Category: Uncategorized

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...

By Ward Shope Chances are I got your attention by writing that title – or perhaps you are too embarrassed to be found reading a blog with that heading and will never get here.  But for those of you who have done away with all propriety and decided to read: relax.  Because the emphasis here...

By Anonymous Each year, Living for the King, New Life’s discipleship course, asks participants to write a sermon to themselves regarding a prevalent root sin in their lives.  The following is one sermon. Peter, we need to talk about respect.  Respect is something that the Scriptures require of us as we consider others, particularly those...

By Jane Highley If you ever find me with my earbuds on, I’m either running or cleaning. (Usually the former, about 95% of the time.) And from my earbuds, I’m listening to one of two things: either the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton or a podcast. I am obsessed with both, but I love...

By Todd Hill I find that if I want to get caught up on what the world is thinking about politics and religion, I know exactly where to go!  No, not social media – the LA Fitness locker room.  It is not unusual to hear men pontificate on how to fix all of the evils...

By Melanie Kauffman Every time I sit down to write something for this blog, a big question looms over me: Should I write about my illness? If I do, what do I even say? What if people start to worry about me? But I feel that God has called me to write about this, so...

By Ward Shope I was dropping off New Life’s paper-folding machine to repair a strap that had broken. “This is a classic,” the tech said. “These things will run forever. How long have you had it?” “I’m pretty sure it’s older than the building we’ve been in, which is over 10 years now,” I responded....

By Donna Donnelly As a mother of a 26-year-old son with autism and a developmental disability, there has been both joy and pain. When my husband and I first received the news of David’s disability, there was disappointment and questions. While it is important to search out Scripture in order to have a solid theology...

By Rae Barnes It was just last week that my in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Shortly after the actual date, all of Chris’s siblings, their spouses and the two of us joined his parents for a nice dinner at a wonderful restaurant. I nearly welled up with tears looking at all of them, realizing...