The parable of the talents is confusing. But in the end, it speaks to our need to overcome indecision and use what we have been given.
As we celebrate the bountiful harvest, we remember when we did not have enough and give thanks for all the Good Things.
Sometimes, the world around us overwhelms our sense of awe at God's creation. In those moments, we must find ways to praise God for the opportunities for change in front…
Psalm 149 shows the abrupt change we sometimes have when our proclamations of praise and conception of ourselves as servants of God encounter our inconvenience, defensiveness, and reactivity.
Specifics of context make all the distance in understanding the advice to the early church. What are our specifics, and how do they guide the advice we give?
Jesus's instructions to us are to look outside ourselves, outside our comfort, and find his promise and support in the work that we do to bring all people into our…
People who grow up as Christians sometimes miss out on the experience of encountering the Gospel for the first time. For the woman at the well, being known and seen…
The Bible is peppered with stories of resistance, of people in the midst of oppression or suppression somehow finding ways to express some power. The book of Esther is one…
As we continue Rachel Held Evans's book Inspired, we look at Job's friends, or "How NOT to be helpful".
Hagar and Ishamael run from Abram and Sarai's house. Rachel Held Evans teaches us to not forget their story as we search for the magic of the Bible.
Acts concludes with Paul's implicit charge to future followers: go forth among the Gentiles. In our world, we are the ones to heed his call to examine our own hearts…
As we welcome new members into Ankeny UCC, we look to Paul's outreach to followers of John the Baptist and understand how the diversity of our faith journeys changes us…
Sometimes, the stories are just a little bit funny, and we have to lean into the reality that we present our whole lives to God and one another.
Paul's message to Athens is not only that God has always been with them, but also that we are called to do more than just talk.
Psalm 137 shows grief and humiliation at its most raw. It reminds us always to remember the choice to be kind, or not, and the consequences of exercising our power…
Lydia, who ran into Paul on a business trip, saw in the message of Christ an opportunity to change her life by risking her reputation and providing Paul a place…
Peter's vision completes the work God is doing with the early church in the wake of Jesus's resurrection. This time, God reminds us that no matter what direction the church…
