Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:2 Devotion Who was the first person to share their faith in Jesus with you? Maybe it was the person who first explained the gospel. Maybe it was a parent teaching you what it means to follow Christ. Maybe it was a mentor who took time to
9 Discouraging Trends for Global Christianity in 2026 These nine discouraging trends in global Christianity in 2026 should collectively challenge church leaders to renewed prayer and action. The Great Divide: American Morality Perception and Why We Judge Our Neighbors According to a 25-country survey, Americans are more likely than people
There is a wonderful story told of St. Lawrence, who when a Roman prefect gave him three days to hand over the wealth of the local Church, sold it all and gave the proceeds to the needy. He then gathered up the sick, the poor, and the disabled, and presented
Peter De Vries confessed, ever so wryly, that we crown our tragedians with laurel but our comedians with Brussels sprouts. We regard tragedy as the prime genre because it embodies the profoundest truths about proudly flawed heroes such as King Lear. Despite his ruinous hubris, the king dies nobly, even
This week the First Presidency announced new area leadership assignments with a modification that gives some presidencies four people serving rather than three. If you did not see the story on the new Temple Square Visitors’ Center, this is a must! The Tabernacle Choir will be doing a benefit concert
Connectional Addiction: Retirement, Identity, and the Hidden Temptation of Ministerial Influence By Mike Powers Last June (2025) I retired for the third time since 2017. Obviously, I am not very good at this. With each retirement, I experienced some common and rather odd feelings. Some of these feelings reveal the
“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You
MasterClass: Formed, Not Conformed begins in Genesis 3, where the serpent’s deception introduces a timeless temptation: becoming like God apart from God. The conversation unpacks how the pursuit of knowledge, when detached from trust, leads not to freedom but to fear, shame, and fragmentation. The same dynamic is alive today