by Kendall Ellis This semester I had the joy of guiding my staff through a weekly devotional inspired by the Apostles’ Creed. Though Baptists have historically been a non-creedal people, my staff was an ecumenical group of believers, and we found a renewed hope in God as we studied the creed and scriptures together. Below … Continue reading
by Laura Ellis Last year at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, a drone accidentally discovered a mass grave outside the city on Hart Island. The grave was full of the bodies of people who died in a time when the city’s morgues were full. The bodies were unidentified and unclaimed, … Continue reading
By Hannah Moody Throughout this pandemic, all have been affected. No matter one’s background or social standing, each of us has been affected. Coronavirus is relentless that way, not caring where you are, who you are, anything. If not physically, you have likely been affected mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. I know my own stress … Continue reading
By Joshua Stewart In my last blog published for CBF, I invited you to remember these words: God shines in the darkness. It was encouraging to me then, and it continues to encourage me today. This past year, my favorite passage of Scripture has been the first handful of verses in the Gospel of John, … Continue reading
By Christie Thadikonda Where is God when it hurts? This has been an existential question for generations. As this question lingers in the minds of many including Christians, time has come to reflect on the presence of God. In his book God and the Pandemic, N.T. Wright encourages readers to move toward what can we … Continue reading
By Jana Atkinson The idea that I am a part of God’s story is something I never thought or believed until Jesus came in and radically changed my perspective. We live in a world that is full of broken people. I spent a great deal of my life as one of these broken people. I … Continue reading
By Holly Strother-Waller I watched Emma’s body come up out of the Jacuzzi-looking portable baptismal. The pandemic forced the church to get creative for our baptisms throughout the last year. Water splashed on to Worship center floor as she got out of the pool of water to get dried off. The water continued to ripple … Continue reading
By Jonathan Greer Taking on a Lenten practice was not part of my upbringing, and my early knowledge of the Lenten season was based on people giving up vices and eating fish on Fridays. As I moved into adulthood, I began to see Lenten practices at work in the lives of my friends, but still … Continue reading
By Joya Moore I have been thinking deeply about the experience of women in America since the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. I honestly had not anticipated a woman occupying the Vice Presidential office for a long time, so to watch her take the oath and experience the ways in … Continue reading
By Jiquan Davis What is Advent? According to The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, Advent is the period of preparation before his birth on Christmas Day. It begins four Sundays before Christmas on Advent Sunday; the date varies depending on which day of the week Christmas falls. Advent is a word with Latin roots and … Continue reading
