Summing Up Benedict XVI

By Victor Lee Austin The earthly life of Pope Benedict XVI has come to an end and his body has been committed to its resting place. As with any death, one wonders what this particular life was all about: wha... Read More...

Painting Exclusively in Green

Our Last Best Act Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love By Mallory McDuff Broadleaf Books, pp. 211, $18.99 Review by Douglas LeBlanc In a brisk and inquisitive styl... Read More...

Elizabeth The Gracious

By Graham Kings The Queen is dead. Long live the King. These ancient, traditional words turn amidst the churning. Simultaneously, they brusquely announce a heart-rending fact and joyfully pronounce a rightful succession. I was moved to tears as I said... Read More...

The Church and the Cycle of Life

By Scott A. Ruthven As an Air Force Reserve Chaplain, I was given the opportunity to serve in a deployed setting as a Wing Chaplain. The number of military personnel killed in Iraq was minimal during my depl... Read More...

On Good Funerals

What are some “best practices” for the ritual observance of a Christian's death that we should strive not to surrender to the secular culture?

Graveside Thoughts

By Bryan Owen Every now and then the church gets a call for a priest to conduct a graveside service. It could be for someone who has little to no church affiliation. Or it could be for someone who was a chur... Read More...

On the Death of a Beloved Animal

By Jean McCurdy Meade When we were children, and as we raised our children, we often observed burials in our back yards when a dear pet died. A nephew once asked his Presbyterian Elder mother (my sister) if ... Read More...