Love, Actually
Joanne Gallardo
I’m a part of this online community for people who used to be members of the IFB church, or Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. If you’re unfamiliar with this denomination, there are many resources out there to look them up. There’s a 20/20 special, there’s a documentary called “Born Again,” and there are plenty of articles […]
Stretching, Propelling Spirit-Wind
Mag Richer Smith
“Build the Wall! “ Build the wall! Keep the segregating lines clear. Know who is IN and who is OUT. Know who is welcome and who is not. But “something there is that doesn’t love a wall”… I think it’s called the Holy Spirit… THE Spirit of our WALL-WRECKING MESSIAH… The one who breaks down […]
Finding Home in the Sojourn
Mag Richer Smith
In July of 2015, Bob and I put our belongings into a storage unit and left Iowa City, anticipating that we would be homeless for a maximum of 5 months. Well, we were wrong. It has been almost 3 years of living out of a suitcase and being very dependent on the next generous offer […]
What is Sin?
Dan Schrock
The Psalm in front of us is one of the main penitential psalms in the Bible. Jews and Christians throughout history have often turned to Psalm 51 whenever we want to express our own personal sinfulness to God. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy, blot […]
Humbly, Fervently Draw Near
Mag Richer Smith
A prayer from Paul to the Church at Ephesus goes something like this: “I pray that you may be given the spirit of wisdom & vision, so that the eyes of your hearts may be illumined, & you will KNOW the Hope to which you have been called.” A prayer from St Francis begins: Almighty, […]
Last at the Cross, First at the Tomb
Joanne Gallardo
I like to think I’m pretty familiar with the women of the Bible. From Ruth, to Deborah, to Tamar, and even Shiphrah and Puah, I’ve read these stories. I know these stories. I’ve thought a lot about these stories. I like to think that I reference them often. And I know that the Black church […]
Wild Peace
Mag Richer Smith
I think was in 4th grade when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, and I remember vividly overhearing my parents ask each other if this was the beginning of WW3. My heart froze. And after that my fear increased. It was the era when people were building fall-out shelters, and we had regular drills at school […]
Talking about LGBTQ Inclusion
Dan Schrock
This afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00, our congregation begins a formal process to explore the possibility of becoming a more welcoming church to the LGBTQ community. The Spiritual Leadership Team, or SLT, is planning 3 of these Sunday afternoon conversations, one today, one in April, and one in May. No one on the SLT knows […]
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