Cultivating Gratitude: A Spiritual Reflection on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is more than a national holiday; it is a spiritual practice celebrating God’s abundance and expressing gratitude for all that God provides. Lewis Center…
Browsing: Spirituality
Articles
Close Generation Gaps, Deepen Relationships
How can congregations close generation gaps by building intergenerational relationships and ministries? Laura Buchanan offers several ways congregations can create opportunities for people from different…
6 Tools for Holy Work With Children
Tanya Campen offers six tools to help children process their experiences and discoveries about God. Through story, liturgy and ritual, relational awareness, memory markers, wonder,…
Blessing of the Animals as Community Outreach
How can a Blessing of the Animals reach new people in your community? Jessica Anschutz shares tips to engage pet owners and community partners as…
Creating a Safe Space for Holy Work with Children
Tanya Campen describes how practicing respect, preparation, and presence create safe spaces where children are valued and respected. She highlights the importance of preparing ourselves…
Engaging Children Through Active Wondering
Tanya Campen describes how engaging children through active wondering creates space for them to share freely and nurtures honest conversation. She equips teachers and guides…
The Holy Work of Hybrid and Virtual Christian Education: An In-Depth Interview with Tanya Campen
How can Christian educators maximize the potential for learning in both hybrid and virtual classrooms? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff speaks with author…
“The Holy Work of Hybrid and Virtual Christian Education” featuring Tanya Campen
Podcast Episode 121 How can Christian education maximize the potential for learning in both hybrid and virtual classrooms? We speak with author and pastor Tanya…
Helping People Connect with God through Nature
The natural world is our first way of knowing God, says Beth Norcross, an expert in spirituality and nature. Finding God in nature can reconnect…
5 Tips for Building True Spiritual Community
When you move from being “in church” to being “in community,” your vision of others changes. Rebekah Simon-Peter offers five tips for daring to go…
7 Tips for Making Your Next Retreat a Real Retreat
Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff offers tips for planning relaxing, spiritually renewing retreats. Use these seven tips to ensure your next retreat is…
Forging a New Path: An In-Depth Interview with Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? How do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls…
“Forging a New Path” featuring Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? And how do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls us to the “next normal” as she explores what it means to invite people to church as spiritual community and to do more with less.
6 Essential Elements of Fruitful Small Groups
What are the essential elements of a fruitful small group? Scott Hughes names and explains six elements that characterize effective small groups — prayer and…
The Power of Storytelling in Ministry: An In-Depth Interview with Jee Hae Song
How can storytelling impact your ministry? And how can you inspire others to share their stories? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff interviews Jee…
“The Power of Storytelling in Ministry” featuring Jee Hae Song
How can storytelling impact your ministry? How can you inspire others to share their stories? Jee Hae Song believes we all have gifts for storytelling and shares part of her story to inspire others to share how God works in their lives.
Telling Your Faith Story
Sharing faith stories nurtures an awareness of how God is working among us. Harold Percy outlines two simple approaches to sharing faith stories that can…
Resurrection as a Call to Action
Many congregations that haven’t celebrated Easter in person since 2019 are relishing the joy of returning to the comforts of pre-pandemic church life. But Ann…
As Memory Fades, Ministry Grows: Ministry Alongside Persons with Dementia
Jessica L. Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff shares ideas for pastoral care and spiritual support for persons with dementia and their caregivers. As the…
7 Spiritual Practices for the New Year
Jayne Davis suggests a few spiritual practices that can help anchor you to God and bring joy, meaning, and deep rest in the coming new…
Courage, Faith, and Resilient Leadership
What gives Christian leaders the courage to persist in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff interviews Tom Berlin…
Episode 74: “Courage, Faith, and Resilient Leadership” featuring Tom Berlin
What gives Christian leaders the courage to persist in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges? Tom Berlin shares how courage emerges through faith, hope, and God-inspired convictions as we deepen our commitment to walk with Christ.
Episode 73: “Discovering God in Nature” featuring Beth Norcross
Why do we feel comforted, healed, and enlivened in nature? Beth Norcross explains it is because God is so present there. In this episode we discuss how nature is our first way of knowing God and how individuals and churches can connect with this deep wellspring of spiritual meaning.
Reengaging People During Lent
Tom Berlin shares Floris United Methodist Church’s plan for reaching out during Lent to those feeling distant from the church. Each household will receive a…
Episode 68: “Finding Solutions to the Young Clergy Crisis” featuring Bishop Janice Huie
What strategies support and encourage young people entering ministry? In this episode Bishop Janice Huie shares the importance of listening deeply to young people, embracing a holistic approach, and sustaining our commitment to younger clergy in face of new challenges.
Episode 67: “Virtual Advent” featuring Anna Petrin
How can Advent be special in a year when so much is different? Professor of Worship Anna Petrin shares ideas for bringing Advent from the sanctuary to the home and allowing its themes of longing and hope to speak to our current reality.
Episode 59: “Bringing the New Testament to Life” featuring Shively Smith
How can you teach the New Testament in ways that make it come alive to modern people? In this episode we speak with New Testament Professor Shively Smith about innovative approaches to teaching the gospel that disrupt our staid and familiar notions of the biblical text.
Discipling People in Midlife and Beyond
Older adults are leaving or downsizing church involvement at rates comparable to that of younger adults, says Michelle Van Loon. Churches that typically focus most…
Episode 57: “Is the Church Ignoring the Spiritual Needs of Adults in Midlife?” featuring Michelle Van Loon
Churches often put a lot of emphasis on nurturing families, children, and those at the start of their faith journey. But what about others? In this episode we speak with Michelle Van Loon about how churches can better help people in midlife continue to grow in faith as they navigate their unique life challenges.
Are You Teaching People about Faith? Or How to Practice It?
Johannah Myers describes a paradigm shift in how we form disciples with a move away from Christian education toward an emphasis on forming people in…
