We live in a world that urges us to take sides. Based on these labels, and often little else, we decide whether or not we should associate with people. We let the sides we take in public debates define who we are.
Uniform 06.15.2014: Being Holy
June 8, 2014 by
Old Testament writers are often concerned with holiness. With an extensive collection of laws about how to remain holy, or set apart, God’s people had an innate knowledge of what threatened their holiness.
Uniform 06.01.2014: All Deliberate Speed
May 23, 2014 by
Having grown up in Georgia, I have heard many stories about when my state’s public schools finally integrated. In many cases, the court’s order did not take hold until the mid-70s, twenty years after its decree that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
Uniform 05.18.2014: Be Careful What You Do
May 11, 2014 by
In the process of parenting our son, my husband and I often discuss the various methods of discipline that were used in our families growing up. For both of our households, there was always a penalty for using inappropriate language. In my house, my mother would squirt Worcestershire sauce on our tongues.
Uniform 05.04.2014: Testing God
April 27, 2014 by
In this Easter season, the last person on our minds is Santa Claus. But as I read this week’s texts and their mandates not to put “God to the test” (Deut 6:16; Mt 4:7), I am reminded of the way children bargain with Santa when they begin to suspect that he is not real.
Uniform 04.20.2014: Thoughts on Resurrection
April 13, 2014 by
Every Easter, we read the story of the empty tomb. And every year, I find myself wondering how I would have felt if I had been there that day. What would I have focused on as I walked to the tomb to tend to Jesus’ body? How would I have responded to Jesus’ absence? Would I have been outraged? Afraid?
Uniform 04.06.2014: Caring for Sacred Space
March 30, 2014 by
Like many people, I can get pretty sentimental about buildings. When an old, unused gym on my college campus was torn down to make way for green space, I was saddened that people would no longer get to see the tiny gym where the Mercer Bears played basketball for many years.
Uniform 03.23.2014: One of the Flock
March 16, 2014 by
I must confess that the book of Revelation intimidates me. I can read about the flood in Genesis, Egypt’s ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus, the dry bones in Ezekiel, and the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels without feeling overwhelmed by God’s mysterious power.
Uniform 03.09.2014: Family History
March 2, 2014 by
My grandfather is a genealogy junky. He has spent countless hours sifting through birth, marriage, and death records in the public library of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Through his research, he traced our family tree back some fifteen generations, when the Milligans were still in England.
Uniform 02.23.2014: Talking with Toddlers
February 16, 2014 by
As the mother of a two-year-old, I spend a lot of time thinking about language. I delight in my son’s ever-expanding vocabulary, and I giggle at his sweet mispronunciations and the fascinating way he strings words together into sentences. But as much fun as it can be to help my son understand our complicated language, teaching him the power of words is a serious business.
Uniform 2.09.2014: Loving Everyone in Snowstorms and Beyond
February 2, 2014 by
This week, the Southeast experienced a rare winter storm that wreaked havoc on our routines. A mass exodus from schools and businesses when snow started to fall on untreated roads created dangerous and impassable conditions. Commutes of a few miles that would normally take fifteen to twenty minutes stretched into hours and even into the next day.
Uniform 01.26.2014: A War on Wealth
January 19, 2014 by
This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson declaring a “war on poverty.” Through programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start, the Johnson administration demonstrated its commitment to easing the economic inequality in our country.
Uniform 01.12.2014: Pope Francis and the Beatitudes
January 2, 2014 by
Since his election and installation in March, Pope Francis has continually shocked the world with his concern for the poor. He has spoken out against economic inequality, and he has paid special attention to the least fortunate in society. He invited homeless men to the Vatican on his birthday. And rumors have cropped up that the Pope leaves the Vatican at night, wearing street clothes, to minister to the poor.
Uniform 01.05.2014: Peace on the Sabbath
January 1, 2014 by
After a week of ministering alongside Jesus, the Sabbath offers the disciples some distance from the concerns of their work. As they travel together, they are able to enjoy one another’s company in a way that is not possible while they are in the thick of supporting Jesus’ teaching and healing.