Category: Uncategorized

By Janae Robinson The Christian life is surely a life marked by paradoxes. From the work of Jesus, we learn that the first are ultimately the last, that the weak actually have great strength, and that the blind are the ones who truly see. Paul writes about the mystery of the Kingdom, proclaiming that in...

By Jane Highley I have a serious question for you: How gritty is your faith? No, that is not a typo. I did mean to say “gritty,” but I’m not referring to sand in your beach bag, flax seed in your oatmeal, or the sugar scrub in your shower. I’m referring to intangible grit: resilience,...

By Charlotte Gleason My semester ends and I feel like a sailor who walked on land after being at sea: my mind still keeps the pace of a busy school year even though my schedule slows to its summer stride.  I depend on these summer months to either care for all I have neglected, or...

Three to four times each year, our congregation informally gathers for an update on how important aspects of our life together are going, usually during the School of Discipleship hour. These “Town Meetings” are, in essence, progress reports. How is God blessing us? Where are we in terms of our vision and goals? Are there...

By Todd Hill If you enter the youth room now, you will see a big rock. At the moment it is silver. The color might change. You might wonder, “Why is this big silver rock in the youth room?” I hope you ask that question! In Joshua chapter 4, the Israelites have just finished wandering...

By Dave Almack Abridged from https://faithlit.wordpress.com/ by permission. I was sitting by my mom’s hospital bedside when she looked at me and said, “God doesn’t make mistakes”. Despite several days in the hospital and lack of sleep, this was her perspective. A few moments after that comment, she looked at me again and said, “Some...

By Ward Shope There is a mythical phase of married life when your children are out of the house on their own and your parents have not yet reached the stage where they need your regular attention. In this phase, the “empty nest” becomes nirvana, where lovebirds can date their spouse with as few (or...

By Rae Barnes The lyrics of the song “Oceans Deep” are running through my mind often these days. It is played so often on K-Love that it could just become background noise: a mundane hum that you hear over and over, day after day. This isn’t too unlike my life right now. I have four...

By Melanie Kauffman Among New Life’s many ministries is the young adult ministry called Crossroads. We meet every Tuesday night for worship, prayer, and to study God’s word. Over the years we’ve also had nerf battles, bonfires, holiday parties, retreats, camping trips, and more movie and game nights than I can count. As we often...

By Linda Ruth Paskell This most recent New Life Women’s Retreat was the first one I have been to in over 20 years! Some things never change. The warm welcome, the creativity, the worship and teaching were all so reflective of the gospel warmth and hospitality that New Life has always been known for. The...

By Anna Morrow In March my family visited my brother in Santa Monica, right outside of LA. As he drove us around, we marveled at the green leaves and beautiful houses. One day he pointed out a narrow set of stairs. I saw about twenty steps that led straight up to even more steps hidden...

By Anita Anderson I’ve never been disciplined at writing in journals. Yes, as a teen I wrote in a diary…for a while. When traveling as an adult, I recorded the sights and events of my days…for a while. But I’ve never felt comfortable writing down my thoughts and ideas. Like my journal writing, I haven’t...