By Robert Chao Romero Rosa was excited about attending her first college lecture. She was valedictorian, the star student of her local CCDA youth development program, and the first of her family to attend college. Rosa’s Mom and Dad were deacons in their local church and had brought her up [...]Read More
A Foundation of Justice
By Mayra Macedo-Nolan, CCDA Board Chair Photo courtesy of Mayra Macedo-Nolan's Instagram The majestic crown of the City of Roses, otherwise known as Pasadena City Hall, was the backdrop for two protests that drew significantly diverse crowds in support of the #blacklivesmatter movement. Dozens [...]Read More
What are God’s People to Do in Times Like These?
This week has been a challenging one as we have dealt with the reality of what is required to prevent a devastating COVID-19 outbreak in our country. What does Christian courage look like in these challenging times? How do we help ensure that the most vulnerable in our communities are [...]Read More
Lent Week 2: Fostering Intimacy With Christ
Lord Lead Me in the Way of Repentance As we focus on repentance, we remember that in Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. There he spent 40 days and 40 nights and was tested by the devil. Francisco Goya 1746 – 1828The Repentant St. Peteroil on canvas (73 × 64 [...]Read More
Remember. Rejoice. Release.
What do we need to release this season? How can I prepare myself for the arrival of Jesus when the Christmas season can bring about some unpleasant feelings? Visitation, 2010, acrylic on linen, 8 x 7 ft (2.4 x 2.1 m) Jackie Kazarian Source: [...]Read More
Embracing Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for a Meaningful Christmas Celebration
The lights are up. The stores are bursting with tinsel, decorative trees and gifts galore. All around the world, a great "to-do" is made about Christmas. But just what are we really celebrating? The coming of Christ is undoubtedly one of the most monumental events in history; however, [...]Read More
Building Community through Storytelling
Our Chicago Local Network has been gathering this past year, centered on fostering deeper relationships through focused circle conversations. After planning the 2018 National Conference in our city, we felt the urge to get a quarterly network connection time started. We wanted to create deeper [...]Read More
Our Turn to Wonder
Week One: Wonder Advent Blog Series featuring the Women of Cohort 8 The first Sunday in December marks the beginning of Advent, a season of expectant waiting and preparation of the coming Messiah. Our culture characterizes the season with carols, gift giving, and cheer. But, what many [...]Read More