Silence Movie Review

The Hero’s Journey American mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was renowned for his ability to compare ostensibly opposing worldviews, philosophies, and religions through the lens of mythology. What Campbell discovered was that the human experience could be reduced down to a single concept: the “monomyth.” In other words, all human traditions have an archetypal pattern with thousands of variations, which basically

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Valuing Our Global Family by Kim Reisman

Politicians have interests from which Christians may be joyously free. Our faith family is not contained by state lines or party lines, by skin color or culture, by language or ethnicity.

We are free to love each other. And we are free to love others.

What a gift.

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Celtic Christianity And The Coloring Craze by Tammie Grimm

Chances are, you or someone you know gave or received a coloring book for adults in the last year. With titles as catchy as “Color Me Stress Free” or “The Art of Relaxation,” the coloring craze has swept the nation. Whether the book contains images of floral gardens, mandalas or other graphic patterns, the idea behind coloring therapy is to

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Is Sin Necessary To Know Jesus? Why It Matters by Elizabeth Glass Turner

“Jesus has a body but the Father and Spirit do not. Discuss.” One of my acquaintances posted this on social networking recently, provoking a number of responses. One person wondered if Christ had always had physical form. The discussion spun and doubled back, spiraled and swung. And, as it happens, it matters. Frequently theology – especially Trinitarian theology – is

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Suicide And The Enemy Of Our Souls by Carolyn Moore

Yet another acquaintance lost his life to depression over the holidays. Such loss leaves everyone devastated on multiple levels. When devastations like suicide drop into our lives, we’re left with far more questions than answers, not to mention the guilt and so often, such a sense of powerlessness. Stretching to make sense of a tragic event, we tend to grab

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Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say by Andy Stoddard

We had a funny moment here in our house the other night. My oldest was filling out a form to take the ACT in the coming weeks.  She’s only in the 7th grade, but I like that they start taking it early.  She was filling out the form and she called me into the living room.  When I got there, she

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Living in the In-Between by Rob Haynes

Our twenty-year-old son, Joshua recently secured his first apartment. He had been living in the university dormitories, but he was now excited to have a place of his own. My wife and I packed up his things with him and drove them 6 hours to his new place. When we (and all of his worldly possessions) got there, we hit

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Why Did the Women Disciple the Men? by Omar Rikabi

Back when it was “a different time” – in this case, just 1992 – the pastor warmed up our mens’ Bible study with, “Why did the woman cross the road…What’s she doing out of the kitchen in the first place?” Before the chuckling died down, he continued his opening act: “How do you fix a broken dishwasher…Kick her in the

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Julia Foote and the Geography of Witness

What do you know of Zanesville, Ohio? History buffs might enjoy its distinct Y-shaped bridge or explore its history as part of the Underground Railroad or recall it for its well-known river and locks. If a spiritual pilgrimage were traced across the tilts and rolls of Ohio’s farms, rivers, and valleys, Methodists might mark a gentle circle around Zanesville. It’s

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Hope Is Not a Luxury: The Essential Anchor by Michelle Bauer

According to the church calendar, we are in the season of Eastertide which marks the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. I like the idea of Easter being more than just a morning or a day but a whole season in which we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and what it means for our lives. There are many angles from which

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Little Pentecosts by Kim Reisman

Scripture focus: The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things. . . . You can count on it. John 14:12 (The Message)  I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)    One of Jesus’ most amazing promises is that, if we

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Holding in Readiness by Kim Reisman

There’s a readiness exercise in tennis where players face the coach and run in place on the balls of their feet. They watch for the coach’s signal to move either to the left or to the right, forward or back. Until the coach gives the sign, the athletes hold in readiness. The ability to hold yourself in readiness is essential

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Phoebe Palmer and the Day of Days by Ryan Akers

A while back, a well-known pastor made remarks about a female pastor that were distasteful and offensive. While respecting the pastor’s different viewpoint knowing full well that not all followers of Jesus agree in all areas of doctrine, I was disappointed with how the view was expressed regarding women as pastors. I have three daughters and I want them to

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Taking the Journey Together: Witness in Crisis by Rob Haynes

I know a man who works at a large, warehouse-style home-improvement store. One day he shared a story about how to help people find what they are looking for. There is a sign in the employee break room that says: “No Pointing.” The message to store employees is that when customers ask the location of an item, one should not

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Jesus In Real Time by Kim Reisman

Scripture Focus: I will send you the Advocate – the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me…When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you

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Reacting To The Image Of God: Wesley And Worth by Andy Stoddard

I try my best not to get drawn into the hot fire of the cultural moment. One of my great fears for our moment is that we will all become reactionary, driven more by emotions than reason (or if we are religious an overarching theological perspective). We react to culture, we react to others, we react to ourselves. Reacting like

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