Advent catches me off-guard every year with the reminder that God may be “in his heaven” but all is not, in fact, right with the world.
Formations 12.03.2023: A Kingdom of Peace and Justice
Isaiah 9 expresses a great sigh of relief on the part of the beleaguered people of Judah.
Connections 11.26.2023: Grace and Goodness
It’s Thanksgiving week, which means many of us will gather with some of the people we love best in the world, and we’ll eat amazing favorite foods, and we’ll share the things we’re grateful for, and we’ll celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.
Formations 11.26.2023: Mountaintop Experiences
The Bible never uses the exact wording of a “mountaintop experience,” but it is certainly the origin of that expression.
A Bit of Hell
“I’m a fake,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean that I get up and I teach my Sunday school class when I don’t even know if I believe what I’m teaching anymore.”
Formations 11.19.2023: Completing the Work
I’ve never been a member of a church that built a new facility. But I have been a member of a church that renovated older buildings.
Connections 11.19.2023: Peace and Security
Most of us don’t know very much about the ancient history of the region that many faith groups consider to be holy land.
Formations 11.12.2023: Bigger than Us
In the Middle Ages, the building of cathedrals represented both a profound expression of faith and a channel for the creative energies of countless artisans.
Connections 11.12.2023: Just Be Nice
Anyone who has been around small children probably speaks a familiar refrain: “Be nice.”
Formations 11.05.2023: Lavish Symbols
Robert Webber was a minister and academic who often led seminars for churches navigating the landmines of worship renewal.
Connections 11.05.2023: Recipe for a Saint
The first Sunday in November is often observed as All Saints’ Day.
Formations 10.29.2023: Our True Sacrifice
Some of today’s lesson text deals with animal sacrifices to God, a practice we (hopefully) no longer do.
Formations 10.22.2023: Seeing Each Other
How do you react when you encounter someone on the street asking for money? What if that person is a “regular.”
Formations 10.15.2023: “The Lord Indeed Is God”
In the fourth century, the Arian bishop Ulfilas translated the Bible into the Gothic language.
Formations 10.08.2023: Offering the Tithe
The Ten Commandments tell us not to covet or steal or murder and so on, and we could probably think of many actions and behaviors that fall under those ten laws.
Connections 10.08.2023: Regrets, I Have (More Than) a Few
Yesterday I let my fifteen-year-old son connect his phone to my car’s audio system so we could listen to his playlist on the way to the orthodontist.
Formations 10.01.2023: Speak of the Devil
First Peter ends with a series of parting instructions regarding mutual love, hospitality, humility, stewardship of spiritual gifts, and accepting the authority of church elders.
Connections 09.24.2023: What’s Your Problem?
In general, it is not a good idea to base complex theological understandings on snippets and sound bites.
Formations 09.24.2023: Your Life Speaks
A high school marketing program in Liberty Hill, Texas is working with local businesses for mutual benefit.
Formations 09.10.2023: Public Opinion
It’s amazing how much our self-perception depends on what other people say about us. People who’ve been told they don’t have what it takes to succeed often don’t.
Formations 08.27.2023: Legacy
“Legacy” is a hefty word. We connect it with death, since many people’s life goal is to leave a legacy behind when they die.
Connections 08.20.2023: Salvation
People from certain Christian traditions may remember sermons and lessons about “being saved,” “asking Jesus into your heart,” or “walking the aisle” to make a public profession of faith before the church.
Flame: Pentecost Flames Salad Spinner Art and Prayer Ideas
I found a cheap salad spinner ($4 in IKEA!) and was finally able to try out some spinner art! It’s brilliant: quick, clean (because the spinner sits in its own bowl) and each piece is unique! The process of making the art really lends itself to Pentecost themes so here’s an idea to help celebrate the occasion.
Flame: Pentecost Painting
I know it’s a bit early for Pentecost, but I like to be ahead of the game and there are so many stories where flames are useful! This is a really great idea for all ages.
Flame: Oil and Paper Suncatchers
This is an activity that can be done by children of all ages and is a great illustration of Christ’s light shining through us. Gather the necessary materials and wait for a sunny day.
Flame: “God Loves Me” Stained Glass Windows
This week one of our focus stories is the Prodigal Son. The main point we want to get across is that God loves us and wants to be involved in our lives. This is a craft we will be doing with our 3-5s group on Sunday and also with the 5-7s.
Six Ways to Embrace Your Uniqueness
As we put our hands to the plow of the new year, consider these six ways of transforming yourself and your Sunday school class.
Flame: Light of the World Lantern
Lanterns and lamps appear in many Bible stories and they’re so easy to make, but I’ve always been disappointed that it’s difficult to put a light in a lantern without risking the whole thing going up in flames.
Flame: Easter Cards
We made Easter cards last year and, when I got the Easter box down this week, I found we had loads of materials left so we did it again.
Lockdown Sunday School: How to be Together When You’re Apart
Very little feels normal about church these past six months, but one of the most consistently meaningful weekly meetings we have maintained is the Bible study my wife and I lead for young adults.
Flame: Palm Sunday Spinner
We are getting into Easter planning mode at the moment and needed something a bit different for Palm Sunday. This is a great activity because somehow the hosanna appears on the palm leaf. The children love watching the trick of the eye happen!
Flame: Psalm 23 – Overflowing Cup
Verse 5 of the twenty-third Psalm speaks about the overflowing cup that God gives and this craft is a way of exploring and thanking God for His many gifts. Each creation will be unique!
Connections 12.10.2017: What Would John the Baptist Say?
The other morning I got out of bed before my wife did. When she came into the den a few minutes later, she found me eating my oatmeal and watching the CBS Morning News. The first thing she said was, “Good morning!” The second thing she said was, “Has there been another one yet today?”
Connections 10.08.2017: Paul’s Credentials…and Humility
Paul’s writings can be a tough read. Like many theologians, whether someone relatively close to Paul’s era like Tertullian or someone more recent like Eugene Peterson, he seems to be learning as he goes—making statements, doubling back, almost contradicting himself at times, certain at some points and a bit unsure at others.
Formations 07.30.2017: Life-giving Water
In the previous lesson, Judah’s restoration was described using the metaphor of the life-giving breath of God. Here, it is described as a river of water that flows from God’s presence. Where before, God’s presence had departed because of the people’s sins, now God has returned to a rebuilt temple with life-giving power.
Connections 07.30.2017: God Permits
The almost-comical family dysfunction continues in the story of Jacob’s dealings with his uncle Laban. As a woman in the twenty-first century, I sometimes try to add layers of modern interpretations to Bible stories. Let’s face it, if the incident in our text happened today, it would go differently.
Connections 04.09.2017: The Hymn of Christ
Some commentators say that these verses from Philippians describe Jesus and his mission in the form of a hymn. If so, it is a magnificent and beautiful hymn that encapsulates everything Jesus is and all he came to do. We are supposed to strive for a mind like Christ’s (v. 5).
Formations 03.26.2017: Uber’s Lesson in Humility
Uber Technologies Inc. is an online transportation network company with operations in over 500 cities in sixty-five countries. It is also a company reeling from a spate of recent setbacks including sexual harassment scandals, allegations of a covert operation to avoid regulators in key markets, and a recently leaked video of CEO Travis Kalanick berating an Uber driver.
Connections 03.26.2017: Living in the Light
We usually think of light as a positive thing. When darkness falls at my house, I take comfort in the glow of soothing lamps. Both of my girls have small lights in their rooms that stay on overnight. If I’m driving on a dark rural road, I always feel better when I approach city lights once again.
Connections 03.12.2017: Just Believe?
Paul spent a lot of mental energy writing about faith versus works. Having studied some of the history of his time, I understand why this was so important. The new Christian movement broke into a centuries-old religion that relied on sacrifices, rituals, and strict adherence to the laws of the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament.
Formations 03.05.2017: Taking Off Our Masks
It’s that time of year when cheap plastic purple and green and gold masks are sold at the front of party stores. This means that it’s almost that time of year when we follow Jesus and those early Israelites before him out into the wilderness. Jesus goes out there, whether he knows it or not, to be tempted by the devil (4:1).
Connections 03.05.2017: So Much More
Back when the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was all the rage, Saturday Night Live presented a parody of it (of course they did). Darrell Hammond portrayed host Regis Philbin, and Will Farrell played a contestant named Rich Preylant.
Formations 02.05.2017: Moving Day
The first time I moved away from home was fairly easy. Then again, I only moved about forty-five minutes away in order to attend college. I was back again for the summer, and for numerous weekends throughout the academic year. My second move was harder: about six hours away to attend seminary.
Formations 01.29.2017: God’s Covenant with Noah
Two friends and I, waiting for others to arrive, had walked down to the southeastern end of Tybee Island, where the mouth of Tybee Creek and the Atlantic met. The tide started to come back in, and for whatever reason, we set our things down and dug channels with our feet to connect the tidal pools and the incoming ocean.