I grew up in the Lehigh Valley ofPennsylvania, first settled by Moravians, German speaking Protestants fromEastern Europe suffering persecution in the 17th and 18thcenturies. They chose biblical names fortheir communities. My hometown was Emmaus, for example. And it was a short distance from there toBethlehem, known as “The Christmas City.” The Moravians have many beautiful traditions and hymns for theholidays. One of my favorite Christmascarols is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” One verse goes,..
When I went to seminary in my forties, I learned the pure pleasure and joy of studying scripture with my heart wide open. I read the familiar passages, and I surely..
It is often said that a contented person is the one who finds joy in the small, little, simple things of life.
Imagine my chagrin. In my high school days (oh my – that was over 70 years ago!) I thought I invented a word.
While sacrifice is often portrayed as something grand, I believe it doesn’t have to be. I've come to see it as a quieter concept, rooted in the small, everyday choices..
I wasn’t expecting to lose anything. It was the summer before I started high school and as far as I was concerned, life was normal but with an edge of excitement that..
This past summer, my husband John and I left our suburban Cleveland home to visit John’s sister Mary and her husband Joe in the small college town of Goshen, Indiana...
Words from one of our blog writers define unbelonging as times when one feels left out, judged, or totally different. My story may illustrate how that works.
Belonging is a concept that is more than just intellectual understanding. Most often belonging is something we know intuitively, something we sense. It includes..
What will you do with the gift of an additional 20-30 years in average life expectancy? Will you waste those years or will you connect with your reason to get out of bed..
