A Reflection of Pentecost 2017 — Acts 2:1–21

Last updated on: June 7, 2017 at 12:18 pm By Guest Contributor

Pentecost is a celebration of newness, of re-creation, of renewal of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people. It is a celebration of God’s ongoing work in the world. It is a celebration of freedom and energy that comes from being in relationship with God and experiencing an urging to engage new opportunities. Just as the disciples engaged the opportunities that were given to them in that large gathering of people from many places. That first Pentecost was a celebration of trusting God, of seeing and experiencing God at work and trusting and allowing God to ignite something in the people. Read more

It all Depends on Faith: Our Time to Lead the Way

Last updated on: June 5, 2017 at 3:13 pm By Guest Contributor

God is transforming us so that we might step forward in boldness. We live not with all the right answers but with God’s gift of wisdom and transformed hearts. Easy answers are the ones that we post on social media as we preach to the choir. Opinions parading around as answers are the ones we know right now. Real answers are the ones we cannot know until we join hands, minds and hearts with people different from us. We cannot know the kingdom until we defy the world’s expectations of us by finding harmony with those on the other side of the aisle, of the street, of the county line, and of the color line through the unifying power of Jesus Christ. Read more

CBF Church Starts Podcast Conversation: Elizabeth Hagan, Journeying with Others Facing Infertility

Last updated on: May 31, 2017 at 9:44 am By Guest Contributor

We had a conversation with Elizabeth Hagan, author of Birthed: Finding Grace Through Infertility, about her book, upcoming workshop at CBF’s annual gathering (General Assembly), and work with orphans around the world. In Birthed, Elizabeth gives a spiritual narrative that is life-giving and challenging. She writes with such vulnerability that gives the readers strength and courage to face a similar journey and/or be companions for others facing these difficulties. Read more

Lisa’s Move

Last updated on: May 23, 2017 at 1:03 pm By Guest Contributor

For our friends who have experienced homelessness, their first move after reacquiring shelter is especially risky and stressful. A move, and all its many quiet risks, is all too often the cause of a return to homelessness. Read more

Embracing Our Neighbor

Last updated on: May 19, 2017 at 9:18 am By Guest Contributor

CBF Advocacy provides the means to speak effectively and organize strategically when migrants face the challenges of adjusting to new cultures and their strange, confusing norms and rules that often ensnare migrants and prohibit them from meeting their needs or realizing their full potential. CBF Advocacy responds to Global Missions’ commitment to serve migrants holistically by seeking transformational development, cultivating beloved community and bearing witness to Jesus Christ. Advocacy empowers CBF congregations to see the issues that impact migrants where they live, reflect on their reality in light of Scripture, and act in ways that bring real change. Read more

CBF Church Starts Podcast: A Conversation with Baptist leader Bo Prosser

Last updated on: May 17, 2017 at 3:11 pm By Guest Contributor

Sabbaticals can often emerge at just the right time. For Bo Prosser, a global denominational leader, it could not have come at a better time. “The brink of burnout comes faster than you’d think. I wasn’t sleeping well. Mentally, I didn’t want to think about anything of great significance. My empathy level was way down. I am a people person and I just frankly found myself not wanting to be around people,” said Prosser. Read more

The Johnson Amendment and the Christian Voice in the Public Square

Last updated on: May 15, 2017 at 3:49 pm By Guest Contributor

Jesus teaches that we live in a world that celebrates an ethic of fairness—and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, love for love, and hate for hate. But he clearly states that the prevailing ethic, while it might be sufficient for tax collectors and pagans, is insufficient for Christians. Christians are called not to uphold standards of fairness, but to be prophetic examples of what a new standard of justice might look like—a standard of generosity that offers more than is expected, more than is reciprocal, and more, even, than is fair. Read more

Mother’s Day Ups and Downs

Last updated on: May 12, 2017 at 9:54 am By Guest Contributor

Regardless of whether a woman is a wife or mom, all women should be praised for the “fear of the Lord.” This quality provides the means for a woman to be secure in who she is. May God help us appreciate ALL women in our lives, regardless of the roles they play in the community, church and family. Read more

What do the hungry think of our church programs?

Last updated on: May 10, 2017 at 11:49 am By Guest Contributor

Since I am a pastor and am supposed to be spiritual, I won’t tell you that I became a little irritated when Richard interrupted my very meaningful Maundy Thursday meditation. “Could this not wait just another twenty minutes?” I thought. But I suspect that for the hungry and marginalized of our city, twenty minutes seems like a long, long time. Read more

Just One Little Kiss: A Case of Clergy Sexual Abuse

Last updated on: May 9, 2017 at 4:10 pm By Guest Contributor

Just one account of the trauma caused from clergy sexual misconduct and the years that followed the incident. Read more