Mystery Box Outsiders wonder what’s inside church by Richard Hong I used to live near a business that had an innocuous name – I forget what it was. There would usually be just a few cars parked outside. The windows had blinds covering them. I never figured out what it was. Was it a… Read more »
January 12, 2018
The Church for Today
Mystery Box Outsiders wonder what’s inside church by Richard Hong I used to live near a business that had an innocuous name – I forget what it was. There would usually be just a few cars parked outside. The windows had blinds covering them. I never figured out what it was. Was it a… Read more »
The Great Epiphany Challenge Joining the Magi in seeing Christ among us by Donna Frischknecht Jackson It’s January 5, and I know I should take my Christmas tree down. The needles are falling at an alarming rate and each morning as I sip my coffee in the kitchen I can hear the clunk of… 
Someday is now Seeing the God dreams right in front of us by Donna Frischknecht Jackson The Christmas tree is losing its needles and the cutout Santa cookies are beyond stale. Christmas 2017 is fast-becoming a memory. All eyes are now on 2018. That means our eyes are on the goals and dreams we… 
Cloudy vision The inscrutable, unpredictable call of God By Sue Washburn I’m rarely accused of having my head in the clouds. I’m not the daydreaming, stare off into space sort. I feel most comfortable when I know what to expect in my day. I use my phone’s calendar app keep me on track. I get… 
Whose fault is it? Blame has no place in the Kingdom of God By Susan Rothenberg Whose fault is it? When a congregation reaches the end of its life, whose fault is it? A pastor who kept putting off retirement, and as he lost energy, so did the congregation? A music director who refused to play… 
Learning to let go Embracing what we cannot see By Sarah Robbins “You really should just go ahead and embrace it.” When something new is happening in our life, like a change in job or relationship, people will often offer this perspective. When we are in pain or in grief or a little of… 
Why go it alone? Worship is not about the selfie By Abby King-Kaiser When I was starting my first full time pastoring gig, I could not wait to work WITH people and plan worship. I could not have been more wrong about what planning worship would be like as a solo pastor, with emphasis… 
The power of questions Leaders don’t have to have all the answers By Susan Rothenberg It took me a while to realize that the dumbest question I could ask either of my children is, “How was school today?” If you’re a parent, you already know how a child usually responds: “Fine.” The caring, concerned mom… 
God says GO! Uh, who me? By Sue Washburn A few years ago I was getting ready to preach a real, live sermon. I was about halfway through my seminary internship at a church and the pastor told me I’d be preaching the Sunday after Christmas. Me! Preaching! I started researching right away. It was…