Back issues by date

Connections back issues listed by date

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Paper copies of all back issues are available from Barbara at $5 for a year's issues (1992 issues are included with 1993) or for a dozen issues from a mixture of dates. For fewer issues, pay whatever amount you consider appropriate. Mail your check to Barbara at 505 Cherokee Drive, Temple TX 76504, letting her know which back issues you want.

Back issues shown below with hyperlinks are available on this web site at no cost.

Connections is not copyrighted, because Barbara's aim is to reach as many church members as possible in order to stimulate discussion and thought about the topics she writes about. You therefore are welcome to make copies of Connections. Many recipients do, for distribution to friends, Sunday School classes, and other church groups.

1992

Nov. '92 - We're connected—Barbara tells who she is and why she is writing Connections
Dec. '92 - If I were a Bishop

1993

	Jan. '93 - Power in the church
	Feb. '93 - Kindred spirits—God speaks to us through other people
	Mar. '93 - Tradition—it can lead us to God or away from God
	Apr. '93 - Step into new life—a tiny step can be crucial
	May '93 - Insiders and outsiders in the church
	June '93 - God creates us with differences
	July '93 - A pebble can be powerful when used for God
	Aug. '93 - Lay Christians at work
	Sept. '93 - Prayer in a busy world
	Oct. '93 - What century is this? Christians don't seem to know
	Nov. '93 - Our stories connect us, but telling them is scary
	Dec. '93 - The church and the world

1994

Jan. '94 - When Christians disagree
Feb. '94 - "Do this in remembrance of me"
Mar. '94 - Many ways to worship
Apr. '94 - Sunday School
May '94 - Christians aren't God's police force
June '94 - God's priorities and ours
July '94 - We can't stop with what we learned in kindergarten
Aug. '94 - Lay voices in the church
Sept. '94 - God speaks through our dreams
Oct. '94 - Who's feeding today's sheep? We often offer things they can't recognize as food.
Nov. '94 - Broadcasting and narrowcasting—many of our methods are guaranteed to reach only a few people
Dec. '94 - Here comes Jesus!

1995

	Jan. '95 - God calls us into community
	Feb. '95 - Seminaries—the church's seed beds
	Mar. '95 - The church can learn from business
	Apr. '95 - A letter to a beginning pastor
	May '95 - Who will speak for the church? (electing United Methodist General Conference delegates)
	June '95 - Rocking the church boat
	July '95 - What do these stones mean?
	Aug. '95 - Finding the real Jesus
	Sept. '95 - Reading under the eye of God—favorite books
	Oct. '95 - Heresy
	Nov. '95 - Looking back, looking forward— Barbara reviews her main concerns about the church
	Dec. '95 - Women aren't second-class people in God's sight

1996

Jan. '96 - God isn't one of the guys
Feb. '96 - Seeking God's will about homosexuality
Mar. '96 - Who qualifies as a Christian?
Apr. '96 - Christians in ministry (United Methodist General Conference issues)
May '96 - Our traditions aren't God
June '96 - Silence isn't always golden
July '96 - Making conversation
Aug. '96 - The language of heart, spirit, and hope
Sept. '96 - A desert journey
Oct. '96 - What makes worship effective? How does using the lectionary help?
Nov. '96 - New ways of being the church
Dec. '96 - Reminders of the early church

1997

	Jan. '97 - Today's generation gaps
	Feb. '97 - Generation X—Christian or unknown?
	Mar. '97 - The worship wars
	Apr. '97 - We want members, but why?
	May '97 - Two different systems (for making United Methodist clergy appointments and for Annual Conference sessions)
	June '97 - Two different reactions (to May '97 contents)
	July '97 - Making what's important interesting
	Aug. '97 - Evaluating effectiveness
	Sept. '97 - Following the party line
	Oct. '97 - Challenges to the church
	Nov. '97 - A golden opportunity for the church
	Dec. '97 - Conflict in the church

1998
Jan. '98 - Uncontrollable voices
Feb. '98 - Religious tourists or real Christians?
Mar. '98 - Spiritual discernment in the church
Apr. '98 - Discernment—connecting faith claims with church life
May '98 - A challenge—summarizing Christianity
June '98 - Help for today's churches, from John Wesley
July '98 - Conference—Christian conversation
Aug. '98 - Accentuating the positive
Sept. '98 - Dialogue, discussion, debate, discernment—dos or don'ts for the church?
Oct. '98 -By our love or by our clothing?
Nov. '98 - Birthdays—times for growing
Dec. '98 - Searching for unity

1999

	Jan. '99 - Thinking about worship
	Feb. '99 - The church's most important activity
	Mar. '99 - What's missing from our worship?
	Apr. '99 - Kicking harmful church habits
	May '99 - A dangerous policy—refusing to let church members have lists of their representatives to decision-making bodies
	June '99 - Sending horses against tanks—yesterday's communication in today's world
	July '99 - Picturing Jesus
	Aug. '99 - Jesus talk and Jesus pictures— helpful for some but not for all
	Sept. '99 - All spirituality isn't the same
	Oct. '99 - Two systems in tension—tradition and globalization
	Nov. '99 - Barbara's story and favorite scriptures
	Dec. '99 - The most important holiday for Christians

2000

Jan. '00 - Y2K--a time for seeing clearly
Feb. '00 - Thinking about prisons and prisoners
Mar. '00 - The insider-outsider gap
Apr. '00 - Hearing all the voices
May '00 - Letting our lives speak
June '00 - Choosing bishops--whom shall we send?
July '00 - Sharing spiritual family trees
August '00 - Seeing how faith grows
September '00 - Money talk--taboo for churches but not for God
October '00 - What to do with money--an easy question or a hard one?
November '00 - Journeys, physical and spiritual
December '00 - What would Jesus do?

2001

	January '01 - Pilgrims, tourists, and wise travelers in search of God
	February '01 - Fundamentalism in the church
	March '01 - Ideas for reading
	April '01 - Finding hope in change
	May '01 - Which worldview do you choose?
	June '01 - Why Connections?
	July '01 - Joining what God chooses to bless
	August '01 - Thinking about sermons
	September '01 - Sermons--views from a pro
	October '01 - Disaster raises questions
	November '01 - What kind of school prayer?
	December '01 - Christians relating to other religions

2002

January '02 - Pluralism--sinful or faithful?
February '02 - The missing misfits
March '02 - War--a hot-button topic for Christians
April '02 - Christian misfits--lifelines for each other
May '02 - The most divisive issue for Christians
June '02 - Misfits again
July '02 - Patriotism and Christianity
August '02 - Food for the journey--favorite books
September '02 - Communion, change, and community
October '02 - Ten years of Connections
November '02 - Standing by a river, dying of thirst
December '02 - Wondering about peace

2003

January '03 - Who's entitled to throw stones?
February '03 - A great separation
March '03 - Connecting religion with reality
April '03 - Affirming and dissenting
May '03 - Should culture and the arts matter to Christians?
June '03 - Anger in the church
July '03 - Responding to anger in the church
August '03 - The journey toward mature faith
September '03 - Walking a path to God
October '03 - Looking at what connects us
November '03 - The unheard minority
December '03 - Why I am a Christian

2004

January '04 - Why I am a United Methodist
February '04 - Prophetic voices in the wilderness (The Unauthorized Bible)
March '04 - Dropping out, staying in
April '04 - Covenants with God and each other
May '04 - Surviving through thick and thin
June '04 - Pebbles and steamrollers
July '04 - Mainline or margins?
August '04 - Joining God on the margins
September '04 - Personal stories in the church
October '04 - Thinking about prayer
November '04 - Seeing the Bible with open eyes
December '04 - Which moral values?

2005

January '05 - Reaching today's people
February '05 - The search for the Real
March '05 - Loving and serving—pastors' first responsibility?
April '05 - What is effectiveness?
May '05 - Wisdom—a life-transforming tradition
June '05 - Vitality in turmoil
July '05 - God and politics
August '05 - A disturbing disconnection
September '05 - Connecting with worship
October '05 - Personalities influence worship
November '05 - Worship at different stages of faith
December '05 - Seeking community and truth

2006

January '06 - A welcome book about prayer
February '06 - Churches hiding the truth
March '06 - The shock of the truth
April '06 - Giving money to God
May '06 - What kind of God?
June '06 - Empowered by God to resist
July '06 - Becoming the healers we need
August '06 - Church conflict--how can we help?
September '06 - Making disciples
October '06 - Leaving without leaving
November '06 - Purpose driven? Undriven?
December '06 - Worship that revives

2007

January '07 - Wrappings, old and new
February '07 - Signposts of renewal
March '07 - More signposts of renewal
April '07 - Pictures of God
May '07 - Vital signs
June '07 - What makes someone a Christian?
July '07 - A time that changed the world
August '07 - Empire, then and now
September '07 - Empire—still present today
October '07 - Empire and the realm of God
November '07 - A vision that became reality—"Living the Questions"
December '07 - What should seminaries Do?

2008

January '08 - Hearing the spiritually homeless
February '08 - Nets that can't hold water—images for God
March '08 - Jesus's politics and ours
April '08 - Using the strategies Jesus used
May '08 - Thinking about war
June '08 - Welcoming worship for today
July '08 - Community organizing—What is it? Why do it?
August '08 - Rethinking Connections
September '08 - Connections readers speak