I’m not a big fan of change, never have been. Like a horse, if I do something twice, it’s a habit. I think it’s just human nature - and particularly ingrained in my nature - to find a measure of security and comfort in the familiar. The Church can be like that, too. After all...
One Thursday a few months ago as I was leaving work, I remarked offhandedly to a colleague that I was headed to a deacons meeting. A puzzled expression passed over my friend’s face. About 20 years my junior, she attends a large conservative church in...
We need to be more missions-minded... This phrase, oft-repeated by a long-time friend, has always grated on my nerves. Perhaps because of the sanctimonious way in which it is invariably delivered, I immediately dismiss it with an inward eye-roll. It could be that this gut response is a holdover...
Advent. Epiphany. Shrove Tuesday. Ash Wednesday. Lent. Maundy Thursday. Tenebrae. Why is a nice Baptist girl like me spouting Catholic-sounding words like that? Aren’t they the domain of stuffy, extremely boring, high church tradition? Growing up in a conservative Baptist church in...