Darkwood Brew: Evolving Universe, Evolving Faith, Part 2: The Possibility of Life on Other Planets
In this series from Darkwood Brew on Evolving Universe, Evolving Faith, host Eric Elnes probes faith and science, doubt and belief. Quantum theory, current theories of creation and evolution, and much more are examined through the lens of faith. In part 2, Eric and Grace Wolf-Chase discuss the possibility of life on other planets--and the ramifications for faith.
David Lose: Creativity and the Critic
Do you ever wish that annoying colleague or friend who always wants to 'improve' your ideas would just go away? You know the one I mean, he (or she) isn’t mean spirited or particularly unkind, just always a bit critical.
Day1 2013 Benefit to Honor Community Leaders of Faith
The Day1 ministry will hold its annual benefit banquet on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at the Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. For the fifth year the event will honor leaders in the Atlanta area who are well known for their commitment to the good of the community, but who may not have been recognized for their deep commitment to their church and the religious community.
Carol Howard Merritt: It's Not All About Me
One afternoon when I was completely stressed out about some criticism I received from my congregation, another minister took me to lunch. She asked me about the history of the congregation and helped me sort out some of their past traumas.
Scott Black Johnston: How Was Your Day?
I recently saw a rerun of the film Bruce Almighty. I enjoyed it. The premise of this Jim Carrey comedy is theologically interesting: What would you do if you had God’s powers?
Brett Younger: The All-American Worship Quiz
How formal, informal, traditional, contemporary, spirited, scripted, classical, or rock and roll is your church? These scientific questions will answer all your questions.
Carl McColman: Impermanence
Historic Christian spirituality encouraged meditation on one’s own mortality. Today we consider that morbid and so we don’t do it. But perhaps reflecting on impermanence is not such a bad idea.
Bishop Rob Wright: Lent 2013: Looking for Fruit
Fruit is the exterior confirmation of interior generation. God is not as vague as we would like God to be. Fruit is a clear expectation from God to us.
Kenneth Samuel: I Promise
We all know that promises are only as good as the persons who make them, but there is another side to promise-keeping. Those to whom promises are made must keep faith in the promise as well.
Lillian Daniel: The Importance of Being with Friends
There was a story a while back about a guy on Facebook who had about 900 friends, and he invited them all to a party. You know the punch line: not one of them showed up.
Martin Copenhaver: Holy Places
Protestants often pooh-pooh the whole notion of holy places. Other religions, and other traditions within Christianity, have shrines and temples where God's presence is thought to be patently manifest. By contrast, Protestants usually are more comfortable affirming that God can be encountered anywhere, rather than in any particular place.
How to Proceed?
When we face the most complicated questions of our lives, how do we proceed?
Prayer and social media: An Anabaptist perspective
Research fellow Jim Rice takes a look at prayer and social media from an Anabaptist perspective.
David Crumm Interviews Day1's Peter Wallace on His Book, The Passionate Jesus
For years, ReadTheSpirit has recommended both Peter’s work and the Day1 network. Currently, our websites share a popular columnist, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Pratt. This mutual encouragement includes our recommendation of Peter’s newest book, The Passionate Jesus: What We Can Learn from Jesus about Love, Fear, Grief, Joy and Living Authentically.
ON Scripture-The Bible: How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines (Luke 13:1-9) By Matthew L. Skinner
Current events, like much about our lives, frequently leave us hopeless, fearful, and uncertain. Religious faith isn’t a matter of wishing away these experiences; it involves perceiving God in the midst of our hardships.
How to Pray for the Difficult People in Your Church
We all have people at church we love - and then there are the others. Rather than lying awake at night, avoiding them or going head-to-head in a meeting, here is another option - pray for them.
Anne Howard: Hold the Tension (Luke 13)
I like neat and tidy cause-and-effect. When something goes wrong, I want to know why, and I want to fix it. I want to isolate what went wrong, change what needs changing, and make it better, just as quickly as I can. So I don’t much like this odd parable of the fruitless fig tree coming up for this next Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Lent.
Darkwood Brew: Evolving Universe, Evolving Faith, Part 1: Awe, Wonder, and God
In this new series from Darkwood Brew on Evolving Universe, Evolving Faith, host Eric Elnes probes faith and science, doubt and belief. Quantum theory, current theories of creation and evolution, and much more are examined through the lens of faith. In part 1, Eric interviews Grace Wolf-Chase & Bruce Booher on Awe, Wonder, and God.
Chris Yaw Interviews Tom Tewell: Exegete Your Congregation
Exegete means to interpret – and long-time Presbyterian pastor and consultant Tom Tewell says this is what congregations need to do in their neighborhoods – to interpret what God is doing there. Tewell says that the simple act of gathering your church leaders together and walking (or driving) around the neighborhood watching, listening, and praying, can have an incredible impact.
Anthony Robinson: Come and See What God Is Doing
Not long ago I was in Louisville, Kentucky, where I met Jamesetta Ferguson, the pastor of St. Peter's UCC, a downtown church that has experienced a death to life change. She invited me to visit the church saying, Yes, we'd love to have you visit. Come and see what God is doing.