March 10, 2015

Welcome to Part 2 in our series in which curriculum writers discuss their approach to teaching atonement. In Part 1, we heard from Catherine Maresca and her approach to letting the faith of pre-school children shape our own theology. Today we hear from John Stonecypher: pastor, dad, blogger and inspired curriculum designer. His weekly conversations for pre-teens are excellent models for home or church school conversations. Like Catherine, John takes the children as his starting point, engaging with them around... Read more

March 10, 2015

It was a rough week at work. It got off to a bad start and didn’t improve much. Maybe you’ve had one of *those weeks.* It all started when one of my supervisor decided to observe me talking with a client. In my view, the conversation went really great. In fact, in the middle of our discussion, I literally thought, “I’m so glad my supervisor is witnessing this! I’ve built great rapport with the client, I’ve elicited his story, and... Read more

March 6, 2015

The recent passing of Leonard Nimoy has got many of us reminiscing about his portrayal of the half-human, half-Vulcan, Mr. Spock. I am proud to say that I am an original Trekkie – I was glued to my television set for the initial broadcast of the first episode in September 1966 and every episode thereafter. Mr. Spock fascinated me, as he would put it. He was perpetually at war with himself, constantly working to subdue his emotions and live by... Read more

March 4, 2015

“God is in control.” The statement comforts many people because deep down we know that we are not in control. We can do everything we can to protect ourselves and our families, but we know that despite our best efforts, tragedy can strike at any moment. And so it’s comforting to believe that if we aren’t in control, Someone else is. But something inside of me recoils whenever I hear the phrase, “God is in control.” Many believe that God’s... Read more

February 27, 2015

I’m cringing as I write this. That tells you a lot about me. When it comes to politics and theology, I identify as liberal. I firmly believe that Jesus wanted everyone fed, wanted universal health care, and that the Kingdom of God is about politics. It’s about structuring our personal and communal lives in a nonviolent way that ensures everyone has food to eat, debts are forgiven, and healing is freely provided for everyone. Bill O’Reilly symbolizes almost everything that... Read more

February 26, 2015

The Compline, or Night Prayer, is the last prayer said as part of the Liturgy of the Hours. As my Lenten discipline, I have added the Night Prayer to my rather thin prayer practice, which has consisted of praying the Office of Readings in the morning. I’ve tried to pray the Compline before, but it hasn’t worked. My darkest thoughts come to me at night. Doubts about my work, the purpose of my life, and fear of death haunt me.... Read more

February 23, 2015

During Lent we are inviting curriculum writers to tell us how their curriculum for children and youth deals with the violence at the Cross. We are delighted to open the series with a contribution from Catherine Maresca because her works shifts our normal approach to curriculum design. If you are like me, you start with a theological idea or interpretation of a text and design your class around that starting point. Catherine takes the opposite approach: she allows young children... Read more

February 20, 2015

The Christian journey of Lent is upon us. Lent commemorates Jesus’ journey into the wilderness. After his baptism, where Jesus heard the voice of God say to him, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased,” Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. After 40 days of fasting, he was tempted by the devil. In good mimetic fashion, Jesus had received his true identity from God at his baptism. As radically relational creatures, mimetic... Read more

February 19, 2015

“You may not know what this means because you don’t live in North Carolina” my friend began. “But, for us, if just for a moment, hell froze over.” He was talking about the greatest rivalry in all of college basketball: Duke versus North Carolina. They played last night at Duke University. It was the 239th game of their rivalry. The teams are similar in their successful histories. Even their different shades of the same color of blue point to their... Read more

February 17, 2015

For my Lenten discipline this year, I’ve decided to become more comfortable with death. To date, I have not been a big fan. Fifteen years ago at the tender age of 45 my blissful life of denial was interrupted with a breast cancer diagnosis. Okay, it felt like a tender age at the time. I hadn’t given my own mortality much thought and when it was forced into my consciousness in an unforgettable way, I was miffed. Denial had been... Read more


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