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
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9Their yelling gives a clear indication that these first graders do not value the concept of inside voices nearly as much as their teachers. The argument could be about anything: “You took the last bookmark!” “You stol
A desire for peace has always been part of who I am. Among my family and friends, I aim to be a listener and a problem solver. When I came to college, I chose to major in international relations with grand dreams of being a diplomat and working for mutual understanding on the world stage. During my
Editor’s note: This is the first-place winner of The Banner’s 2024 Young Adults Writing Contest.I knew Liz only briefly.When I first met her, she was crumpled over a worn-out walker, leaning up against the outer stone wall of the church drop-in center where I work. Her back was arched in a way that
The question came up over coffee with a friend, a Korean pastor who, like me, is retired. He shared South Korean social media post from April 2021 claiming the United Nations was introducing startling new age classifications:0-17 Underage18-65 Youth/Young People66-79 Middle Aged80-99 Elderly/Senior1
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