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…
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.”…
“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…
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…
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…
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 Yesterday I stood in the middle of the debris of a house fire that tragically struck one of our Bethany families. The blaze was Saturday afternoon, so the fire trucks had long since left and the insurance adjuster was poking through the aftermath of soot and char. To enter the…
I’ve been struggling with my prayers of late. I don’t think I’m having a crisis of faith. I mean, I still believe that God is good, faithful, loves me unconditionally and has a good plan for my life. And I believe that God is sovereign over all and desires our world to be healed and reconciled. I think my issue is reconciling these truths with the madness we see all round us. It’s hard to know how to pray when…
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zechariah 4:10 This past Sunday, as I sat quarantining in my living room watching our student ministry intern Isaac Martin preach, it hit me. 2021 is a big year. This year I celebrate 30 years of pastoral ministry and 30 years of marriage to Pam. It’s hard to believe, but in 1991 I was a pastoral intern at Grace Baptist Church of Boyertown, soon to marry…
Probably about 5 years ago, Pam and I were challenged with the idea of God giving you a “word” for the new year. Now, this isn’t a prophetic word, as in “this year God told me I should move to Colorado, start a new business, be wildly successful and earn a high six figure salary.” But more like a discipleship focus for the next 12 months. It’s an advance sense of an area God will be developing and refining you…
Dear Family & Friends, As we look back over 2020, God has given us many reasons to REJOICE! Here are a few highlights… “The new house” has become our home. Living in Lancaster County has been peaceful and restful. We love the view of the farm fields out our back window and the clip-clopping of a horse & buggy rolling past our street. Many evenings we take pictures of the vibrant sunsets that fill the sky. It’s fascinating to watch…