Turning Together to God

TODAY’S READING: Colossians 3:8–13

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. -Colossians 3:13

Their walls went up quickly. Their emotional walls, that is. On one side, a professor who teaches racial harmony skills explained to his Christian audience how, with God, he can study grueling facts about cruel history without losing hope.

On the opposite side, however, a man raged…

Called to Care

TODAY’S READING: Ephesians 4:1–6

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. -Ephesians 4:2

Our small-group Bible study had a problem. We’d grown to more than thirty people. The deacons suggested we split the group, but no one wanted to leave. So we stayed together.

It hadn’t always been that way. When we…

Community Garden

TODAY’S READING: Acts 4:32–35

All the believers were united in heart and mind. -Acts 4:32

The community garden near my house has more than twenty plots available to rent. After paying a small fee, neighbors can cultivate their own plot all summer long and get the use of shared tools, water, soil, and fencing.

By pooling their resources, neighbors who wouldn’t normally have the space…

“And It Was Night” - Copy

During a business trip to Philadelphia, I attended an evening service on the Thursday before Easter—a service of Communion and Tenebrae (darkness) held in a small chapel lit by candles. Following the bread and the cup, a passage was read aloud from the gospel of John, one candle was extinguished, and we sang a verse from a hymn about Jesus’…