Today’s Reading: Read Matthew 24:35-44; 25:31-40 Think of a time you’ve said goodbye to a friend who was going on a trip or moving away. Goodbyes are hard, aren’t they? It is easier to say goodbye to someone if you know that you will see them again! It is hard
When I was nine years old, I moved from the swamps of southern Florida to East Tennessee. Even before our relocation, my initiation into the history of country music had been substantial. In 1989, I saw Tammy Wynette in a flea market in southern Florida, not quite aware of the
I have the privilege of having a job in which I get to take Communion to the homebound on a regular basis. Many of these folks are elderly and many are deeply committed Catholics. One of the things I hear repeatedly is a lament that their grandchildren, though often raised
Are we, on Earth, the lone intelligent inhabitants of this vast universe? The Catholic tradition teaches us that there are other rational creatures, namely angels, who are purely intellectual, non-physical beings. But do we humans share the cosmos with any other embodied intelligent forms of life? Today, speculation about the
The Most Surprising Issue about Church Facilities …what is the one surprising issue about church facilities? Why You Should Understand ‘New Religious Movements’ We can shape our explanation of the gospel in helpful ways if we understand who we’re talking to and what they believe. Life Without Romans 8:28 Without
In 1987 the United States celebrated the bicentennial of the signing of its Constitution, and I was teaching sixth grade. I wanted to help my class value the significance of the moment and sense the importance of this world-changing document. We memorized the preamble. We reenacted the signing—complete with feathered
Why “Mainstream UMC” Is Wrong About Exit Paths By Thomas Lambrecht In an article riddled with factual errors and distortions, Mainstream UMC (the “centrist” caucus in the UM Church) called for “an end to disaffiliations through paragraph 2553.” They maintain that enough local churches have disaffiliated, and it is time
The 2008 American National Election Study (ANES) asked U.S. adult citizens who self-identified as Christians the following yes/no question, “Do you believe that when people take Holy Communion, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, or do you believe that does not happen?” At that