We’ve just entered the four-week period called Advent, the time when the Christian church prepares for the birth of God (the baby Jesus). Underlying that birth for many people is the concept we call “innocence.” Jesus’ “innocence” is usually connected to his being “without sin.” But what if Jesus wasn’t innocent in that way? What if Jesus wasn’t innocent at all? What if being fully human and fully divine (and being a key word here) meant Jesus was as un-innocent as we are?

Overcoming Fear Through Faith Sponsored Content https://unsplash.com/photos/ReEqHw2GyeI What Exactly Is Fear, and How Can It Render You Powerless Fear is an emotion that arises when a person believes they are in danger. It can cause physical sensations such as increased heart rate and sweating and more subtle reactions like feeling …

At Spokane’s Side by Side Ministry, the words “volunteer” and “client” don’t really exist. Instead, people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and those without such challenges who have come alongside them in friendships have created their own term: Side-by-Siders.

Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank received over 34,000 pounds of food from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last week on Giving Tuesday. In addition to the more than 34,000 pounds donated to SVP, the Church also sent about 34,000 pounds, split by two food banks north of Spokane. One was North County Food Pantry in Elk and the other was the GreenHouse Food Bank in Deer Park.

This essay will begin with a sad story — about a family in turmoil. Their story mirrors what is happening in the larger society — the struggle over politics, culture and how to engage each other on those topics. I tell this story with the permission of the person involved. It is not pretty.

I have a pet. For this week’s column, I was planning to write about Donald Trump and anti-Semitism, or Donald Trump and his tax returns, or Donald Trump and the various criminal investigations that have him in the cross hairs. But I have a pet. And it is hard to muster energy for yet another Trump rant when my new cat is asleep in my lap.