Light from Afar is a daily Advent devotional that illuminates the season through the unforgettable stories and reflections of four writers from around the world. Authors Nadiyka Gerbish (Ukraine), Joel Bengbeng (Philippines), Cláudio Carvalhaes (Brazil), and Sidwell Mokgothu (South Africa) share cultural and religious traditions of the Advent season in their daily reflections. Each day's meditation includes a scripture reading, a prayer, an opportunity for reflection, and a link to a song from the author’s home country.

For many churches and related organizations, creating a Safe Sanctuaries policy can be a complex and overwhelming process. The Safer Sanctuaries Online Guide serves as a companion for your team as they work through the process of developing and implementing a Safe Sanctuaries policy.

Meditation is a practice growing in popularity. Used to reduce stress and to increase relaxation, meditative practices invite us to bring mindful attention to body and breath. But how does meditation fit into Christianity, and how does it differ from prayer? One Breath at a Time: A Skeptic's Guide to Christian Meditation reframes meditation for those who are skeptical because (1) they doubt their ability to be still and quiet and (2) they doubt the validity of meditation as a Christian spiri...

Do you love hymns? Songs of faith shape our understanding of spiritual truths; they remind us who God is. When we listen to hymns, the music awakens our auditory imagination and embeds the words into our memories. Lingering in our hearts and minds, hymns offer a regular reminder of God's loving and compassionate presence with us. This artful combination of music and lyric is a great gift. Our Lenten eCourse, featuring James C. Howell's Unrevealed Until Its Season: A Lenten Journey with Hymns...

HOPE | LOVE | PEACE | JOY It's fair to say that most everyone is hungry for more these days?more hope, more love, more peace, more joy. These beautiful gifts can feel elusive and difficult to fully experience amid the stressors of everyday life. In the times we're experiencing now with a global pandemic, rampant evidence of racism, nature regularly revealing her power to wreak havoc, and deep uncertainty about the future, it can feel all the more challenging to remain rooted and grounded in ...

Do you find yourself out of breath these days? Are you feeling anxious or unsettled? Or do you simply long for a more grounding awareness of God's presence in your ordinary days? The practices of Lectio Divina (sacred reading) and Centering Prayer are designed to calm our busy minds and bodies and focus our attention on the presence of God. Centering Prayer is a way of praying developed in the 1970s by Trappist monks William Meninger, M. Basil Pennington, and Thomas Keating. This more conte...

Living through social and political upheaval can sometimes feel a lot like wandering in exile through a spiritual desert. The Upper Room invites you to join us this Lent for an online retreat in which we will hold sacred space for one another and connect with God throughout each day. You may feel like you are walking in the wilderness, but you are not alone. The Holy Spirit travels with us. The book of Joel reminds us: "Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fa...

Everything was going fine ? until it wasn't. For Reverend Junius B. Dotson it took an actual breakdown during a funeral for him to realize he needed a reset. As he recalls his own journey through grief, depression, burnout, and emotional breakdown, Dotson is passionate about calling for a Soul Reset. He is calling out to all of us: pastors, church leaders, and all disciples of Jesus Christ. This eCourse edition of Soul Reset is a 7-session study designed for anyone who moves at breakneck spe...

We live in strange times. Our world is shifting and changing, and we are increasingly aware of our vulnerability and uncertainty. The season of Advent invites us to embrace the yet unknown?to pay attention to what we do not see with our eyes and what we do not understand. It's a season that asks us to wait expectantly and hopefully, though we may not be at all certain just what we are waiting for. As Christians, we are empowered by our knowledge of Jesus Christ: we know that Jesus was born, ...

The Gospel of John reminds us, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5). In this season that feels dark to many, as people of faith we have the promise of enduring light. But we'll need to look for it! What difficulty will the season of Advent hold for you this year? Separation from family? Financial distress? Isolation? The distress of living with the deep unknown? In the midst of the darkness, there is light! The Upper Room invites you to join us ...