The Heart and Soul of God’s Reputation
Dan Schrock
While living in Miami in my early 20s, I was mentored by a man named Leroy, who cared very much about his reputation in the community. Leroy cared about his reputation because he was both a businessman and a pastor. Leroy believed his success as a businessman depended mostly on how other people evaluated his […]
A Response to Graces
Dan Schrock
To understand this story, let us read it in its proper literary context. Let us go all the way back to Genesis 12, when Abraham and Sarah, then known as Abram and Sarai, first received their call to ministry. In summoning them to ministry, God was both blunt and specific. God said: “Go . . […]
A God who Sees and Hears
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
For the last 2 years, I’ve been part of a group of 10 women pastors from IN-MI conference and Central District conference, who get together about 4 times a year to discuss a book we’ve read. We have deliberately chosen to read theologians who are not white men. Some of our richest, and most challenging, […]
Sheltering God
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
I’ve been thinking about forts and temporary structures this week. It’s mostly related to preparing for this sermon, but it’s also related to the events in the last week or so, in our world and in our conference. The news coming from Orlando has been disturbing on so many levels, the most obvious one being […]
Drawing Circles
Jim Brenneman
Have you ever sat by a pond just as a few rain drops started to fall? There before our eyes we watch nature draw near perfect circles, rings rippling out from the center of the drop. From Apelles to Rembrandt to Picasso, it’s been argued that no human is capable of drawing a perfect circle […]
Idolatry
Dan Schrock
I once knew a college student whose idol was reason and logic. He loved the life of his own mind, the way his brain could dance and leap from one idea to another idea. In a split second, he could spot the flaw in someone else’s argument and tear it to shreds. He loved smashing […]
Body Fragrance
Dan Schrock
40 years ago, shortly after the Vietnam War ended, the Holdeman Mennonite Church near Wakarusa, grappled with the issue of body odor. The issue of body odor came up when the congregation resettled a family of refugees from Southeast Asia. The Vietnam War, badly managed by the United States, had created hundreds of thousands of […]
The Master’s Touch
Dan Schrock
On the corner of Neil and Forsythe Avenues in Columbus, Ohio, you will find a hair salon called The Master’s Touch. The proprietors are Christina and Ed Anderson, an inter-racial couple who’ve owned this hair salon for more than 20 years. When we lived in Columbus, I usually went there so Christina could cut my […]
Unity and Diversity in Christ
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
In 1968, Martin Luther King lamented that 11 am was the most segregated hour in the nation. In her book, Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that keep us Apart, Christena Cleveland reiterates this lament as she explores the ways in which our churches are still divided, not just racially, but ethnically, culturally and […]
An Alternate View of Hell
Dan Schrock
Today I’m going to talk about hell. If you were here two weeks ago, you’ll remember a sermon on what happens to Christians after they die. After that sermon, the college class suggested I do something on hell. So I’m going to talk a little about hell today, but I want you to know that […]
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