Category: New Life Notes

By Maddie A couple weekends ago, I had the privilege of going on the annual Jr. High Fall Retreat at Streamside Camp in Stroudsburg, PA. This year’s trip was unique for me for a couple reasons. For one, this was my first year as an eighth-grader and it was fun to be on the leadership...

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....

By Ward Shope When our kids were very young, Debbie and I began to make an annual pilgrimage to Hershey Park.  At first it was all just innocent fun: a free ride in Chocolate World, a trip to the picnic tables for lunch, and then back to Chocolate World to get a second piece of...

By Ward Shope Recently, I was in a New Life staff meeting where we were discussing what discipleship should look like at New Life.  Somewhere in the discussion, someone (it was probably me) used the term “covenant”.  At least one staff member expressed how this term left a sour taste in their mouth.  “Covenant” seemed...

By Beth Ann Olesen If you have read any of my blog posts, you know I love structure and routine. And nothing makes this organization-loving heart happier than the start of a new school year. Color-coded weekly calendars. Morning routine charts. Homework stations. I’m getting giddy just typing about them. (Side note – for those...

By Nancy Unks Nairobi, Kenya is a modern metropolis—fast-paced, full of youth on cell phones, multiple languages, new construction, Ubers, and traffic—lots of traffic. Thanks to British colonial influence, cars drive on the left side of the road, major intersections are roundabouts (traffic circles).   Yet amid the hustle, Kenyans pause for tea at 10:00 and...

By Becky Holcomb Mid-August, 7:30 am, cicadas whirling, 93% humidity, zinnias blooming: It is time for my school year resolutions. Here we are, friends.  The beginning of school is looming.  The old adage of “live each day like it is your last” takes on new meaning in August. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE school! ...

By Beth Ann Olesen I recently went on a safari. Sure, the vines were made out of paper, the savanna was the halls of New Life, and the wildlife were the 75 three- to six-year-olds that attended, but it was a safari nonetheless. This year I was tasked with teaching the daily Bible lesson at...

By Hannah Emert I still remember the first morning I went to adult Sunday school, I was still in high school.  I felt very grown-up. The speaker spoke about International Justice Mission and the work they do to restore the lives of human trafficking victims.  After the presentation, we were asked what we as a...

By Ward Shope It seems that facial recognition is the hot technological innovation at the moment.  Of course, NCIS has been using it for years – according to the TV show.  They’re able to identify anyone in seconds with just a picture.  Even my laptop uses some rendition of the software.  When I open the...

By Ward Shope I once read or heard that you can tell how wealthy someone is by the number of options open to them.  Intuitively, we know this is true.  My “ride” can be more comfortable, more acoustically refined, more sophisticated in appearance and bear the emblem that testifies to a certain station in life...

By Beth Ann Olesen “The days are long, but the years are short.” This pithy observation is never more true than in the throes of summer. It is currently 7:00 am. My son, who has already eaten two breakfasts this morning, wants to know when lunch is. My daughters have been fighting since daybreak, when...