Whenever I hear Austin Channing Brown interviewed about her book I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, one of the first questions she is asked refers to the opening line of her book: “White people can be exhausting.” It’s more than just a provocative first line—it sets the tone of the book. It’s a signal to readers that Brown is not going to dance around the truth in this space.
Magazine
Meet and Greet Survival Guide
We are called to be part of the body. We need connection. So how do I navigate the parts of church that feel in opposition to
my nature?
Can Anything Good Come from a Rural Church?
As a seminary student, I knew that the majority of Covenant churches were in rural communities, but when the time came for me to accept my first call, I was looking everywhere but a rural setting. I wanted adventure. I wanted to create change. I wanted opportunity. And where in the world is Ceresco, Nebraska?
Always on My Mind
Reality hit me a little more than six years ago when our doctor said, “This is Alzheimer’s.”
Abide Within to Protect Your Fruit
There’s a legal doctrine that I’ve learned from the equivalent of several years of law school from watching legal dramas. It’s known as “fruit of the poisonous tree.” … Over the last few years I’ve come to see this as another handy metaphor to describe the failings of American evangelicalism.
Leading Character
Leading Character What qualities define a good leader? Covenant pastors share lessons learned from the trenches. January 9, 2019 As we focus on developing new and future leaders in the Covenant, the Companion consulted Covenant ministers about what they’ve learned [...]
The Mission Forward
The newest leaders at Covenant Offices share their interests, priorities, and vision for the future through interviews with the Covenant Companion.
Church Spotlight: A Vision for Justice
As Greater Faith grew, so did their call to serve their community in Clayton County. Noel says, “I was preaching mercy, love, and forgiveness but it just wasn’t enough. I was preaching to people who had their electricity turned off, or they had felonies on their records and couldn’t get jobs. I realized the justice piece was critical.”
The congregation began to partner with Healing Communities of Georgia, a network of nonprofits, state agencies, and faith-based organizations working to bring restoration to returning citizens, their families, and victims of crime.
Big Q: When I was little I wanted to be _______. Now I am _______.
No one on my mom’s side had ever gone to college, and I thought,
“Wow, I could be the first one.”
Reclaiming the Trap
Let the Trap Say Amen is relevant yet also prophetic. It is deeply grounded in the sounds and struggles of contemporary culture, yet the words urge listeners to seek a hope beyond one’s present circumstances.
Seeing is Believing
The film The Polar Express is a fantastical tale of belief and doubt, wonder and rationality, confidence and timidity, of seeing with the eyes and searching with the heart.
Heaven in Need
My friend Kim and I were sitting with our toes in the sand, watching our boys climb up the ladder and slide-splash into the lake. The weather was a glorious seventy-eight degrees in western Minnesota, following a cold snap that had killed all the mosquitos. It was a unicorn day at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. A kind of day where, like light through a prism, I caught a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.