CATEGORIES

Giving More, Taking Less

FRANCOIS BOUDERLIQUE learnt about the basic principle of Nature – to give more than you take – when he left a high-powered banking job in Paris to live and farm in Kutch, India. He realized that his understanding of eco farming was colored by his past and he needed to open his eyes to a new reality.

Visioning a Re-new-able Year

FLASHBACK: It’s December 31, 1999. Flushed from dancing, I’m perched on the steps of the Hilton Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, filled with anxiety about Y2K and the chaotic world around me.

STAYING IN FOR A VIRTUAL RETREAT?

HERE’S WHAT TO DO BEFOREHAND

The Fire of Aliveness

THERE ARE TWO FIRES that we have to encounter daily. The first is the fire of life, which reduces us to joy by burning away all that is false and not essential.

TALK, HEAR, DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS

Loved ones who have passed away can still whisper wisdom to you. JULIA CAMERON explains how she learned to connect with the world beyond.

SPIRITUAL RADICALS

WHAT’S NEXT? THESE SEVEN TRAILBLAZERS ARE HELPING DEFINE THE FUTURE OF SPIRITUALITY.

Put Your Self-Compassion on First, Then Assist Others

I am a good, kind, and ethical person, but I feel that I sometimes lack compassion. Maybe that’s because in the family I grew up in we were not taught to think of others. I would like to know how I can become a more compassionate person.

RESOLUTION SOLUTION

New Year’s resolutions never seem to stick. JULIE PETERS explores a holistic approach to change.

Religion and Politics

For ME God is the Aliveness Happening IN, WITH, AND AS ALL EXISTENCE.

NIKKI GIOVANNI

Giovanni brings a voice of discernment and solidity to our disquiet times.

Dr. Karen Gedney

MARIA OKORN tells the story of a medical doctor who found her calling behind bars.

Developing Intuition

Megha Bajaj shares some simple tips on how to develop the capacity for intuition, which can be cultivated in daily life.

From Magic Mushroom to Forbidden Fungus (and Back)

Half a century ago, Congress declared that there is no legitimate use for psilocybin. State and local governments are finally challenging that judgment.

What are Your Intentions?

How to sharpen and enlarge your understanding and application of intentions.

Ivy Dishes

“My mom found a house for us to look at,” said my fiancé, Jon. “It’s in Richfield, not far from where I grew up.”

The Duet

“Can you perform a hymn for us next week?” my pastor asked me after Sunday service.

The Girl in the Dream

Was this a church? The high, vaulted ceilings made it seem like one—almost but not exactly.

News From Around Our Wonderful World

Liverpool, England Joanne Carr is hailing her son, Dougie McInerney, as her guardian angel.

A Light in the Blizzard

I stepped on the gas and shifted into drive, then reverse, then back into drive again.

Straight From the Fish's Mouth

Florence, Italy. I’d been there before on one of those scruffy five-dollar-a-day youth-hostel jaunts through Europe, but now, just graduated from college, I was wondering what to do with my life.

Divine Callings

Have you ever felt called to a purpose?

Dad's Voice

As I reached to turn off the lamp on my bedside table, my eyes fell on the card my brother Isaac had given each of us siblings on what would have been Dad’s sixty-eighth birthday.

Ben's Answer

It was midafternoon, and I was already curled up on the couch in the living room with no plans to move.

A Doll's Hat

My fears around the surgery built all day.... God, please let me be as strong as my young patients are.

the BEAUTIFUL story

Obed Natán Chic Itzep was born in the city of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Guatemala. He has served the church as a children’s and youth pastor, a clerk in his local church, and district Youth Ministries director. In 2019, he was appointed senior pastor of the Tierra Verde Church of God of Prophecy in Siquinalá, Escuintla, Guatemala.

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP - PRAYERFUL LEADERSHIP

Look at the first two words in this article’s title, “Spiritual Leadership.” Now replace the word “spiritual” with any word that denotes effective Christian leadership—authentic leadership, compassionate leadership, visionary leadership, anointed leadership, fruitful leadership, compelling leadership, servant leadership, etc. This simple exercise reminds us that consistent, fervent prayer is essential to effective spiritual leadership.

Prayers Heard, Prayers Hindered

Caleb Madara Dondo serves as COGOP Kenya Task Force vice chairman. Brother Dondo is a teacher with a passion for teaching on the Holy Spirit, giving, and prayer.

Local Church Outreach 2020

As the coronavirus made headlines near the beginning of 2020, I heard an amazing message of compassion and care concerning early Christians running into the plague to minister with kindness to make a difference in the lives of those who were sick and dying. They were willing to move to ministry, even when it threatened their own lives. The message contained a powerful illustration of how those of us who follow the teachings of Christ respond in counter-culture ways to minister to those who are suffering and in need.

Prayer People

The Bible tells us to pray with all kinds of prayer (Ephesians 6:18). But not every kind of prayer is effective prayer. Sometimes, our prayers resemble a flea-market auction. We barter. We negotiate. We up the bid. We say, “I’ll become a missionary if you’ll heal me, God!” Or, “I need more money, more money, more money—I’ll tithe 15 percent!”

Consider Your Ways

When my wife and I first got married, we knew very little about managing money. We certainly did not pay attention to the verse found in Proverbs 22:7 that says, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender” (NKJV).