Within the brutality of bondage, enslaved Blacks cultivated a powerful spiritual world of resistance, hope, and sacred belief—including distinct views on death and the afterlife.

If we allow our doubts to harden into permanent cynicism, we close ourselves off from the possibility of renewal.

O God of love, we come to pray, for all who serve along the way—not just the ones who preach or lead, but every soul who meets a need.

There are no demons in Shawshank, except the very real ones that wear uniforms and sit on benches and call themselves justice—and the pols that put them there.

Just a thought.

The act of ordination was marked by the laying on of hands—performed by currently and formerly serving presbyters.

They lived in a world ruled by power-hungry leaders and unjust decrees. Sound familiar?

Dividing up Presbyterians was hot—and the Catholics, Episcopalians, and Lutherans who follow us needed a description of their holy puppers, too.