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Three of us rode together to Detroit, Mich., to the Inspire 2017 conference with much anticipation. I’m not sure what I was looking for, but I do know this: That I needed to be inspired. I needed to know that the Christian Reformed Church in North America is alive and well.

Nadeana was not a leader. At least, that’s what she believed before beginning her internship with Western Campus Ministry. Now she’s encouraging other students to be leaders too.

The challenge for all of us who are in the church is to be honest about the planks in our own eyes rather than searching for everyone else’s specks. We need to stop idolizing an artificial ideal of purity that none of us can uphold and instead love our neighbors as ourselves.

This distinctive children’s picture book could prove to be a valuable resource.

Wolterstorff’s journey reveals a grace-filled life, a personal embodiment of shalom.

How can Christians practice a better way of having conversations that does not devolve into suspicion and attacks?

What is wrong with gene editing in embryos if we can save children from horrible genetic diseases?

As I see it, morality is at the center of God’s heart; it always has been and always will be. If so, we need to rediscover its beauty and power.

A few years ago, Chicago Tribune columnist Ross Werland raised a provocative rhetorical question in the title of an editorial: “A pew or a canoe: Not a tough choice.”

Why does the abuse of power by leaders in our churches and parachurch organizations seem to be more common than it used to be, and how can we best address this problem?

My daughter and her husband attend a church that offers only Sunday school and not children’s worship. Our congregation has had both for years. What are my grandchildren missing?

Crosses are hung on necklaces, embroidered on sleeves, tattooed on arms, faded into hairstyles, painted on fingernails, branded on belt buckles, stuck on car bumpers, mounted on church steeples, engraved on tombstones, printed on coffee mugs, and posted on Instagram. Crosses are everywhere.

I wonder what it might look like to adopt or adapt this model for major congregational (and council) decisions. Vote twice: The first vote determines the will of the majority; the second asks, Can we submit to the will of the majority?

Switchfoot’s return brings a welcome positive and upbeat voice.

After serving as a pastor for 40 years in Christian Reformed churches in four states and enjoying retirement in Spokane Valley, Wash., Herman Leestma passed away on January 17. He was 93.

From practicing a technology sabbath to instituting an intentional rest on an alternate day of the week, Jewish and Christian sabbath-keepers talk about the benefits.

When schools shut down because of winter storms, so do programs that provide food for students. Seymour Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., stood in for a local food pantry.

Four years ago, Sarah Hoogendoorn pulled out of the ministerial candidacy process. She had acquired her Masters of Divinity degree and had begun working at a church in Alberta but then discovered that she was not called to church ministry.

David Bazan’s first album in 15 years under the name Pedro the Lion feels like a hopeful and nervous push toward permanence.

A witty and compelling novel for middle readers that will appeal to many adults as well.

Chia seed, pepita, dandelion, maple key, peach pit, coconut, acorn . . . Seeds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. And all are our awesome God’s amazing handiwork!