Scarritt Bennett Center Blog

Colorful autumn leaves hanging on tree
Prayers for Thanksgiving

As we enter this holiday season, I want to share with you two poems for pondering written by Susan Palo Cherwien from her book, Crossings: Meditations for Worship (Morningstar Press, 2003). GOD IS PRAISED IN YEARNINGGod is praised in yearning.We are not yet what we are...

Read More
Decorated table with words that say, "give thanks"
Giving Thanks!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of...

Read More
Hope
Sacred Hope

“We are living at a critical moment of history. Will we truly awaken to the sacredness of every person regardless of gender, race, or religion? Holders of power, both political and religious, are obstructing this work, and some of them are even denying the need...

Read More
Photo of person with "Love shouldn't hurt" written on their back in marker
Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. . .I have become like a broken vessel. . .But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”—Psalm 31:9-14 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For far too long, the physical,...

Read More
Art that says, "TOGETHER"
All God’s Children

As I mentioned last week, October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Note, it is not just an awareness month—it is Bullying PREVENTION Month! Primarily the focus is on children and youth. Schools and organizations throughout the country are holding events and classes to teach how...

Read More
Woman's hands, palms up
Open Hands

“When you pray, you profess that you are not God and that you wouldn’t want to be, that you haven’t reached your goal yet, and that you never will reach it in this life, that you must constantly stretch out your hands and wait again...

Read More
Graffiti on wall that reads, "What now?"
Faith Forged in Doubt

Have you ever had doubts? I certainly hope so. Doubt is a good tool that can protect us from harm. When my son was young, a friend told him that he could punch his fist through a glass window and would not get cut. Eight...

Read More
Transition from snowy hilltop to green valley
Liminal Space

We are living in a time that many consider to be liminal, a time of transition. What Is A Liminal Space? The word liminal comes from the Latin word ‘limen’, meaning threshold—any point or place of entering or beginning. A liminal space is the time between the...

Read More