Each week, I write a Tuesday letter trying to make sense of the world in which we live. My hope is that we can learn to see the world through the lens of Scripture, to see the world as God sees, and to find our place in God’s plan. This week, I tried to find a wise word to offer about the celebration and grief in the Holy Land- the joy of hostages home with their families, and the hopelessness of ...  Read More

Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor and Joe Sutphin is a child-friendly, illustrated adaptation of John Bunyan's classic allegory of the Christian life- the challenges and the victories. This book was one of my childhood favorites. I remember vividly the chapter in which Christian discovers that the path to the Celestial City leads straight through a dark forest. He hesitates to enter, reali...  Read More

The call came early Saturday morning. A friend, who pastored a local church, was in intensive care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His plea that morning: “I have cancer, and it looks like an uphill battle. Will you come and care for my people while I fight the good fight?” I was a college professor at the time, preaching on Sunday whenever the invitation came. Within hours of th...  Read More

This verse is printed on the bookmark tucked in our Bible and on a plaque in our kitchen. We send our college students into the world with this verse in the hope that they will seek God’s good plan for their lives. I often write this verse in my cards as an encouragement. And how many of us have secured this verse in our hearts right alongside John 3:16? We love the promise of God’s good plan and ...  Read More

Another shot rings out… another life lost… another family wrapped in grief… another moment when we wonder as a nation how we have gone so wrong. Does hate get the last word? This past week, a young husband and father was cut down in his prime as a gathering of college students watched in horror. That moment will be seared into their memories. That tragedy will forever change the lives of two young...  Read More

Lenape Valley, thank you for celebrating the 10-year mark in my ministry with our faith community. Cards, cake (yum!), and a contribution to two missions that are dear to my heart- Cornerstone and Peter Powerhouse- what a special way to celebrate 10 years together! Yet, as our city and our nation prepare for the Semi-quincentennial- the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation- ten years seems...  Read More