by Monica A. Coleman | May 25, 2010 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
My father was a student of history and ensured that I would be as well. More specifically, he was a student of African American history. I knew who Mary McLeod Bethune and George Washington Carver were before I went to first grade. I read Carter G. Woodson’s...
by Monica A. Coleman | May 19, 2010 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I like the way the gospel of John talks about the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ farewell to his disciples (John 14-17), he talks about a Spirit – a Comforter – that will come to bring peace to the disciples after his death. I like how Jesus...
by Monica A. Coleman | May 14, 2010 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
when we put the gospel to hip hop and host u2charists, when we share the church building with the Korean congregation, when we preach against homophobia when we break bread with jews and muslims, when the teenagers lead worship on a regular Sunday (not just youth day)...
by Monica A. Coleman | May 12, 2010 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston writes about the protagonist Janie Crawford’s relationships with her three husbands and how they reveal her evolving relationship with herself. During an argument with her second husband, Janie realizes that...
by Monica A. Coleman | May 7, 2010 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I recently sat at dinner with a group of seminarians talking about whether or not theological education prepares student-ministers for the everyday tasks of ministry. At this particular time, we spoke about how classes in liturgy prepare seminarians to conduct some...
by Monica A. Coleman | Apr 30, 2010 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
When I first finished divinity school, I subscribed to a journal of Christian spirituality called Weavings. That was when I first heard of the concept of “active waiting.” Often associated with the liturgical seasons of Lent and Advent, “active waiting” describes...