Navigating a relationship with adult children can be rewarding. It is wonderful to see them grow, experience independence, and strike out on their own. But this is also a period that has some challenges. While many of the challenges are unique to this particular time in history, some challenges are
In 2008, some clever person from Florida Hospital Church penned a spoof of the country song song “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” that cautioned parents instead to keep their children from becoming pastors. The parody lightly pokes fun at the quirks and challenges of the pastori
Thanks to technological progress forged in an individualistic culture, believers today can find Christian community in a nontraditional way. Not only do online platforms offer timely alternatives to in-person gatherings, but they also create alternative Christian communities. Online, everyone is wel
I used to be the kind of person who inadvertently killed any houseplant to cross our threshold. One time I even watered an African violet without noticing it was not at all real. But in the past seven years or so I have become a Plant Person, graduating from succulents to spider plants to hanging a
Editor’s note: This article is the final one in a three-part series on the missional church based on the authors’ book Joining Jesus: Ordinary People at the Edges of the Church.From its start in 2011, The Table has been a nontraditional Christian Reformed Church ministry community. It calls itself a
How does this make any sense? We go all out and celebrate Christmas, the beginning of Christ’s humiliation. We commemorate how he “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). To a lesser degree we also celebrate Good Friday and Easter, when Christ passed through the dep
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series on the missional church based on their book, Joining Jesus, by Moses Chung and Chris Meehan.I (Chris) needed to have abdominal hernia surgery right after the first of the year. Recovering painfully at home, I had lots of time on my han
I was planning the music for a church service a few weeks back. I lead a small ensemble and was thinking about the flow of the service centered on Psalm 129. Everything was in place except for a postlude that would fit the joyous theme. As I looked through our hymnbook, I saw “There Is a Redeemer,”
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a three-part series on the missional church based on their book, Joining Jesus, by Moses Chung and Chris Meehan.At a conference several months ago, I (Moses) met pastor Andrew Yi and Sunna, his wife. They invited me to preach at an anniversary celebration
“Mom and Dad, we need to talk.” Sensing the gravity of the conversation, Mom suggested they sit down. Then came the words their son had been holding back for five years: “Mom and Dad, I’m gay.” In stunned silence, conservative-to-the-core Monte and Tammie paused and simply responded, “We love you.”N
About a year ago, a young couple approached me asking whether the Christian Reformed Church is “comp” or “egal.” To clarify, “comp” and “egal” are shortened forms of the terms “complementarian” and “egalitarian,” words used to describe different beliefs about what the Bible teaches about women. This
One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a woman got over our walls and in a moment seized us both, and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with
“For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19).I’ve always found these Ash Wednesday words to be beautifully poignant. As my pastor imposes the ashes and looks me in the eye, the words move that part of my soul that’s shaped for mystery. They connect to a primordial part of me that feel
At last year’s synod of the Christian Reformed Church, a group of delegates tasked with advising on some of the more difficult questions being considered nonetheless spoke of being truly thankful to do that work alongside brothers and sisters with whom they disagreed.Eighteen men and five women were
Each time Casey drove near the church, she could feel her body involuntarily tense up and her breathing quicken. Fear and rage would course through her veins against her will. Though she hadn’t been to the church in several years, her circle of friends and some family still attended, which made her
Pumpkins on the front porch are rotting. Thanksgiving leftovers are almost gone. It’s time to crawl into the storage closet under the stairs to bring out our Christmas decorations. As is our annual habit, we replace our normal decor with festive trimmings.We set up the freshly cut tree, and within h
I was having brunch with my cousin Leah recently when she mentioned that she had accepted a job in Ottawa, Ontario, but would be working remotely from the certifiably coldest big city on Earth: Winnipeg, Manitoba, our mutual hometown. While Ontario climes would be balmier, Leah was firm: She could n
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series about what enduring values have helped hold us together in the Christian Reformed Church and what might continue to hold us together going forward. You can read the first and second articles online at TheBanner.org or in print in the September
The work and role of a minister is in some ways very visible: leading worship services, preaching, and officiating weddings and funerals. But what are some aspects of ministry work that church members might not see or know about? We asked nine pastors from around the Christian Reformed Church in Nor
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series about what enduring values have helped hold us together in the Christian Reformed Church and what might continue to hold us together going forward. You can read the first article online at TheBanner.org or in the September issue.The Christian