by Tracy Mandl | Oct 2, 2026 | Opinion
What does your faith sound like? I asked this question in a faith talk circle years ago and it sparked some of the most vulnerable conversations our group had ever had. I felt the room go quiet. I could see the thoughts turning; the remembering, the recognizing. And...
by Nick Mumejian | Aug 5, 2026 | Opinion
I have an odd pastoral confession: I find “Amazing Grace” more spiritually troubling than Slayer, Iron Maiden, Death, or many of the other heavy metal bands I grew up loving. I want to be careful, because I know that sounds like the kind of provocative reversal a...
by Craig Nash | Mar 31, 2026 | Opinion
Hanan Townshend grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand, which he acknowledges is an easy upbringing to romanticize. He does have fond memories of his childhood tending to the rhythms of farm life, but refers to the work as requiring “constant devotion.” It may have...
by Holly Berkley Fletcher | Mar 9, 2026 | Opinion
If it’s a Wednesday night, you’ll usually find me in the choir loft at my United Methodist Church, trying to decipher notes on a page of sheet music with my long-dormant, never-great sight-reading skills (new and improved with middle-aged eyes!). Fortunately,...
by Craig Nash | Dec 10, 2025 | Opinion
Nashville songwriting sessions are famous for the tedious hours spent trying to get something down on paper, only for a throwaway line in an unrelated side conversation to become the diamond in the rough a song needs to emerge from the chaos. For Phil Madeira and his...
