Lessons from Moses: Pastor, You Are Not Alone!

Our leaders are seeking endless ways to stave off the fear and anxiety that those under our care are feeling. “Mental health issues in general and burnout in particular are real issues for pastors and leaders as we minister today in our complex world.” When I wrote those words this past January, I couldn’t have imagined that our complex world would become one that looked almost unrecognizable only three months later. Three months later, we see burnout on a different scale.... Read More

To Truly Live, I Needed to Die

If the old me stays alive, I never escape hell. Instead, I live it. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We’re dead either way. The grace is that we get to choose which death we die. Lent, the season of solemnity and contemplation, has become this year a global grappling with sickness, loss, and death not... Read More

Arab Christians Have Lost Easter Before. Here’s What They Learned.

Whether COVID-19 or ISIS, believers from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt know “neither plague nor persecution can snuff out the church of Christ.” Christians around the world are about to lose their usual Easter celebration—the highlight of most congregations’ annual life together. Yes, there will be a livestream. Their pastor will likely call them. They may even chat on Zoom with friends and family. But it will be different. The community of believers has been sundered by the new... Read More

Mexico’s Persecuted Protestants Lack Simple Coronavirus Defense

As COVID-19 shuts down Mexican cities, dozens of Protestant converts still denied access to clean water in Catholic-controlled villages in four states. While many people around the world are reaching for soap, water, and antibacterial hand gel to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus, Angelina does not have that luxury. Her family and a neighboring family had their access to water and sewage services cut off by local authorities in January 2019. Fifteen months later, and they still... Read More

Florida coronavirus deaths are higher than numbers in official reports

“People attribute the cause of death to something like a heart attack or a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot that goes to the lungs, that are actually complications of an underlying infectious disease,” he said. “In COVID, for example, people may have pre-existing heart disease, may die of a heart attack or heart arrhythmias, and there’s a risk, particularly if they didn’t get tested for COVID, that their death could be misattributed.” ... Read More

When I Was a Health Risk to Society

My radioactive body brought me shame. But I learned how to bring my fears to the Cross. When I was radioactive, I carried a card in my wallet to explain why I set off alarms at the airport with my body. The card read, “Rachel Jones has undergone nuclear medical treatment.” I keep the card in my wallet, even though I no longer need to show it at airports. I love the card and I hate it. I love it because it says I had nuclear treatment, which simply sounds awesome. I hate it... Read More

Much Ado About Nothing

When the biological appears diabolical Author Katherine Stewart let Christians have it last Friday, at the least the “ultraconservative” ones, the science-deniers, and the uncritical thinkers. Laying the blame for the pandemic in part at our feet, she cites as an example the pastor who hosted the president last month at his church in Miami. “Do you believe God would bring his people to his house to be contagious with the virus?” he asked his full house. “Of... Read More

‘We are excited to be home’: Cruise ships dock at Port Everglades after coronavirus concerns

“Just so people understand, there’s probably 25 of these ships out there. Two of them, these two, have U.S. citizens on board,” he said. “We have an interest in making sure those folks come safely. Some of these other ships are all foreign nationals, that’s something that would be difficult to accommodate in Florida given what we’re facing in South Florida.” ... Read More

DeSantis order overruling local coronavirus rules generates confusion

“For many people, connecting with a faith community is understandably important at a time like this. With that said, the coronavirus is just as dangerous and infectious whether you are in a community center or a church or synagogue,” Frankel said. “One infected person has the ability to set off a chain of events that can overwhelm a healthcare system. Sadly, we have already seen that catastrophic impact in South Korea and France, where massive religious gatherings left thousands of... Read More