1. Stop Showing Off and Get Back in Line... In part two of our reading of Clement of Alexandria’s, The Praises of Martyrdom Those Who Offered Themselves for Martyrdom Reproved, we discuss when martyrdom isn’t martyrdom and why the topic is more relevant today than ever.
  2. The year was 1923. We remember the poet, agnostic, and Christian convert Denise Levertov. The reading is from Levertov, "A Cure of Souls."
  3. The year was 1456. We remember San Giovanni da Capistrano, the fiery Franciscan preacher, a heresy hunter, and septuagenarian soldier. The reading is a quote from John of Damascus.
  4. A crisis isn’t all bad. Crisis encourages us to recognize who we are and what is real. Ringside meets the Craft of Preaching with Dr. Bruce Schuchard exploring the crazy history of this sinful world and a preacher’s response to it. The Cross of Christ speaks volumes above anything that is offered as an empty solution. Come Lord Jesus!
  5. The year was 1870. We remember James William Charles Pennington. The reading is from George Mackay Brown, "A Poem for Shelter."
  6. The year was 1528. The reformer Brenz published his tract to stop the persecution of his rival Anabaptists. The reading is from Alice Meynell, "Easter Night."
  7. The year was 1634. We remember the Japanese martyr, Margaret of Nagasaki. The reading is from Brennan Manning, from his "The Furious Longing For God."
  8. Be a hero and listen up to the preachers! Real men die for a purpose and bring back a little doctrine in their sermons. Martin Luther would be proud.
  9. The year was 1984. We remember the polish priest and martyr Jerzy Popiełuszko. The reading is Les Murray's "Easter, 1984."
  10. The year was 1646. We remember Isaac Jogues, the first saint and French martyr in North America. The reading is from S. Trevor Francis, two stanzas of his famous hymn, "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus."
  11. The year was 108. We remember Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest church fathers, was put to death. The reading is from St. Ignatius, a good word for 108 AD and 2020.
  12. The year was 1950, and C.S. Lewis introduced the world to his classic “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” The reading is an exchange from the same between Lucy and Mr. Beaver.