As broken followers of Jesus, called to live out his holy prayer, we can seek the wisdom and courage we need to pursue unity and reconciliation while standing for truth and righteousness at the same time.
The Clarity of Covid-19
The future in every arena of life is murkier than ever. For the church, though, the coronavirus is providing clarity.
Preaching in All Places: A Review of A Big Gospel
Stephen Witmer urges pastors to see their congregations and communities as God sees them.
Bridge-Building in Sioux County
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Alex Vasquez, director of Young Life in Sioux County, about his work in the community. He is speaking from several platforms that allow him to serve as a “bridge builder” between cultures within Sioux Center.
The Walls Within Our Classrooms
I have been contemplating the barriers that immigrant students and their families face in U.S. schools for at least the last year as this is the topic that I’m delving into for my dissertation as a culmination of my doctoral studies in multicultural education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
What Online Communities Leave Out: Unlikely Friendships
As we gather as communities and (sometimes) eclectic groups of people to share a meal around the holiday season, we are reminded of the blessing of not only friendship but also unlikely friendships.
Being Good News
The people who walk through our doors every week have become our family. We are all so different; politically, socially, spiritually (the list could go on and on). But there is something about the table that allows us to put our differences aside and commune.
Finding Your Story in God’s Story
As with anything, just because something is hard or difficult doesn’t mean that we should stop doing it. In fact, sometimes we need to keep on doing the hard or difficult things because it helps us grow. There are times, though, when we face the realization that we can’t do something without help.
Liturgy formed Guests around Our Dining Room Table: An Essay on Liturgy and Life
We make a big deal out of our daily worship and we also make a big deal out of how we worship. We have a hunch that over a period of time how we worship forms us in mysterious ways that we can scarcely understand.
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…
The kingdom of heaven is in the small and seemingly insignificant—but it is in the here and now, in the present, and God is inviting us to join him.
A Father’s Heart
This journey is not meant to be walked alone, but together—in covenant community
Joy’s Place
Place, a real location in time and space, can be welcoming or hostile.
Being His People
Even though God called out a special nation thousands of years ago, and we are not that nation, we are still the people of God, and we are still called to live like the people of God. What does that mean?
Grace is Complicated
The world needs grace, which means it needs you.
Teachers in Snow Boots
God is the greatest teacher there is and inviting God in on a daily basis can lead us to knew understanding.
How Instagram Changed My Infertility Battle
God never intended us to go through life’s struggles alone. He desires for us to be in community with others and to love, support, and share. But sharing what is really going on in our lives can be difficult, especially when it is so much easier to share just the “perfect” things in life.
Beers and Carols
Thin places have become my resolution this year. I want to see them. I want to be a part of them. I want to be expecting them like Simeon and Anna sitting on the temple steps, never giving up hope that the incarnation of God’s Spirit would yet come.
Gathering Around the Table
That God chooses to dwell with us, and be with us, even to the extent of dining with us. God would participate in what is both a basic necessity and a sacred moment in community, in order to be with us.
Displaying the Hope of the Gospel in Jesus
While not wanting to press this distinction too far, the contemporary church needs to learn to keep her eyes on Christ—constantly. For there, in heaven with him, is our true hope and joy.
Why I Want to Work in the Church
When I tell people that I want to work in the church, what I mean is I want to work in a community of love. I still love all the liturgy, the details, and the formalities that go into the church, but more importantly, I want to be a part of the living, breathing, and fully alive body of Christ.
Community Found by Perspective
Being unable to control a situation and unsure if/where you belong are some of the most uncomfortable feelings we can have; yet, more often than not, they are both inevitable in new situations.
In the era of mean tweets…and much, much worse
Each year, the Dordt College junior social work students create a theme for Social Work Month which is in March. This year, the class has decided to focus on the ideal of community, and in doing so, specifically focusing in on the breakdown of community that happens from bullying and incivility.
Vulnerability, Discipleship and Community
It may be more or less socially acceptable for us to express our feelings, or to let it be known that we have feelings, depending on our gender, age, social position and the like, but this doesn’t negate the creational reality: we are created with emotions.