First Words
Consequences of a prank
When the vandals took Art’s gnome, they took his joy.
Inclined toward God at the end of life
My friend adjusted his hospital bed. Then he said his final words.
Privileged illusions
It’s easy to overestimate the credit we deserve for our own success.
Gratitude rush
Greeting people on Sunday mornings, I’m fueled by thankfulness for their presence.
The weight of words
Thoughtfulness can make a life. Thoughtlessness can break one.
Recipes from long ago
Old handwritten recipes conjure up all kinds of memories.
The residue of Christ in the world
Jesus may be as close as a plastic bobblehead or a dried-out palm frond.
Awaiting the dawn from on high
Christmas can’t come soon enough for Tom.
Eugene Peterson: Pastor, poet, and friend
Peterson has influenced my pastoral life and mind more profoundly than anyone else.
A religious magazine to accompany your days
We offer a resource to feed your ministry. Will you consider supporting ours?
The life of faith takes practice
Maya Angelou had it right: we can only try to be Christian.
Judgment, sportsmanship, and forgiveness
When the athlete disagrees with the umpire's call
There's a better way than give and take
What does it mean to own something, like a winter coat?
Curiosity is holy
Children are good at asking questions that build relationship.
Tired church jargon
Some buzzwords that are due for a sabbatical
Nontraditional weddings have become the norm
Part of me admires couples who don't pretend to be religious on their wedding day.
Prayer that makes hard hearts softer
When we pray for "the poor," do we think of actual people?
Imprinted on idols
Like goslings, we tend to attach ourselves to the wrong things—like political parties.
How Christian Trump voters chose fear over compassion
Fear is a terrific uniter, but it's a strange way to carve out a Christian life.
How Rep. Walter Jones has turned his guilt over the Iraq War into acts of empathy
The GOP congressman has sent nearly 12,000 letters to Americans whose loved ones died in the war he voted to authorize.