holiness in the modern world
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. We're Scott and Elizabeth Drury, and we've put together a list of seven organizations we love and directly support financially that are doing important work around the world. If their efforts resonate with you, we'd be delighted if you'd consider giving …
After a challenging year in 2024, Scott and I didn't have big bags of money to give away, but we were excited about the season of giving and had hoped to share about some of the organizations we love. This year, we have the courage to share more openly. We'll try to keep it real …
Continue reading "Poured Out and Well-Watered for Giving in the Desert"
My brain and textbooks don't always get along, especially when the subject is history--and even when it's about the spread of the church from Galilee to Antioch to the ends of the Earth. For me, textbooks have a way of sucking the humanity right out of a great story. Can you relate? If I feel …
Continue reading "Friday Nights: Christian Missions through the Movies"
Two years ago, I had the blessing of being part of an ideal study group to examine the biblical basis of a contentious doctrinal question: Does God intend for men and women to share leadership equally within the church and home? As some brief background, "yes" answers to this question indicate an egalitarian position, though …
One year ago, my husband and I found ourselves in a crisis, and we needed to sing. Acutely troubled with a single enormous decision and with the cascading effects of the secretive actions of others, we were also extremely isolated, unable to discuss almost anything with almost anybody (other than our lawyer) for 73 days. …
Continue reading "We Did Not Despair: Singing into a Place of Grace"
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."Psalm 143:10 I recently had the bittersweet privilege of delivering the eulogy for my cherished father-in-law at his memorial service. As I pieced it together, I listened as the family filled in many details, and those …
I used to believe that every church should be multiethnic, but my first day of seminary teaching in 2011 showed me the limits of that view. One of my students was ministering in a hamlet truly lacking racial and economic diversity. Another served in an urban center where diversity was already the norm, and another …
Continue reading "Should Every Church Be Multiethnic? A Border-Crossing Perspective"
In May, I had the opportunity to lead the faculty and staff of Concordia University Irvine into consideration of how they can make their intercultural efforts as a Hispanic Serving Institution effective, satisfying, and sustainable. I created this video to recap the main content, addressing cultural intelligence theory, grounded theory research, border crossing concern, and …
Continue reading "Why Bother? The Most Important Question about Intercultural Competency"
This past Saturday, I had the honor and joy of officiating the wedding of my son Jay and his lovely wife, Hannah. Part of that responsibility included giving a homily on marriage: a short, reflective sermon to impart the principles most important for flourishing in the journey ahead. After considerable trepidation, I ultimately opted for …
Love . . . bears all things,believes all things,hopes all things, andendures all things.(I Corinthians 13:7 NASB)[i] always protects,always trusts,always hopes,always perseveres.(I Corinthians 13:7 NIV) [ii] In the oft-cited passage nicknamed the “love chapter” of the New Testament, one tiny phrase has always forced me to pause. Like a spot on a familiar garment where …
Continue reading "Non-Profit Boards: Love May Be Free, but Trust Must Be Measured"
I've been trying to diagnose an illness in my denominational body for quite some time: an observable failure to thrive among many women who are called, prepared, and robustly fit for ministry. Just as doctors sometimes seek to define the nature of a suspicious lump by examining a limited sample through a biopsy, I understand …
Continue reading "Biopsy of a Suspicious Mass: Diagnosing a Problem in the Affirmation of Women"
Over the years, as I have taught about the social and cultural dynamics that limit church diversity, I have often heard thoughtful resistance from people I respect. They care about their Christian responsibilities and love people, but they are not convinced that the demographics of their congregations and communities really matter. Ministry is demanding enough, …
It's still New Year's Day (for the next 21 minutes), so I still have time to declare a focal word or theme for 2024 that describes what's on my mind as we dive in. I had never chosen a word or theme for the year until 2023, but in December a year ago, one word …
Last Sunday, a leader stood before a congregation in a chapel and announced that the following Sunday would mark the start of Advent, a season of waiting for Christmas. We were thus waiting last Sunday to begin an official period of waiting a week later (today). It was an announcement of a coming announcement about …
Continue reading "The Murk, the Advent, & Promises Fulfilled"
Thursday night, I received the opposite news of what I had hoped for, and, oddly, I'm OK. Why is that? The unwelcome announcement was that after enormous personal investment--and for the second time around--I didn't receive a grant that would have funded the launch and establishment of a project I have been working on for …
Continue reading "Not (Entirely) What I Wanted for Thanksgiving"
One of my favorite professional responsibilities is teaching about culture, often for people serving in Christian ministry. I'll venture to say that my courses and workshops are creative, transformative, and fun. But lately, in places where I used to stand in carefree confidence, energized by the sunshine of happy students and the breeze of Holy Spirit …
Continue reading "Cultural Bias Gets a Bad Rap–and Why It Shouldn’t"
If your church wants to welcome poor or working class families, have you considered providing nutritious food along with your activities for children and youth? A few years ago, I was listening to the child of an immigrant family recite Bible verses during AWANA on a Wednesday night. She had studied at home. She was …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Veggies, Protein, and the Bread of Life"
Ever been priced out of church? We have, and we’re not even poor. My husband and I used to live in the DC suburbs with four teenaged boys. In that affluent region, we both worked in ministry occupations, so although margin was pretty thin in our monthly budget, our income was sufficient for our needs. …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Priced Out of Youth Discipleship?"
How well does your church welcome and retain working-class or poor people? If you have tried, you know that it takes more than compassion and good intentions. In this series about accessibility, I’ll offer suggestions related to transportation, student ministries, and food for crossing that socioeconomic border effectively. The topic of this first post is …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Getting to Church Is Half the Battle"
We may have different pressure points, but I'm guessing we've all experienced it. People ask us questions that make us feel exposed. Ever been there? I have the classic packaging of albinism--a striking lack of pigment in hair, skin, and eyes--so I've had a lifetime of opportunity to figure out how to respond to the …
Continue reading "3 Tips for Handling Intrusive Questions Graciously"
I'm a question magnet. When I was five and had an unfortunate pixie haircut, it was, "Are you a little boy or a little girl?" In elementary school, when I squinted in the sunshine before close-fitting sunglasses were a thing, it was, "Why can't you open your eyes outside?" As I scooted closer to see …
"Will you come preach at our church?" the pastor asked. "Sure!" I answered. "What's the topic or passage you'd like me to cover?" Well, let's just say the answer surprised me! You can find out more on how that conversation went in the recording at the link below. Even better, this sermon suggests answers to …
In this sermon to the congregations of Crosspoint Wesleyan Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, I tell the story of how God transformed the area of greatest impossibility in my life and taught me in a surprising way about his heart for a diverse and divided world. https://youtu.be/LqGmwB8dQxs Start at 33:10
In my last post about marriage, I described how a recent cruise celebrating our 30th anniversary reminded Scott and me of some what-not-to-do advice we received when we got married. Here's more: same cruise, different advice. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Last night after dinner, we were creeping along an upper deck and leaning head-first into a whipping wind, …
Continue reading "(More) Reflections on a Cruise: Do No Harm"
Recently, Scott and I sailed away to South America. It was lovely--so lovely, in fact, that I did some writing about marriage. I'll share a little of it in two posts from moments when I was reminded of what not to do for a happy marriage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On our first full day at sea, we …
Continue reading "Reflections on a Cruise: Don’t Argue in Happy Times"
Pastors typically want to build people and programs, not to break them, but it happens sometimes. Although ministry calamities occur for all kinds of reasons, sometimes there's a fairly straightforward cause: a leader who is unable or unwilling to strengthen his or her emotional intelligence (EQ). Unlike the other leaders covered with powdery debris and …
Continue reading "The Low EQ Leader as a Ministry Wrecking-Ball"
My husband and I used to receive credit that we didn't deserve, especially when it came to generosity, and it bothered us. We both grew up in church. Our families both had ministry commitments spanning generations. We had ample opportunity to learn the Christian-life basics early, including those about generosity. Traipsing along behind our parents …
Continue reading "Lessons in Generosity from the Believing Poor"
I grew up assuming that the whole point of accepting my white eyelashes and all the other aspects of the albinism package was to feel good about myself and thus to get by. Not too long ago, my perspective about the purpose of self-acceptance began to expand, helped in part by a very old story. …
Scripture reading for this post: "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. "Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about …
A blog must begin somewhere, and there has to be a first moment. This post marks that "somewhere," and as these words spill out, so does that first moment. Why this blog, and why today? Simply put, I realized yesterday that I must be a responsible contributor to good in this world, sharing with diligence …
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. This ministry of former Mormons who converted to biblical Christianity reaches out to provide care, support, and witness to people who are still Mormons (also called Latter Day Saints, or LDS). They also provide excellent resources to help Christians understand Mormonism. …
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. We love this Wesleyan church, its tenderhearted and talented staff, and Pastor Josh Ratliff! Crosspoint is an actively learning, thinking, and serving church. With Liberty and several other universities in town, many people who are drawn to Crosspoint place a high …
We are well-acquainted with GP, a Wesleyan hub for sending and supporting Christian workers around the world. Two specific needs that GP coordinates are especially important to us. This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. GP: Kevin and Cindy Kevin and Cindy with our son Pete in the …
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. You all know that I (Elizabeth) and our youngest son, Jay, both have albinism, a genetic condition that affects hair, skin, and eyes by inhibiting the body's ability to produce pigment. Sixteen years before our family ever became directly involved with …
Continue reading "NOAH: National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation"
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. We've known several people over the years who have faced unbelievable difficulty navigating the US immigration process. We've witnessed how difficult it can be even for the most vigilant people to follow the steps without becoming disqualified, confused, or stuck because …
This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. In June, Elizabeth joined the founding board of a new organization investing in the lives and futures of young people at the threshold of adulthood. The founder and director, Gavin Potter, enriched the life of one of our sons in a …
With its network of US partners, HAU tops our list of trustworthy favorites for 2025. This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love. Hope Africa University in Burundi, East Africa, is important to us because it is making a transformative difference in the poorest country in the world and …
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