trying to spell. “No, baby,” I told him, “the letters for God are g-o-d.” He was fidgeting with his hands, I could tell, but…
–by Julia Roller Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:9-10, 12-14 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. . . . As God’s chosen ones, holy … Continue reading
~by Jill Clingan I felt a tap on my shoulder, startling me from my reverie. It was a spring Sunday morning. My husband was upstairs helping with the kids. I was sitting alone in my pew. The service was winding down, and it was time for communion. As I was sitting in that pew, with … Continue reading
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