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”
Tag Archives: first-presbyterian-church-of-smithtown
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”
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”
Everyone!
Meditation on Acts 2:1-21 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Pentecost May 24, 2026 I was at our presbytery offices in West Islip this week for a General Assembly training. I am one of two ministers of Word and Sacrament commissioned by the presbytery to go to GA in Milwaukee at theContinue reading “Everyone!”
Full of Joy in the Lord
Meditation on Philippians 4 and John 14 In Memory of Harold Stanley Scott April 10, 1934 – January 12, 2026 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY January 24, 2026 He was working a part time job, guarding the ice at Belmont Lake State Park, making sure the kids didn’t go onContinue reading “Full of Joy in the Lord”
Emmanuel: The God Who Wants to Be with Us
Meditation on John 1:1-18 Rev. Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY Jan. 4, 2026 Dr. Dixon Chibanda’s greatest failure was the catalyst that drove him to change his whole approach to treating people struggling with depression. He was working as a psychiatrist in 2005 in Zimbabwe when one of his patients—Erica—took herContinue reading “Emmanuel: The God Who Wants to Be with Us”
Be Still and Know
Meditation on Psalm 46 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Reformation Sunday Oct. 26, 2025 We’ve been hearing about AI lately. Artificial Intelligence. If you don’t know what I am talking about when I say AI, that’s OK. I don’t know what I am talking about, either. Not really. Earlier this week,Continue reading “Be Still and Know”
Pray Always! Do Not Lose Heart!
Meditation on Luke 18:1-8 Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Oct. 19, 2025 (Baptism of Oliver Reinhardt) Did anyone read Anne of Green Gables as a child? The story is by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery and is set in a farming village on Prince Edward Island in the late 19th century.Continue reading “Pray Always! Do Not Lose Heart!”
Praising God with a Loud Voice!
Meditation on Luke 17:11-19 First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford Oct. 12, 2025 I had a nice phone conversation with Sue Potter Spencer yesterday. Does anyone remember the Potters? Sue, who now lives in Weston, MA, mailed me a large envelope of church materials belonging to her parents, Edwin and Marjorie Potter,Continue reading “Praising God with a Loud Voice!”
Embracing our History, Living our Faith
Meditation on 1 Cor. 3, selected verses (MSG) First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY The Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford Oct. 5, 2025, in honor of our 200th/350th anniversaries Four years ago, when I was in conversation with a committee seeking a pastor for the Presbyterian church in Smithtown, I was curious how a congregationContinue reading “Embracing our History, Living our Faith”
