Creativity
Pentecost art
On Pentecost the fire of the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles. Debbie installed this multi-layered representation of the Pentecostal fire for our celebration of "the birthday of the church!"
Creativity
Creativity
Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg
On the eve of Thanksgiving watch this video by filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg. Try to view this on the largest screen possible because the photography is stunning. Schwartzberg captures gratitude, and the reasons for it, in this memorable TED talk and short film. Happy Thanksgiving! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Community
Kids love VBS and it shows!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VymkfenBIw&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Kids love VBS and this 45-second video clip proves it! Part of the VBS fun is learning the songs and motions, and getting into the spirit of the theme. You don't need
Community
VBS Off To A Great Start at Saddle Ridge Ranch
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AsXs3SOYR0&hl=en_US&fs=1&] We partner with 4 other churches in our community to do VBS each year. Each church takes a turn leading VBS planning, and hosting the community for VBS week. This year we're
Creativity
Bruce Feiler, Council of Dads author, speaks about his cancer, his kids and his plan for their future
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuPqx3PIaGQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] Bruce Feiler, author of the book, The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me, talks about his diagnosis
Angels
A Great Book for Mother's Day
Mother's Day will be here before you know it -- May 9, to be exact. I've got the perfect gift for you to give away at church, or for that special mother in your own life. My author friend, Joan Wester Anderson, has written a delightful
Creativity
Would You Use This Easter Billboard?
St. Matthew In The City Church in Auckland, New Zealand is an Anglican congregation which uses some edgy advertising to get the largely unchurched Auckland population to think. This Easter, St. Matthew's put up this billboard explaining that in the Orthodox tradition there is a practice of humor
Christian history
Would Your Church Censor This Art?
Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas, whose website describes the church as a "holistic missional Christian community," invited local artists to submit original artwork depicting each of the Stations of the Cross. Young 10-year old artist Jackson Potts II, who has been studying photography with his photographer father for
Community
Two Churches Die, One Emerges To Reach Out
"I'm the most unsuccessful pastor in Pacifica," Jonathan Markham observed four years ago. Markham's church in affluent San Mateo county southwest of San Francisco was growing spiritually he thought, but not numerically. Church attendance hovered around 15-20 each week with few visitors attending. Located
Creativity
Are Angels The New Vampires?
Are angels the new vampires? Anne Rice, the author who made vampires trendy in her Vampire Chronicles series, came back to the Christian faith in 1998. Upon returning to the Roman Catholic Church, Rice published two books about the life of Christ. She has now turned her attention to the
Creativity
The E-book revolution
E-books are popping up everywhere suddenly. As I write this, mediabistro.com's e-book summit is livestreaming on my office PC. The hot nearly-new gift for Christmas this year is an e-reader -- a Kindle, a Nook, a Sony Reader, or one of the others coming soon. The entire
church as abbey
Urban Church Connects with Local Artists
In its heyday University Baptist Church in Baltimore overflowed its expansive neoclassical sanctuary. Designed by the same architect as the Jefferson Memorial, the church's impressive dome now shelters fewer worshippers each Sunday. But changing times haven't discouraged the members of University Baptist Church. Instead the congregation