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Continue reading →: I went to a preaching conference co-founded by women. Where were the men?
“I am angry.” Although expressed in various ways, this was a common refrain from speakers at the Nevertheless She Preached conference Sept. 23-25 in Waco, Texas.“We’re angry and we sell it, and the Church has a lot to do with it,” claimed Enedina Vasquez… Source: I went to a preaching…
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Continue reading →: The Balancing Act of Being and Doing (Anxiety and Prayer, part 2)
By Joe LaGuardia In her memoir Leaving Church, spiritual author Barbara Brown Taylor talks about churches walking the fine line between putting people to work and encouraging people to take Sabbath rest, promoting spiritual growth and affirming that God loves us as we are, and attracting people to come to…
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Continue reading →: Turn Anxiety, Restlessness into Prayer (part 1)
By Joe LaGuardia Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn…O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night,…
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Continue reading →: Hymnody and Liturgy, the undercurrents of Christ’s Church
By Joe LaGuardia Did you know that the pulpit in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Vero Beach is not the original pulpit? That pulpit is in storage. When I first came to First Baptist, the “powers that be” gave me a choice between three pulpits: the one in…
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Continue reading →: Getting back to basics
By Joe LaGuardia It is important for Christians — clergy included — to get back to basics sometimes. You go through the journey of faith, learn new things, meet new people, take on new ministries and adventures. Life happens, and it seems that life happens too quickly. You have to…
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Continue reading →: Book on Old Testament is almost here!
By Joe LaGuardia Books are labors of love. It doesn’t matter if a book is a novel, memoir, fiction or non-fiction, or–in this case–a collection of essays, books take years to put together, edit, tweak, rewrite, love, and hate. It was well over four years ago I began this one,…
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Continue reading →: An Independence Day Prayer
By Matt Sapp As we pause to celebrate our country this week, I am grateful for the unique promise of liberty granted to Americans and for those who have dedicated their lives to upholding it over the centuries. But I’m also struck this year by the work required of each…
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Continue reading →: 5 Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount
By Matt Sapp We’re working through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) together at Central Baptist Church, Newnan, Georgia, this summer. Jesus’ sermon is the most important body of ethical teaching in the history of the world. It redefines how we relate to one another and clarifies how we relate…
Engaging Heart, Mind, and Soul
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia is a pastor, writer, and chaplain residing in Florida. He is author of three books and regular contributor to Smyth & Helwys’ Formations Series. His articles have appeared in USA Today, Baptist News Global, Christian Ethics Today, TCPalm, and Rockdale Citizen.
Baptist Spirituality explores the intersection of faith and culture incorporating biblical scholarship, culture and the arts, politics, science, and theology.
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