Category: Uncategorized

By Dawn Kantor (Dawn and her husband Michael have adopted 4 children internationally, all of whom were at different stages of life.) My mother had a magnet on her refrigerator that said: “Nothing in life can hold more joys or more tears, can make you more proud or more tired, or give back more rewards...

By Ron Lutz One of the most stimulating books I read this summer was The Road to Character by David Brooks.  Brooks is a New York Times columnist. He is not a professing believer, but his new book has many Christian insights in it that make me wonder if he is close to the kingdom....

By Janel Fackler I guess every parent wants different things for their kids. Our hopes are as varied as our children themselves. God has given our children different gifts, different strengths, different interests, different struggles. But I think as a body of believers, we share a hope that our children will find themselves at home...

By Ward Shope How was your vacation this year? It seems a bit late to be writing this the week before Labor Day. For most children school has begun, the fall schedule is asserting itself and our summer vacation is a fading memory. For some, vacation rivaled the busyness of any work week. We come...

By Becky Holcomb When you think of a missionary, you probably picture someone who is sent to a faraway land, speaking a different language and eating strange food. Well, just over 12 years ago, I was called to the mission field. We moved to Erdenheim when our oldest was just 9 months. The moment I...

By Anthony Gammage Recently I was sitting with a dear brother and sharing once again my struggle with anxiety. I don’t process emotional pain, frustration, or disappointment like I should. You see, when something bad or challenging happens to me, I just do what I do best…pick myself up, dust myself off, suck it up,...

By Debbie Leonard Another summer is flying by and we just finished enjoying our annual week of camp. Yes, 135 campers, 35 counselors, cit’s (counselors in training), coaches and assistants spent last week playing soccer, basketball, hockey, and crazy games and doing lots of creative, imaginative artwork. As great as that was, it is not...

By David – a student Easton is a heartwarming place that I will never forget. I had a wonderful week with the kids there, and it shines a light into my world knowing that I actually made an impact on many children’s lives by showing them the love of God: the love that many of...

By Erin Amman I have always been captivated by corporate worship. I like gatherings. I like music and singing. I love prayer. And I really love God. And God shows up when we gather with praise and song and His word. He is present and blessed and glorified when we humble ourselves and come to...

By Abby Our Granada team has been home from Granada for a few weeks now and I miss it more than ever. The strangest transition happened as we went from seeing each member of the team every day and working side by side with them, to not seeing them at all. I’ve been able to...

By Joe Johnson A young man came to me with this question the other day. He was struggling with certain things and he felt as though he didn’t know anyone who could give him positive, wise counsel on a consistent basis. This conversation led me to reflect on how fortunate I am to be in...

By Ward Shope Church-speak abounds in pastoral images even though few, if any of us, at New Life live on a farm. We love stories about the Great Shepherd and how he calms our nerves even when we walk through the deepest valleys of our lives. While many of us don’t even know the difference...