The Only Hope in My Son’s Death

My son, Ruben Lewis Stewart, was stillborn on May 19th 2017. He weighed 1lb 15oz and he had my nose. The weeks since have been beyond brutal. No father should bury his son. What follows was written for…

Missing Out or ‘Living In’ Ministry?

Late last week, I was wrestling with content for a teaching time at our church when my phone pinged and vibrated with alerts from #SXSW (the darling arts/music/film/tech festival in Austin, TX). Each of these alerts communicated a sure and…

The Long Victory

I must confess, I didn’t always enjoy reading. In fact, I’m the type of person who gets aggravated when others declare, “That movie was good, but it was nothing like the book!” Personally, I enjoy the visual experience…

Lent: Jesus Dies

“When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 (NRSV) It doesn’t happen very often, but from time to time, you’ll get that call….

Fallen Idols and Misplaced Hope

Mark Howard brings us this piece in anticipation of the 2013 Rooted Conference in Atlanta, GA on October 10-12. The theme of Rooted 2013 is Hope in A Time of Suffering. Rooted offers a simple conference which considers…

Peter: Hope for Youth Ministers

This article by Mark Howard previously appeared at The Gospel Coalition. I was happy in my previous job as a fundraising consultant.  I never dreamt of full-time church ministry, and I definitely didn’t think of myself as a…

Adoption: God as the Available Parent

We are excited about the theme for the 2012 Rooted Conference – “Adoption: The Beauty of Grace” – which will explore how the theological concept of adoption speaks to the present youth generation. By God’s grace I have a clean…