Even at the start of summer, my thoughts begin to turn to the fall. Perhaps it’s because I don’t deal well with heat and humidity or perhaps it’s because the opportunities for spiritual retreats seem to increase as the seasons change. Or maybe it is...
Read MoreThe politics of mean-spiritedness is at work in our land. It is heard on radio talk shows, on the TV news, and certainly in the rhetoric of politicians. It is the prevailing attitude far too often as we move further into the election campaigns. Mean-spiritedness feeds...
Read MoreSummer is a great time to join a Book Club – to begin a new adventure with women committed to exploring the world of books. Reading books that focus on a broad range of women’s experiences, the book club at Scarritt Bennett Center is an...
Read MoreJesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Light a candle in memory of all who have died this year because...
Read MoreEdward H. Plumptre wrote the following hymn in 1865 as a processional hymn for a choir festival in a church in England. Rejoice, ye pure in heart Yes, on through life’s long path, rejoice, give thanks, and sing; still chanting as ye go; your glorious banner wave on...
Read MoreYesterday was Mother’s Day here in the United States. Many of us celebrated with our mothers and others remembered and honored their mothers. But is this enough? Isn’t it time we listen to the mothers of the world and be in solidarity with their concerns...
Read MoreWhat would happen if the lives of five Baptist clergywomen were set at the center of a conversation about changes to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) over the last four decades? Author, researcher, and Central Tennessee professor of practical theology, Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed does just...
Read MoreScarritt Bennett Center has named Dr. Maxine Clarke Beach, Interim Executive Director, as its Board of Directors launches a search for new leadership. Dr. Beach was the very first Executive Director of Scarritt Bennett Center from 1989 to 1993 and is also a graduate of Scarritt...
Read MoreThomas Merton wrote in his book, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight In Our Busy Lives: “There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence. . . [and that is] activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form perhaps the common form,...
Read MoreIn the resurrection account in Luke, the story is told of two followers of Jesus who left Jerusalem the first day of the week following the crucifixion. They were heading for Emmaus. While in Jerusalem they had experienced the excitement of Jesus’ trip into the...
Read More