~by Rebecca. “The Church is a whore, but she’s our mother.” ~ St. Augustine of Hippo If you have even heard that Christianity exists, you can probably name at least a dozen friends or acquaintances off the top of your head who have been severely hurt by the Church. If you have been a Christian … More Church Baggage

~By Barb Costa Have you ever seen a movie or attended a concert so good you couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it? Well, that happened to me last month. After living here almost ten years I finally went to the National Aviary, not once but twice in one week! (Maybe you didn’t know that … More Go and Tell

~by Meg Saunders [Jesus speaking] “‘When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me . . . But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go … More The Coming of the Spirit

I don’t know if it seems odd to you, but it certainly seems odd to me that after the climax of the story, in which Jesus defeats death and the devil, the story is nowhere near over. The Jews certainly weren’t expecting anything like this; they expected their Messiah to bring in God’s Kingdom, when … More Readings for Week #6

Anyone else out there obsessed with discussing personality tests? In college and in seminary, at least, we would sit around and have endless discussions about our Meyers Briggs letters, our Enneagram numbers, our DISC profile, or whether we were more like a lion, beaver, otter, or golden retriever. I bring this up because, as useful … More Reflections on Week #5

~by Jared Osborn We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. (Good Friday anthem from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer p. 281) The cross is the most common symbol of Christianity.  Many churches use a large cross as a focal point in their … More The Beauty of the Cross

~By Mike Floyd One of the challenging aspects of our modern, scientific, world is the sense that it can tend to be a rather cold, factual and impersonal place. Often times we feel that we can use our intelligence and our evaluative skills to define and order all things. This approach has even found its … More The Holy Mystery of Jesus

~By Meg Saunders “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). “Now in … More God our Redeemer

The heart. The height. The climax. The center. These are all words we use to describe the most critical point of a story, the part that makes up the heart of a faith. And all of these words can be related to Jesus: His life is the center around which the church year revolves. He … More Readings for Week #5