April (Web-only) 2016

The Babylon Bee's Adam Ford Says the Church Needs Laughter
The humorist and comics artist on leading through levity.

Why We Want to Return to Stars Hollow
The weirdest part of the Gilmore Girls hometown? How they did community right.

6 Qualifications for Elders that Paul Forgot to Mention
Church leadership brings a heap of hilarious frustrations.

What Jen Hatmaker Gets Right about Christian Love
Reactions to her message to LGBT people highlight how confused we are about love and repentance.

Going Overboard: How Our Panic Betrays God's Peace
When the storms hit and life gets real, he still proves faithful.

My Toddler Survived Brain Cancer—Here’s What I Learned
7 things you should know, from a mom who’s been there

How a Therapeutic Separation Could Save Your Marriage
5 steps toward healing and restoration


The Ministry of Coffee, in Three Parts
Caffeine is for sharing.

Christians Can Hold Their Bladders and Still Shop at Target
Consider the missional implications before you boycott.

Tribeca Film Festival 2016 Round-Up
Movies about humor and disappointment, inequality and autism, celebrity and Scientology.

Remembering Prince: A Pop Music Priest in a Secular World
He seemed to defy mortal boundaries, but in fact, he showed us the glory of simply being made in God's image.

Take Time To Linger Outside the Church Door
In churches as in neighborhoods, sometimes the front lawn is the best place to build community.

In 'A Hologram For The King,' Tom Hanks Goes to Saudi Arabia
The adaptation of Dave Eggers's novel is diverting, but never comes together.

Reach Out—God Is Closer Than You Know
We tend to emphasize his beyond-ness over his nearness. Why that’s a mistake.

Raising Ramona in 21st-Century Portland
What Beverly Cleary taught me about childhood worries.

Cancer, Where Is Your Sting?
A neurosurgeon discovers hope and healing in the face of a terminal diagnosis.

Sandals Instead of Sponsorships: The Sseko Story
Behind the fair-trade company that’s helping educate women in Uganda.

Presenting an Awkward Chat Between Sammy Rhodes and Jon Acuff
That moment when two Christian authors talk Twitter, comedy, writing, and guilty-pleasure foods.

The 4 Most Important Prayers for Your Kids
Learning to trust God for your child's faith and future

The Local Church Isn't Going Anywhere
Here's to stale coffee, hymn sings, and the next two thousand years.

How Spanish Church Music Inspired the Film Score for 'Risen'
A conversation with the biblical thriller's composer.

Go West, Young Woman: The Rise of the Solo Female Traveler
I learned for myself why some of the best adventures are taken alone.

'Sing Street' Takes Teenagers (and Music) Seriously
The latest from "Once" director John Carney is an autobiographical, infectious 1980s musical.

'The Jungle Book' Honors Tradition and Does Something New
The differences are telling, and so are the similarities.

Six Tips for Women Afraid to Talk Politics
Or anyone looking to prepare for tough conversations.

Embracing Cultural Moments
Using truth and grace to explore hidden cultural divides

Your Calling Isn’t Just Between You and God
How community discernment can help women recognize their gifts.

James Dobson: Why Children Are a National Blessing
Under-population is the deeper global problem.

Loving My Labyrinthine Church
Our tangled building tells an evolving story.

Put Down the Church Attendance Scorecard
Shame and peer pressure don’t lead to healthy discipleship.

Innovative Church Practices, Inspired by Stock Photos: The Bible Sniffer
Your pew Bibles should always smell, like, super good.

The Church’s Law-Grace Throwdown: 300 Years and Going Strong
A group of 18th-century Scottish churchmen fought bitterly over the right teaching. How we can we avoid veering toward their extremes?

We Need Mentors in Our Spiritual Lives, Too
Diverse relationships within the church help teach and train.

Reading Esther in the Shadow of ISIS
A Jewish philosopher’s perspective on how God delivers his people from radical evil.

Here Is the Church, but Where Is the Steeple?
How those transcendent spires fell out of cultural favor, and why it's time to bring them back.

Cultsploitation and True Believers
Being duped and blinded to the truth is no laughing matter. So why are we so obsessed with cults?

Stop Calling Ted Cruz a Dominionist
The Christian candidate's faith influences his platform, but not in the ways most critics assume.

How Do We Understand Blessing in a #Blessed Era?
Our social media mocking hasn’t gotten us closer to what it really means to live in God’s favor.

From Wailing to Worship
How my darkest hour revealed God’s brightest glory

A Smart Fashion Mag Is Hard to Find
The quest for style writing that informs and inspires, not shames and sells.