This article is the honorable mention pick for The Banner’s 2024 Young Adults Writing Contest on the topic of peacemaking.

Third-place winner of The Banner’s 2024 Young Adults Writing Contest, with the topic of peacemaking.

Read the second-place winner of The Banner’s 2024 Young Adult Writing Contest on the topic of peacemaking.

The first-place winner of The Banner’s 2024 Young Adult Writing Contest on the topic of peacemaking.

When do we become “old”? How long does “middle age” last? What do all these categories say about us and to us?

While many of the challenges are unique to this particular time in history, some challenges are literally thousands of years old.

The rising criticism and falling esteem pastors face in their communities could cause some parents to think twice about letting their babies grow up to be pastors.

While church leaders are understandably concerned about the church’s future, most people today are instead asking about what the gospel means for them in their life.

I used to be the kind of person who inadvertently killed any houseplant to cross our threshold.

When we get impatient, we try to control change and force change. The result is the church sinking to another level of stuckness even worse than before.

On Ascension Day, Jesus takes up his seat at God’s right hand as king of kings and Lord of lords. We let that pass with a yawn. How does this make any sense?

Where do we begin to become a countercultural force in this slow, missional movement and join in what God is doing today?

It is a true gift to be able to carry these songs with us! As I reflect on the songs that have shaped me, I find that I often turn to them to comfort me or to lift me up when I need to be reminded of something.

Wanting to be big without the leading and loving presence of the Holy Spirit is a kind of sickness, an addiction that can lead to ruin.

If loving God is obeying his commands (John 14:21), how were they to love their son without compromising their love for Jesus?

Synod wrestled again and again and again with differing positions on what the Bible says about women. In the end, the CRC’s position cannot be described as either

“What message would you have us take of this island?” I asked. The answer: “That slavery happened, and that it must never happen again.”

Humans are both dust and reflections of the divine. Two sacred, God-given identities meant to sit side by side, each meant to inform and contextualize the other. But what happens when the balance is thrown out of whack?

Committee 7 gave me a glimpse into a beautiful church: the Christian Reformed Church. These are people who hold a high view of Scripture and the confessions. These are people who love Jesus. They recognized that they have often failed to love as Jesus has called them to love, and by God’s grace they want to do better.

Every person’s journey toward healing is different. But church communities can have a significant impact on how the trauma from abuse affects a survivor.

What happens when our expectations turn to disappointment? When the predictable patterns of the past cease, like a clock with dead batteries? When somber silence replaces the upbeat tunes and ticking?

Here are five ways to delve into the icy months and glean the most reward and meaning out of the season even as we look forward to spring.

What if, instead of being caught up in hyperpartisanship, the CRC tried to provide an alternative to polarization and fragmentation in the church, society, and politics?