Sugar Run Church of the Brethren

05/29/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 5/29/26
“Seek God”
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) – But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Something weighing on your mind? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. All of what things? The things that most people worry about. In fact, in this teaching from Jesus, He lets us know that all of the things that most people worry about will be taken care of by God, if we would just concern ourselves with what He wants for our life.
Do you find yourself worrying about how you are going to pay your bills? Seek God. Is your job in jeopardy and you need to decide whether to stay or go? Seek God. Are you facing the intense worry of an adult child who has made some bad decisions? Seek God. I think you get the point. Anything we’re facing in life should cause us to look for God’s way of handling it and force us to seek out God’s will for this situation or decision. So, the question you may have is, “Well, how do I know what God’s will is?”
God reveals His will to us in different ways. His will for our lives is found in the pages of the Bible, in the words of wise Christians, through the divine coming together of circumstances, through the inward peace caused by Holy Spirit, or through a combination of any or all of these.
Something weighing on your mind? How about looking for God’s will in the situation? After all, don’t you think the Creator of the Universe can handle whatever it is that you’re dealing with right now?

05/22/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 5/22/26
“God’s Protection”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV) - But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
When we make the decision to put our faith in Jesus Christ, we become a child of God. As our Father, God gives us all kinds of gifts. A couple of the gifts He gives us are strength and protection from the evil one (Satan). In the verse above, we’re reminded that God will never let us down. “The Lord is faithful,” means that He will always keep His promises and will always do what He says He’ll do. If God says He will give us strength and protection from the evil one, then that’s exactly what He’ll do. I don’t know about you, but I find a lot of comfort in knowing that God is willing to provide us with strength and protection from anything the devil can do to us.
I was walking behind our house the other day and almost stepped on a box turtle that was partially covered in the leaves. I’m glad I didn’t step on it, but if I had, I probably wouldn’t have hurt it because of its really strong, hard shell. This made me think about how defenseless these turtles would be if they didn’t have a shell. A turtle without a shell would be dead in no time! But because of their protection, they can withstand all kinds of different dangers.
A person who chooses to reject Jesus is kind of like a turtle with no shell. It’s not going to end well. But making the choice to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior is like a turtle with a strong, hard shell. We have just the strength and protection we need to withstand anything that Satan can throw at us.
You can read more about this in Ephesians 6:10-20.

05/15/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 5/15/26
“Crucified With Christ”
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
This verse is a great summary of what it truly means to be a Christian. In our culture today, it’s so common for someone to claim to be a Christian, but live their life like the rest of the world. I know this all too well because I used to be one of these “halfway Christians.” In order for Jesus Christ to be able to live in us, we have to put our old self to death. There’s no such thing as half-hearted Christianity. For us to have eternal life, a death has to occur. And, the person that has to die is, first and foremost, Jesus Christ (and He did), but then for us to receive the eternal life that He gifts us with because of His resurrection, the next person that has to die is our old self. The worldly, self-centered, sinful person that used to live in us has to be snuffed out, so that Jesus can live in us and through us. Please understand, He doesn’t mean we need to literally kill ourselves. He simply means we need to accept the new life He’s given us. Jesus calls us to be fully surrendered and committed to Him, and only then will He take over our life. Jesus loves us so much that He laid down His life for us. Now, He tells us that we must lay down our life for Him.
Just to be clear, there’s nothing we can do to earn salvation and eternal life. Jesus paid it all for us. However, because of His love for us, and His sacrifice on our behalf, our response should be to follow Him by following His teachings and commands. Can you honestly say, like the Apostle Paul in the verse above, that you have been crucified with Christ and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you?

05/08/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 5/8/26
“Don’t Take the Bait”
Genesis 3:13 (ESV) - Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
When the serpent (Satan) tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, he convinced them that it was going to be good for them. He twisted the word of God around and deceived them into thinking this fruit that they were commanded by God not to eat would bring them nothing but good results. The serpent made it sound like God was holding them back from enjoying the best their world had to offer. They fell for it, they ate, and that’s when Sin entered God’s creation. Satan didn’t twist their arm and force them to eat. He was crafty in how he took little pieces of the truth and twisted them into his lies. They took the bait. They chose not to resist the temptation that was put in front of them.
Pennsylvania trout season is in full swing. I don’t pretend to be a very good fisherman, but I do enjoy trout fishing. One thing about trout is they can be very particular when they bite and what they’ll bite on, depending on the water depth, the time of day, and many other factors that separate the good fisherman from the mediocre ones. The one thing I do know, however, is that if you can figure out what they’re willing to bite on and when, you can be successful. It’s all about getting them to take the bait. Obviously, if you just throw a bare hook in the water with no bait on it, the chances of catching trout are pretty slim. But the more tempting you can make the bait, the better your chances are of being successful.
That’s very similar to how the devil operates in our lives. He knows exactly what each of our human desires are, and he dangles something in front of us that’s seems appealing to tempt us, just hoping we’re going to take the bait. If and when we do, WHAM! We’re hooked! Before we know it, we’re tangled up in the devil’s net of Sin. That’s why it’s so important to know God’s word so we can tell the difference between the ways of God compared to sinful ways. The ways of God will cause us to grow in our faith in Jesus Christ and leads to eternal life. Sinful ways, or the ways of Satan, will have a hook buried in them and will land us in the frying pan of Sin and eternal death. We always have to be on our guard so we don’t take the bait that the devil puts in front of us.

05/06/2026

Please come join us Sunday.

Join us at Sugar Run Church of the Brethren on May 10th at 7:00 p.m. for "Singing the Psalms," an evening of worship based on the Psalms of the Bible. Let's sing for joy to the Lord!

04/24/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 4/24/26
“Itching Ears”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT) – For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, writing to the man he was mentoring in the faith, Timothy, wrote these words almost two thousand years ago. He was explaining to Timothy that pretty soon there will be people who want teachers and preachers to tell them what they want to hear, instead of the truth. I really like how he uses the analogy of itching ears. People will want to be soothed by what they’re hearing, instead of being told what they need to hear.
When I was younger, I used to get poison ivy really bad. When I would get a bad batch of poison, it would itch so bad I couldn’t hardly stand it. Nothing seemed more important to me than to figure out what to do to take away the itchiness. I didn’t think about the root problem (no pun intended), I just wanted relief from the itch.
This truth that Paul wrote to Timothy way back then is alive and well today. People are looking for preachers and Bible teachers to take away the itch, and they aren’t really concerned about the root problem. Unfortunately, there are a lot of preachers and teachers that are willing to give in to this desire of these people, and, in turn, they water down the word of God, or manipulate it to make it say something that it really doesn’t.
Preachers and Bible teachers aren’t called by God to tell people what they want to hear. They’re called by God to preach and teach the word of God. The root problem of being itchy from poison ivy is getting the poison from the plant on your skin. The root problem of having itchy ears is Sin. The only way to get rid of poison ivy is to apply the right ointment or medication. Just itching it isn’t going to help. In fact, it will just make it worse. The only way to get rid of Sin is to believe in Jesus Christ, follow Him, and obey the truth that is written in the Bible. Just having our itching ears scratched isn’t going to help. In fact, it will just make it worse. Like it or not, the Bible is the truth, and that’s what our ears need to hear.

04/17/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 4/17/26
“You Matter!”
Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Often times I have a conversation with someone who feels like their problems, or even their life isn’t important enough for God to care about. This makes me sad. And, I try my hardest to help them realize that God cares for each one of us, down to the very last detail of our lives. Everything, including what seems to be the smallest problem is very important to God.
The verses above are the words of Jesus himself as He is teaching His disciples before they’re sent out to tell others about Jesus. He explains to them that even sparrows, while they may seem meaningless according to the world’s standards, are still important to God. Not one of them is outside the care and will of God. Jesus goes on to say that God even has the hairs on our head in His inventory. Things that seem so small to us are very important to God.
So, whatever it is that you’re going through, just know that God cares about it, and you. Nothing happens that takes God by surprise. And nothing is going on that is too small for God to care about. He loves you and He cares about every detail of your life, right down to the very hairs on your head. Now, I know for some of us, the number of hairs is getting fewer. But, we should always remember that we matter to God. God loves each of us and was willing to send His one and only Son to die for us.
John 3:16 (NIV) – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

04/10/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 4/10/26
“Front Porch Sittin’”
Psalm 46:10 (NLT) - “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
Often times when someone asks a person, “How are you doing?” the answer comes back immediately, “Busy, I’m really busy.” I have a feeling you can relate. We definitely live in a busy society. Fast-paced, on the go all the time, hurry-hurry-hurry! It seems to me that we’ve reached a point where we’re made to feel guilty if we’re not extremely busy all the time. I think that’s sad. There’s a lot to be said about slowing down. Or, as the old expression goes, “We need to take time to stop and smell the roses.”
I remember as a kid going to my neighbor’s house and sitting on their front porch. Dick and Lorna were an older couple and we’d all sit on the porch as they would share stories from days gone by. I really enjoyed just simply sitting and listening to them talk about the old timers of the area as they shared their memories of a simpler time. Sometimes, we’d sit for hours and do absolutely nothing but talk. I miss those days of sitting on their front porch.
I was reminded of that the other day when a guy said he was going to visit a friend of his and they would probably just sit on the front porch and talk. My reply was, “There’s not enough of that nowadays. Just sitting on the porch.” It reminded me of the verse above where the writer of this Psalm tells us that God said, “Be still, and know that I am God!”
I think it’s very important that in this rat-race we call life, we take these words of our Creator seriously. That we take regular times to be still and talk to God just like we’re sitting on His porch. God doesn’t expect us to be busy all the time. The Bible tells us in many places how important it is to rest, relax, and be still. Do you find yourself getting worn out by life? Maybe it’s time we all take a little more time to be still. And, one of the many ways to be still is to simply sit on the porch and enjoy the beauty of His creation, and maybe the company of someone else. I don’t know about you, but I’m a firm believer that this world sure could use some more front porch sittin’.

04/03/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 4/3/26
“Mission Accomplished”
John 19:30 (NIV) – When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
As Jesus hung on the cross, beaten and his flesh torn to shreds, someone that was present soaked a sponge with wine vinegar and hoisted it up to Jesus’ lips. Jesus then says, “It is finished.” In order to fully understand what Jesus meant by saying this, it’s helpful to know that the words “it is finished” come from the Greek word “tetelestai.” Tetelestai can have several meanings, including to end, to bring to completion, to bring to a conclusion, to accomplish, to fulfill, or to finish. So, what did Jesus mean when he said, “Tetelestai?”
I think He meant several things. First, I think He was referring to the mission that He had been given by the Father to carry out. He had faithfully lived a perfect, sinless life, fulfilling all of the prophesies that had been spoken about the Savior that would come to rescue anyone who would put their faith in Him. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Mission accomplished.”
I also believe that He was talking about the sacrificial system that had been in place in order for mankind to be forgiven of their sins. Animals were constantly being sacrificed so that people could temporarily have their sins forgiven. Because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, He fulfilled the sacrificial system.
Because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for Sin, He paid the price required for our sins, once and for all. He paid the debt that we owe, so we can be forgiven. When we combine Jesus laying down his life to save us from our sins with the fact that he rose from the grave on the third day, we’re given the gift of salvation and eternal life. The only thing required of us is to receive this gift by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Then we can confidently say, “Jesus paid it all, once and for all.” Thank you Jesus for letting us know that, “It is finished.”

03/27/2026

The Word from the Woodpile 3/27/26
“Meekness Is Not Weakness”
Matthew 11:29 (KJV) – Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
In these words spoken by Jesus, He tells us that He is meek and lowly in heart. So, what does it mean to be meek and lowly in heart? Well, I can assure you that it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s actually a sign of strength; inner strength. To be meek means to have power, but to choose to keep it under control. And, to be lowly in heart means to be someone that has all the qualifications it would take to be proud and arrogant, but chooses to remain humble and approachable.
I was thinking of Jesus describing Himself as meek and lowly in heart the other day while playing with Maisie. Maisie is Tiffani’s and my German Shepherd. When I’m playing with Maisie, she’ll bite my hands and arms, but only with a certain amount of pressure. She has the power to do some major damage, but because she cares about me, she chooses to keep that power under control. She could tear me up, along with the house and everything in it. Yet, she chooses to be very friendly and approachable. She’ll often times snuggle up beside us and want her belly rubbed. Maisie is very powerful, yet she chooses to remain gentle and approachable.
Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe. He’s the judge of every person that ever was and will be. He has the power to do anything He chooses, including hanging on the cross with the weight of everyone’s sins on Him, and the power to conquer death. To say that He’s powerful and has all the qualifications to be arrogant and proud would be a huge understatement. Yet, He chooses to be meek and lowly at heart. He chooses to keep His power under control, and chooses to be humble and approachable. Thank you Jesus for being meek and lowly in heart!