Forced Ecclesiastical Assimilation? by Antonio ‘Tony’ Aja I am an immigrant and a former refugee. I came from Cuba to the U.S. via Spain in the late ’60s. I belong to that group of people from the “Global South’’ who began to migrate to this country by the millions after the liberalization of the… Read more »
January 16, 2018
Writing in the Margins
Forced Ecclesiastical Assimilation? by Antonio ‘Tony’ Aja I am an immigrant and a former refugee. I came from Cuba to the U.S. via Spain in the late ’60s. I belong to that group of people from the “Global South’’ who began to migrate to this country by the millions after the liberalization of the… Read more »
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… 
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… 
The Christmas prayer tree A rural church reaches out in an unexpected way by Donna Frischknecht Jackson Silence fell upon the room. A woman at my table waved to the waitress to order another glass of wine. A good diversion on her part, I thought. Others around me glanced down at the meeting agenda,… 
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… 
Building new ramps Can we connect people who love God but not church? By Susan Rothenberg One of the reasons I am grateful for Facebook, despite its dastardly power to distract me from the useful tasks I should be doing, is that social media has reacquainted me with people I haven’t seen nor heard… 
Mind the Gap Closing the space between our values and actions By Susan Rothenberg When my son and I visited London for the first time a few years ago, he was completely fascinated by the London Underground. For weeks prior to our trip, he researched stations, lines, and pretty much had the whole system… 
How to Plan a Year of Sermon Series without the Lectionary Creative inspiration for pastors and church leaders By David R. Collins One of the best things a church can do to grow is to put the lectionary on the shelf and move to series based preaching. But the idea of making the shift can be daunting. Partly because… 
What should we do with critics? Lead them! David R. Collins There’s been a great deal of ink spilled on how leaders should handle critics. Depending on the book or blog that you read, you can find advice that ranges from loving them into friends, to freezing them out, to burying them. I hear this…