Dr. Robert Hull, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, used to give incoming students this advice, “Live your life here while you are here.” This is good and helpful advice, but it is also hard to do. When we enter a state of transition—especially a new stage in life—we cling to…
The celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ is the oldest feast in the faith. It was, and continues to be, the center point of the Christian faith. Just like in the New Testament Scriptures, early Christian writers took every opportunity they had to speak about Christ’s incarnation, death,…
In a picture from the fall of 1974, I am standing next to my father outside the dormitory as my parents are about to leave me to begin my first year of college. As part of the “Baby Boom Generation” (born between 1946 and 1964), I was just one of…
Interim minister. Six times I’ve proudly worn this title, starting in Johnson City, Tennessee, with East Unaka Church of Christ. My day job was as a newbie professor at Milligan College (where I joined the faculty in 1965), but weekends belonged to the church. Then, in June 1968, I began…
Since joining our church staff back in 2019, it’s usually around this time of year that I am given the opportunity to preach during the Advent season. At first, I’m always really excited. As a woman in ministry, I’m still getting used to the fact that I’m now blessed to…
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. -Matt. 5:8 Pray without ceasing. -1 Thess. 5:16 “Community starts in the heart.” Could there be a more Hallmark way of talking about cultivating community? Maybe not. As Henri…
A conflict begins—disagreement, debate, dispute—a tinderbox of ideas and agendas generating sparks directly proportional to the force of the argument and the resistance encountered: Which side are you on? Who do they think they are? Can’t they see how wrong it is? Why do we even have to discuss a…
Earlier this year, just as spring was beginning, our good friend John came down from Philadelphia for a visit. I was in the midst of a sabbatical from teaching – a time granted to theological educators to pursue new lines of research and writing that bring fresh perspective and learning…
We were lying in bed. For days, she had been languishing with nearly unbearable pain. Most mornings, we were unsure if she would be able to get up out of bed, to eat, to drink, or to move downstairs. But this day she had spent a few hours in the…
In a 2021 conversation, Richard Lischer and Will Willimon reflected on observing Holy Week during the pandemic. Though the shadow of the pandemic has receded more this Holy Week, their observations still ring true. Lischer observes, “During Holy Week, church is a family telling its stories.” Beginning…
