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Is It Wrong to Continue Asking God for Something Over and Over Again?

Is it wrong to continue asking God for something over and over again? Is it a sign that the answer is “no” if you haven’t yet received it?There are many reasons why we might continue to ask God for the same things. First, we have ongoing needs. Every day we wake in the world as vulnerable creatures

Reply All: April 2024

To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.The Good Samaritan“Love and do what you want.” That’s from St. Augustine and shows the need for context. Clearly Augustine has in mind the answer given in Luke to the legalistic inquirer. A careful reading of the Good

Called to Be a Friend

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.During adoles

Monologue vs. Dialogue

It was Darrel Johnson, preaching professor at the seminary of Regent College, who modeled it. He would preach a sermon in class, then ask us students what we thought about it. At the beginning of the semester, we were all hesitant to speak up. After all, Johnson was quite well known for his preachin

Unity in Lego

As I sat cross-legged on the living room floor with a vibrant array of Lego bricks spread out before me, I felt a surge of joy at the prospect of building something special with my son. The colorful bricks scattered around us seemed to hold endless possibilities, and as we started piecing them toget

What Do I Do Now That I Have a Job I Didn’t Plan On?

It can be upsetting when you realize that your life doesn’t look the way you expected it to. When that happens, it is good to lament that you’re not using the gifts that God has given you in the ways you’d hoped. It is also good to remember that many people are disappointed by their jobs. Immigrants

The Untold History of the CRC Day of Prayer

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.To be honest,

Walk a Mile in My Moccasins

Come with me to the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario. Come with me to the banks of the Boston Crik. As a child I spent hours playing, often by myself, along the wooded banks of this little stream flowing through my father’s land along Third Line. I grew up in the largest reserve in Canada, wi

The Church Is Not a Building

Bricks and cement blocks are heaped in one pile, scrap iron in another. Casement windows are stacked in the parking lot. One wall is gone, exposing the sanctuary, now filled with a massive pile of broken lumber, to wind and rain. Pink-glazed windows on the far wall wait to be removed.A church is bei

Bavinck’s Biblical Balance

My favorite Dutch theologian, Herman Bavinck (1854-1921), wrote in Preaching and Preachers, “The congregation will not be ungrateful as long as we, as their preachers, preach in search of God’s honor and the salvation of their souls.” In another book, Saved by Grace, Bavinck contrasts two different

Reply All: March 2024

DisagreementI am grateful that the members of Committee 7 at Synod 2023 disagreed well (“They Disagreed Well,” January 2024). That is what church should be. But where is that for me as an LGBTQ person? Synod 2023 voted to kick me out because of this committee's majority recommendation on confessiona

Seven Miles into Hell

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. —Hebrews 11:1With an unquenchable thirst for adventure, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh huddled together inside a reinforced-steel submersible and slowly descended into a dark trench seven miles below the ocean surface

Costly Love

I believe loving God and loving neighbor are intrinsically connected. I believe this is why Jesus mentioned both in the same breath as the greatest commandments (Matt. 22:37-40). I suspect you cannot properly love God without loving your neighbor nor properly love your neighbor without loving God. O

On Questions and Criticism

From time to time, readers bring up questions, theological criticisms, or other issues with articles in The Banner.I thought a response to some recent criticisms might make a helpful post, particularly for newer readers or those who might be exploring the Christian Reformed Church as a home, in orde

I’m in My 50s, and My Faith Has Stalled. What’s My Problem?

I’m in my mid-50s, and it feels like my faith and my interest in faith matters have stalled. What’s my problem?It is not unusual for our interest in or commitment to almost anything we do to wax and wane, so it is not surprising that we have seasons in our faith life as well. The good news of the go

Snow

I love snow. I even have a collection of snowflakes made of different upcycled material. I have wooden ones made from scraps of lumber, plastic ones made from milk cartons, paper ones made from toilet paper rolls, and metal ones made from charge cords. But none of them compares to the incredible bea

Why Should We Be Good?

I used to get this question (or some variation of it) all the time during my seven years as a youth pastor: If Jesus atoned for our sins, why should we try to be good?You see, kids are smart. They’ll figure out a loophole in anything, be it a silly youth group game or, you know, their eternal salvat