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Revising Our Language – A Spiritual Discipline

A person’s words can be life-giving water. . .  Proverbs 18:4* It’s time. Time for us to become the kind and thoughtful people we are capable of being.  Maybe even past time for us to watch our tongues lest someone wash our mouths out with soap. For many days I sit with my thoughts for potential columns before I write a word.  I read, I pray, and I have silent arguments in   [Read More …]

Banker-turned-pastor teaches churches how to raise money for ‘God-sized’ visions

When most people think of church and money, they often see offering plates and giving campaigns. But when Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, Jr. talks about the church and money, he starts with a vision. “If God gives you a vision, it always exceeds your resources,” Williams said. “If it’s a vision that you came up with, you can probably fund it. But if it's a God-sized vision, there's no way you're   [Read More …]

Seeking solidarity: How knowing a pastor from Myanmar changed how I read the news

It’s the type of headline I would normally skim over — “Myanmar’s Leader Is Detained Amid Coup” — because I don’t closely follow Asian politics. But this recent headline grabbed me, and I read the article twice, searching for how the military overthrow of a civilian government might affect religious practice in Myanmar. Why now? Because Peter Mang, a Christian pastor in Myanmar, was part of a   [Read More …]

Does connectedness revise your perceptions?

“How much should I have? What is enough for me? What should you have? What is enough for you?” -- N. Gordon Cosby, from his sermon, "How Much Is Enough?"* Can you hear the echoes from that 1990 sermon (quoted above) bouncing off the walls of Congress, careening across the land, and whistling through every unemployment and food bank line? Much has changed for the worse since Cosby preached   [Read More …]

The Importance of Shifting Our Focus

“Selfishness is the most destructive force in all the cosmos, and hate is only its symptom.”                      Bishop Michael Curry,  Love Is The Way As I write this Congress is debating, or should I say arguing about President Biden’s incentive bill to offset some of the most   [Read More …]

Desperately Needed: Your Prayers for our Nation

When I am afraid, I will pray. Who said that?  It doesn’t matter because today our nation needs for every one of us to be praying like we’ve never prayed before: Pray for a safe inauguration for President-elect Biden and Vice President- elect Harris and the wisdom for them to lead us through these difficult times . . .  Pray for safety for our Senators and Representatives and   [Read More …]

Gemstones in the Sun: An interview with the founder

Rev. Diane Ford Dessables is the founder of Gemstones in the Sun (GITS), an online blog where people of color (POC i.e., the Indigenous, descendants of slaves and immigrants of color) share their experiences with beliefs, shifting values, and resources. Through Gemstones in the Sun, Dessables also convenes spiritual support groups called Gemstones in the Sun Freedom Circles for POC to work   [Read More …]

Your instructions for 2021 are . . .

“Give them something to eat yourselves.”   Mark 6:37, The Jerusalem Bible Across the U.S.A. the pandemic has robbed people of their jobs.  Without an income it is hard to feed your family. Here’s a frightening statistic from Feeding America, the country’s largest food bank program:  “In the United States currently, 1 in 9 people struggle with hunger.”   Jesus   [Read More …]

Do you have a generosity gene?

In the end, being generous is an affirmation of hope in the future.   Mark V. Ewert, The Generosity Path: Finding the Richness in Giving Is there a generosity gene? While some people are born generous, for most of us giving is an acquired trait.  Either we had parents who showed us by example the importance of helping others less fortunate, or we had to discover the joy of   [Read More …]