Posts with the category “from-the-pastor”

Today, as I write this letter, Greg is at his doctor’s office… another 3-month check to be sure that the cancer is not back.  Each check makes us hold our breath.  Each completed check allows us to breathe again.  Some people survive this cancer for years, but we know that these early months are when the cancer is most likely to rear its ugly head again. Thus, another trip to Philly, braving the t...  Read More

In 1929…            The Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming was established.            Popeye the Sailor made his debut.            The first Oscars were given out at the Academy Awards.            The world’s population was 2,059 million people.            Herbert Hoover was President.            The average income in the US was $1,582.00 per year.            Sunglasses were invented.          ...  Read More

I know that some of you saw the title of the Tuesday Letter this week and just shook your head. How could we still be talking about Christmas? Most of you took your tree down a week ago. All your neighbors, with the exception of a few diehards, already put their Christmas lights away. Last week the stores started adding Valentine’s merchandise to their shelves. And we are just a few short weeks fr...  Read More

We all know the story…Mary and Joseph travelled for days from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem to pay their taxes.  Mary was well along in her pregnancy, so riding on a donkey was difficult.  Joseph walked by her side the whole way, arriving in Bethlehem exhausted.  Both needed shelter for the night, but there was “no room in the inn.”  Actually, in a small town like Bethlehem, there probably w...  Read More

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…How many of us have sung this Christmas carol over the years? Every year I have to review the gifts in the song to remember: How many French Hens? Is it 10 Lords-a-Leaping or 10 Ladies Dancing? What is a Calling Bird? And I always wonder why anyone would give Geese as a gift. They are nasty birds that bite and hiss and leave less than pleasant ...  Read More

The wait is almost over. Every Who down in Whoville, the small and the tall… and every boy and girl in Chalfont, New Britain, Lansdale, Perkasie and beyond… has been waiting for ‘you know who’ to slide down their chimney with all sorts of delights. For those of us who are tasked with making sure that wait is not met with disappointment, the ‘wait’ is really a race to get everything done. I always ...  Read More

You know the list… Santa’s list… the Naughty and Nice list.He sees you when you’re sleeping… he knows when you’re awake… he knows when you’ve been bad or good… so be good for goodness’ sake.How many of us have used this song as a motivation/threat with our children when the excited anticipation of Christmas stirs up the ‘naughty’ in them? Yet, while this song and the story behind it encourages us ...  Read More

 Sunday, December 4, 2023, the 2nd Sunday of Advent was Joy Sunday at Lenape Valley in name and reality. Joy filled the house that day! Before the sun rose… before many of us opened our eyes to the day… joy began to fill the house of the Lord located on the corner of Ute and Butler. Nestled in the kitchen of the church, a dedicated team of chefs began preparing a feast for the people of God. These...  Read More

On Sunday, December 4th, as you make your way to Lenape Valley to celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent, you may feel like you ‘can’t get there from here.’  SEPTA has planned to replace the railroad tracks that cross Butler Ave. just north of Bristol Rd.  The commuters in our area will appreciate SEPTA’s attention to track safety.  But for those of us using four-wheel transportation, the road clos...  Read More

Thanksgiving is two days away and I have yet to buy my turkey.  In fact: the only ingredient I currently have in the house, for the feast that is expected by my hungry crew, is crispy French Fried Onions to top the delicacy we all know and love as green bean casserole.  Unfortunately, I have yet to purchase the green beans… or the makings for stuffing… or potatoes… or cranberry sauce… I know, the ...  Read More

In the dark… Last week, I admitted that I love to run in the dark. On a clear morning, I can catch a glimpse of the stars, but few ever catch a glimpse of me. There is an anonymity to that shroud of darkness. No one hears the prayers spoken to the cadence of my footfalls. And those I pass along the way share a mutual code of silence, so that no one ever hears report of my style or speed. In the pa...  Read More

In the dark… I love running in the dark. While most of my neighbors are still fast asleep, I find a peaceful refuge in those early morning hours. The sounds of the day and the hectic pace of life are muted, allowing me to focus on one footfall, one breath at a time. The cadence of the run creates a drumbeat for my prayer, keeping my wandering mind focused on the people I have committed to lift up ...  Read More

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Who could have imagined in the spring of 2022, when the Phillies were hot one minute and cold the next, that they would get hot at just the right time? We barely made the play-offs, squeaking in with a Wild Card. But now… against all odds, the Phillies are going to the World Series!!!! Even if you are not a baseball fan, (admittedly most of the season I am rather uninspired by the game), it is sti...  Read More

 This past weekend was certainly more…The weekend kicked off with fireworks as the Phillies routed the Braves in a 8-3 win cinching the Division Championship. Only the most die-hard fans believed that we would still be in the hunt at this point in the season. Watch out Padres!Then the Flyers grabbed center stage with their win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. For those of us who ha...  Read More

 You have heard it said: ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… that you may be known as the children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45 Have you ever wondered about God’s creative genius? Why did God create mosquitos, or mold, or poison ivy? I have a whole list of questions that I plan to bring to heaven...  Read More

The front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer told the tale… of “five shooters” who ambushed a group of “teenage football players” after a game at Roxborough High School.  The shooters jumped out of a Ford Explorer SUV “and began firing, unloading more than 60 shots, killing a 14year-old boy and wounding four others.”  The story tells the facts.  It is a story that has been told again and again over...  Read More

The Art of Neighboring…  This fall we are considering Jesus’ command to “love our neighbor.”  Notice, Jesus is not suggesting… he is not recommending… he is not hoping against hope that maybe sometimes we will ‘love our neighbor.’  NO… Jesus is giving us a command.  Most of us think of Jesus as a ‘friend’, so we have a hard time imagining Him giving us a command.  But the call to love our neighbor...  Read More

Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible.   Love always takes time, and time is the one thing hurried people don’t have. This quote, written by John Ortberg, a pastor in CA, captures our dilemma.  Hurry seems to be the definition of today’s world.  Before the alarm goes off in the morning, we have a list of things to do that will more than fill our day.  From shopping… to a work call… to a fa...  Read More

In 1915, Samuel Sorenson Adams wanted to tease his wife Emily after she complained that he had left the jam jar sticky.  That night, Sam cleaned out a jam jar, filled it with cloth-covered, spring-loaded ‘snakes’, that would pop out when she opened the jam jar the next day.  Emily must have enjoyed the humor of that practical joke, because Sam went on to create a snake peanut brittle can, a snake ...  Read More

The Lord added to their number those who were being saved.  Acts 2:47 One of the surprising blessings of the pandemic is the way God has added to our number these past two years.  Who could have imagined that a global pandemic, with all the isolation and uproar, would be fertile ground for church growth.  Between those who now join us for live-stream worship from their homes across the country, to...  Read More

Imagine a week surrounded by mountains… the Rockies… the Canadian Rockies.  From one snow capped peak to the next, the views we enjoyed during our family vacation were awe-inspiring!  We saw those views from our first sip of coffee on the deck, to our drives from hike to hike, to peaceful moments sitting by a glacial lake with mountains reflected in the still waters.  The view never grew old, in f...  Read More

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:19 Last week, our family traveled to Banff, Canada for an adventure of a lifetime:  clear turquoise-blue glacial lakes, rocky snow-capped mountain peaks, wildflowers in the colors of the rainbow, fresh mountain air, and the laughter of family all around- best week ever!  E...  Read More

I must begin this ‘Tuesday Letter’ with an admission.  I am a chicken.  I have been watching and listening… reading and considering… but I have stayed safely on the sidelines since June 24th.  Actually, I am not so sure that it is safe even on the sidelines, but I know it is safer than jumping into the middle of the debate.  I have not preached a sermon, made a public comment, or written a word ab...  Read More

Christmas in July… just wondering, did you find any good sales?  Every year merchants use this theme as a marketing strategy to boost waning sales as our shopping slows down a bit during the summer.  For at least a few weeks, we would rather buy Knorr’s Ice Cream and funnel cakes, than invest in big ticket items like dryers and kitchen cabinets.  Soon we will be looking for Back to School sales, b...  Read More

Vacation Bible School 2022 is over!  A year in the planning… months in the creating… one week in the experiencing… and now just a few remaining decorations mark the event.  But the echoes of vibrant children’s voices singing God’s praise still fill the minds and hearts of many of us.  If you joined us for worship on July 24th you were graced with a taste of an amazing week at Lenape Valley.  What ...  Read More

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A farmer went out to sow his seed…Jesus begins his series of parable stories recorded in Matthew 13 with these words.  Picture Jesus in a boat just offshore teaching a large crowd gathered on the hills rising up out of the Sea of Galilee.  Nearby, a farmer is working in his fields, casting seed, hoping, even expecting a good harvest in the weeks to come.  That seed falls on the good soil… and the ...  Read More

July 4, 2022… A beautiful day in New Britain-Chalfont.  The sun was shining, the neighbors gathered, the parade participants ready to make their way down Butler Ave. to Main Street, ending at North Branch Park. A special thanks to the Lenape Valley folks who welcomed people to our church lawn with waters and toys for the kids.  There is nothing quite like a warm LVC welcome!  I was privileged to b...  Read More

My childhood was punctuated by a series of moves compliments of the US Navy.  In 17 years, I moved 14 times, living in 8 states and 3 countries.  My parents had made a commitment to have our family follow dad to each duty station, if at all possible.  Imagine seeing the moving truck that many times as a child.  Imagine setting up a home that many times as a mom.  I wish I could tell you that I lea...  Read More

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed into law the establishment of our newest federal holiday- Juneteenth National Independence Day, to be celebrated on June 19th each year.  The bill establishing this national holiday received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, passed unanimously in the Senate with only 14 Representatives dissenting in the House. This new federal holiday will join o...  Read More

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Many who were in worship on May 1st of this year were witness to a unique comedy during Communion.  Diane Daly and I stood on either side of the Communion Table serving bread to those who came forward for the Lord’s Supper.  As each person stepped up, we said, “The Body of Christ broken for you” and then proceeded to tear a piece of bread from a shared loaf.  The symbolism of this moment can be po...  Read More

Just a week ago… the children of Robb Elementary School woke up, got dressed, ate their Cheerios, kissed their moms and dads, and boarded buses for what was to be one of their last days of school before summer break.  The school day began with an awards assembly, celebrating the achievements of the students to the applause of parents and teachers.  Then the students returned to their classes to en...  Read More

Agnostic:  A person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable, A person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something, A person who is uninterested…  (Webster Dictionary)Every semester, I ask my students at Chestnut Hill College how they would describe their young adult generation: Religious, Spiritual, Agnostic, Atheistic.  When I fir...  Read More

Some of us have been passing the time by watching the NBA playoffs.  How fun to have our guys in the mix this year!  First, we were treated to a great series between the 76ers and the Toronto Raptors.  I’m not sure Toronto would call it a great series since we had a near sweep of games, only losing one to the Raptor challenge.  My favorite player is Tyrese Maxie- he always has a smile on his face ...  Read More

1,000,000 Americans… one million of our neighbors lost to COVID19… what a heartbreaking milestone.  Think about their sons and daughters, their brothers and sisters, their husbands, wives, parents, and friends… so many grieving neighbors… some of them here at Lenape Valley.  And lest we see this as just an American grief, we must remember the 15 million lives lost around the world.  The number is ...  Read More

One of my great privileges as the pastor of Lenape Valley Church is the invitation to be with you in times of great joy and times of great challenge.  I love the visits to the nursery when a little one has come into the world… the opportunity to bless parents and child… to remind them of God’s grace.  How fun to share those cup overflowing moments!  I cherish the moments of quiet sharing when life...  Read More

Happy Easter!  The Lord is Risen!  He is Risen indeed! What a joyful celebration of Easter we shared at Lenape Valley!  The day began with a chilly gathering to welcome the dawn… the sun rising… the full moon fading… the gathering of God’s people declaring the Son has risen!  Then, before we knew it, the crowd was gathering for two lively worship experiences that raised the vaulted roof of Lenape ...  Read More

Do you remember the early days of the pandemic?  We isolated ourselves behind closed doors… ordered our groceries on Instacart… and discovered that you can find almost anything on Amazon.  We created distance even from the people we love most in the world, all to keep us and them safe.  But we quickly discovered that isolation is difficult to bear, so we began to walk… and walk… and walk.  We bega...  Read More