By Cindy Koch – Each teenager told their own story by their posture in the little church library […]
faith
By Cindy Koch – Most of us tend to go one way or the other. Along the spectrum […]
By Paul Koch – Well happy St. Valentine’s Day, my friends! Today is a day for matters of […]
By Cindy Koch – Revelation is the scariest book in the Bible, says almost everyone. I just mentioned […]
By Hillary Asbury –
Around Thanksgiving I had to had surgery and I was wildly anxious.
I had known for about a month that surgery was probably going to be my only treatment option, but when I went in for my surgical consult on a Wednesday and they told me to come back for surgery on Monday, I panicked.
I’m a worrier.
By Tim Winterstein –
Watching a screen is more or less a passive activity, regardless of the film or show. And whether it’s on the “more” side or the “less” side, watching can fulfill various purposes. I’m a fan of escapism at certain times. When my brain has been engaged throughout the day and under various stressors, I prefer something that will simply entertain with as little mental energy expended as possible. At other times, I want something that will expand the way I think about things and make me put together the pieces—which, admittedly, are being distributed to me.
By Paul Koch –
The raising of a son is a noble and daunting task. In these days of safe spaces on college campuses and SJWs arguing over proper pronoun use, it is easy to get overwhelmed as to what is the best course of action. The time-honored traditions handed down from a father to a son are now often portrayed as being out of touch with modern sentiments and no longer needed in a modern society. The traditional understanding of what makes a man a good man and what makes him good at being a man are viewed with a certain disdain and uneasiness.
By Cindy Koch –
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)
By Cindy Koch –
There is a light that changes everything. When it is dark and cold, just a little spark ignites hope. Instead of a black and formidable reality, there is comfort seen on the horizon, because this little glow of light is the beginning of a warm, bright fire.
By Hillary Asbury –
The Annunciation is a very common subject in classical art.
Almost every Medieval and Renaissance master painted their own version of this scene, and its easy to understand why. It centers around one of the most fascinating and mysterious aspects of our faith: the virgin conception of our Lord. It depicts a moment which not only signals the advent of our hope and salvation, but also one which is rich with potential for creative exploration.
By Cindy Koch –
Wandering around in the darkness, I wish I knew the way to go. Every once in a while, I see a glimmer of light and I run towards it. I know what the light looks like, but I don’t always see where to follow. The tiny spark is sometimes so very far away. In the cold dark night, the light may seem to go out, and I can’t see it at all. Where do I look to find this light?
By Joel A Hess –
Please don’t get me wrong. The outcome of elections does matter to the poor, the middle class, the unborn, and the young ladies often put under pressure to abort. It matters to the protection of the innocent and the punishment of wrongdoers. It matters to the establishment of good order in our society. So vote, get involved in your community, and serve your neighbor.
By Joel A. Hess –
Is there a difference between being a believer or a disciple? No.
Recently I have discovered numerous articles attempting to differentiate between being a believer/Christian and a disciple/follower. Go ahead google it yourself. There are many. Here’s one example.
By Tim Winterstein –
After I watched Troubled Water last week, one of Amazon’s recommendations was Adam’s Apples (2005, streaming on Amazon Prime), about a naive pastor in Denmark, Ivan (Mads Mikkelsen), who welcomes in a neo-Nazi in hopes of (I think) rehabilitating him. Add that neo-Nazi to a Saudi immigrant who robs gas stations and an alcoholic Dane, and it’s a weirdly religious, absurd black comedy.
By Bob Hiller –
Have you ever been to funeral where people got up and spoke negatively about the deceased? Almost never. When friends and family gather to mourn the loss of those they love, they always speak well of the person. As you leave most funerals, you’d almost think that there is no such thing as sin in the world. The wages of sin is death, we’re told, so it is a true mystery to everyone present why this pillar of morality, joy, and laughter is about to be laid six feet under!
By Hillary Asbury –
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
By Joel A. Hess –
Herod the Great might be considered the most evil character in the Holy Scriptures. Evil maybe, but stupid no! Perhaps one of the brilliant talents of Herod the Great was his uncanny ability to play both sides of a game. In order to keep his kingship of Palestine, he needed to keep both Rome and the Jews happy. He practically invented the fine political art of triangulation.
By Tim Winterstein –
I knew this was going to happen. I knew that if a movie was hyped over and over, time and again, as being an incredible, profound meditation on faith and doubt, that it was unlikely to be anything of the sort. If someone has left or been scarred by Christianity, or an American Fundamentalist version of it; if someone is quick to say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious”; or if someone is fully convinced that what the Church should do is take up the apocalyptic cause du jour, then that person is the perfect candidate to be over-impressed with Paul Schrader’s First Reformed.
By Hillary Asbury –
As a teenager, my friends in youth group had a running joke that the answer to every bible study question was an enthusiastic “Jesus!”
How do you know you are saved? Jesus! Where do you turn in times of trouble? Jesus! What is your favorite color? Jesus! Whatever the question was, someone would always shout “Jesus!”