Finding a new church home can be a time of encouragement and spiritual growth.

A practical proposal for making Sunday worship integral to our weekday life.

Synod 2012 Reportedly, more than a few people want the church to preach the gospel without mentioning political, economic and social issues (News, July 2012). What gospel would that be? Not the good news of Jesus. He calls his followers to relieve suffering of the poor, the foreigners, the sick and prisoners (Matt. 25). John Calvin ceaselessly points out that relief of human suffering is a Christian duty. The poor deserve charity even when they are “contemptible and worthless” or have “provoked you with injuries and insults.” Why? Because they are made in God’s image and God values them no less than he values you (Institutes, Vol. 3, vii). In recent years, governments on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border have increased income inequality, enforced austerity on the backs of the poor, imprisoned more people for longer terms and shirked necessary earth care. Jesus says taking no notice of the marginalized earns you hell. The gospel, stripped of social justice, is not good news.

The fears we face are anything but fake.

Savoring the joys of the absence of evil.

Why I believe the creation account in Genesis is a historical narrative.

Urban Ministry
Brian Walsh’s visionary and prophetic story (“Urban Ministry: Looking for a Place to Call Home,” May 2012) offers a blueprint

Cultivating solitude can be a deeply liberating experience.

We should never underestimate our own vulnerability to sin.

Fifty-one years later, the memory of a congregation’s gift is still fresh.

Connecting with each other gets us as close to heaven as we can be.

The task of the institutional church is to proclaim the gospel in all its fullness.

Giving isn’t the only way to show love.

Have you ever looked a spider right in the eyes? If not, you’ve missed one of creation’s small wonders!

The question is not “Was it all worth it?” but “How can I give back?”