With the launch of this new column last time, we officially set sail on a grand and far-reaching journey that will eventually take us from the uttermost reaches of the cosmos to the depths of human consciousness to investigate and possibly answer the age-old question, “Is God dead?” If you m…
Historic Temple Mishkan Israel in Selma has hired a new director of community programming to move the congregation into the future.
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Selma's Temple Mishkan Israel has hired Stephanie Butler as Director of Community Programs and is entering a new phase of programming. community engagement and growth. The temple plans to have a center for education, dialogue, and community c…
I met a certain politician years ago. I observed that he studied name tags in the room and immediately called people by name. He made it to lieutenant governor in his state, so I’m sure this helped. Since then, I’ve tried to do this, too. It’…
On Good Friday, 1966, Time issued its magazine with the cover emblazoned with three words: Is God Dead? What followed was a firestorm; Christians once again felt threatened by an ever more hostile culture, atheists and free-thinkers eagerly a…
When you’re in ministry as long as I was, you frequently get asked this question: Where do we go—what happens—after death?
There’s an old saying: “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Abigail Adams famously wrote to her husband, John, at the Second Continental Congress in 1776, “Remember the ladies.”
I was raised on worship. That is, I participated in worship services from childhood. In high school I delivered a few sermons and sang in the church choir. In my Christian college, I attended chapel services several times a week. As a minister and chaplain, I led many worshipful gatherings t…
My generation remembers taking trips or experiencing emergencies and looking about for a telephone. Little did we dream one day we’d all have one in our pockets.
Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd in John 10, contrasting himself with the “hireling.” This familiar King James word is rendered “hired hands” in other translations. Jesus said the hireling is afraid when the predator appears. He runs away and abandons the sheep. Thus the hireling is on…
I’ll admit, when I’m driving and see a police car, I instinctually slow down. Even if I’m doing the speed limit, I react, sensing I might be caught doing something wrong. People say “if you’re doing nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about,” but that’s not usually how we feel when we kn…
As a young evangelist, I truly believed I carried the greatest message the world had ever *not* heard: that my Lord and Savior was the only way to God, the only truth anyone ever needed, and offered the only life with meaning.
We think nothing about people being left-handed, other than crime shows teach us to notice these things since the Boston Strangler and Jack the Ripper were lefties. But with ten percent of the population being left-handed, it’s not a major co…
In lively youth group days, singing brought us together for faith and fun. One of the most popular songs for a campfire or living room was “They will know we are Christians by our love.” With tears and harmony, we held hands while guitars str…
I’ve wanted to revisit my master’s thesis and share the story of an Alabama confederate chaplain and Presbyterian pastor. The name “Petrie” is honored at Auburn University since the chaplain’s son brought football to the college in 1892. A st…
Greensboro resident and real estate agent Pride Forney has spent years dreaming about two things: helping the Black Belt region thrive and creating a place where music and art could bring people together.
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Faith Community Outreach is working to ease food insecurity in the Black Belt with a twice monthly food pantry that offers families a dependable place to turn when groceries run short.
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It’s common for congregations to administer opinion surveys occasionally. But I’ve seen mixed results.
A friend once gave me a book on near death experiences (NDEs). He was excited about the collection of personal testimonies of people who apparently died and what they saw. He was sure it proved there is life beyond death. After reading the bo…
We grew up as high school friends and he became a music leader for church congregations. He told me the most embarrassing day was when he mounted the steps to the platform to begin worship, tripped and fell headlong onto the floor. Fortunatel…
Think back to all the vehicles you have owned. You might even reflect on the earliest modes of transportation: trike, bike, scooter, skates, skateboard (a horse?). How did it feel to be in control of something propelling you on wheels? Thrill…
Many of us were raised with some knowledge of Gospel parables. “The Good Samaritan” may come to mind. Parables are stories that have a teaching purpose, lessons for life. In seminary Greek studies we learned that a parable is literally a tale…
I’m unsure why her statement never struck me before as it did in preparing for Easter. I used the final of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. John especially wanted us to understand the nature of Christ. At Lazarus’ graves…
When I was a child I was taught to fold my hands together and bow my head to pray. As an Evangelical teen, I was taught to hold my hands, palms up, to “receive blessings” from the Lord. In my Pentecostal period, I was taught to raise my hands…
