I grew up surrounded by mountains in the Pacific Northwest—“God’s country,” as I was told when I came to Ontario for my first church position. I think I often took the landscape for granted while I was living there. For me, the sights and smells around Vancouver were always my default idea of what t
It’s education hour at Sonshine Community Church. In one room, preschoolers gather in a circle, singing with gusto; in another, teens work to create posters about being a good neighbor; in yet another, an elderly woman tells stories and shows artifacts from her days as a missionary in Asia.What’s go
Candidates for ministry know they will soon wade through a variety of expectations from their churches and communities. People might expect them to be a Bible expert, counselor, mediator of quarrels, visionary leader, community organizer, and church growth expert in addition to a range of other role
A woman in distress lies sprawled on the asphalt in front of the church in the eerie glow of a faint LED streetlight that is about to flicker out. Above her towers a basketball hoop with a toothy, grinning pink-faced clown painted on the backboard. A diverse cast of characters surrounds the woman. A
I was invited to speak to a community college class about spiritual warfare and mentioned the importance of getting a medical evaluation to determine a person’s mental health. After my talk, a student came forward and said, “Pastor, I love your church. I am a nurse in a mental health facility, and y
In 1977 James Dobson founded Focus on the Family to, as their mission statement says, “nurture and affirm the God-ordained institution of the family.” Dobson’s organization was incredibly successful, having a massive effect on churches throughout North America and around the world. Even though minis
If one spends 23 years living and working with Navajo people in western New Mexico, as I did, one will come across stories that need to be told. A cross-cultural setting highlights the uncommon—even remarkable—events of people and places that those of us reared in the prevailing culture find it diff
We weren’t prepared. COVID-19 restrictions were just winding down, and we weren’t yet getting very many drop-in visitors at the church offices. Besides, it was spring break for school families, so we weren’t counting on seeing many people.But the doorbell rang—and we weren’t prepared for the way wha
My face burned as I tipped over the big blue garbage bin and crawled inside, laying a towel on the “floor” as I mopped up the spilled fruit and watermelon juice with paper towels.What was I doing inside a garbage can? Good question. I was at the end of renting a cottage on Lake Michigan and was clea
When a fellow Christian used his podcast to describe me and those who share my perspective regarding church life as so lukewarm that Jesus would vomit us out of his mouth, I felt tempted to respond with mutual insults and contempt. But then I heard Jesus calling me to rejoice!In the conclusion to th
Of all the special anniversaries and observances you are planning to commemorate this year, I’m guessing that not many of us have this one marked on our calendars: “Celebrate 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed.”But I invite you to spend a few moments doing just that.An Ancient and Unifying Stan
Having served in youth ministry for almost 20 years, I know one thing for certain: Nothing changes so rapidly as youth culture. Culture no longer shifts over a generation. It happens overnight.For those in youth ministry, one of the most exhausting challenges is staying relevant. A persistent fear i
Susan lamented all she had missed because of her estrangement from her children. She understood their reasons for cutting her out years ago when addiction fueled her choices. Yet now, after many years of sobriety, she was still unwelcome and cut off from her grandkids. While she has resigned herself
The 1965 animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas, developed by Charles M. Schulz, was predicted to be a flop.The sponsor of the special, The Coca-Cola Company, was nervous. Reasons for a potential ratings disaster included bare-bones storytelling, a slow pace, no laugh track, religious references
Editor’s note: This article is the third in a three-part series by Todd Pheifer, the author of Let’s Talk!: A Guide to Awkward Conversations and Unifying Dialogue in the Church. Pick up the book on Amazon and follow along on The Banner’s Facebook page for discussion about the book and its important
The evening sky was rapidly darkening as my family frantically huddled outside our broken-down van on the rocky shoulder of a busy mountain highway. As smoke streamed from our engine, large semi-trucks continually blasted down the road beside us, going 120 km per hour (about 75 mph).We’d been happil
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series by Todd Pheifer, the author of Let's Talk!: A Guide to Awkward Conversations and Unifying Dialogue in the Church. Pick up the book on Amazon and follow along on The Banner's Facebook and X pages for discussion of the book and its impor
Variations of the saying “reformed and always reforming” have been expressed for centuries, with a breadth of meaning and intent. While often identified as a Reformation slogan, we have no written evidence that the Reformers themselves used these words together this way. They seem to have first appe
Editor's note: This article is the first in a three-part series by Todd Pheifer, the author of Let's Talk!: A Guide to Awkward Conversations and Unifying Dialogue in the Church. Pick up the book on Amazon and follow along on The Banner's Facebook and X pages for discussion about the book and its imp
Editor’s note: This article is the honorable mention pick for The Banner’s 2024 Young Adults Writing Contest on the topic of peacemaking. Read the other winners here.“Peace be with you!” are the first words Jesus offered to his disciples as he appeared to them after his resurrection. “After he said