By Paul Baxley This past Sunday we began the Season of Advent. So much was different this year. Because of the surging coronavirus pandemic, we did not begin Advent with large congregations in sanctuaries. Many more worshipped online than in person. We could not sing the carols of Advent with the same energy, instead the … Continue reading
By Michelle Carroll Wednesday started strangely. Before I even got to my church office, our Senior Pastor was calling to tell me that we’d just learned the Attorney General’s announcement of the Breonna Taylor investigation results had been moved from Louisville to the Kentucky Historical Society, which is about two blocks from the church. “Oh, … Continue reading
By Andy Hale I’m not a fan of the Little League World Series. That might be a very unpopular statement. I’m not a fan of it in the same way that I’m not a fan of the Australian Open, the US Open, or Wimbledon. When it transpires each year, it means that every single hour … Continue reading
By Ron Hinson A novel coronavirus emergence is an outcome of life cycles of ever-present change within the biological ecosystems of our earth. Prevention or response to such events can be marked by the false assumptions that we can sustainably “control” biology when, in truth, each new event marks a new scenario that we may … Continue reading
In this special series of the CBF Stories Podcast, you’ll hear from some of the 25 Leaders to Know for 2020. Each year the CBF Ministries Council recognizes 25 Young Leaders to know as part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s ongoing investment in young Baptists. This year features graduate students and seminarians, continuing their education … Continue reading
By Ben Brown There are many ways to find a house: hire a realtor, search online with Zillow or Trulia, or seek out open houses in your area. Finding a home, that’s something completely different. Students from Judson College in Marion, Ala., are serving with Sowing Seeds of Hope in partnership with Student.Go, the student missions … Continue reading
By Andy Hale Over the past two decades, the use of antidepressants has skyrocketed. One in six Americans now takes an antidepressant medication. Nearly 40% of Americans reported in 2018 that they were more anxious than in the years past. Almost 18% of the American population has an anxiety disorder. Three out of four Americans … Continue reading
By Ben Brown Fred’s is the old haunt on Main Street downtown. It’s a staple in a town like Franklin, Virginia. Styrofoam cups are stacked behind the bar, and the breakfast special of Eggs Frederick for $8.95 is being advertised. It’s dinner-time now though, and most patrons are finishing their plates of fried chicken and … Continue reading
By Andy Hale The great Henri Nouwen, in his work Out of Solitude, wrote: The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality … Continue reading
I sometimes preach a sermon entitled “The Four Little Candles.” The author of the original story is unknown. In it I tell the story of four little candles that were burning softly and quietly. Listening closely you can hear them speak. The first little candle is peace. Lamenting that the world no longer wants to … Continue reading