March 15, 2020- the day that Lenape Valley closed her doors. That day, the sound of doors closing could be heard throughout our community and across our nation. How fascinating that the ‘shut down’ began on the Ides of March- immortalized by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Ceasar as the day that Ceasar was assassinated. Shakespeare coined the idiom- Beware the Ides of March- a warning of im...  Read More

Art Linkletter was a genius. Ask a child a question and the entertainment begins, because “kids say the darndest things.”What would you do if you were President? – Keep my mouth shut.How does your favorite Bible story start? - Humpty, Dumpty…To the child who wanted to be a pilot- What would you do if all the engines on yourplane stopped? - The child bowed his head and said: “Our Father who art inh...  Read More

My granddaughter has found her voice, not that anyone can understand her quite yet. Every utterance she makes fascinates the adults around her. They wait for her every vocalization, encouraging her sounds, celebrating even the volume that can be quite robust. Thus far she has been rather demure in church, captivated by the sights and sounds. But the day is coming when she will discover that she ca...  Read More

Today, I begin a week of study to prepare for the upcoming church year- time to pray for God’s good direction for our ministry. In the light of that time away from regular ministry, I hope you will accept a reprise of a letter I wrote a year ago for Memorial Day. This story still brings me to tears…For most of us, Memorial Day is a day for parades, flag waving, and cookouts. For the nation, it is ...  Read More

On January 23, 1943, the SS Dorchester left New York harbor enroute to Greenland with a passenger manifest of just over 900 souls. This civilian liner had been converted for military service in WWII as a troop transport. The Dorchester was a part of a three-ship convoy escorted by Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba, and Comanche. On the eve of February 2, 1943, Coast Guard sonar detected a German...  Read More

At 6:00pm on Thursday, May 8th, eagerly anticipated white smoke appeared over St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Bells began to toll declaring the selection of the 267th Pope for the 1.4 billion faithful in the Roman Catholic Church. Romans and tourists began pouring into the square to be present when the announcement was made. I, too, waited, watching in my study, unable to work on my sermon. Was it cur...  Read More