A short video by BibleProject illustrating how Biblical peace is about wholeness or completeness and was brought to earth in the person of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: Darkness deepens, presses down, and winds buffet. Lightning flashes -- Action! Thunder rumbles -- Reaction!

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: For me, the dandelion is an emblem; an icon of flourishing in the cracks, the in-betweens, the messy middle found at the vertices of polarized opinion. It roots deeply, reaches for the light, blooms brightly, and gives generatively.

The yearning for smaller, slower, sweeter has been growing in me for years, maybe even a decade. I don't just blame all the growth and progress in the area for this. I also blame Wendell Berry and Jesus.

REFLECTION BY KATIE FOX: What can we say about art and beauty in the face of mass shootings, war, evil, and destruction? Why discuss poetry, when the world feels like it's on fire? What can beauty and the arts offer to us when we’ve lost everything we hold dear?

Jaws clenched, chests heaving, the world rages in a tug of war...

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: As the light gentles, we gather, arms laden with food, blankets, drink. We come to feed our souls as much as our bodies...

POEM BY KAREN ABEYTA:You once recited the sinner’s prayer | donning a Power Rangers costume | fearing Hell but | not loving God

The kitchen window framed the scene | the proud posturing, the wild gesturing. | And I, with linen towel twisting | between fretting fingers, watched | as a broken boy extended his hand, | demanding honor from kindness.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: May we grieve well, knowing He has plumbed the depths, and then risen to the heights, and is making all things new.

REFLECTION BY LAURA BECK:On pain, peace, and new paths emerging out of darkness

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR:A thought & image on God's care for the small, forgotten, and alone

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR:Sofia's piece reflects on the sense of dislocation (things not being as they ought to be) in the Biblical narratives, and of women seen as disposable objects, constricted to narrow (often flat, linear) roles.

POEM BY KAREN ABEYTA:[This poem contains strong language and may be triggering for some readers.]

AN ADVENT POEM & REFLECTIONAdvent is a sacred space on our calendar; a welcome recline after a hard year and a simultaneous straining toward hope. I published a poem a few years ago about the agony & beauty of the in-between. You can read or listen to a short excerpt here.

HOLIDAY PLAYLISTA collection of traditional favorites and fun new finds that will inspire joy & worship this Christmas!

A VERY VIBEY PLAYLISTCollection of reflective, moody tunes-- from overtly Christian and generally vibey artists --perfect for shorter days and cooler weather.

Yellow seems less like a color and more like a feeling or a flavor, more like a promise or a prayer, more like the official color of joy.