What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: July 4-8

It was a short work week because of the Fourth of July holiday, so even though I wrote three posts for Urban Faith, only one was published this week, and perhaps that’s appropriate given that it’s a bit… Read More

A Pilgrim Message for a Patriotic Weekend at First Presbyterian Church @ManasquanPatch

Rev. Steve Davis takes congregation on a journey from Abraham to America at July 3 worship service, and talks about The Samaritan Center afterward. “‘The thing that struck me when I first moved here is that there is… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: 6/27-7/1

New Laws, Shifting Demographics: Whether the issue is gay marriage, the ‘war on drugs,’ African American marriage prospects, or the plight of undocumented immigrants, Americans are confronting the issues. Michael Tait: ‘Living Integration’: The dc Talk veteran and current Newsboys… Read More

Muslims Brave Violent Storm to Attend Friday Prayers @NJShorePatch

Whatever the weather, local Muslims meet for prayer at the Islamic Center of Ocean County. “Open the gates of mercy for all of us,” Imam Maqsood Qadri prayed as congregants trickled in for Friday afternoon prayers at the Islamic… Read More

Family Recipe & Entrepreneur Program Help Baker Bounce Back after Lay Off @NJShorePatch

Seannee Harris combined a cherished family recipe with education to launch dessert business. Seannee Harris comes from a traditional family that places a high value on education, but when she was laid off from her auditing job at… Read More

Globetrotting toward a Spiritual Center and a Sense of Shared Humanity @NJShorePatch

 Dean Fengya’s accidental adventure evolved into a business with a spiritual core. If you’ve driven the stretch of Route 88 where Point Pleasant Beach meets Bay Head, you’ve probably noticed Dean Fengya’s colorful collection of ceramic pots at… Read More

Ginger Ice Cream Spices Up Dessert Wars for the Win @LongBranchPatch

Mr.Green Tea Ice Cream Company takes top prize. It was a packed house last night for Dessert Wars at Branches Catering in West Long Branch. The event was hosted by 94.3 The Point with proceeds going to the Food Bank of Monmouth… Read More

Thousands Attend Jersey Shore Will Graham Celebration @NJShorePatch

13,821 listen to evangelist Billy Graham’s grandson preach at Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. When Billy Graham preached at Ocean Grove’s Great Auditorium in 1955, he was 36 years old. Last weekend, his grandson Will Graham preached three messages in… Read More

Will Graham on Preaching, Public Statements, & His Famous Family @ManasquanPatch @TheHuffingtonPost

William (Will) Franklin Graham IV is the grandson of Billy Graham and the son of Franklin Graham. Graham is an associate evangelist at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and assistant director of The Billy Graham Training Center at The… Read More

Christian Music, Divorce, & Triathlons: An Interview with Big Tent Revival’s Spence Smith @TheHuffingtonPost

When I talked to Spence Smith, a founding member of the five-time Grammy-nominated band Big Tent Revival, he had just come back from a run, which was appropriate given that Smith is a triathlete who took up the sport after… Read More

Worshiping in Silence at Barnegat Friends Meeting House @BarnegatPatch

Quaker congregation meets and explains its values. “Let us hold President Obama and all those with the power of decision making in the Light.” These were the only words spoken during the meeting of the Barnegat Friends, or Quakers, yesterday… Read More

What Does It Mean to Live Out Vocational Calling in a Local Context? @TheHighCalling

David Greusel has designed stadiums for major league teams including the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros. Yet this principal architect at Convergence Design in Kansas City, Missouri, suffered for years under the message that his work didn’t matter. “It’s all… Read More