Posts Tagged: jesus

Hopeful Church

Spiritual experiences in church A ‘no’ or a ‘yes’?   by N. Graham Standish For years, when leading retreats and seminars on spiritually transforming congregations, I’ve often asked a revealing question: How would we react to someone who told us on a Sunday morning, “Hey, I want to share an amazing experience I had the… Read more »

B-Flat Christian

Psalms: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Experiencing all of the emotions By Rebecca Lister   A friends and I have been meeting regularly to pray, share, laugh and read.  We decided to try reading the Psalms together, underlining certain verses or phrases that reach out to us, wondering at their sheer beauty and… Read more »

The B-Flat Christian

The Clothes of Christ by Rebecca Lister So, our chocolate Easter bunnies and peeps have been hastily eaten. Our brightly colored eggs that were hidden so carefully have been discovered. We drank in the smell of our Easter lilies as we planted them. We sang our hearts out in “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,… Read more »

The B-Flat Christian

Waiting to be lifted up again by Rebecca Lister   The last nor’easter (yes, there was more than one, and another on the way, sigh) that hit our area here in south central Pennsylvania buffeted us with incredibly strong winds. It blew down power lines, ripped shingles off roofs and tossed trash cans down the… Read more »

justleros: more than nonsense / más que disparates

Caring enough A Revised Common Lectionary resource for February 4 by Magdalena I. García He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. – Mark… Read more »

justleros: more than nonsense / más que disparates

Called to discipleship A Revised Common Lectionary resource for January 21 by Magdalena I. García And immediately they left their nets and followed him. – Mark 1:18 Read the full lectionary passage here Jesus called disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, and John, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Martha, and Susanna, and they immediately left their nets, without objection,… Read more »

justleros: more than nonsense / más que disparates

Come and see A Revised Common Lectionary resource for January 14 by Magdalena I. García Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ – John 1:46 Read the full lectionary passage here Come and see! It’s the challenge that Nathanael from Phillip received and the… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

This Christmas Eve, linger a bit  A little rural church basks in Christ’s light  by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   We had just finished singing Silent Night. The Christmas Eve service was soon to be over and I felt like a child who had just opened the last of her Christmas presents. I was still overjoyed,… Read more »

The B-Flat Christian

A wonderful time of year Time to decide what’s really important by Rebecca Lister   It’s that time of year — “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It’s a time that the “Marthas” of the world relish — a time of baking, shopping, wrapping, cooking and constantly doing. I am referring to Martha, sister… Read more »

Unglued Church

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… Read more »