Where is Sand Patch? Walking with Jesus from the Edges.

Walking with Jesus

Where Is Sand Patch?

Pastor Calvin Cook

August 3, 2026 – Day 21 of 40

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other.”  Isaiah 46:9

The other day I noticed a social media post advertising about a presentation about Sand Patch. Most might be asking right now what or where is  “Where is Sand Patch?”

Immediately my mind traveled back to conversations with my dad.

Coming from a railroad family, I remember hearing stories about Sand Patch. To railroaders, it wasn’t just another place on the map. Located in Somerset County outside Meyersdale PA. I remember Dad telling me stories about being on the train and shoveling coal into boiler to build up steam to make the climb and Dad speaking about Grand Pap Cook making the trek to Sand Patch from Glencoe. I know these are all references that are part of my story but are what make each of our personal stories important.

Sand Patch was one of the most challenging grades in the Allegheny Mountains. Steam engines struggled up the mountain. Helper engines pushed from behind. Railroad men worked around the clock. There was once a small community there with a hotel, a post office, stores, homes, a depot, water and coal stations, and families whose lives revolved around the railroad. Today, most of that little town is gone. The trains still pass through the famous Sand Patch Tunnel, but the bustling community that once surrounded it has largely become a memory.

It made me wonder. How many places like that exist in our lives?

Places that were once full of activity, purpose, and life—but today are remembered only in stories.

Then another thought came.

Is that what our walk with Jesus has become?

For many people, faith has become something they remember rather than something they live. They remember Sunday school. They remember praying with their parents or grandparents. They remember a revival, a camp meeting, a baptism, or a season when they felt close to God.

But somewhere along the journey, the trains kept moving while they stayed behind.

Their faith became a memory instead of a relationship.

Jesus never intended for us to simply remember Him. We are invited to walk with Jesus today. Every day Jesus is calling us to climb the difficult grades of life with Him leading the way. When the climb becomes too steep and our strength begins to fail,  Grace becomes the Helper that pushes us forward.

Perhaps that’s the lesson of Sand Patch and many other places that are just a memory but this is part of our story of remembering what is and was important.  Even when what was once recognizable fades it is still a much more recognizable part of what once was and in the case of Sand Patch the trains still pass through.The tracks through Sand Patch were never removed. The trains still know the way. God’s path for our lives has never disappeared either. The invitation to follow Jesus is still as clear today as it has always been.

Jesus is still calling people to follow Him. Don’t allow what you once new and received and had in Jesus to only be a memory. Don’t let the Yes you said to Jesus be a forgotten place you only visit in your memories.

Walk with Jesus today. Keep the relationship alive. Let Him lead you over every mountain until one day your journey reaches home.

And for those who have never started that walk with Jesus it starts with one step, the first step and it can begin right now.

If you need to talk – I am here for you ……….

Until next time lets keep walking with Jesus……..

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for the memories of those who taught us to follow You. Help us never to let our faith become only a memory. Keep our hearts close to You, our feet walking in Your ways, and our eyes fixed on You each day. Amen.