My take: Mary as a figure of power
Voices of Faith

My take: Mary as a figure of power

I have always loved Mary, the mother of our Lord, and each year she becomes more important to me. But my love for Mary does not come from admiration of…
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Voices of Faith

Truly human

Every December, I take somewhat dark delight in viewing (Google it for grins) a 1926 painting by German artist Max Ernst titled “The Blessed Virgin Chastising the Infant Jesus before…
Invited into the wilderness
Voices of Faith

Invited into the wilderness

Our Advent lectionary readings this year are a rich tapestry. In Matthew’s Gospel, we are swept up together in the comforting but challenging reality of the “already” and the “not…
Mister Rogers and the practice of silence
Voices of Faith

Mister Rogers and the practice of silence

When Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), the Esquire magazine reporter who serves as protagonist and audience surrogate in the new drama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, meets Joanne Rogers (Maryann…
From hype to hope
Voices of Faith

From hype to hope

Anticipation and excitement make the jump to hyperspeed as we approach the big day in late December: the release of the new “Star Wars” movie, the final chapter in the…
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Voices of Faith

Perspective: A thank-filled Thanksgiving

My mom loves thank-you cards. She sends them on a whim, joyfully, breathlessly. She keeps a stack in her house for any occasion that requires giving thanks, such as when…
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Voices of Faith

Sports, award shows and God

The sight is familiar. The artist walks up to the microphone, triumphant music playing, and the host invites them to speak. The artist looks at the trophy and says, “Wow….
The (eventual) resurrection of the rural church
Voices of Faith

The (eventual) resurrection of the rural church

Squatting stubbornly just outside downtown Le Mars, Iowa, is a wide brick building that used to be the high school but now serves as the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The…
I’m a Lutheran: Thomas Gray Johnston
Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Thomas Gray Johnston

St. Luke Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C. Senior religious studies major and history minor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C. I chose to attend an ELCA university because I dangled my feet…
A veteran’s struggle to connect
Voices of Faith

A veteran’s struggle to connect

I’m a Navy chaplain, a former submarine warfare officer and a military veteran of 18 years, but I have trouble finding the words to talk about my ministry to veterans…
The cost of nondiscipleship
Voices of Faith

The cost of nondiscipleship

In The Great Omission: Rediscovering Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship, author Dallas Willard examines the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—in particular, the German theologian’s venerated book The Cost of Discipleship. Willard…