Comedian Gianmarco Soresi has a bit in his stand-up routine about how he realized when he hit his thirties how difficult it is maintain friendships. It’s the kind of comedy bit where if you take the eventual punchline away (which is exactly what I’m going to do), it makes a quite touching point. He acknowledges […]
Rev. Stephanie Anthony: The prophet, Habakkuk, planted himself at a watch post to wait and see how God would answer him. When he had seen the violence that God’s people were experiencing at the hands of their enemies, he challenged God, “Will you not save us?” To Habakkuk it seemed like God was sleeping on […]
We started a new weekly Bible study on Wednesday afternoon, one that is similar to studies I have held in previous congregations, onae that is, maybe selfishly, a huge help to me. If you have a chance to stop by and check it out, all you have to do is bring yourself. Lunches are welcome […]
A Sermon based onJeremiah 8:18 – 9:1 Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown on September 21, 2025 by Pastor Stephanie Anthony In my note to the church included in the weekly eblast I shared a story from my own youth group days. It was in the spring of 1995, the Sunday evening after the […]
Scriptures:Colossians 3:1-4 & Luke 12:13-21 When my sister and I were teenagers, every once in a while we’d meet up in our parents’ bedroom, pull out our mom’s jewelry box, and sift through the contents. Taking turns, we’d pick through everything and put each piece in one pile or another – mine and hers – […]
Scriptures:Proverbs 25:6-7a & Luke 14:1, 7-14 As the minister officiating the wedding, I was once invited to the wedding receptions of couples I really didn’t know that well. On one occasion, the bride and groom were not members of the church I was serving, but had very close friends who were. They had found me […]
Scriptures:Isaiah 58:9b-14 & Luke 13:10-17 I am a member of one of those generations that has the questionable habit of mindless scrolling on my phone. I’m sure there are plenty of downsides, but one of the upsides is the diversity of people I have to learn from right at my fingertips – people who teach […]
Scriptures:Psalm 50:1-6 & Luke 12:32-40 One thing I appreciate about school nurses (just one, because there are an awful lot of things I appreciate about school nurses), but one thing I appreciate about school nurses, is that they understand the fear that strikes a parent’s heart when the caller ID says “school nurse.” In a […]
Scriptures:Hosea 11:1-11 There’s a line in the play Love Letters by playwright A. R. Gurney that came to mind as I was reading Hosea this week. This play, which premiered in 1988, is performed by just two actors playing two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. They sit side by side at tables […]
Scriptures:Deuteronomy 6:1-9Luke 18:15-17 Despite the morning scramble it inevitably produced, “Show and Tell” was a favorite day when the kids were little. Finding just the right thing to fit the designated theme, whether it was by color, season, or letter, was a good game. Although, I’m surprised that our preschool didn’t ban Show and Tell […]