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Don’t Look Away
By Nancy Karpenske You probably know someone who can’t stand the sight of blood—the man who considered becoming an emergency medical technician but couldn’t deal with the blood, the mom who nearly...
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Bless the Hands
By Nancy Karpenske When my family gathers at the dinner table, it is common for the designated prayer person to pray, “Lord, thank you for the hands that prepared this meal.” Those would be my hands...
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The Summer of ’66
By Victor Knowles It was the summer of 1966, and I was set to enter my junior year in Bible college in August. Three shocking events transpired that sultry summer 50 years ago. On June 6, civil rights...
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Crying for Calvary
By Victor Knowles In 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation establishing the first National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. (It will be observed next on Jan. 15, 2017.) This day calls...
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From Despair to Hope
By Victor Knowles The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011. Visitors pass through the divided granite “Mountain of Despair” on their way to the “Stone of Hope.” An...
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Wordless Groans at the Lord’s Table
By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord’s...
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The Vertical and the Horizontal
By C. Robert Wetzel There is both a vertical and a horizontal dimension to the Lord Supper. In a spiritual sense, we are looking up as we once again focus our thoughts on the gift of God in the...
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A Memorable Communion
By C. Robert Wetzel On his third missionary journey, Paul had arranged to rendezvous with some of his coworkers at Troas. Arriving there, he stayed for several days so he could meet with the church. He...
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‘When They Had Sung a Hymn’
By C. Robert Wetzel We often look to the Gospel of Matthew for an account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. It is here that we read, While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had...
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Lord, Have Mercy
By C. Robert Wetzel Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge (Psalm 57:1). We readily understand the words of Simon Peter when he said to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I...
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Piercings
By Ron Davis Piercings are popular. It started with the ear lobe . . . and worked its way up . . . and down. But piercing is not new. And it did not come from good or noble precedent. The notoriously...
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Violent Table
By Tom Lawson Right now, in this time of worship, it is easy to forget how much violence there is outside these walls. We come into this welcoming place, we sing songs of praise, we greet friends and...
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Crowded Tables
By Tom Lawson One thing Americans traveling in the United Kingdom will notice almost immediately involves what people call “personal space.” Houses are smaller. Automobiles are smaller. City streets...
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Celebrity Doubles
By Tom Lawson During the 1930s a hopeful contender in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in San Francisco was disappointed when he did not even make the finals. The contestant was, of course, none...
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Fields
By Tom Lawson Not far from where I live, vast acres of grain fields extend as far as the eye can see. It is intriguing to see the land transition from muddy brown to springtime green to harvest gold....
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With Eyes Wide Open
By Chuck Sackett Immediately before worship was to begin, a leader in the congregation dumped a boatload of complaints on the preacher. As the preacher entered the worship area, his once light...
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Come Clean
By Nancy Karpenske The notion of “coming clean” implies a person is concealing something, not being completely honest. Coming clean is connected to guilt and shame. If someone stares you down and...
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Empty/Full
By Nancy Karpenske A cup, a gas tank, a bank account, a house, even a heart can be described as empty. Typically when something is empty, the implication is it’s not worth very much, or it is waiting...
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Bring It to the Table
By Nancy Karpenske “Bring it to the table.” You might hear the phrase in any one of several settings. A project manager where you work might say, “Bring it to the table.” He means you have an idea or a...
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Don’t Look Away
By Nancy Karpenske You probably know someone who can’t stand the sight of blood—the man who considered becoming an emergency medical technician but couldn’t deal with the blood, the mom who nearly...
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