Category: Uncategorized

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...

“It’s just simple math. Take 525 people and divide them among the 17 elders and you get roughly 31 people they need to shepherd,” declared one elder (with a little embellishment on my part). Makes sense, doesn’t it? – until you realize how difficult shepherding really is. At the Session retreat last weekend, we mapped...

By Charlotte Gleason Recently, I read Mark’s account of the woman who poured “pure nard” (14:3) over the head of Jesus. I realize this passage blends and contrasts with the other gospels: Luke describes the woman wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, and John claims the woman was Mary. My Martha-mind likes to believe this...

By Dave Almack (This blog was originally published on “FaithLit”, Dave Almack’s Blog. You can find the original here.) So, I have a confession to make. I am a huge fan of potluck picnics. For those not familiar with this particular tradition, this is a combination of a typical outdoor barbecue with the twist that...

By Becca Muilenburg Full. If asked for one word to describe a typical week in our family, “full” is the one I would choose. With children, jobs, school, and all the other little errands and appointments which seem to multiply overnight, my husband and I are always searching for snippets of time when we can...

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,...

By Sarah Gammage I am not a big “retreat person.” But when my daughter asked me to go spend some quality time together on the NLD mother-daughter retreat at Victory Valley Camp this year, how could I resist? (I need to snag these opportunities with her while I still have them!) Neither one of us...

By Ward Shope We have a memorial service at the church tomorrow. The woman, who died very suddenly, is not a member of our church, but was deeply embedded in the local community and was active in a ministry our church supports. Some in our church grew up with her as close friends. Others who...

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,...

By Kim King What could be better than spending a weekend in God’s creation, enjoying food that someone else cooked and soaking in deeply the seeds of God’s Word? Doing it with 100 junior high kids! That’s right, I said Junior High Kids. This is how I spent one cold weekend back in January when...

By Jane Highley Spring is here because I can feel it in my eyes, in my sinuses, and in my throat. We had a very mild winter, and even though March can be a very dicey month, weather-wise, the early onset of seasonal allergies this year tells me that spring has sprung. Aside from Easter...