Are children in the church capable of taking on lead roles in our worship services? If so, how might we encourage this?Years ago it was rare for anyone but the pastor to speak in the worship services we attended. In many Christian Reformed churches, though, people have since realized that if worship
I have multiple jobs. I don’t think I can afford to drop any of them, but I feel like I’m being pulled in different directions. What can I do?Having several ‘gig’ jobs is becoming the new “normal” for many people, but this doesn’t make it any easier. It can feel as if you’re always working and still
Cathy sat on a bench by the library, smoking a cigarette and clutching a cup of coffee. Tiny, wizened, and perennially distraught, Cathy looked up when I called her name.Over the past several years I would occasionally see her on my walks. One of my first encounters with her was as she stood near th
Have you ever thought about decomposers? Without decomposers such as fungi, mushrooms, and bacteria, our world would be littered with the carcasses and remains of every plant, animal, and person who ever lived on Earth.But because God is so good, God has orchestrated creation to take care of its own
If God has promised to always be with us (Matt. 28:20), why does God sometimes seem so far away?It is important, as you note, for God’s promises to be the grounding of our faith. This means our faith does not rest in our capacity to predict what God is doing or our ability to perceive God’s presence
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.Trading trave
Do you have any tips for staying connected with family members through a health crisis?There’s nothing like a crisis to expose the weaknesses in any system—and that includes family communication systems.With all the technological options available to us, you’d think we would have this down pat, yet
The Bible says God designed life, so why do some Christians think life evolved?We all praise God for designing and creating the amazing plants and animals we see around us. But Christians disagree on how God created. Did God create through a miracle 6,000 years ago or through the gradual processes o
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner. The Banner h
“May the love of God, and the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”I remember as a child hearing those words of blessing roll out over the congregation in Rev. Van’s full-throated bass voice. Even as a kid, I had a deep sense of awe and peace when I
“Hey, you wanna play tic-tac-toe?” Startled, I glanced up from my seat on the dusty Arizona ground to see a freckle-faced boy standing before me. He shifted his weight onto one foot, using the other to poke at the reddish dirt, his blue eyes questioning me. I didn’t know his name, but I recognized h
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). But why? He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead moments later. He knew Lazarus would come back to his beloved family and friends. So why would Jesus be so troubled and deeply moved in his spirit that he openly wept? It was because he saw everyone else weeping
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.(The followin
It happened in an instant at a moment when I least expected it. We were in a department store, and I had just finished helping my oldest son choose an outfit for his first interview after his college graduation. Just before the clerk reached over to scan the barcodes, she looked up at me and asked a
The warm air of the indoor botanical garden conservatory enveloped my family as we bustled inside.I was so glad to be there: with flora from around the world, bright sunshine streaming through glass pyramids, and trickling ponds filled with glittering goldfish, this place is a sanctuary amid the har
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.BeaversMany websites say beavers use their tails to pack down mud, as does this article (“Aquatic Engineers,” December 2024). Quite a few say this is a misconception. I have never seen a beaver do this, and I’ve seen q
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner. The most und
We live in an increasingly secular culture. What I mean by that is that we live in a culture that no longer believes in or assumes the existence of God. Instead, plagued by a combination of faith and doubt, we lurch back and forth between receptivity to God and a tortured agnosticism.Historians and
I am sure that when God designed the usefulness of waves, he said “Neat!” or, as we read in the Bible, “It was good!” Waves are neat because they are all over creation.In creation there are four main types of waves: the waves people experience in water, the sound waves people hear, the seismic waves
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.“My grace is