A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith Visit fifty-two churches in a year? Am I crazy? Maybe. I spent a year visiting a different Christian church every Sunday: Protestant mainline, evangelical, and charismatic, Roman Catholic, and more. I visited a church just like yours. I’m positive. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll […]
I’m thankful for family, friends, and faith. I’m thankful for food, clothing, and shelter. Everything else is a bonus—and I’m thankful for that too! May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We ascend the steps of the church, and a gregarious woman approaches. She’s wearing a white vestment, and I spy a clerical collar underneath. We’ve never been received so cordially. She thanks us for visiting and asks if we’re familiar with the Episcopal Church. We say no. She smiles broadly, “Here’s what I’m going to […]
When we arrive at church portrays something about us. More importantly it reveals much about the importance we place on God and worshipping him. Aside from conditioned and cultural predispositions towards punctuality, we also have personal circumstances that can interfere with our best intentions. Having a baby, small children, or many children can all impede […]
Solomon Asks God for Wisdom to Lead Well and God Grants It God appears to Solomon and offers to grant him a request. This isn’t a genie-in-a-bottle situation; it’s the all-powerful God showing his love and appreciation. Solomon makes a wise decision. He asks for wisdom and knowledge to lead the people well. Not Money […]
Though God Never Changes, the Bible Shows Us How Our Interaction with Him Has As we read the Bible, it’s easy to stumble onto confusing and even conflicting perspectives of who God is and how we should interact with him. This is because God has revealed himself in different ways throughout the various historic arcs […]
How Does God Really Feel About Women? Listen to some people in church. Watch what they do. It may cause you to assume God views women as second class. Far from it. The truth is, the Bible has story after story about how fascinating women are. They’re more nuanced than men, have profound insights we […]
It’s Saturday, and we head to church, a Seventh Day Adventist gathering. The focal point of the sanctuary is a large stained glass array. Modern and abstract it portrays an arm reaching up, with a dove upon an open hand. I’m not sure if the dove is being held, given to us, or presented to […]
Examine the Scriptures Every Day to See If What People Say Is True The book of Acts tells about the early church, with the latter two thirds of it focused on Paul’s travels and interactions with the various city branches of Jesus’s church. One brief stop is in the city of Berea. Luke writes this […]
During a time of war, there is a curious story of King David. He mentions that he is thirsty for water from a specific well. Three of his mighty warriors break through enemy lines, draw water from that well, and return to David with it. However, instead of drinking it with gratitude, David pours it […]