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,… Read more »
December 8, 2017
Barn Boots and Blessings
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,… Read more »
There’s Something About Mary Singing her song in the season of #metoo and #churchtoo by Susan Rothenberg Like most good Presbyterians, I had a weird relationship with Mary as I was growing up. She showed up in Protestant churches for nanosecond during the Advent/Christmas season. I barely noticed her fleeting presence in the nativity scene… 
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… 
Falling in love with God What is Christian spirituality? by N. Graham Standish A Thought: What is Christian spirituality? It’s very simple: falling in love with God so we can love others and ourselves. The moment we fall more in love with the Bible, the church, spiritual practices, worship, theology, or anything else that… 
Can We Talk About Sexism? In #metoo conversations, the church can do better by Susan Rothenberg Here’s a statistic that you may or may not find startling. A study by PC(USA) Research Services in 2016 revealed 84% of female teaching elders have experienced discrimination, prejudice or harassment based upon their gender. Yet, 48% of male… 
The Field One Last Crop by Ken Rummer Beyond our yard is the trail and beyond the trail is the field. The field marches north to the dusty fog that marks the gravel of the next mile road. Thomas Jefferson’s grid of surveyed squares is much in evidence around here. This is land the… 
Good Trouble Can we see our overwhelming challenges in the church as blessings? by Susan Rothenberg Recently, I found myself in a room with about 40 pastors of various colors and ages who had gathered to hear a famous speaker talk about issues facing the church today. After the speaker left for the airport, we… 
The significance of the insignificant Finding God in the mundane by N. Graham Standish God is found most often in the mundane, not the miraculous. But we’re constantly searching for God in signs rather than in subtleties. Wisdom grows as we embrace the significance of the insignificant. In the fifth century, when St. Patrick shared… 
The Whole World is Watching Where should Christians stand in the face of evil? by Susan Rothenberg Lately, I’ve been thinking about a quote from the Woody Allen movie, “Manhattan.” “Has anybody read that Nazis are gonna march in New Jersey? Y’know, I read this in the newspaper. We should go down there, get some…