by Nancy Unks “How will I ever repay all the people who have helped me?” The question came from my newly widowed friend. Her husband had been the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. In 50 years of marriage, they had never hired a repairman for anything. When he died suddenly, she didn’t even have the number of a...
Author: Kevin Bors (Kevin Bors)
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We Miss You
by Ward Shope Last week, I ran across the name of a long-time church member that I probably hadn’t seen or talked to since the pandemic began. Knowing that he lives in a small household where he is a caregiver, and that he lives at some distance to the church, I felt an inner prompting...
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The Mysteries in Grieving
by Ward Shope We, as a church in this last year, have been grieving the loss of those we love. The most public of those deaths have been people that we’ve known corporately. We’ve experienced them as leaders, teachers, examples and personal friends together. But apart from these, many individuals within the church have also...
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Enduring the Weeds
by Ward Shope I grew up on a farm where it took 8 hours to mow the grass on a tractor and then another 3 hours to trim. Needless to say, it didn’t get done in a day – but it was beautiful when it was done for the week. The soil was rich in...
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Graduation – One Step in Series
by Ward Shope Reflections on Philippians 3:4-16 In the next week or two, a number of our high school and college students will graduate from their course of study. For some students, it is a time to recognize a lot of blood, sweat and tears and may be accompanied by various levels of relief. For...
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If Only God Made Things Easy
By Todd Hill Anthony recently sent out a video to the church discussing how we can know the difference between issues that are Conviction level (things to die for), Persuasion level (things to divide for), and Opinion level (things to debate and decide on). You can find the video here. As we wrestled as a...
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Two Sons and a Home Group
By Ward Shope Recently our home group gathered outside for a pandemic style meeting. It was a nice evening and we spent some time catching up with one another, laughing at the funny episodes of our weeks, and sharing some of the more serious sides of life. When everyone was there, we began to discuss...
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Covenant Prayer
By Ward Shope In the Presbyterian tradition, we are apt to refer to John Calvin and some of the other early Protestant Reformers as those who shape the way we think about our faith – and rightfully so. The emphasis on God’s gracious gift of Jesus by way of his covenant of grace reminds us...
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Sometimes the Clay Talks Back
By Nancy J. Unks You may have seen a video on YouTube. Or perhaps you visited a historic site last summer and watched, enthralled, as a demonstrator in period costume threw a clay pot on a kick wheel, transforming a spinning blob into an object of beauty. It’s a craft that’s been practiced for millennia....
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A Shepherd’s Task: New Life’s Session Retreat
By Ward Shope Most of us can handle a little polite chit-chat. In Philadelphia, the question, “What about those (fill in the sports team)?” can put you on safe ground as long as you are a Philly sports fan. But there also isn’t much relationship being built with a smile and a high five. Maybe...
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Hospitality
by Charlotte Gleason My husband, Jamie, grew up in the type of small town depicted in countless country songs. Wildlife and open space was more plentiful than people. And although we would be the first to debunk any romanticized notions of “country living,” we can both attest to something small towns do well: hospitality. So,...
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Silence in the Noise of Living
By Rebekah This year in New Life senior high youth group, we have been focused on the theme of Living Counter-Culturally. Our lesson on the 2017 Senior High Winter Retreat was based around the idea of the noise we face in our life, and how to live quietly. However, a resort filled with arcades, bowling,...