By: Jill Ver Steeg We blow out the candle of confrontation and light the candle of peace. Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is Mark’s way of saying “Genesis.” This is the genesis of all...
By: Jen deCombe First Sunday of Advent: We blow out the candle of despair and in its place we light the candle of hope. Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37 This year’s first Gospel reading of the Advent season comes as a shock to many of us. Unlike...
By: Priscilla Andre-Colton About two years ago we had a group of adults exploring faith practices using Dorothy C. Bass’ book Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People. They were thoroughly enjoying learning new ways to experience God’s presence in...
By: Sandy Safford Planning for a group worship time this summer? Try one of these practices, from Sandy Safford. Washed Clean This activity focuses on the practice of forgiveness–on receiving a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning through the grace of...
By: Martha Rockenstein Many Christian Educators and pastors move through their ministry on automatic. They keep on doing what they are doing and probably doing it adequately. However, there usually comes a time when they start running on empty, when they feel like...
By: Traci Smith When I teach parents how to incorporate spiritual practice into their family routine, I stress this truth: Faith is learned when it’s woven seamlessly into the fabric of our everyday lives. The idea is that faith practices that have lasting impact are...
By: Lynne Baab After church on Sunday, a family prays together for the upcoming week. A small group sets aside a day to fast and pray for one of their members who has cancer. A congregation buys copies of a Lenten devotional so everyone can spend time each day reading...
By: Von Clemans In his classic book The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” Our calling as educators can lead us at times to focus on...
By: Jill Duffield Recognizing God right in front of us can be a challenge. Jesus, seemingly irritated with the disciples, asks, “Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and faith to hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:18) The risen Christ’s refrain to...
By: Susan E. Moorefield In the world of Instagram and selfies, it is hard to imagine that photography could even be suggested as a spiritual practice. Everywhere you go, smart phones are photographing everything from a foot-long chili dog at the ballpark to a squirrel...
