(a Steve Orr Bible reflection) When we were kids, we played a game called "Follow the Leader." It was a mimicking game: We had to match what the leader did, go where the leader went, in exact imitation. Anyone who failed to mimic accurately the path and actions of the leader was "out" and had to leave the line. The last person still following the leader was the winner and the new leader. As adults we also follow leaders: at work, at church, in the community, the state, th

How can diversity be a blessing? To begin with, there are over 8 billion people living in the world, and none of them look exactly like you. You may have seen your doppelganger (a biological unrelated look-alike), but probably not because of diversity. When you read or hear the word, what do you think of? Jesus wanted his disciples to be “one” and when he prayed for them, he said, “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” He wanted

Jeremy Everett, Director of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty: Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. We gather around tables with family and friends, enjoy a good meal, and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Unfortunately, not every family in Waco and McLennan County will gather around a table filled with food this Thanksgiving. Throughout our community, parents are working hard to make ends meet, older adults are stretching fixed incomes

(a Steve Orr Bible reflection) We, the audience, had come from all across the United States to hear a huge, multi-city choir sing black gospel music. Dr. James Abbington would lead them. To our surprise, Dr. Abbington asked us, the audience, to become part of the show. He changed the dynamic. He wanted us to sing, too. Us. The audience. I marveled at this. What made him think we, the audience, would agree to sing? Shouldn’t we be on the receiving end? But, still wonderi

I am making a connection between our prayers and the stars. Consider this: In Psalm 147.4, I read “He has decided the number of the stars and calls each one by name.” What an incredible claim! I read on Internet that “The observable universe contains an estimated 200 sextillion to 1 septillion stars—a number written as a 2 followed by 23 zeros up to a 1 followed by 24 zeros.” In other words, it is impossible for a human being to calculate the power of God and the number of st