Longing for Christmas By Nancy Jordan Unks It’s a malady so common in December: Excessive, wistful, sentimental yearning For times long past that cannot be recovered, for Sweet aromas, sights and sounds, the touch of one beloved. Nostalgia’s gloom pervades the soul; On spirit and body, exacts its toll. But Jesus’ better way longs for...
Author: Andrew Bors (Andrew Bors)
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Home for the Holidays
By Tim Shaw Whether you prefer Perry Como’s classic version or Karen Carpenter’s catchy rendition, “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays” captures well the nostalgia many people experience during the season. I remember each year of college I went home for Christmas, my family told me, repeatedly, “It’s so good to have you...
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Silent Night Revisited
By Debbie Shope “Silent night, holy night; All is calm, all is bright . . . .” Wait a minute. All is not calm, and if we are talking about a sparkling house, all is not very bright either in my world right now. It is Christmas, after all. In my world the calm usually...
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Invitation for Seasonal Poetry
By Ward Shope Thanksgiving is over and recent tradition is to call our members with poetic ambition to write a ballad or sonnet (or ditty), or some simple verse be it serious or witty to grace our New Life Notes. Of age or gender there is no question: contributions from all is the proposed suggestion....
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The Lord of Our Rings
By Ward Shope Thirty years ago, as Debbie and I exchanged wedding vows, we gave each other rings as a token of our permanent covenant with one another. The awkward feel of new bands on our fourth fingers reminded us that we belonged to one another, but they soon became comfortable just as we did...
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How I Grew at the Jr. High Retreat
By Mercer Junior High Fall Retreats are always enjoyable, and I know many of us leave with a renewed faith. This fall retreat was amazing, yet bittersweet, because it was the eighth graders’ last one. I learned much on this retreat, and I felt closer to the youth group after leaving. Our speaker, Andrew Colpitts,...
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All is Well
By Melanie Kauffman I’m sure that most of you have read or are familiar with the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. The final book in the series was eagerly awaited; everyone wanted to know how it would end. Would Harry and his friends defeat the evil Lord Voldemort? Will the war finally be over?...
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The Greatness of Our God
By Fae Hicks One morning I was pondering how vast and great our God is. I considered all of His creation….the planets, stars, sun, and moon and the complexity of our bodies. All of it was just spoken into existence by Him. It was too much for me to comprehend and I was overwhelmed to...
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Talking Sports and Politics in Youth Group
By Todd Hill I took a deep breath and noticed my body temperature rising a little bit as I wondered, “Why did I think this was a good idea again?” Another student spoke up, sharing their thoughts as the rest of the group listened. I have held a motto in our youth ministry since beginning...
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Family Traditions: Boys Overnight
By Tim Shaw What traditions do your family enjoy? Mine looks forward to the start of baseball season, vacation each summer, eating our favorite foods during the holidays, decorating the Christmas tree, and watching the Olympics. Not only do we look forward to these things, but we work hard to maintain our traditions, no matter...
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Hearing the Hunger
By Ward Shope A few weeks ago, a woman called to ask if she would be welcome to visit our church. It’s not a common question, but one that we hear from time to time. Of course, anyone is welcome to join us Sunday mornings for worship and Sunday School, or what we call School...
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Beach Weekend Reflection
By Lindsey I had the opportunity to go on New Life Dresher’s 2017 Beach Weekend in September. During this retreat, Jesus revealed himself to me in many new ways, one of which was in Proverbs 3:5-6, which reads: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all...