Anabaptist and Quaker essays, sermons, and other writings
There was a time I spoke about Christian’s attitude towards work to high school students. So, in the introduction, I asked the students to get tools for work and go out to the field to cut the grass. Before I finished giving them instructions on what we were supposed to […]
In just under a month, we will celebrate another Earth Day. Many of us associate the formation of Earth Day on April 22, 1970, with Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. But did you know that the original concept for Earth Day was developed by a man who grew up a […]
This month marks six months into my first pastorate. As I continue to settle into my new role as Co-Pastor at Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren and integrate myself into different aspects of the city, I am constantly reminded that there is never a dull moment in urban ministry. […]
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, […]
This week, we take a break from our four-part series, “The Bible As…” by Jon Prater, to welcome back frequent Brethren Life & Thought blog contributor, Jonathan Stauffer. Stauffer writes about his experience attending Brethren Woods Camp and Retreat Center’s recent Simplify Conference. Stauffer accompanied two current Bethany Theological Seminary […]
My first trip to the Holy Land was one year and five months ago. It was a trip that absolutely enthralled me. When I returned home, I knew I had to go back. From February through May of this year, I lived with a Palestinian Christian family in Bethlehem. I […]
This blog post is the second in a two-part series. For part one, visit http://www.brethrenlifeandthought.org/2017/08/08/wading-in-the-water-pt-i-guest-blogger-sarah-ullom-minnich/. What follows is a continuation of Sarah’s story about her experience studying abroad in Ecuador. My washing complete, I slip back into the welcoming water. I swim out several meters and try to hold my own […]
<Hola amigo, como está el agua?> <Mojado!> The typical response still makes me smile even after five weeks of living in the community of Tzawata. I pick my way down the rocky bank towards the wide Rio Anzu. We’re lucky today, it didn’t rain yesterday, and the river is a […]
This blog post is the second in a two-part series adapted from a piece originally published on Scot’s personal blog (link below). For part one, visit http://www.brethrenlifeandthought.org/2017/04/21/on-hospitality-banquet-of-the-absurd-luke-1412-24-pt-i-guest-blogger-scot-miller/. What follows is a continuation of Scot’s story about serving the water distribution effort last year in Flint, Michigan. Over the next few weeks, […]
If the end-time fallacies of Tim LaHaye have any interpretive value, I propose a compare and contrast exercise with the city of Flint, Michigan. Flint is home to a people that have been “Left Behind.” While LaHaye’s apocalyptic lack of theological imagination is little more than a lie, the opportunity […]