1. Your last supper | Recipe: Split pea soup

There isn’t avoiding death this week in our Christian religious calendar. It is Holy Week, where we come face-to-face with death, recounting the death of Jesus. His death was the result of what we now call capital punishment – the state-sanctioned killing of a person convicted of a crime.

2. Two Brethren walk into a bar . . .

There’s a joke in my faith tradition: Two Brethren walk into a bar . . . . And that’s it! That’s the whole joke, because it’s so laughable that Brethren would go to a bar.

3. Five things Friday roundup: Things I’ve learned living in Babylon

For followers of Christ, living in the shadow of empire is nothing new. The early Christians navigated life within the Roman Empire, interpreting its systems of power through the coded imagery of Babylon – another empire – found in the book of Revelation. Similarly, the early Anabaptists, whose movement began 500 years ago this week, found themselves resisting both the political and religious empires of their time.

4. Five things Friday roundup: Quaker core values

Quakers, like Mennonites, are a historic peace church that began in England roughly a hundred years after the Anabaptist movement began in mainland Europe. They too suffered much persecution from the religious majorities of their time, particularly by the state church. Today, most Quakers around the world fervently oppose war, have a nonviolent stance and identify as religious, if not Christian.

5. Five things Friday roundup: Books for a little girl who is worried

I won’t begin to guess what my daughter has been hearing and seeing to make her express this worry — but it’s clear she’s taking in and understanding more about the political situation in our country than I would have thought. I think many people of all ages may be feeling worried right now, for a variety of reasons. As I tell the students in my Children’s Literature class, picture books are not just for children. A good book is a good book. Check these out for the children in your life, or for yourself.

6. A time of pruning

Pruning is a key gardening skill. Pruning plants focuses on where the plant can grow. It changes the number and quality of flowers and fruits. There are even plants that need to be cut all the way back to be more successful next year. Pruning is a way of being in dialogue with your plants to say, “No, no more of this, or this is done.” This is also relevant spiritually. The Bible instructs us to cut out sin. We are supposed to remove fruitless actions from our lives. But I think this analogy is more useful than just the idea of cutting out sin. I think it’s helpful for thinking about the power of “no” and what it means to stay focused on living an abundant life.

7.  Five things Friday roundup: Anabaptists of the 16th century and the Meserete Kristos Church

Despite the considerable differences in time, geography, population, and culture, both movements exhibit striking similarities that merit our attention. I aim to inspire readers to delve deeper into the shared commitment to Anabaptist principles and to unite in advancing the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

8. Five things Friday roundup: MennoCon 2025

I appreciated the Mennonite Church USA convention for the multiple ways we could worship. From the morning hymn sings to evening worship with a worship band, I felt there was something for everyone. I don’t believe worship is “about us,” or our preferences. That being said, we have different ways of connecting with God.

9. Artist Spotlight: Dennis Maust

The arts were appreciated in my childhood home. Music was a big part of that as my father was a music educator and known as a singer and choir director. We would go as a family to art galleries and museums when we were visiting large cities. I knew from an early age that I was interested in the creative process and in working with my hands.  However, it took some time before I actually saw myself as an artist.