Quite Contrary
The 18th century nursery rhyme, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” rightly identifies contrariness as an undesirable trait. Still, there are...
Better Together
The multi-site movement, normally associated with larger churches, also creates an option for small and mid-sized churches. Where two (or...
Starr Trek
Week by week, empty nesters Charlie and Martha Starr participate in two churches. They worship in the early service at Cross Roads BIC...
Crowdsourcing
In recent years, the phenomenon of crowdsourcing has been used to obtain goods, services, finances, information, and insights for a task...
Lightning
As thunderstorms sweep through on summer evenings, thunder rolls and lightning sears the sky. When storms of dissension rile churches,...
Troublesome Issues
Left unattended, troublesome issues tend to pile up. Before long, a group can divide into adversarial “sides” facing a daunting tangle of...
Yellow Roses & Violets
This week Connie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. It was a good time to reflect on the goodness of the Lord over these many...
Resignation with Integrity
Twelve years ago, David Hall resigned as senior pastor of the Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (hereafter, EBIC). By reading and...
Departures
When people leave a church, it can be hard for the ones who remain. In a recent post in The Gospel Coalition, Dave Harvey offers helpful...
Rivers of Tears
I have lost family members to gun violence—a coup d’état, assassinations, and civil war in Liberia. I have lost friends to gun violence...
Busy, But Not Hurried
Jesus was busy. But not like we’re busy. Jesus has been on the move since, well, forever. Hanging out with the Father and Spirit....
White Space
A really good friend who knows me demanded to know how I could say “yes” to doing one more thing. “You can’t possibly have time,” he...
Prophetic Witness
The Kingdom of God as dreamt by Isaiah, as revealed to John, and as preached by Jesus, is a kingdom of every nation, every tribe, and...
A Life to Share
God has provided a way for the good news of Jesus to reach every city and village in the world. Through us, as followers of Jesus, God is...
Conflict!
As followers of Jesus, we must not be surprised by inner conflict. Nor should we be distressed. The contention between ingrained...
