I fear that we’ve buried our noses so deep in our texts, that we have forgotten that we have a mission in the world.
All by Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby
When Church Gets Political
I’ve heard the statement a thousand times: “Politics don’t belong in church!”
O Be Careful, Little Eyes
All of us are conditioned to see the world in certain ways. We are taught to see some things, and not others.
Preaching in the “After Easter”
At the core of our preaching is actually an empty tomb. An absence. Something we cannot see.
Preachers, It’s Not about You (But It Kind of Is…)
We must be careful about moving from “anyone can preach” to “it doesn’t matter who is in the pulpit.”
On Spiders and Human Complexity
While the term spider connotes danger, it does not tell the whole story about the thousands upon thousands of species of spiders in all of their glorious diversity.
The Good Old Days, for Whom?
Nostalgia is powerful in its ability to instantly transport us to happier places when life is tough, but it is also powerful in its selectiveness.
Women Know Things: An Untapped Epistemic Advantage
An epistemic advantage is “a critical, perspectival edge created by experiencing oppression personally or empathically.”
From “Who Is My Neighbor?” to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
What does an ordained minister with a bunch of puppets and low-production quality have to offer to a hurting world?
Are You Still a Christian?
We like to create distance, even distance that is generated by falsity, to protect ourselves from being impacted by those we fear.
Surprise! A Spiritual Discipline
I equally love and hate surprises. If I sense somewhere in my gut that somebody is withholding a fun secret from me, it nearly drives me crazy.
Church on the Pond
If you’ve never stopped long enough to eavesdrop on nature, you’re missing out. That pond was a sanctuary, and the birds and the bullfrogs were the choir.
Lessons Learned from My Dad
I invite you to share in some of the lessons I have learned from this man who in many ways has been a spiritual giant in my life.
Don’t Check Your Wounds at the Door
I think the church could and should offer a different kind of space: a space that welcomes authentic selves, wounds and all.
Putting the Practical in Theology
While most of you are not academically situated practical theologians, you all participate in the practical dimensions of theology.
Confessions from the Wilderness
I have been in an unexpected wilderness for the past four weeks, as my depression has stepped out of line for no apparent reason, and is upsetting my routine.
Is There Power in the Pulpit?
It was preaching that drew Christians out to fields for the revivals of the Great Awakenings, and it is preachers today who continue to impact the minds of congregants.
A Tale of Two Trees
Christmas is when we recall that the King was born, and reigns forever more, and that the arrival of Christ signaled the expiration date on all other kingdoms.
Analysis Paralysis and Burnout: When Loving Our Neighbors is Exhausting
I believe we were created to know and love those who are different from us.
Searching for Human Goodness
There is human goodness to be found. This is the hope of God in the world: the eternal love and light of God emanating through willing vessels to restore our fragmented world.