By Maggie Morey “Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.” The first time I went to the symphony, my father took me for my 11th birthday. I was excited, shifting in my seat amongst the babble of voices, and unsure what to expect. Suddenly,...
By Charlie Fuller When I was executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., we had a set of flags representing the nations of the world. We would place them in hangers above our heads all the way around our sanctuary and leave them up from Pentecost...
By Scott Spreier God: A burning question, given the current wars and rumors of wars. A desperate query, considering the political and cultural strife rending our democracy, not to mention the sacred fabric of our once shared faith. A plea of sorts, if you’re...
By Abbey Adcox Did you know there is a saint of small things? I didn’t and recently learned of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “Little Flower.” Born in 1873 in France, she joined a group of contemplative Carmelite nuns and died at just 24. An unlikely saint, she...
By Timothy Peoples My favorite poem is “won’t you celebrate with me” by Lucille Clifton. (If you’ve ever been to my office, it is taped to the door as you enter.) This week I did a deep dive into Clifton’s poems, and they spoke to me like Scripture. I could say they...
By Darren DeMent Our opening and closing hymns this morning use very different language to describe God and our relationship to God. Consider some of these words and phrases from “How Great Thou Art”: Great ... awesome wonder ... rolling thunder ... power ... mountain...
By Charlie Fuller Just a few days ago I attended a funeral at the National Cemetery over on the west side of town. While the heat was almost beyond description, there were other forms of discomfort there as well. There was the discomfort of a grieving family and...
By Georgia McKee “It is well with my soul” — a Southern staple when it’s painted on shiplap and snagged for 40% off at Hobby Lobby. My Facebook memories reminded me this week that I had today’s anthem hanging in my bedroom throughout high school and all the way...
By Heather Mustain Around here we’ve always called the start of our fall year “Promotion Sunday” — that being today. It means very little, honestly, particularly for adults — because well, we don’t actually “promote.” However, we never stop aging, despite our best...
By LeAnn Hampton Today in worship we are reminded of the new beginnings all around us. Students with backpacks signal the start of the school year and a change from the summer routine. Participating in the family dedication for R.J. Murphy gives us the opportunity to...