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The Stories We Read: Picture Books, Faith, and Black History Month
If stories shape how children understand God and the world, then it matters whose voices we choose to trust. Honoring Black history is an invitation to move beyond simply reading stories about Black history and pay attention to who is telling the story.
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Advocacy at Home: Talking With Kids About Justice and Faith
How do we talk to kids about justice and advocacy in meaningful, age-appropriate ways? This post reflects on starting with fairness, naming injustice, and showing up together as families shaped by faith.
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The Work of Imagination: Practicing Prophetic Advocacy This Lent
This Lent, practice advocacy through small, meaningful actions rooted in prophetic imagination. Download this free bulletin insert to help your community reflect, lament, and act for justice all season long.
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Hell Bent: An Interview with Brian Recker on Deconstruction, Hell, and Christian Faith
Brian Recker shares why he wrote Hell Bent, how fear of hell shaped his evangelical past, and what a Christianity rooted in love, not punishment, might look like today.
Lingering on the Mountaintop: Resources for Transfiguration Sunday
Transfiguration Sunday reminds us that even brief moments of clarity and beauty can sustain us for the journey ahead. Let this resource carry some of the planning, so you can hold space for yourself, for your people, and for the season to come. As Lent approaches, may you enter it not depleted, but steadied by the light you’ve already glimpsed.
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Epiphany Resources from Illustrated Ministry
Whether you’re planning worship, teaching children and youth, or creating space for quiet reflection at home, these resources are designed to meet you where you are.
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Welcoming Visitors on Christmas: 7 Practices for Inclusive Hospitality
In a social and political climate where belonging feels fragile and welcome feels wary, churches have a unique opportunity to embody the radical hospitality of Jesus. So, how do we welcome visitors during a season of both joy and vulnerability?
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Collaborative Ministry: Moving Past a Do-It-Yourself Model in Youth Ministry
The inertia of our DIY culture is strong. And for those of us constantly at the precipice of being overprogrammed and overworked, another layer of do-it-yourself-ing is appealing: if you want something done efficiently, do it yourself. But what if we took the time to do it together?
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Best Progressive Storybook Bibles (and How to Choose the Right One)
Choosing a storybook Bible can feel overwhelming—there are so many options, each with its own tone, theology, and style. In this guide, I share how I evaluate storybook Bibles as a pastor, parent, and member of the Illustrated Ministry team. You’ll learn what to look for, how to discern what matters most, and my top progressive, inclusive recommendations.
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Trans Inclusion in the Church: What Christians Need to Know
As anti-trans rhetoric and laws increase in the United States, Christian churches face a moral choice: to remain silent or to affirm the sacred worth of all people. For those committed to following Jesus’ example of love and justice, supporting trans people is not just a political act—it’s a theological one.
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Love Thy Neighbor: How One Teen Turned Compassion into Action
Keliah’s story isn’t about solving everything. It’s about showing up with what you have, where you are, and offering it freely. It’s about turning compassion into something people can hold in their hands—a flyer, a connection, a hot meal.
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The Will to Dream: Practicing Prophetic Advocacy This Advent
Equip your congregation to practice prophetic imagination this Advent with The Will to Dream. Download our free “Advocacy for All” bulletin inserts and explore small but mighty ways to live out faith-based advocacy.
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