Moment by Moment

Appalachian Trail Devotional #2 Closure means finality; a letting go of what once was. Finding closure implies a complete acceptance of what has happened and an honoring of the transition away from what’s finished to something new. In other words, closure describes the ability to go beyond imposed limitations in order to find different possibilities. ~ Abagail Brenner But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. ~ Paul the Apostle, Galatians 3:13 One of…

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This spring, from April 26 – May 3 I hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail from Front Royal, VA to Pennsylvania- through northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and into Pennsylvania.  Over the course of the week, I walked, kept my eyes open, took some pictures and listened for God’s “gentle whisper.” Here are some of those thoughts in devotional form.  This is the first devotional in the series. For me, part of the fun of preparing for a multi-day…

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My concern is not if God is on our side; for I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my greatest concern and prayer to be on Gods side. (Abraham Lincoln) This past Sunday, our new Pastoral Intern, Isaac Martin referenced this famous quote in his sermon.  When he said this, President Lincoln was responding to a clergyman during the Civil War who suggested to him that God was on the side…

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We’re in our 7th week of being out of our home. For almost 7 weeks I have felt a plethora of emotions and reactions over here- gratitude, provided for, loved, cared for, sadness, frustrated, cramped, weary, cold (and also too hot while we figured out the right heat setting for the camper), nightmares, startling easy, short-tempered, quiet, reserved, sleepless nights, rested nights, laughter, and joy. But I am so thankful to say I have never, not even once, felt forgotten…

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“He makes me to lie down in green pastures…he restores my soul.” (King David) Psalm 23:2,3 “God is a God of restoration. When we place the broken pieces of our lives in His hands, He restores them to a beauty that far outshines the former.” Author Unknown Devotional by Pam Benedict Like most young couples, when Steve and I started out marriage in 1991, we had lots of love but very little money. We had so little disposable income that…

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You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 About 15 years ago, Richard Dietrich, a youth and music pastor from Arizona led a short-term mission trip to Europe.  While on the trip, he decided to surprise his wife by taking her on a side trip to Żary, Poland to do a little genealogical work. Her maiden name…

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Several weeks ago Pam and I drove to P.F. Chang’s in Plymouth Meeting to have lunch with my father-in-law.  The Plymouth Meeting mall is a good halfway point between our home in East Earl and my father-in-law’s apartment over at Rock Hill Community in Bucks County.  After a really nice lunch and some great conversation, we headed out to our respective vehicles.  As I approached our 2008 RAV4, I said to myself, “That’s a lot of oil on the ground.”…

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“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”Joshua 23:14 “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards” – Soren Kierkegaard. “For we live by faith, not by sight.”  2 Corinthians 5:7 I’m not particularly good at puzzles or mazes.  When our family…

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Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 This past week, our Bethany prayer team was sitting around at our midweek prayer group mutually reflecting on how difficult a year it’s been… already.  I mean, we’re 34 days into it and I’m whipped.  It feels an awful lot like 2020, doesn’t it?  Somehow, I thought that…

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I don’t need the money. Over the past year, since COVID has ravaged the global economy, the US economy has also suffered greatly.  In March, when everything shut down, the unemployment rate soared from a historic low of 3.5% to a whopping 14.8% almost overnight.  Sixty million people were thrown out of work. In response to this devastation, Congress has twice passed stimulus bills that have provided one-time direct payments to every American taxpayer. So, on May 6, 2020 the…

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