Recent Articles
Friendship as Antidote to Loneliness – Part 3
No sane person would say they don’t want any friends, but many people who say they have lots of friends actually have none. Making true friends is an intentional process. Here are three steps to help you find friends.
December 3, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines; Barna survey says 97% of conservative Christians voted for Trump; Inside the white supremacist global network; In the Tuscan countryside, a 15th century monastery is now a home; and more
The Tracks We Leave Behind
We all leave tracks in people’s lives. Whether they look like smiles or sorrows, strength or scars is entirely up to us. And you may have to clean up some muddy tracks first, but it’s never too late to start.
The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So
The Bible does not support the abuse of anyone, yet those men who manipulate and abuse their wives can make it say just about anything. They have weaponized the Bible, using it to harm and not to heal.
Friendship as Antidote to Loneliness – Part 2
Pursuing romance is easy compared to the pursuit of friendship. To develop true friendships requires effort; it takes time and intelligent practice. Sadly, many people never begin that journey, going through life in isolation.
December 2, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Senate candidate says wearing a mask is a Christian act; Eric Metaxas, Christian radio host, tweets lies about the presidential election, tells Trump ‘Jesus is with us in this fight’; How a Supreme Court bent on protecting religion could harm it; and more.
Donald Trump Goes to Church Every Sunday
President Donald Trump may be golfing most Sundays, but his presence in America’s churches will be felt for a long, long time. While his glowing face may not appear among the worshippers, he is most assuredly there.
When Righteousness and Peace Kiss
The text for the second Sunday of Advent – the week the Peace candle is lit – sends mixed messages of comfort and dismay, restoration and destruction, and the hope for renewal against a grim backdrop of inevitable dissolution.
Friendship as Antidote to Loneliness – Part 1
Many of us have few true friends we can count on. Even in marriage, many couples live essentially alone together, rearing children, supporting each other’s life goals. but never approaching the intimacy a friendship can hold.
New Nurturing Faith Books Explore Atonement, Yoga
Abba, Father by Leroy Spinks and Namaste, Newbie! by Jim Dant are the latest releases from Nurturing Faith books, the publishing imprint of Good Faith Media. They’re available to order now in the GFM bookstore.
December 1, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis: A Yale psychiatrist argues that Trump’s psychosis has infected his most loyal followers, and offers a solution; Secular Democrats offer recommendations to counter rising Christian Nationalism; The ghosts of segregation; and more.
SCOTUS Ruling Not a Religious Freedom Victory
The recent Supreme Court ruling wasn’t a victory for religious freedom because the case wasn’t ultimately about the right to gather or the right to worship. It was all about money.
Emerging Voices | A Problem in Women’s Bible Studies
Society has conditioned women to constantly compare themselves to others and always come up short. Even our typical women’s Bible studies don’t help because they can reinforce the very patterns they are trying to erode.
Religious Bias Behind One Fifth of US Hate Crimes in 2019
More than 7,000 single-bias hate crime incidents involving more than 8,500 victims took place in 2019, with more than one-fifth of these victims (20.1%) targeted due to religious bias on the part of the offenders, FBI data says.
Good Faith Media Releases Mobile App
Complementing the mobile-friendly website GoodFaithMedia.org, Good Faith Media has released a customized mobile app. It’s now available providing quick access to daily articles on weekday mornings.
November 30, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Proud Boys, Freedom Riders and Racial Healing; the Supreme Court and ‘Religious Freedom’; What we can learn from solitude; and more
Gratitude is Just the Beginning
While it’s important to be thankful, we could benefit from spending less time counting the blessings we enjoy and more time remembering those who suffered the most in making such benisons possible.
How Flexible Are Your Family’s Rituals?
Rituals begin as convenience or habit, eventually acquiring and bestowing authority and legitimacy. The longer a ritual is performed, the less flexible it becomes; any change is threatening. After all, we’ve always done it that way!
Share, Record Your Family Stories This Holiday
The National Day of Listening is the Friday after Thanksgiving. This holiday, get in touch with older family members and provide space for them to tell the family stories as you record them. Our stories bind us together.
US Thankful for Relationships, Experiences
What are you thankful for? If you’re like 84% of respondents in a LifeWay Research survey, you chose family. Other common responses included health, friends and memories. Wealth received the fewest affirmations.
November 25, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: COVID-19 pandemic forces families to change Thanksgiving plans; Pompeo’s rights commission distilled decades of white evangelical hopes; the biblical warrior Goliath may not have been so giant after all; and more.
Goodbye, Granddad
Herbert Maxwell Sheffield, my grandfather, passed away last week from complications related to COVID-19. Born in 1926, he grew up with the conviction never to let his family go hungry. He was the greatest man I have ever known.
Facing Some Early-Morning Choices
Early to bed, early to rise makes one – ever more susceptible to infomercials and local news seeking to keep viewers from changing channels. While the coffee brews, some early-morning channel surfing reveals not a lot to watch.
Bringing Your Crumpled Hope to Advent
Even as we have pieced together safe ways to gather as the people of God during the pandemic, it doesn’t feel the same. As we enter the season of Advent, we need to find hope. It may be crumpled in the corner, but it’s there.
Sense of Smell Brings Memories of Joy, Grief
Broccoli casserole. Fresh pies. Newly popped bottles of wine. And mom’s bag she took to the hospital – with the clothes she never got to wear home. Smell is an amazing scent, transporting me back to precious memories of my mother.
November 24, 2020
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: 400 years after the ‘First Thanksgiving,’ the tribe who fed the Pilgrims continues to fight for their land amid a new pandemic; San Antonio Church founded by free slaves celebrating 150-year anniversary; Ethical reflections on Australia’s fires; and more
What the ‘I Won’t Live in Fear’ Crowd Gets Wrong
Many won’t change their lifestyle during the pandemic because they refuse to live in fear. Their reasoning is rooted in the idea that God tells us to “fear not.” Their blind belief that nothing bad will happen to them is misplaced.
Emerging Voices | How to Stand in Solidarity with People of Color
God has called white Christians to stand in solidarity with their Black brothers and sisters instead of sitting on the sidelines. Many pastors want to minister to their congregants of color, but they do not know where to start.
How Prayer Can Help You with Despair
Prayer leads us to call upon God for help and comfort, sharpening our spirits in the time of suffering. While depression is often a chronic illness that’s tough to treat, prayer can help with the lesser evil of despair.
9% of Young Children in US Live in Deep Poverty
Nine percent of all US children under the age of 9 – nearly one out of 10 – live in deep poverty, a report says. Another 10% live in poverty and 22% in low-income households. Mississippi had the highest deep poverty rate at 17%.