Early one morning I was awakened at sunrise by someone pounding on my door. I was at the Methodist Seminary in San Jose, Costa Rica, on a mission trip, and I expected this day… read more

I have worked with children literally since I was a child myself. I’ve been a children’s minister, a pediatric chaplain, a nanny, a preschool teacher, a mentor and a… read more

What will I preach on? Whether you're asking this question a week, a month, or a year in advance of the Sunday in question, you're looking for inspiration. Some ideas may… read more

Celebrating the Reign of Christ Sunday marks the end of Ordinary Time and serves as a prologue to the festivities of Advent. We celebrate Christ's role as Lord of all—the… read more

Many of us give up certain things for the forty days of Lent, and doing so can be a very beneficial thing for us. This seven-week series takes that idea one step further and… read more

A Sermon on Genesis 22:1-18 and Matthew 25:14-27 Our younger daughter Claire’s middle name is “Moriah.” Not Mariah (with an A) like Mariah Carey, but Moriah… read more

I was recently visiting a mission camp where I had participated as both a youth and adult camper, and spent several summers on staff when I was in college. I had been invited to… read more

On May 1, 2011, we all sat glued to our televisions or Internet news source awaiting a huge news story to break at any second. I specifically remember my husband predicting what… read more

There is an old saying, “Christmas comes but once a year." For children, this is a phrase of disappointment, reminding them that the season of decorations, carols, sweets… read more

Preachers wrestle with a recurring problem: care. Odd as it seems, we often find preaching difficult because we care. We preach among people who call us to proclaim God's word and … read more

With the U.S. Independence Day holiday coming up, many churches will be holding patriotic worship services extolling the virtues of the nation. However, other congregations and… read more

David Mosser’s Stewardship Companion (Westminster John Knox) takes on a very ambitious task: to show how the theme of stewardship can be found in at least one of the texts… read more

“What?! How can the Bible say that?! That’s complete garbage!”This is something you might hear on a typical Tuesday night at Starbucks on Madison Street in… read more

After more than ten years of on-and-off bartending, I made the leap and accepted my call to ordained ministry. From the time it was suggested to the time the Bishop placed her… read more

I went to a large preaching conference a few years back, where one day was specially designated as a “celebration of prophetic preaching.” Some very big names were the … read more

How does your congregation use the Lord’s Prayer? Some churches recite it weekly, as an affirmation of “the way Christ taught us to pray.” Others view it as a… read more

About a year ago, the United Methodist congregation my husband pastors lost its building to fire. In the days and weeks that followed, our mantra was “the church is not a… read more

The images of devastation coming to us from Japan raise once again the question of why. Why would a just and loving God allow–or worse yet, cause–such human suffering? … read more

Pastor Smith is winding down after a long day of ministry. Her first six months in her new church have had their challenges, but overall she feels like she’s being accepted… read more