Author Archives: Philip E Jenks

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About Philip E Jenks

Philip, a synodical deacon in the ELCA Metropolitan New York synod, is a retired communicator for American Baptist Churches USA, the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches, the U.S. National Council of Churches, and two Philadelphia area daily newspapers. He and his spouse, the Rev. Dr. Martha M. Cruz, are the parents of six adults and are members of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rye Brook, N.Y. They live in Port Chester, N.Y.

Julie’s Little Secret

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

  The death of Julius LaRosa on May 12 was prominently reported in the New York Times and other media. Surprisingly so. His fame crested in 1953 and had been ebbing ever since. But the media coverage of his passing … Continue reading →

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GI’s, Gypsies, and Hitler’s House

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.  Shovel them under and let me work–  I am the grass; I cover all. And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. Two years, ten … Continue reading →

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Our Father Who Art in Heaven, Harry Be Thy Name

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

This is the year members of our family chose England as a venue for spiritual pilgrimage. In January, Victoria celebrated her 26th birthday with a solo voyage to London and its connections to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. … Continue reading →

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Is God Messing With Us?

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

My Lenten devotional reading this season has been Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President. It may be difficult for some to see the murder of President James A. Garfield … Continue reading →

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Pennies: No Longer From Heaven

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

Every time it rains it rains pennies from heaven. Don’t you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven? You’ll find your fortune’s fallin’ all over the town, Be sure that your umbrella is upside down. The number of pennies discarded … Continue reading →

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Hell, I even miss Dick.

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Philip E Jenks
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January 12

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Philip E Jenks

  Port Chester, N.Y., January 12, 2016 – January 12 was a Friday in 1968. I had been looking forward to the day for months because the Air Force said that was the day I would return to the U.S. after a three-year tour … Continue reading →

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An Imperishable Gift

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Philip E Jenks

Thanks to brother Paul Jenks and sister Colleen Jenks for this very special Christmas gift. The Weeds were my mother Mary’s great-grandparents. As I recall the family story, the elderly Mary Weed lived for a time with Mom’s parents on … Continue reading →

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Lies Our Teachers Told Us

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Philip E Jenks

This fall some Princeton University students uncovered one of the worst kept secrets in American history: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, was a racist. If these students had grown up reading Howard Zinn or Richard Shenkman, this … Continue reading →

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New Yorkers on the Money

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Philip E Jenks

Treasury Secretary Jack Loo has announced a woman’s face will appear on U.S. paper currency in 2020 to commemorate the centennial of women’s suffrage. It’s about time. Now begins the debate about which woman should be on the money, and … Continue reading →

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