The Quest for Holiness of Heart and Life

The times they are a changin'. Well, that's not exactly news to anyone, with the possible exception of those who lead the church. It is not uncommon these days to see the telephone numbers of the pastoral staff members of churches published with the following words behind them: "for emergencies only". What consititutes an "emergency"? Who gets to determine whether the person wanting to talk to a pastor or priest has an emergency? When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well did he consult his PDA to determine when he could squeeze her in to his busy schedule? We need to rethink the whole idea of ministry, availability, and how the people of God are best served. The following article explores twelve characteristics for an effective ministry.

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How a person is in the world makes up their spirituality. We are called by God to respond to life in a radical kind of way...with wonder, awe, and a sense of trust. This issue of Basin and Towel discusses that Radical Response to Life.

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Judaism has survived trial and tribulation for over 3000 years. One of the gifts of the Jews to Christians is the "dining room table" as the center of fellowship and prayer. In searching for a new paradigm for being church, perhaps we need to look backwards instead of forward. This article relays a recent experience "around the table".

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One of the most marvelous capabilities that we possess as human beings is the ability to dream. It is one of the attributes of being created in the image of the Creator. This issue of Basin and Towel explores the origin of God's creative, saving, and sanctifying dream and challenges each of us to pursue that same dream.

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In the background behind much of the conversation about Post-Modern, or Emergent churches is the question of why we need church at all. My friend Ivy Beckwith answers that question by noting that, "Faith is not something that develops in a vacuum. Having faith, understanding faith, exploring faith, and questioning faith are not solo activities. These things are meant to be done with others who are on the same path." (Postmodern Children's Ministry, copyright 2004, Youth Specialties, pg 74).

The following article explores the issue of the structure of an effective community of faith.

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