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Lessons from Indigenous Mourning
04/19/2021

Department: Author: Parry StelterWhen my adoptive mother died, the process of mourning was short. In fact, half of the family, including me, didn’t even go to the lunch after the burial. When my 7-month-old daughter died of sudden infant death syndrome, the process was similar, except I did go to t

Quick Picks: Mixed Media's May Reviews
04/19/2021

Department: Author: ’Til I Want No MoreBy Robin W. PearsonReviewed by Lorilee CrakerAuthor Robin W. Pearson (A Long Time Comin’) is a rarity in Christian fiction: An African American who writes about the faith and family focus of African American characters. She’s also a top-drawer storyteller, hav

What WandaVision Teaches Us About Grief
04/19/2021

Department: Author: LeMarr Jackson“Hurt people hurt people.” The story of Wandavision, the smash Marvel Studios series streaming on Disney+, underscores this poignant quote. Dealing with grief is something we all have to go through, but knowing that doesn’t seem to make it any easier. Wandavision i

The Sound of Silence
04/19/2021

Department: Author: Ilka LuytWhen my mother died, a friend told me, “The silence is so profound.” I sat with this difficult truth for a long time. In the years that followed, the silence of other sorrows made me feel isolated and alone, even in a caring church community. I thought of God as a sheph

How Do Siblings Find Consensus on End-of-Life Decisions for Parents?
04/19/2021

Department: Author: Judy Cook My siblings and I can’t seem to agree on end-of-life decisions for our parents, and they do not have a living will. How do we find consensus, if not agreement?Consensus—having the same values and/or beliefs about something—might not be possible, but agreement is much

Alfabet/Alphabet: A Memoir of a First Language
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Joanne Booy-De MoorSadiqa de Meijer was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch-Kenyan-Pakistani-Afghani family and moved to Canada as a child. She considers Dutch to be her mother tongue and, as a linguist, she grapples with the words of her childhood. This slim volume is academically rig

Bloodlands
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Cynthia BeachThe lines in Tom Brannick’s comely face cut deep. For good reason. Twenty years ago this Irish detective lived through a horror: his wife’s kidnapping and disappearance. Why? An assassin named Goliath had struck. Or had he?Old wounds are punctured when it appears—al

Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaTimothy Keller, renowned author of numerous bestselling books about Christianity, and John Inazu, a lawyer and teacher, join forces to wrestle with the question of “how Christians can engage with those around us, while both respecting people whose beliefs

9 Church Press Awards for The Banner, Disability Concerns
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Each year, the Associated Church Press honors faith-based publications—including magazines, newsletters, websites, and more—with its “Best of the Church Press” awards. The Banner, the magazine of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, received six awards for work produc

Easter Worship Adapted to COVID Protocols Again in 2021
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Janet A. GreidanusThe resurrection of Jesus Christ was celebrated in many different ways this year as Christian Reformed congregations in communities across North America adapted Easter services, for the second year in a row, to comply with locally mandated restrictions due to t

Partner Churches in Michigan and Honduras Worship Together Online
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Greg ChandlerInSpirit Church, a Christian Reformed congregation in Byron Center, Mich., and Corinto Christian Reformed Church in Corinto, Honduras, worshiped together March 21 through an online video connection. The joint worship service was a way to connect the two congregation

Reaction to Human Sexuality Report Includes Responses From a Group of Students
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Roxanne Van FaroweA group of undergraduate and graduate students—possibly for the first time—is among those voicing their responses to the Christian Reformed Church’s human sexuality report, requested by Synod 2016 and released to the churches last fall.Any time a report is to c

A Wardrobe Of Masks
04/16/2021

Department: Author: Joyce SluiterI have discovered that in the land of the lonely, one has an immense wardrobe of masks. It makes me wonder what the true face underneath is. I don the masks every day, all day, with none of the consideration usually given wardrobe choices. I am now widow clad. There

The RELEVANT Podcast
04/13/2021

Department: Author: Kayleigh FongersFor nearly two decades, RELEVANT Magazine remains at the forefront of media for Christian young adults. The RELEVANT Podcast takes things even further, with in-depth episodes that explore the intersection of faith, culture, life, and justice like nothing else.The

A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story
04/13/2021

Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaDuring World War II in the city of Nagasaki, Japan, young Sachiko and her family shared meals around a low table. A precious bowl belonging to her grandmother rested in a place of honor at its center. Each night, the bowl was filled with good things to ea

House of Miracles
04/13/2021

Department: Author: Paul DelgerBrandon Lake has contributed to various musical projects in the recent past, but now the Charleston, S.C., worship pastor takes the lead role with his debut record on the Bethel Music label titled House of Miracles. “A few years ago, God gave my wife and me a vision f

In Memoriam: Rev. Ralph Adrian Bruxvoort (1933-2021)
04/12/2021

Department: Author: Janet A. GreidanusRalph Bruxvoort preached, taught and lived out a theology centered on God's unconditional love and grace. Bruxvoort died March 23 at his home in Bloomer, Wisc.He was born in Tres Arroyos, Argentina, where his father was a missionary on behalf of the Christian R

Tending God’s Creation
04/12/2021

Department: Author: Franklin De Haan, David De HaanAfter creating Adam, God placed him in a garden. The garden would feed Adam, and in return Adam was to take care of it (Gen. 2:15). How are we taking care of the places where we live? In our interconnected world, actions we take now affect not only

All Lives Matter—Except If We Disagree
04/12/2021

Department: Author: Patty Hoezee Meyer“All lives matter,” my neighbor said to me as he walked up my drive and nodded toward the Black Lives Matter sign in my front yard. “You should get rid of that.” “All lives do matter,” I agreed, “but if I said to my husband, ‘I don’t think I matter to you,’ and

Reply All
04/12/2021

Department: Author: To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.A Christian InsurrectionA quick note to let you know how much I appreciated your article “Reflections on a Christan Insurrection” (online: bit.ly/38DFzmL). It was insightful, prophetic, and forcefu