For at least a night--Christmas Eve--at a handful of places along the trench lines of the war front early in World War I, peace broke out in No Man's Land, and warring armies paused to greet each other, sing, and even play games. How do we speak of God's presence in the midst of a war, even if the hope of peace only lasts for a brief time? Join us for this second conversation in our Advent 2025 series, looking at stories of the Spirit in this season.

As we begin a new series corresponding to the church year season of Advent, colleagues in ministry Natalie, Sarah, Erica, and Steve are exploring stories from different eras and settings where the Spirit of God moved in people's lives--sometimes in life-or-death situations, and sometimes in more lighthearted ways. Join us for our first story, involving a blackout on a German train and the light of Hannukah candles in the dark.

Intuitively, there seems to be a connection between mercy and forgiveness, at least in the abstract. But how do we manage to practice forgiveness toward others while also being merciful to people who have been hurt and still have wounds, who might still be struggling to forgive someone who has wronged them? How does mercy affect our thinking about forgiveness? Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!

At first blush, mercy and justice seem like opposites: justice is all about giving people what is due to them and ensuring what is fair, and mercy often involves giving people more than they deserve! So how these two relate? What is the goal of justice? And in times of conflict, can we speak of just wars? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation on this week's Crazy Faith Talk!

In times when many are especially struggling with access to food or help with making ends meet, plenty of people want to offer assistance. But how can we offer care that truly meets the needs of people, and how can we use our resources and time in ways that support both the physical needs of neighbors and also honor their worth and dignity as people? How does mercy show up in our public life? That's our conversation this time on Crazy Faith Talk!

The Christian claim is not only that God is merciful, but that we are called to be "merciful as your Father is merciful." In this episode, colleagues in ministry Erica, Sarah, Natalie, and Steve explore how God's kind of unconditional, enemy-embracing love becomes the pattern for our lives, even when it's difficult--and even when we don't want to even recognize those we might deem as "enemies" in our real lives. Join us for this conversation here on Crazy Faith Talk!

Plenty of folks know the song, "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound," but... what are we actually singing about? When it comes to the grace and mercy of God, what do we mean? Does grace only show up in our lives once we have come to faith in Jesus, or gotten baptized, or gone to church? Does grace mean that God leaves us as we are, with our rough edges and persistent struggles with sin? What can we learn about grace from mama monkeys and cats? Today's conversation takes us in all these directions--and more!

It's one of those words that Christians toss around frequently--in prayer and liturgy as well as in our action in the world--mercy. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about "mercy"--is it a feeling, a mindset, a character trait, an action? And how is God's mercy supposed to connect to our actions and posture in the world? Are there times when mercy doesn't "feel" warm and fuzzy, and are there times when mercy toward those who are being harmed also means a word of protest against those who are causing harm? All of these questions help us get our bearings in this new series on Crazy Faith Talk!

In this concluding episode of our series on "Profiles in Courage" from church history, we look at the witness of Anne Hutchinson, who crossed an ocean to follow a pastoral voice she found compelling, then taught in small groups for women and men in a time when women's leadership was typically forbidden, and then risked exile for speaking up against what she saw as the bad theology of other pastors in her community in the New World, leading to an early argument for religious freedom in colonial-era America. Join us to find out what we can learn from the story and example of Anne Hutchinson!

He was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington at which Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered, and was a part of a precursor to the Freedom Rides that attempted to desegregate bus lines across America, and yet many don't know his name or story. But Bayard Rustin was not only an important figure in the Civil Rights movement, but also he insisted on keeping it committed to non-violence in its practices and civil disobedience. And he also knew what it was like to be on the margins of that movement because he was openly gay in a time when that brought a great deal of stigma, even within the civil rights movement. Join us for this week's profile in courage, on Bayard Rustin.