The discussion about women’s roles in church leadership has largely centered on textual exegesis, sociological explanations, and tr

While on vacation from Alberta, visiting my mother at Raybrook Manor in Grand Rapids, Mich., my sister and I went with Mom to a Sunday-ev

After a trying move (and whining to you about it) I should tell you that I’m having fun wearing my two hats (see author ID below).

I have a friend who owns a banquet hall.

In 1949, 7-year-old Ceus (SAY-us) Westerhoff found himself in a new land.

If I know you and you know me
I’d call you by your name
flashing by on my mind’s marquee
a thumbs up for your fam

Biblical/Doctrine

Q Should we obey our church leaders or denomination even when we disagr

It takes you by surprise

It comes in odd packages

It sometimes looks like loss

Or mistakes

It acts like rain

A man called his pastor and said, “This Sunday morning I’d like you to pray for my pancreas.” The pastor replied,

April Fools’!

The reference to Hezekiah 3:16-20 on page 21 of the April Banner (FAQs) is as bad as quoting Hezekiah 4:6, &l

Those who profit from war “are the enemies of democracy in the homeland,” and “amassing enormous fortunes out of the wo

Imagine the joy of the early Christians as the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit made the church grow by leaps and bounds.

On my last visit to Europe I spent an unforgettable evening with a dozen or so relatives in Sexbierum, the Netherlands—a small vill

Health

Q My elderly father and I are having difficulty deciding whether he should move to

When God finished making the world, everything worked perfectly. Adam and Eve had plenty of fine food to eat.

My husband’s grandmother, now 94, tells wonderfully detailed stories of her years as a missionary nurse in India and Africa.

Four years ago Sam Irizarry was “forced to make the right choice” after years of getting things wrong.

I have a rule for my garden this year. I won’t allow myself to buy any seeds.

And I am a seedaholic.

A Modest Proposal

Two years ago I witnessed a brutal and senseless beating.

As my wife and I finished our breakfast March 5 she observed that, in spite of a good night’s sleep, she still felt tired and grogg

Our planet is very, very sick. It’s running a nasty fever that will spike much higher before we can reverse it.

Church

Q: Must a council receive the transfer of someone who, though in “good stand