Breathe deeply. Summer is coming to a close. For some of us, the deep breaths remind us that we have survived the holy chaos of kids out of school, camps, VBS, and trips disguised as vacations. For others of us, the deep breaths center us as we look ahead to the sprint of the program … Continue reading
By Andy Hale I can relate most things in my life to film or television. That’s what happens when you spent a lonely childhood in front of the screen… Everyday occurrences that relate to a Seinfeld episode are either met with the annoyance of irrelevance or a good chuckle from those that make the connection. … Continue reading
By Paul Baxley Tomorrow I will be present with religious and community leaders at a worship service at St. Stephen Church in Louisville, Kentucky. The service will include readings and prayers as we mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in what is now the United States. In the service, … Continue reading
By Kate Honeycutt “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” – 1 John 4:12 (NRSV) “What the hardest thing about following Jesus?” I ask a group of first and second graders. A bright 7-year-old boy enthusiastically answers: “You can’t see … Continue reading
By Paul Baxley Tuesday, August 20, will mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved persons in what was to become the United States of America. In 1619, about 20 Africans arrived on the Virginia coast at the end of a grueling, dehumanizing trans-Atlantic voyage. Unlike so many before and after who … Continue reading
By Sue Smith Migration isn’t new to Central America. With a long history of heavy-handed dictators and military presence, of abuses against peasants and indigenous peoples, and the growing influence of drug cartels and gangs, there has been movement of peoples between these small countries for many decades. And in recent years, we’ve begun to … Continue reading
By Andy Hale From time to time, I may stretch a sermon illustration for effect. It’s never intentional. More often than not, it is how I remember it happening. It’s kind of like in the 2003 movie Big Fish, in which a father retells his life story through fantastical anecdotes. (For a refresher on the … Continue reading
