St. Peter’s UCC

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

JUST PASSING THROUGH…
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. I just want to start by thanking everyone for your continued support and encouragement!
The video clip shown here includes two of the fortunate Tom turkeys that made it through the recently completed spring gobbler season. As a bit of a bonus, a beautiful doe walked right through the scene as if to say, “Don’t mind me, I’m just passing through”. In truth moments come and go, many things surprise us or happen that we don’t plan for. Or, if we plan we can experience letdown or a type of devastation if our plan doesn’t come to fruition. Please Don’t Worry: ACT…Allow God to be the Lord of your plans and ALLOW GOD TO CHANGE YOUR PLANS AS HE SEES FIT! PRAY ON THIS: Ask yourself… Do I believe God will be pleased with me if I do this or that? Is it God’s time for this change/action? Also, is it our goal that God‘s perfect Will is done in our life (as it should be)? Meaning, do we put God‘s will above our own? Please consider the scripture passage…
James 4:13b-17 “ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin”. This passage can speak volumes to us, to help us to consider what it is God would have us to do above all things! Long to do his will, strive to do the things that you know God wants you to do, the good things! Pray that he will reveal your gifts as well as spiritual gifts and graces to you and I believe God will answer more and more questions for you, such as… What were you created for? How does the Lord want to use you? So: Are you ready to answer the call? In closing… do your best to follow God‘s plan and pathway for your life because we’re all just passing through, living life between the dash (your birth – your death). Allow God to make your life special as you live every day, passing through, FOR JESUS! Know this….Your life matters so, so much AS YOU WERE ULTIMATELY CREATED FOR HIM! Be the blessing! Pastor Paul

06/01/2026

GROWING TOWARD MATURITY!
(Video has no sound- deer filmed at a distance of approximately 200 yards away)
God bless and welcome to St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. Before you is my personal largest filmed buck so far this spring…Five visible bumps on his rack which most likely will be points within two weeks from today (as I filmed this almost one week ago)! Also, two heavy bases! I was told that a whitetail buck can grow up to one inch per day of antler growth, so as long as God allows him to live and he stays healthy and eats and drinks well (considering all the food in farm country: Not a problem). I believe, he will continue to grow out his rack and most likely finish up near the end of the first week of August (the end of ANTLER GROWING SEASON). My best opinion…He will be a giant! Yes! The best is yet to come for him (as far as a trophy rack is concerned). Switching gears now to your spiritual person, that is your spiritual walk… Are you doing the best you can to grow out/up spiritually? The Bible gives us this wisdom… for this announcement let’s go with 1st Peter 2:1-3 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious”. As discussed earlier the buck needs his nutrition and so do we for spiritual growth, “The sincere milk or (nourishment) of the word”. Then let’s work the word out by casting away evil and in sincere prayer let us seek more earnestly the true teachings of scripture and consume the proper spiritual nourishment through reading and studying it so we can grow to a greater walk and comprehension of God’s Holy Word. We’ll see then in applying that we prove more fruitful! This is what will happen…WE WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER HAVING THESE QUALITIES IN OPERATION. Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.* And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another”. By desiring, working toward and applying these biblical principles we too will grow to a place of spiritual maturity! BE THE BLESSING~Pastor Paul

*Galatians 5:22-23 NLT BIBLE (For added clarity)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Gentleness and self-control, there is no law against these things.

05/24/2026

FINDING BEAUTY IN THE BLUR!
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. As I write this post on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend I find myself doing some remembering/thinking of my own. First off…I’m reminded to thank God for the courage of the fallen soldier and how our FREEDOM ISN’T FREE (REMEMBERING GOD HIMSELF ORCHESTRATES TRUE FREEDOM) as well as the importance of prayer and how we should send them to Jesus lifting up their families. We should all be amazingly grateful for their sacrifice.
Thinking along the lines of being grateful, my heart and mind moves to my very own dad and although many memories of him are now blurred because he died some 34 years ago (natural causes-not military related) I am truly blessed as I think of the love we both had for each other and for wildlife! To be able to ride mountain roads looking for wildlife together was one of the simplest and yet greatest privileges of my life: TRUE GIFTS FROM GOD! I remember (not blurry) when gas was $.99 a gallon and he would fuel up ($5 worth) in the old Dodge Ram and we would go! I’m reminded now it’s never a good idea to take anything for granted so praise the Lord for these simple and pure blessings. For the clock ticks and the calendar turns…
Today: The same amount of gas is about $21 but thankfully, although the drives are (mostly) shorter in length…they still happen! Only now, for me, they aren’t in the woods as often as they are in farm country. That leads me to mention the motion-blurred image of the fox provided…which is proof that God is still providing the wildlife and I’m still filming! Things change but God is still real and still good! Remember what God has done for you but please don’t romanticize the past as it can often stagnate your future. Psalms 143:5-6 “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse* on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah”. So continue to see the good God wants to do and choose to do it! Let Him use you for His purposes: Making great future memories! The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. The Matthew Henry Commentary explains it this way “Heaven is the prize of the high calling; to brabeion--the prize we fight for, and run for, and wrestle for, what we aim at in all we do, and what will reward all our pains. It is of great use in the Christian course to keep our eye upon heaven. This is proper to give us measures in all our service, and to quicken us every step we take; and it is of God, from whom we are to expect it. Eternal life is the gift of God (Romans 6:23), but it is in Christ Jesus; through his hand it must come to us, as it is procured for us by him. There is no getting to heaven as our home but by Christ as our way”. In closing, the future may seem unclear (blurry) to you however, God Himself sees all and knows all. Trust in Him and press forward. I believe He will work through the blurry and make beauty from it! Let God bless~Pastor Paul

*Realizing how great or how good it is.

05/16/2026

EARLY EDITION:
FINDING THE BEAUTY IN THE STORM!
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. What a blessing! As I patiently awaited a visit from a trophy Tom Turkey, during the first week of spring gobbler season, I had an opportunity to be reminded of true simple beauty during a storm, when instead a Northern Mockingbird gave me quite a show! I was truly content and at peace enjoying these special moments!
My mind then moves to scripture in Mark 4:35-41 “And the same day, when the even* was come, he (Jesus) saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind**, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him”?
To me, the beauty here was Jesus asleep on the pillow and at this time the power and wisdom He possessed! He knew His time had not yet come (not His time to die). He also knew the safety He would provide for the others! I believe He allowed this to happen as He had His reasons…Two of which, I can’t help but believe were to show up (being physically with them) and teach. He is “Salvation” and “His Timing Is Always Perfect”. As Jesus said…”Peace Be Still” the wind and waves (sea) obeyed! He brought perfect peace then and as we trust in Him, He still has the power to bring it again and again. Let Jesus be the beauty and ultimately bring the peace in all of your storms! Put your faith in Him! God Bless as His Presence and Power Is The Blessing~Pastor Paul

* even = evening

The Matthew Henry Commentary-
**The storm was so great, that the ship was full of water (Mark 4:37), not by springing a leak, but perhaps partly with the shower, for the word here used signifies a tempest of wind with rain; however, the ship being little, the waves beat into it so that it was full.

05/10/2026

HAPPY AND BLESSED MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL GODLY MOTHER’S EVERYWHERE!
God bless and thank you for taking a minute to enjoy St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. What a joy to see the eaglets in the nest! It’s a very sobering and humbling thought to think ALL OF US, at one time were just as needy…Not able to do for ourselves, that is, to meet even the minimum requirements for life itself. But God created mother! A nurturing and caring mother is one that steps up day in and day out and meets the needs! Let us pay tribute and show honor to ALL OUR GODLY MOTHER’S!
Here are select verses from Proverbs 31 that point out what a virtuous woman and exceptional wife and mother look like! Proverbs 31:10-12 “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life”. In my opinion, she is priceless! Her trustworthy nature provides stability to her husband. Verse 20 “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy”. We see here her caring nature extends beyond the family to the poor and less-fortunate. We close with the final verses Proverbs 31:25-31 “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates”.
Let us praise our Lord for the Godly mother’s and wives given and show them the honor, love and praise they so richly deserve: And FROM ME: THANK YOU (If I may…) TO ALL THE GODLY, VIRTUOUS MOTHER’S AND WIVES EVERYWHERE! YOU DESERVE HONOR AND PRAISE! PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR WAYS OF WISDOM, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND BLESSINGS! Have a great week ahead. Pastor Paul

05/04/2026

WATCH GOD’S BEAUTY COME YOUR WAY!
God bless and thank you all so very much for joining me for another of our St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moments”. In this special video clip we have two Jakes walking in the foreground and three trophy Tom’s seemingly strutting right towards me. So very awesome to see, and God is so great to allow me to be in the right place at the right time!
I’d like us to ponder a question…According to scripture: Is there something that we can do to position ourselves to have more beautiful moments come our way? Here are some ‘points to ponder’ that came my way today: I pray something written here helps you. First of all, I believe we need to be aware that God is always working and we too should work hard at seeing the beauty He places in front of us, while being full of inner beauty (pure in thought and deed) ourselves! Yes! Purpose to live that pure and beautiful life! Choose the proper mindset… Go to his word. Look at the joy and beauty that’s found in the Lord‘s salvation and a pure walk with him. As God was willing to renew his covenant with the Israelites and as we know God is (Acts 10:34b) “no respector of persons“ I believe he makes concessions for us as we do our best to be obedient and walk with him as well. Isaiah 55:6-12 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands”. We should be confident and secure in the beholding of God’s greatness as His thoughts are far beyond ours.
In closing, I believe that seeking out God’s will truly yields the best results in this life and the next, and know this…blessings will come as the Lord premits! God is so good. Watch for them!
God bless~ Pastor Paul

04/26/2026

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT…
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. This week’s video clip was taken approximately 15 minutes from my home out in farm country. For many, just about anytime in the spring, a beautiful flock of turkey are such a welcome sight. In this particular flock, three or four birds were long-beards, and then it had also a few jakes and hens: However this flock was different. Most often I’m focusing on the long beards, but I soon realized there was a dominant hen with the longest beard I’d ever seen on any female turkey! All of a sudden this (approximately ) 7 1/2-8 inch bearded hen took center stage even over the three trophy toms in this nine second clip. To be able to see her two days in a row, WOW! What a gift!
For today’s post, I’m truly inspired to share with you several passages of scripture that I consider “GIFTS FROM GOD”. The first speaks of THE GREATEST GIFT THAT GOD HAS EVER GIVEN US….John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he *GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” So we have Jesus’ recorded life as He lived as well as the giving of Himself as he died for us all: Yes, salvation to ALL that would receive Him! Then we add gifts in the form of benefits as we live for Him…Psalms 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah”. The Matthew Henry Commentary makes the meaning clear “Those that take God for their God, and so give up themselves to him to be his people, shall be loaded with his benefits, and to them he will be a God of salvation. If in sincerity we avouch God to be our God, and seek to him as such, (1.) He will continually do us good and furnish us with occasion for praise…”
Lastly (for this episode) are the spiritual gifts and it’s a real blessing that every saved believer is given at least one…here is that promise: 1st Corinthians 12:7-11 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” Matthew Henry Commentary …”The Spirit was manifested by the exercise of these gifts; his influence and interest appeared in them. But they were not distributed for the mere honour and advantage of those who had them, but for the benefit of the church, to edify the body, and spread and advance the gospel. Note, Whatever gifts God confers on any man, he confers them that he may do good with them, whether they be common or spiritual. The outward gifts of his bounty are to be improved for his glory, and employed in doing good to others. No man has them merely for himself. They are a trust put into his hands, to profit withal; and the more he profits others with them, the more abundantly will they turn to his account in the end, (Philippians 4:17). Spiritual gifts are bestowed, that men may with them profit the church and promote Christianity. They are not given for show, but for service; not for pomp and ostentation, but for edification; not to magnify those that have them, but to edify others.” **Other passages including spiritual gifts are Romans 12:6-8, 1st Corinthians12:4-11, 28-30 and Ephesians 4:7-12.
Leave it to our WONDERFUL GOD TO BE SO INCREDIBLY GENEROUS! May God continue to give and bless: FIND YOURSELF IN AWE OF HIM! Pastor Paul

*capitalized for importance
** According to the Revelle Bible Dictionary page 943

04/19/2026

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE…
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. This past week Traci (my wife) and I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Tuscarora and Frances Slocum State Parks in our home state of Pa. In and on the way we were blessed with the opportunity to see many turtles (in addition to a formation in a tree stump that my wife photographed that resembles a snapping turtle).
It was easy to travel back in time to when we were very young as we were taught “turtles carry their house on their backs”! Maybe we all then can think back (for those of us having children) to when we taught that to our kids as well. How wonderfully important it is to do our best to feed into the lives of our children all things important especially the WAYS OF THE LORD.
The title of the post today includes a passage of scripture that drives home the point that we need to teach and lead others to SERVE OUR LORD (AS GOD) ONLY! Enjoy Joshua 24:15b-18 “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bo***ge, and which did those great signs* in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God”. To sum up: The scripture is about serving our Lord as the ONE TRUE GOD and no other gods.
I believe serving our Lord to a full capacity means sharing Him with others. Yes, remember how He has worked miracles and how He had freed his people from bo***ge and also note How we too can also be free from bo***ge… the bo***ge of sin, freed by finding Christ, repenting (turning away from) of yours and turning to and accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and savior. Then, I believe you too will want the rest of your family to know the pure love and forgiveness that you know is found in Christ and share with them that very advantage in life that you’ve found in Jesus! This is among my favorite passages on the subject…Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates”. To explain it clearly…The Matthew Henry Commentary “Thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children; and by communicating thy knowledge thou wilt increase it." Those that love the Lord God themselves should do what they can to engage the affections of their children to him, and so to preserve the entail of religion in their families from being cut off…frequently repeat these things to them, try all ways of instilling them into their minds…Thou shalt talk of these things, with due reverence and seriousness, for the benefit not only of thy children, but of thy other domestics, thy friends and companions, as thou sittest in thy house at work, or at meat, or at rest, or to receive visits, and when thou walkest by the way for diversion, or for conversation, of in journeys, when at night thou art retiring from thy family to lie down for sleep, and when in the morning thou hast risen up and returnest to thy family again. Take all occasions…”
In closing, Keep God’s teachings in front of you and be active in living it out “In Your Neck Of The Woods”! Unlike the turtle we can’t carry our house around on our backs but the Bible certainly does remind us how to make our HOUSE A HOME! GOD BLESS AND SERVE OUR LORD: BE IN SERVICE TO HIM AND OUR LOVED ONES ENTHUSIASTICALLY! Pastor Paul

*Signs-Miracles

04/11/2026

SPECIAL EARLY EDITION: THE EXCEPTIONAL VALUE IN (PREENING) KEEPING CLEAN!
God bless and welcome to another installment of St. Peter’s UCC’s “Weekly Wildlife Moment”. Just this morning I was able to locate several bald eagles but this one was the prize! At only 77.4 yards away I was truly blessed: Such beauty and majesty! For him to tolerate me as I took several video clips and picture after picture…it made for a very special meeting! God is great!
As I was in the process of choosing this particular clip for this weeks post I fashioned myself to the idea of how beautifully clean he appeared to be, which was no wonder, as I caught him in the act of (determined cleaning) preening. Pondering further I was moved to the thought of what is needed to maintain spiritual cleanliness. Let’s look at just that, according to scripture...Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-26 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also”. The Matthew Henry Commentary adds clarity….
“They are compared to a vessel that is clean washed on the outside, but all dirt within, Matthew 23:25,26. The Pharisees placed religion in that which at best was but a point of decency--the washing of cups, Mark 7:4. They were in care to eat their meat in clean cups and platters, but made no conscience of getting their meat by extortion, and using it to excess. Now what a foolish thing would it be for a man to wash only the outside of a cup, which is to be looked at, and to leave the inside dirty, which is to be used; so they do who only avoid scandalous sins, that would spoil their reputation with men, but allow themselves in heart-wickedness, which renders them odious (repulsive) to the pure and holy God”. Truly we need to be thoroughly clean and determined to stay clean! Add also 2nd Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”.
The Life Application Bible’s Commentary gives us transparency here…” Cleansing is a two fold action: turning away from sin and turning toward God. The Corinthians were to have nothing to do with paganism. They were to make a CLEAN break with their past and give themselves to God alone. “Work towards complete holiness” literally means “ perfecting holiness”. It connotes being mature or complete. Thus, Paul was not suggesting that the Corinthians become sinless in this life, instead he was prodding them to work at maturing their faith. God has provided them with all the resources that they needed, and Christ’s Spirit would empower them to become Christlike (Romans 8:2)”. So let it be! I’ll close with selected verses in Psalms 51:7,10 and 13. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow…Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me…Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee”. SO DO YOUR PART, (REPENT AND BE DETERMINED TO STAY CLEAN) AND TRUST JESUS THAT HE WILL DO HIS! God bless~Pastor Paul