There is this great lie that most of us live in, the lie that if we somehow just don’t rock the boat, life will stay as it is. We say to ourselves, “If I can just stay in my daily routine, even if life is not perfect,...

Ed. Note: Chris Craig has moved to Atlanta. This month we’ve reprinted some of his favorite Religion in the City commentaries. “When a Dollar is Not Enough” originally appeared on Metro I4 News,...

Ed. Note: Chris Craig recently left Lakeland for a new job in Atlanta. During March we’re republishing some of his favorite Religion in the City columns… I received my undergraduate education at Concordia...

Tomorrow, Chris Craig is leaving Lakeland for a new job in Atlanta. Though we’ll miss his laughter, Lakeland will miss his hard work helping our less fortunate. During March, we’ll republish some of his...

Editor’s note: At right is a recent photo from Munn Park. Placed on Facebook by a friend, the comments included a nod to “Bum Park” and a desire to send it to the newspaper. I told him I’d...

One of the rules of the non-profit I work for is that no one can take their vacation from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is just such a busy time of year that all hands must be on deck and present. With that information,...

Editor’s Note: On April 11, 2009 Columnist Chris Craig debuted Religion in the City on Lakeland Local. After some time at Metro I4 News, he returns to the fold. What follows is a column from September… When...

Each morning in the midst of my devotional time, I try to end my prayers by asking the Holy Spirit to “intercede with groans too deep for my words”. (Rom 8:27) In the social service world, one of the greatest...

This last week while sitting by our beautiful Lake Morton, I was struck by a spirit of thankfulness for the moment I was living in. There is a Buddhist prayer that goes “By the power and the truth of this practice,...

One of my favorite Church activities, is leading Adult Bible Study. Helping a group of inquiring minds work through the hermeneutics of a piece of scripture. This is taking apart of scripture historical context, analyzing...

He said, “I find your articles hard to read”, when he approached me sitting outside The Chop Shop restaurant in downtown Lakeland. I often find myself winding down after a long day of work, hanging with friends...

One of the many jobs I held while going through school was that of a Church youth director. For those of you who did not grow up in a Church community let me explain the job of Church youth director. The job could be best...

In a session not too long ago, a woman shared with me that when she was a child, her father told her that one of the reasons he and her mother were getting a divorce was how bad she had been as a child. Though we had some...

I received my undergraduate education at Concordia College, a conservative private school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Concordia was perfect for me because of the patient professors which took my opinionated scrutiny and...