Latest articles
Check out the latest from Gather magazine.
What are the stories that shape your life?
by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick The stories of our lives are both familiar and hidden. There are family stories that have been told so often that they become legends: stories of how people met, births, Christmases and ordinary days where something unusual happened. In my...
Listen! God is calling.
by M.E. Stortz— I was elated to find time in a busy day. A canceled meeting? I could make a grocery store run. If I walked quickly, I could get there and back in time for my next appointment. I hit the streets. A few blocks into my walk, someone called my name. I...
Who would want a wreath of cotton?
by Venice R. Williams— All I was interested in were a few, small chalkboards for my farmers market displays. I had no idea that a brief shopping outing would evolve into a journey of healing when I entered the huge craft and home décor store. I did not grab a shopping...
Esther is an unlikely hero, but one we need
by Debbie Blue— While I love the VeggieTales version of the book of Esther, this biblical woman’s story is more R-rated comedy than child-appropriate. If you’re looking for a woman role model to include in the children’s Sunday school curriculum, Esther may not be the...
Can our relationships with food feed our souls?
by Anne E. Basye--My friend Georgia is a poet. Her poems are all about food: dizzying incantations to butternut squash, Chanterelle mushrooms, ripe tomatoes and the alchemy of transforming them into something delectable.A chef, baker and school food...
How best do we stand up for what we believe?
When I was 19 I took a weekend field trip with my Christian Faith and Ethics class to visit Chicago.We toured the city to meet people doing God’s work across a multicultural landscape.We met a pastor who ministered among young gang members in a...
Love my enemies, too?!
by Angela T. Khabeb--Jesus encourages us to us to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28).I recently took part in a pastoral leadership class led by a university professor...
Were we born for just such a time as this?
I stood at my neighbor Stephanie’s dining room table, paying close attention to her instructions. Stephanie was teaching me how to fold small circles of dough into triangles that would cradle the dollops of sweet fruit filling we’d spooned into their...
Shalom proclaimer: My father’s wisdom follows me still
by Anna Madsen--Shalom is a word that is broad in the extreme. It has to do with wholeness, with fulfillment. Shalom paints a vision of the way things will one day be with all hands helping. Shalom knows of a lion lying down with a lamb, of the thirsty...
Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is still here with us
by Ralen Robinson--“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:4). The day of Pentecost has always been one of my favorite Sundays. When I was very young, on the seventh...
Making room for each other and God’s spirit
by Elizabeth Hunter--Sometimes I wish I could spend every day at the beach, with its bright sunshine, seagull cries and undulating waves. Especially when I don’t feel the sense of community I crave. Especially when God feels hidden or I’m tempted to just...
A time to remember, a time to let go
by Venice R. Williams--Four years later, what I remember is that it was a beautiful, quiet November morning. The children had left for school, and I had just finished the breakfast dishes. I was packing my garden bags with Elephant Garlic, Chesnok Red...
A place for us all in God’s limitless story
by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick--The kitchen counter is covered with a fine layer of flour. My hands rock back and forth over my grandmother’s rolling pin, smoothing cookie dough into a flat oval. My 3-year-old son’s eyes sparkle with delight as he selects...
Take aim: Developing the muscle memory of faith
by Julia Seymour--It has been said that one needs 10,000 hours of practice to truly develop a skill and be considered an expert in one’s field. Let’s say that we don’t need to be faith experts, but we want to be proficient at demonstrating our faith...
Most of the time I keep my cool. This time was different.
by Erin Strybis–
Balancing a pile of dirty plates in one hand and a stack of cups in the other, I’m striding toward the kitchen when my toddler’s siren call stops me in my tracks. “Mommy!” he yells. “Miiine!”
Intergenerational community isn’t just nice. It’s necessary.
by Sarah Carson–Several years ago, I accepted an invitation to carpool to a Saturday morning diakonia class with a classmate I didn’t know very well. It took no more than half an hour in the car to notice how different we were.
Why is it so hard to ask for, to receive help?
by Joy McDonald Coltvet–The day of her funeral was hot, so hot, and I must have looked overly warm because the funeral assistant did a double-take. “Are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?”
Goodness is stronger than evil. The tomb is empty. Love and life win.
By Susie Gamelin— This week's mass shooting..." began the report on National Public Radio. I struggled to listen to yet another story of a mass shooting and scores of innocent people who, when they woke up that morning, had not suspected that their lives...