“So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 A few years ago during a particularly difficult season, my wife Pam read the NY Times bestselling book “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. In it, Ann shares the secret to finding joy in the midst of “deadlines, debt, drama, and even the death of loved ones” and seeks to…
Last week my father-in-law sent me an article with the title, “Studies Show Approximately 30% of U.S. Adults Have Given Up on Religion, and Those Numbers Are Increasing.”. Often dad will send me the usual assortment of jokes, gag videos and an occasional political rant, but I’ve found when he sends an article on faith, it’s usually a good read. The article provides links to solid statistical data on Christianity in America. It’s general knowledge that Christianity as a cultural…
Every Tuesday at 10 AM the church staff meets briefly for a time of catchup and prayer. Everyone’s invited to share a personal and ministry update and then we take some time to pray for each other. Even though we work in the same building, it’s amazing how detached we can get if we don’t make community a priority. Getting to know everyone’s burdens and blessings over the last few months has really drawn us together. So yesterday, when it…
Years ago, in the 1980’s, way before the internet and when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth, it wasn’t YouTube or TikTok videos that went viral; it was TV commercials. Most commercials of that era were eminently forgettable and looking back now, they were super cheesy, too. But every once in a while, one would take off and the punchline would be continually repeated until it became part of the lexicon of the day. Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” and Life…
This past weekend we had a memorial service for a wonderful man in our church family who recently passed away at 90, Steve Stoltzfus. He had an extraordinary life and the service went almost 2 hours as people shared how they had been impacted by him. The word “legacy” comes to mind. Several people asked for a copy of the devotional I wrote. I typically don’t publish sermons. They’re hard enough to listen to in person, haha! But in this…
This past weekend was a great reunion for the Benedicts in East Earl. Amanda came up from Richmond, Josh and Alaina traveled up from Northern Virginia, and Katelyn came home from university out in Pittsburg. Justin couldn’t make it because of his marching band schedule out at IUP, but he sure was missed! One of the things I look forward to when our children gather, is the opportunity to connect face to face. I really appreciate texting, email, Facetime, phone…
Pam and I are headed to Uganda on November 3rd and it just got REAL! Our airline tickets have been purchased and yesterday we went to the infectious disease clinic at Reading Hospital and received our immunization for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, and Polio. OUCH! My arm is sore this morning and we’re nervous, yet excited about this completely unique ministry opportunity. When we scheduled our current sermon series, “Right Where U Are” about being available to serve God by using our…
Our Fall Sermon Series is making an impact! I’m pretty excited. “Right Where You Are” is a study of men and women in the Bible who God used in powerful ways to change their world- people like Gideon, Daniel, Esther, and Mary. None of them were prophets, priests, or pastors and yet God used them right where they were to make a big difference. Isaac, our pastoral intern, came up with the series concept. And so far, it’s been both…
A devotional by Kate Martin Running errands with my busy 18-month-old daughter can be a challenge. In this current season, when I go into a store, my goal is to get in and out of the store as fast as possible. Anything to avoid having a toddler that is trying to climb out of the cart, grab everything of the shelves, or throwing a fit. On Thursday afternoon, my perspective of this goal changed during a trip to Hobby Lobby. …
“Make yourself at home. We’re so glad you’re here!” Pam said as our long-anticipated house guests finally arrived. Eric and Lisa Simpson are career missionaries to England and longtime friends. For quite some time they’ve been wanting to return to the US to report to their supporting churches and reconnect with family. And now with COVID finally settling down a bit, they can. Although they’ll be gone most weekends traveling to churches, they’re based out of the apartment we recently…