ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

As the mystery of Advent and the frenzy of the holidays culminate in this day, the day we celebrate God’s embodiment in our midst, may we find space for rest and reflection. May the hope of Immanuel grow new life, new joy, and new compassion in our lives and in our communities. And may this poem, […]

It seems fitting that the Winter Solstice marks the seasonal culmination of darkness just a few days out from Christmas, since it is in our darkest moments and our longest nights when we most need the Messiah. Here, Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Admissions and a member of The Allender Center’s Teaching Staff, writes about […]

Last week, Kelsey Paulsen wrote about encountering the fighter within herself, the one willing to wrestle with past wounds and present realities in pursuit of goodness. Here, Charlie Howell, a third-year MA in Counseling Psychology student, reflects on coming to terms with his privilege and the kinds of fights he is choosing to engage. It’s […]

Yesterday, the faculty and staff of ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ gathered for our annual Christmas luncheon. Dr. Keith Anderson, President of ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ, offered this Advent reflection, about the particularity of the birth of Christ and the scandalous challenge that it presents to all of us. May you find in his words a reminder of […]

For many of us, the holiday season is a time when we are particularly aware of our mistakes, wounds, and broken relationships, and we are left with the choice to bury them and try to run the other way, or to dig in and fight—against all odds—for goodness and hope. (Like Dr. Dan Allender says, […]

As we move through the season of Advent, a time of anticipating and hoping for the promise of the Messiah while fully recognizing the reality of our broken world, we are continuing with our second annual Advent series—a collection of reflections here on the Intersections blog and content delivered exclusively through emails every Sunday. If […]

This week marks the beginning of Advent, a time of anticipating and hoping for the promise of the Messiah while fully recognizing the reality of our broken world. As a community, we are marking this season through our second annual Advent series, featuring reflections here on the Intersections blog and content delivered exclusively through emails […]

The spiritual and therapeutic work we strive for at ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ is marked by personal integration—the capacity to bring the disparate parts of ourselves into conversation, including the parts we might prefer to keep hidden. Here, Ryan Kuja (MA in Theology & Culture ‘14) writes about how a seemingly ordinary walk forced him to […]

In the wake of the recent attacks in Beirut and Lebanon, Content Coordinator Beau Denton began to ask around for resources that members of ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ community had found encouraging or enlightening. You can read some of those responses, and Beau’s reflection, here. In this post, Dr. Keith Anderson, President of ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ, shares […]

This year, as we planned for ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ’s End of Calendar Year campaign and our upcoming Advent reflection series, Isaiah 40 emerged as a guiding theme. Something about Isaiah’s call to speak comfort in the midst of injustice, the desire for the powerful to be humbled and the ground to be made even, resonates […]

Recently, ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ was invited to participate in a special pre-screening of the new film Spotlight, which was released this month and documents the true story of the journalists who uncovered the widespread sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Boston. Here, Dr. Dan Allender, Founding President and Professor of Counseling Psychology, shares his reaction—and […]

Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture at ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ, has released his second book, Closer to the Edge: Walking with Jesus for the World’s Sake. In the book, Ron wonders how the world’s perceptions of Christians—and, therefore, its perception of Christ—might change if our way of doing justice work is as […]