St. Peter’s UCC

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

A WAY OF ESCAPE!
God bless and thank you again for coming by to visit our page! Arguably the best buck I filmed all season, which I’ve been following since May, really wanted to exit the field in a hurry! Not sure why he’s seemingly almost ran into another big 10 pointer, but he wanted out and he got out of there!
I wanted to share a thought that I had with you, truly more then a thought, a golden nugget of sorts that, I believe, when you apply this by faith, we will be in a greater position to stand (or run) when temptation comes our way. It definitely helps us live a more wholesome and pure life as we relate it to the goodness and grace of Almighty God…here is this amazing truth: 1st Corinthians 10:12-14 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry”.
The Matthew Henry Commentary Explains
Note, The harms sustained by others should be cautious to us. He that thinks he stands should not be confident and secure, but upon his guard. Others have fallen, and so may we. And then we are most likely to fall when we are most confident OF OUR OWN STRENGTH*, and thereupon most apt to be secure, and off our guard. Distrust of himself, putting him at once upon vigilance and dependence on God, is the Christian's best security against all sin. Note, He who thinks he stands is not likely to keep his footing, if he fears no fall, nor guards against it. God has not promised to keep us from falling, if we do not look to ourselves: his protection supposes our own care and caution…Note, The trials of common Christians are but common trials: others have the like burdens and the like temptations; what they bear up under, and break through, we may also. 2. God is faithful. Though Satan be a deceiver, God is true. Men may be false, and the world may be false; but God is faithful, and our strength and security are in him. He keepeth his covenant, and will never disappoint the filial** hope and trust of his children. 3. He is wise as well as faithful, and will proportion our burden to our strength. He will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able. He knows what we can bear, and what we can bear up against; and he will, in his wise providence, either proportion our temptations to our strength or make us able to grapple with them. He will take care that we be not overcome, if we rely upon him, and resolve to approve ourselves faithful to him. We need not perplex ourselves with the difficulties in our way when God will take care that they shall not be too great for us to encounter, especially. 4. When he will make them to issue well. He will make a way to escape, either the trial itself, or at least the mischief of it. There is no valley so dark but he can find a way through it, no affliction so grievous but he can prevent, or remove, or enable us to support it, and in the end overrule it to our advantage…be not shaken by any discouragements your heathen enemies may lay before you. God will succour***and assist, help you in your trials, and help you out of them; and therefore be not guilty of any idolatrous compliances." Note, We have all the encouragement in the world to flee sin and prove faithful to God. We cannot fall by a temptation if we cleave fast to him.
So, in closing, understand that we all will be tempted: JESUS WAS AS WELL, YET WITHOUT SIN (Matthew 4:1-11)! There’s much that we can do, quote scripture as Jesus did in the Matthew 4:1-11 passage. Pray the prayer commonly known as THE LORD’S PRAYER-Matthew 6:9-13 part of that prayer reads “…verse 13b “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:” Here we pray for mercy! Really know your Bible, and the power of God’s word! 1st Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. Matthew Henry Commentary “To be sober, and to govern both the outward and the inward man by the rules of temperance, modesty, and mortification. 2. To be vigilant; not secure or careless, but rather suspicious of constant danger from this spiritual enemy, and, under that apprehension, to be watchful and diligent. One last thing… When it’s right…Simply, get out of there… Flee…Run! (See Genesis 39:1-12). May God richly bless you as you choose to follow and be blessed of Him.

*All caps for emphasis
**Filial (similar words) dutiful, loyal and faithful
***Succour (similar words) aid, help and helping hand

08/23/2026

LARGER THAN LIFE!
God bless and thank you for spending some time with us here at St. Peter UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. Here are two buck in this video clip, both nine pointers, yet, while viewing the clip, the one on your left is so much larger in body and in rack, it almost appears unreal or manipulated in some manner. This was not the case: The buck on the left is just that big! By contrast…Many people that have a deep love for our Lord have a way of making Jesus sound “Larger Than Life”. They seem so energized with the bold claims they make as they praise and thank God for what He is and what He has done for them that it too can sound, well, to good to be true. However my surrender to Jesus and my walk with Christ truly amazes me on almost a daily basis! He lets me see things “live” and in His Holy Word that speaks volumes to my heart and mind. Little miracles, big miracles, profound peace and joy! He not only recognizes our purest desires as they align with His perfect will but He also graces us with them as well (as He sees fit) and He also blesses us as He provides for our day to day needs. Let’s focus on just that…look how He fed the Israelites heavenly bread for 40 years before they enjoyed the land God also promised to them. Exodus 16:11-18 and verse 35. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even (evening) ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer (two quarts) for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating…And the children of Israel did eat manna (which tasted like honey wafers~NLT Bible Translation) forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan”. God even made provision for a day of rest…Exodus 16:29-30 “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day”. It’s such a blessing and a privilege to watch God move, in scripture and in our own real life! Please choose Christ today and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. My prayer for you is that you will see the Great, Big, Wonderful God that I see! Be in a place and position for blessing! Pastor Paul

08/23/2026

THANK YOU ALL! ⛪️👍🏻🙂🙏🏻✝️

08/19/2026

A BLESSED EVENT! I HOPE TO SEE YOU SATURDAY! GOD BLESS! (Please tap on image to fully view) LOCATED AT THE INTERSECTION OF BLUE CHURCH ROAD AND AIRPORT ROAD PAXINOS.

08/16/2026

BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS!
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. When I watch this video I not only see these two nice bucks but I’m moved by the bounty of food available to them. Anytime God meets our needs and provides us with food, clothing or shelter we should remember to thank Him for providing for us as well. Please, never take anything for granted. Look at the beauty of scripture and this wonderful truth! 1st Timothy 6:6-12 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses”. The new living translation (for potential added clarity) of the Bible looks like this…”Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses”. In closing, Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
To explain in simple terms… We are not to worry: (I believe concern is important as it moves us to action as prayer should be the first). We are to SEEK GOD’S WILL AND PUT IT AND HIM FIRST AND DON’T WASTE YOUR ENERGY ON WORRY! We just read it… Pursue righteousness and a godly life along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Be thankful and blessed…GOD WILL MEET OUR DEEPEST NEEDS AS WE TRUST IN HIM! Pastor Paul

08/09/2026

COUNT THEM ALL!
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. This 15 point bull elk gives us an easy opportunity to count all of his points as he rotates his head for us as if he wants us to easily do just that!
God however does something much more impressive in one verse of scripture to show how intimately well he knows us. He also teaches us, in the process, that we have great value in creation and who is in control, which is learned by the accompanying verses as well as commentary. Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered”. The Matthew Henry Commentary gives us this “If God numbers their hairs, much more does he number their heads, and take care of their lives, their comforts, their souls.” Believe that God sees and knows who we are at our core and truthfully what we are going through as well. Our Lord is our greatest comfort, our greatest hope and our greatest strength! Invest in your relationship with Him and hopefully you’ll also find yourself counting your blessings! Pastor Paul

08/02/2026

SPECIAL INTERACTIONS!
God bless and thank you so much for joining me for this special video/announcement . This is where I really thank God for meaningful “whispers”. My mindset was filming trophy buck but I just couldn’t shake the thought that I needed to set up the camera on a mom and (what appeared to be) her two fawns some 200 yards away and soon after, this video happened. What a beautiful moment in time! The fawns were “lively” and and mom seemed as if she was trying to keep the “kids” in check with some light eye contact including some body language and yes, even a few deep stares!
God too has ways of getting our attention when our actions may need a little taming (or worse). One of the ways I believe He does it is through the Holy Spirit where we’re reminded of stories in scripture of people that stepped a bit to a great deal out of line. A great truth that comes to mind was a severe one. Today’s story is of Jonah. If you remember, he took a direct command of God and ran completely away from where God wanted him to be to do the opposite! So God put him in his place…talk about an attention getter! God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah and he found himself inside his belly…ALIVE! Here is part of the interaction as told in scripture. Book of Jonah (select chapters and verses) Jonah 1:17-2:2, 5-6a Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice”. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains…” Then after prayer and some serious consideration Jonah was ready to be delivered and ready to do God’s bidding. Look at verses Jonah 2:9-10 “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land”. So (this time) Jonah was obedient unto the Lord. Jonah 3:1-3a “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD…” He there did as the Lord commanded. The people responded and were spared from God’s wrath. Jonah had another great lesson to learn in chapter 4… maybe I’ll save that for another announcement.
Please enjoy the great lengths that God takes His time for, to teach us the way he wants us to live. HIS INTERACTIONS ARE PERFECT AS HE GUIDES US IN THE WAY THAT WE SHOULD GO. Let Him have his Will. God bless~Pastor Paul

07/27/2026

THE BEAUTY OF/IN THE DOWNPOUR!
(Close up in the comments)

God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. It’s been said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. This quote comes to mind when watching this video clip. Earlier this summer (July 5th 8:04 pm.) I had to privilege of being some 300 yards away from this, soon to be, trophy buck. Yet so many things please me in this clip at so many levels. Yes, it’s a good buck however the beauty of the downpour is amazing to me coupled with (when you increase the volume) the somewhat muffled roar of the rain as it was recorded in slow motion…the whole combined clip is truly one of my favorites this year.
Often times when I read scripture, it hits me in a similar fashion… One passage may have three, four or five lessons (sometimes more) that speak to the heart and/or move to remind me of something valuable and important or needed at that moment it my life or possibly someone that I know. One such passage is one I read in church today…Matthew 14:22-33 “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God”.
So many things personally move me here and hopefully as you dissect the scripture as well, you will be moved…Here’s just seven quick thoughts that came to move me.
1. I look at how Jesus sent his disciples away because he knew that he would meet up with them later and teach them a faith building message.
2. We also see the importance of prayer as Jesus Himself takes time to commune with His Heavenly Father. A wonderful reminder for us to do the same!
3. Jesus being all knowing knew that when He walked on the water that his disciples would be afraid so he told them not to be! He has the power and ability to calm all our fears and even alter or change the situation or our thought process even in the midst of it!
4. The amazing then happens that Jesus allows Peter to walk on the water as well! A miraculous miracle.
5. Then, of course, we are reminded what happens when we take our focus off of Christ, well, we too sink.
6. Don’t forget to pray: FIRST! We see Peter address Christ as Lord: his prayer…SAVE ME! Remember to live for and communicate with Jesus.
7. Then, in Jesus, perfect way, he teaches them not to doubt! So he not only saves Peter, but He then calms the wind and the waves!
Jesus wants Himself to be our main focus and keep our eyes fixed on Him. I believe He is there to calm the storms in our lives as well as we choose to trust Him. SPECIAL NOTE: if He chooses not to remove us from the storm, trial, or circumstance… He also has the power to see us through it/them! So many thoughts and lessons here… which one is most beautiful to you? Please let the scripture move you to a more satisfying life with Jesus! Take them all in… Find beauty in them all! May God richly bless~Pastor Paul

07/19/2026

IN A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY!
God bless and welcome to St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. Here is some background on this video…It was recorded at 8:09 pm a few nights ago. By then I was losing light and the heat haze was evident and working against me. While that wasn’t enough, the sunlight that I had available was difficult and probably the worst obstacle was the distance between myself and the buck, which was believed to be in the neighborhood of 435 yards! I actually used a two times tele-converter attached to my largest prime lens with a built-in 1.4 tele-converter. So it would be an understatement to say that I was pushing the camera and lens to nearly “its limits”. But still… The finished product…for me, A VERY SPECIAL PRAISE!
This message today, hopefully, will move you to think of the amazing things that the master creator creates, one of which, is heaven! A place, I pray, as we surrender to and accept Jesus as savior we will all experience someday together! Let’s look at how we get there…
John 14:1-3, 6 (Jesus said…) “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also…Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. Although much about Heaven and Eternal Life with Christ is unknown, we learn in scripture about Jesus’ love, compassion and now we see THROUGH HIM…IS THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER IN HEAVEN!
In closing… If you’re like me and you’ve ever pondered how you can’t believe that God would put so much detail into a small songbird or the mature whitetail buck, think to yourself how beautiful and amazing heaven will be! A gift to you from your loving, precious Lord! God bless~ Pastor Paul