by Peter James | Aug 21, 2023 | Charles Shelton
He was frustrated with sagging attendance at Sunday night worship. Charles Sheldon (1867-1946) composed a series of sermon stories to capture people’s imaginations at his Congregational church in Topeka, Kansas. In his fictitious story, Pastor Henry Maxwell...
by Peter James | Aug 20, 2023 | Gregorian Sacramentary
Kids love rituals. My grandkids enjoy eating at familiar restaurants and returning to favorite vacation spots. Adults love rituals too. I’ve participated in many three-day retreats over the years. Presbyterians call it Great Banquet, Methodists refer to it as...
by Peter James | Aug 19, 2023 | E. M. Bounds
The Hodge family often opened their home to itinerant preachers. They did so again when Methodist pastors gathered for a ten-day convention near their home. Homer, one son in the Hodge family, was a young, aspiring minister in his own right. He found the visiting...
by Peter James | Aug 18, 2023 | Haystack Prayer Meeting
It was a hot, sultry Sunday morning in a Connecticut church. The boys in the balcony were becoming restless and the elders sitting below were falling asleep. The preacher, Samuel John Mills, interrupted his sermon, “Boys, you must make less noise in the...
by Peter James | Aug 17, 2023 | Johannes Oeculampadius
He was on the run. He had been living in a monastery but left in haste. His loyalty to the Reformation had become a sticking point. A sympathetic friend who operated a print shop in Basel offered him temporary asylum. His friend also gave him a proofreading...
