Giving Thanks Through Grief
We’re nearing the end of the year. And today we briefly step away from the usual grind to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends. As we look forward to good food, holiday traditions, and relaxed times of fellowship, it’s easy to feel thankful for life and God’s blessings. We … Read More
Of Black Bumpers and Blackout Curtains
From the Author: I have two major concerns for this article. First, I don’t want it to be taken as an attack on the plain lifestyle or conservative values. That is an entirely different discussion and not one I’m trying to engage in here. Second, there is a strong tendency … Read More
Transition
The first day saying “My pleasure!” The first day I walked into my new job at Chick-fil-A in Queens, New York, I realized just how out-of-place I felt. Even though I had grown up in Elmhurst, Queens, nothing could prepare me for working in a tiny, sometimes-crowded-on-Saturday-shift-changes, fast-food restaurant. I … Read More
Why We Need More Women of the Word
As far as I know, very few Christian women frequently study the Bible. Why? I’m afraid there’s an unspoken precedent that is keeping women from embracing the fervent study of Scripture. And this is a problem with farther reaching results than we might think. It seems that in the Anabaptist … Read More
Does Theology Hinder a Christian Lifestyle?
Belief vs Behavior I have often heard it asserted that early Christians emphasized a holy lifestyle, not theology. This assertion usually flows out of a concern to combat Christians who define faith as mental assent alone—not a changed life. However, I am certain that juxtaposing belief and behavior this way … Read More
How Modesty Is Weaponized
As this discussion has possibly been one of the most discussed and most argued ones in recent Anabaptist history, I’ve often wondered whether sharing an additional voice is helpful or merely perpetuating a fixation on this topic among our people. However, several factors lead me to feeling this letter timely: … Read More
The Beauty of Monarchy
By Paul Lamicela, with Faith Lamicela On Thursday, 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Her funeral was held this morning (19 September). She was the longest-reigning British monarch (70 years!) and died beloved by her people and by countless others around the world. The outpouring of grief, affection, … Read More
The Importance of Having Difficult Conversations
We often struggle to communicate as deeply as we’d like. But this difficulty is especially pronounced when it comes to having hard conversations. When disagreements happen, it’s tempting to run away. Then the next time we’ll foolishly charge into the situation, hurting relationships and just making things worse. Peacefully handling … Read More
Engaging Immigrants to Fulfill the Great Commission
Part 2 of A World on the Move: A Missional Paradigm of Migration. As a young man, I developed a skewed view of missions. I saw mission work as something that one went and did somewhere “over there.” Multiple times a year our church would have missionaries speak about their … Read More