This year, Lent feels overwhelming
Exhausted by living with disability, a writer reflects on the watching and waiting that are part of the Lenten season — and her daily life.
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Spiritual health
Recently published
Finding abundance in our connection with God and one another
It is especially important in difficult times to understand what an authentically abundant life is and to engage in spiritual practices to sustain it, writes a psychologist who focuses on faith and mental health.
Link to author Jessica Young Brown
By
Jessica Young Brown
Licensed clinical psychologist
Relationships make a difference even in the hardest times
History reminds us of the importance of relationships, especially when our humanity is threatened.
Link to author Emma Akpan
By
Emma Akpan
Writer
A priest whose life has been shaped by suicide offers a book to help others
“Suicide and the Communion of Saints” offers theological and practical resources to help individuals and communities deal with suicide and its aftermath.
We are not OK. Does it help to start saying so?
In casual conversation, I am now admitting not all is well, writes an editor of Faith & Leadership.
Link to author Aleta Payne
By
Aleta Payne
Senior editor, Faith & Leadership
How a clergy respite helped spiritual leaders weather the storm of Hurricane Helene
When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in 2024, pastors were on the front lines of the recovery efforts. A retreat offered by the United Methodist Church helped them rest and recover.
Kenneth H. Carter Jr.
Kim Ingram
Why I turned my board room into a dojo
When a pastor created a space for embodied faith and tae kwon do in a campus church building, stressed-out students embraced the movement practices.
Link to author Erica Liu
By
Erica Liu
Executive director and pastor, Pres House campus ministry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Pizza, WWJD bracelets and bad theology: How a church’s youth group throwback night became a space for healing
Young adults at an Atlanta church reenacted their youth group experiences in a safe, adult space. What happened felt both cathartic and complicated, writes a program coordinator at Candler School of Theology.
Link to author Ryan Snider
By
Ryan Snider
Program coordinator, BRIDGE Young Adult Innovation Hub, Candler School of Theology
How itinerancy taught me to give up the illusion I’m in charge
The United Methodist Church’s system of itinerancy means accepting that I don’t have control over my life. But after all, nobody does, writes the wife of a UMC pastor.
Link to author Sarah Grace Thompson
By
Sarah Grace Thompson
Writer, editor and chaplain
Healing America’s broken heart, one neighborhood at a time
After a church member’s murder, a Massachusetts pastor developed a strategy to help communities deal with collective trauma. It can also be applied within our national landscape of division and anxiety.
Link to author Liz Walker
By
Liz Walker
Founding Director, Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing
How gathering at the table helped renew church leaders in South Texas
At a series of in-person gatherings, United Methodist Church leaders shared celebrations, challenges, resources and values — with transformative results, writes a director in the UMC’s Rio Texas Conference.
Link to author Tanya Campen
By
Tanya Campen
Director of intergenerational ministries, UMC Rio Texas Conference
