By Rev. Veronica Martinez-Gallegos, Chaplain and Assistant Director of Spiritual Care & Education at Atrium Health in Charlotte, N.C. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7 At a young age, I learned that prayer means having a conversation with God. In my personal experience, prayer has always been … Continue reading
Exhaustion affects us all differently. For me, it is a building effect, usually displaying itself in an inability to fall asleep at night because my mind is racing with all the worst possible scenarios of how the incidents leading to my stress will play out. What about you? What about when everyone is experiencing a … Continue reading
What’s the intersection of church and race? Most churches are ethnically homogenous. Rarely do you find a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural church, especially in the American South. In the South, this is a product of slavery and segregation. However, it goes much deeper than that, especially since we are over 60 years removed from the Civil … Continue reading
It’s been a while since I was a teenager. So I’ll spare you the years and my embarrassment. Nevertheless, things have changed since my day of awkward pubescents. Teenagers face challenges today that I never faced. One thing hasn’t changed, though, the questions we wrestle with about our identity, belonging, and the Divine. “Life is … Continue reading
By Shane McNary, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Only once have I flown on the door-side of the curtain, so I really do not have much experience for comparison. But I like the intimacy of economy class. As a “non-diminutive,” I am always aware that when my seatmate sees me coming, the darting of the … Continue reading
The last couple of years has been collectively challenging for all of us. And, if someone has an inclination towards anxiety and depression, this pandemic experience and socio-political tension have amplified the opportunities for people to spiral into challenging mental and emotional stations. One of the most challenging aspects of the worst parts of the … Continue reading
By Nell Green This year’s theme for the Offering for Global Missions is “A Place at the Table for Everyone.” In a recent sermon, I spoke about the Senegalese cultural characteristic, teranga. Teranga, an integral part of Senegalese culture, is an extravagant welcoming hospitality that is expressed eloquently in the Senegalese proverb: “There is always … Continue reading
During our childhood and journey into adolescence, not only are our bodies experiencing all sorts of physiological changes but so does our psyche. In this state, identity formation, commitment to intimacy with another person, and generativity take place. At the same time, this is also a critical time in which people of faith are being … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo Shortly after Marc Wyatt, CBF field personnel in North Carolina, sends a hopeful email to a group at his church, he starts to see God at work. A request to help a local Ukrainian family with groceries, toiletries, etc., results in an overwhelming fulfillment of those needs, but also unveils how close … Continue reading
Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed One of the primary laments I hear from pastors and laity in this pre-post-pandemic time is that many former stalwarts have not yet returned to church. Maybe these folks continue to be Covid-cautious. (After all, most of us have someone we love who is medically fragile. We might even be that immuno-compromised … Continue reading