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By Laurel Kehl That’s how Pastor Vinny Tauriello greeted our ESL students and families at the annual Thanksgiving Feast this year. For those who have faced war, violence, shortages, and overcrowded refugee camps, this was a wonderful message! It is also a rare message in our political climate of fear and growing xenophobia. Many of...

By Charlotte Gleason Sometimes, my age surprises me. In my head, I am still in my early twenties, looking forward to “the next big thing.” But I experience daily reminders of my actual age: the takeover of white hair, a slow-moving body after a twenty-something physical feat, and referencing time in decades rather than years....

By Ward Shope Eden’s garden, Designer fashioned Fertile earth, painless birth Human freedom, love impassioned Tree of life, taste forbidden, Serpent snared, sin aware Human slavery, now guilt-ridden Futile toil, hunger ne’er sated Violent heart, God hater Human striving grows ill-fated Promise given, offspring yearning Sabbath rest, peacefulness Human longings deeper stirring Brilliant angel, good...

Christmas ads on TV Used to really annoy me With their focus on material stuff. This year, they’re only silly fluff Against brutal ads for elections. But praise to God, He reigns! His Son Jesus really came. Now, let us pray that everyone Will know the love of the Saving One, For He will bring...

By Tosha Morris During my son Gavin’s two-year battle with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer involving the sympathetic nervous system, I had kept faith and hope stronger than ever before in my life. God carried me every single day through the trials, triumphs, decisions and defeats. Though most days while Gavin was ill were...

By Catherine Krasinski It’s amazing how many of us resonate with the idea of having to “survive” the holidays. There’s the financial strain, the craziness of Christmas shopping, the pressure to become a gourmet chef for a couple of days, the tension and arguments that can come with seeing relatives. And, if you’ve lost a...

By Julia Pearson As we enter into this sacred Advent season, my heart is so full of expectation. How desperately we need the delicate and miraculous baby Savior. We wonder at our Father’s planning, the warmth of His intimacy with humanity. We know He truly is God with us – with me! While we grasp...

By Tim Shaw One of Jesus’ names, Emmanuel, tells us “God is with us.” I believe this is true, but it’s so easy for me to live as if it were not. On good days, on bad days, and especially on those countless ordinary days, the reality of his presence often seems like a vague...

By Steve and Donna Daly Quietly and behind the scenes, every weekend at New Life there is a logistical marvel orchestrated by Dyan De Jong-Fischer – keeping the Food Cupboard up and running, providing nutritional support for both local brothers and sisters and for various charitable organizations in Philadelphia. It starts with generous food donations...

By Debbie Shope Sometimes my mind gets stuck. As you might imagine, this can often be quite unhelpful. Occasionally, though, it sticks on a word that I believe God wants me to consider deeply. In the last months, that word has been “glory”. (Lest you think the words are always so ‘inspired’, after reading a...

By Ward Shope This past summer, we remodeled our bathroom. The ubiquitous pink tile of the 1960’s standard bathroom wall – AND floor – was replaced by a white wainscoating, gray tile and bold green tint paint. Everything from closet to tub to toilet was redone. Out with the old; in with the new. Only...

By Jane Highley Yoga and Jesus were two words that rarely fell into the same sentence in my mind. And if they did, it was clearly a mistake or a joke. They were unequivocally and mutually exclusive from each other. Until a few years ago, that is, when I started incorporating yoga as a means...