by Peter James | Apr 27, 2024 | Jeremiah Lanphier
Old North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in Manhattan had fallen on hard times. Long-time members relocated to other parts of the city as new immigrants arrived looking for jobs. The church hired a forty-nine-year-old cloth merchant, Jeremiah Lanphier...
by Peter James | Apr 26, 2024 | George MacDonald
Adela Cathcart was in her late teens and quite ill, what one doctor termed “an affliction of the soul.” We call it depression. Adele’s family and friends gathered to share stories with her as story-telling therapy. She attended Christmas worship, and...
by Peter James | Apr 25, 2024 | Catherine of Siena
I hardly know what to make of Catherine of Siena’s (1347-1380) mysticism. While walking with her brother at age six, she had an ecstatic vision of Christ seated in glory. At seven, she devoted her life to Christ and resolved to live a celibate life. She refused...
by Peter James | Apr 24, 2024 | Basil of Caesarea
Asia Minor was afflicted with a severe drought in AD 368, resulting in a famine in Caesarea, the city where Basil (329-379) served as bishop. He had already given away his substantial inheritance and joined a monastic order. Some of his wealthy friends hoarded their...
by Peter James | Apr 23, 2024 | John Henry Fawcett
The church was filled to overflow an hour before the service. A 1911 headline in The New York Times announced his arrival, so the press was there, expecting to hear a sensational preacher deliver a dazzling oratory. John Henry Fawcett (1864-1923) had preached at Fifth...
