“I believe in . . . the holy catholic Church,” states the centuries-old Apostles’ Creed, or, if you’re a Lutheran, “I believe in . . . the holy Christian church.” In the creed, “catholic” means universal, as in the whole, global church that confesses its belief in Christian doctrine. The origins of the creed can be…
I have a bunch of kids—four, with a fifth on the way. Their ages currently range from three to ten years, but soon there will be a newborn in the mix. So I’ve had kiddos in the birth to kinder classes at church for a long time. Through those years, I have also served in…
Murphy’s Law would say everything goes wrong as you’re trying to get your family out the door for church. People wake up late, and they wake up grumpy. The baby poops through his diaper onto your pants just as we are walking out the door. Big homework projects due on Monday are suddenly “remembered.” I’ve…
If you come from an unchurched or even an evangelical background, the notion of liturgy may be foreign to you. It was to me throughout most of my childhood and young adulthood. And for many years, I thought liturgy was a negative thing until I realized that God is all about liturgy when that liturgy is…
Eighteen months ago, my husband and I were co-teachers of an adult Sunday school class full of people we considered friends. The eight couples who regularly attended were people with whom we shared our lives—the good and the bad—and they did the same. We studied God’s Word together, we prayed for one another, and we…
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NASB). I grew up in a conservative church filled with wonderful people who loved Jesus. The leaders surrounding me desired to live their lives…