Department: Author: Susan LaClear“When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.” —Psalm 75:3“Quaking” seems like a good word to describe the world and its people in this season. In Hebrew, this word connotes tumult and commotion—of being helpless, disorganized, agitate
Department: Author: Jisoo VisIt was a chilly Sunday morning. As usual, I made my way after the worship service to the church gym for coffee time. As I sipped my black coffee and chatted with a couple of people, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was an elderly gentleman who complimented me for my “sil
Department: Author: Peter JonkerBack in January, I was walking the dog a couple of blocks from my home when I overheard a conversation between two neighbors. One neighbor was yelling to another over the noise of a snowblower, “Hey, guess what! I bought 800 more rounds of ammunition yesterday!” “No
Department: Author: Dana DrosdickIf 12-year-old me were to look at my 23-year-old self, sitting in my bed alone on Valentine’s Day with brown smudges of chocolate staining my crisp, white sheets, she would probably be shaking her head and saying, “Girl, get your life together.”Because this was not
Department: Author: Shiao ChongI still remember hearing in childhood this fable of Aesop: One day, the sun and the wind got into a debate as to who is more powerful, so the story goes. Seeing a lone man walking down a path, they chose to settle their dispute with a little contest. The one who succe
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
Department: Author: Lorilee CrakerI was lounging on the couch one Sunday with a pile of cookbooks, leafing through an old church cookbook from our beloved Grandma Finney, my husband’s late grandmother, looking for recipes by her and other family members. Though the only recipe I could find of hers
Department: Author: Denise PosieVery early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. —Mark 1:35It is not unusual for me to hear someone say, “I’m struggling with finding time to be alone with God in prayer.” I believe ma
Department: Author: Callie FeyenWhen synod decided 25 years ago to allow women to be ordained to the offices of pastor and elder in the Christian Reformed Church, many wondered what the future would hold for the denomination.Now there is a generation of ordained women who recount stories of living
Department: Author: Rev. J. Cameron FraserIn 1975, Charles Colson published Born Again, the story of his conversion from Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man” to evangelical Christian and founder of Prison Fellowship. Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter was running for President of the United States. Carter made no se
Department: Author: Judy Cook It may come as a surprise to you to learn that excessive anger or rage is not a characteristic you were born with. Although anger, as one of the five primary human emotions (anger, sadness, joy, fear, guilt), is just as much a part of us as our five senses are, rage
Department: Author: Didy PrinzenAs I sat there in the back of the church, attending the funeral of a dear friend in the church where I had started my life in Canada almost 70 years ago, I found my thoughts drifting back to the first post-war immigrants of that church, including my own father and mo
Department: Author: Chuck DeGroatI was sitting in an airport about two years ago when I overheard a conversation between a mom and her pre-teen daughter. As the anxious mother scurried to repack a carry-on before boarding, she kept calling out, “Maddie! … Maddie! … I need your help, Maddie!” Meanwh
Department: Author: Jenna Fabiano“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:35).After reading 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, a number of instinctive thoughts might come to mind. “Paul hates marriage.” “Paul’s u
Department: Author: Felix Fernandez“Feliz Navidad!” These are the Spanish words for “Merry Christmas” that we love to say and sing in December. Feliz means merry or happy, and Navidad is connected to the English word “nativity” and means “arisen from birth.” So when we say “Feliz Navidad,” we are c
Department: Author: Sara Korber-DeWeerdSome of us are better at listening than others. My youngest child, who has Down syndrome, often finds himself in the position of listener. He needs extra help learning new skills, so he listens for guidance. It takes him more time to process language, so he li
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaNote: Readers are strongly encouraged to read the reports referenced here for fuller understanding. A summary of the CRC’s position can be found at bit.ly/2Zl97Ro. In 1970, after Canada decriminalized homosexuality, synod (the broadest governance body in the Chri
Department: Author: Lorilee CrakerWe are living in a time of increasingly toxic conflict, exacerbated by not one but two social upheavals: the pandemic and racial tension boiling over. Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference, by Tim Keller and John Inazu, shows believers how to
Department: Author: Dirk PruisWe live in a time when a healthy financial life is increasingly difficult, particularly for young people. One big reason is that our culture has changed. We’re bombarded daily with thousands of messages pushing the benefits of consuming, teaching us to want more of eve
Department: Author: Chelsea Langston Bombino, Katie ThompsonThe world today feels as divisive as ever, with a variety of topics pitting neighbor against neighbor and even Christian against Christian, as many cling to their tribes while others find themselves without a political home. Where does tha