Mar 28, 2016 |
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Mar 20, 2016 |
By: Emily Enders Odom O God, most holy and faithful, Upheld by your strength, we have fasted, prayed, planned, and worked throughout these forty days. Having now moved beyond the confession and contrition of Ash Wednesday; past the parades and pageantry, the colt and...
Mar 14, 2016 |
By: Jill Duffield Recognizing God right in front of us can be a challenge. Jesus, seemingly irritated with the disciples, asks, “Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and faith to hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:18) The risen Christ’s refrain to...
Mar 6, 2016 |
By: Susan E. Moorefield In the world of Instagram and selfies, it is hard to imagine that photography could even be suggested as a spiritual practice. Everywhere you go, smart phones are photographing everything from a foot-long chili dog at the ballpark to a squirrel...
Feb 29, 2016 |
By: David M. Csinos Several months ago, I traveled to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to speak at a weekend youth retreat. As is typically the case with youth retreats, the final evening was slated to be a social time, and the leaders had planned a coffee house in a room at...
Feb 22, 2016 |
By: The Advocate is doing a new thing! As we continue our goal of helping connect, enrich, empower and sustain those serving in educational ministries, we are changing with the times. Over the last year we have transitioned from a quarterly print magazine to a...
Nov 5, 2015 |
By: When I began working as a youth director in the church 14 years ago, I had a list of things I thought all youth should know about God. I found curriculum and experiences that helped me check off this rigid list, congratulating myself on graduated seniors that...
Nov 5, 2015 |
By: Kimberly Knight Imagine the scene at our church on any given Wednesday. As people begin to arrive, prelude music is playing softly while candles flicker and float in a pool of water. This group has been worshipping together for over a year now, and their joy...
Nov 5, 2015 |
By: Cynthia Campbell Kids and parents arrive for a new and exciting Advent Workshop that’s been promoted and advertised. But what they find is not so exciting—only a couple of tables with craft projects set on them. Along the walls of the room are boxes full of other...
Nov 5, 2015 |
By: Priscilla Andre-Colton Last summer I was working on organizing the curriculum and support materials for our two youngest Sunday school classes. The curriculum recommended setting up a puzzle center. So I started looking for puzzles that coordinated with the topics...
