Resource Search Results

Two Pastors on God at Work in Ordinary People and Places

Moses Chung and Christopher Meehan cowrote the book "Joining Jesus: Ordinary People at the Edges of the Church." They hope these stories will give people and congregations hope, encouragement, and imagination to see what God is already doing in their neighborhoods.

Conversation | January 23, 2023

David Lemley on Becoming What We Sing

David Lemley’s book "Becoming What We Sing: Formation through Contemporary Worship Music" recognizes that contemporary worship music [CWM] helps Christians around the world feel close to God. Lemley looks at whether or how CWM moves worshipers from adoration to participation in the mission of God’s church.

Conversation | September 14, 2022

Brandon Helder on The Gift of the Cross Holy Week Devotional for Children

Brandon Helder's elementary students and his own children responded to tactile Jesse Tree devotionals during Advent, but he couldn't find similar Holy Week resources. To help children and families anticipate Easter, Helder wrote The Gift of the Cross: Celebrating Christ Through Holy Week and designed Resurrection Blocks.

Conversation | December 09, 2021

Becoming People of Refugia

Extreme weather, declining church influence, and environmental protests affect Christians around the world. Debra Rienstra explains why the biological concept of refugia offers a metaphor for seeing the Spirit at work despite deep disturbances in God's creation and among God's people.

Feature Story | August 30, 2021

Paul Turner on Presiding Artfully at Mass

In his new book, Ars Celebrandi, Paul Turner writes that “a well-prepared and celebrated liturgy is the church’s best response to crisis.” He offers fresh principles for how a priest’s presiding style can help the faithful participate more actively in the Mass.

Conversation | March 18, 2021

J. Todd Billings on Embracing Our Mortality

Unless we are very ill or old, many of us avoid thinking about our deaths. J. Todd Billings’s new book, The End of the Christian Life, explains that remembering our mortality and learning to die well will give us a more profound view of true Christian resurrection hope.

Conversation | January 19, 2021

Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson on Work and Worship

Many of us feel guilty for thinking about work during gathered worship. We don’t see a connection between what we do in worship and what we do at work. But a new book on work and worship describes biblical worship practices that help workers reclaim their place in the priesthood of all believers.

Conversation | December 03, 2020

Kimberly Hope Belcher on Christian Unity and Communion

Ephesians 4 calls Christians to “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” unity. Yet many Christian traditions don’t allow full communion with other denominations. Kimberly Hope Belcher’s new book Eucharist and Receptive Ecumenism: From Thanksgiving to Communion, offers steps toward greater unity.

Conversation | October 16, 2020

Esau McCaulley on Reading While Black

African American biblical interpretation rises from a particular context. It offers unique perspectives on God’s character and glory. Esau McCaulley explains that learning how other cultures exegete the Bible benefits the whole church.

Conversation | February 04, 2020

Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. on Sculptor Spirit

It is impossible to become more like Jesus on your own. A new book offers five ways to recognize how the same Spirit who worked in Jesus’ life can shape us to be more Christlike.

Conversation | December 10, 2019

Tim Shapiro on How Your Congregation Learns

Many congregations suspect they need to change but don’t know how. Tim Shapiro’s book describes eight steps that healthy congregations can take to learn together. These learning journey stages have parallels to elements of Christian worship.

Conversation | November 12, 2019

Worship that Cares for People Pastorally

You may think of pastoral care mainly as personal visits to someone’s hospital room or home. But Howard Vanderwell wrote that the entire worship service has “powerful potential for caring for worshipers’ needs.” His book Caring Worship: Helping Worship Leaders Provide Pastoral Care through the Liturgy explains how.

Feature Story | February 13, 2019