karenpts

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: The Boy with Loaves and Fish

Meditation on John 6:1-14 First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford Sept. 13, 2026: Rally Day! Kathy and her daughter, Jessica, left a present for me on my desk a week or so ago. I didn’t know why, at first, the Sunday School teachers gave me a plastic bag filled with rolledContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: The Boy with Loaves and Fish”

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Daniel

Meditation on Daniel 1:1-17 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Sept. 6, 2026 When Wendell Berry was 30, “he confronted in himself a deep need to return to his roots.” He moved “to an old two-room cabin on the Kentucky River at Port Royal, in Henry County, whereContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Daniel”

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Little Maid of Israel

Meditation on 2 Kings 5:1-14 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Aug. 30, 2026 Has anyone seen hummingbirds this summer? Does anyone plant certain flowers known to attract and feed hummingbirds? Do you make your own sugar water? Who does both? I was thinking this week as I washing out the hummingbirdContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Little Maid of Israel”

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Josiah

Meditation on 2 Kings 22 and 23, selected verses Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown August 23, 2026 How is your garden growing, with all this rain? I was away a few weeks and when I came back, my flowers had grown tall and toppled over. I tried to do a littleContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Josiah”

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Solomon

Meditation on 1 Kings 3:1-15 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Aug. 16, 2026 I have been away for two weeks on a cruise in the British Isles, ending our journey in Bergen, Norway. The tour took my mom and me to some places that I had visited briefly before—Dublin, Belfast, andContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: Solomon”

Amazing Children of the Bible Series: David

Meditation on 1 Samuel 17:12-47 The Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 26, 2026 I enjoyed my birthday week—having ice cream, going out to lunch, and going on a two-hour lighthouse cruise with Jim, leaving from Orient Point. I received emails, texts, Facebook messages, cards, and phone calls, including one fromContinue reading “Amazing Children of the Bible Series: David”

Samuel

Amazing Children of the Bible Series Meditation on 1 Samuel 3 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 19, 2026 I was blessed to meet the Rev. Bill Hoffman this week and hear the story of his ministry. Bill is retiring from Montauk Community Church at the end of this month andContinue reading “Samuel”

Miriam

Amazing Children of the Bible Series Meditation on Exodus 1:8-2:10 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 12, 2026 It hasn’t yet been two weeks since I returned from our denomination’s 227th General Assembly in Milwaukee. I am still processing much of what happened there. But today, I would like to shareContinue reading “Miriam”

Celebrating Our Country’s 250th Anniversary

Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown July 5, 2026 You are not going to hear the story of Miriam today! Lord willing, you will hear all about Miriam next Sunday as I begin my series on Amazing Children of the Bible. On this weekend, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of theContinue reading “Celebrating Our Country’s 250th Anniversary”

Should We Continue in Sin?

Meditation on Romans 5:8 – 6:11 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY June 21, 2026 Tom Michell was taking a walk by the sea, on holiday at Punte Del Este in Uruguay, when he saw the penguins washed up on the sand. It was a dreadful sight, he says in hisContinue reading “Should We Continue in Sin?”