Atop the shelves surrounding my office are numerous 8×10 pictures. There is a picture of my family from a wedding when our children were little. There is a picture of my daughter dancing to a song I had composed and performed along with her at her dance recital. There is a picture of my son rocking out on a drum set before he could even form a full sentence. There are three pictures of...
TAG! We’re It!
Over the last few days, I have spent just over 24 hours on airplanes. All of that time sitting in extremely confined spaces with dozens of strangers makes for some extremely interesting opportunities for observation. Of particular interest was a pair of sisters who were sitting nearby, one in front of the other. They “played” the longest game of tag I have ever seen. The game began by accident as...
Are You Actually Going to Help?
One of my favorite outreaches we do every year at First Baptist Church is our partnership with Anchor House, Healthy Jackson County, and numerous area churches, schools, and businesses to provide over 200 food baskets for families at Thanksgiving. Over the course of several weeks, food is collected at various locations across Jackson County. All of the items are eventually transported to First...
Get It Right at the Source
This week’s blog is a guest post by Nathan Parker, Pastor of Worship and Media at FBC Seymour We have a saying in the world of music and audio recording that is represented by the acronym “GIRATS”—Get It Right At The Source. It’s a mantra that music producers and recording engineers keep in mind throughout a session, a reminder that the quality of a recorded song is only as good...
In Whose Hands
In the final moments of the crucifixion, Jesus calls out to the Father. We find His last words in Luke 23:46. It reads, “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” I’ve always been struck by this interaction. To a great degree, it feels like the final moment of resignation before the ultimate victory of the resurrection. Christ had spent the better part of a...
Whether You See It Or Not
My son, JJ, is what you could very rightly call a car guy. He has been obsessed with vehicles for his whole life. As soon as he was able to walk, he was commandeering my daughter’s pink Barbie Jeep to race around our front yard. He began carefully considering the vehicle he wanted to get upon receiving his license long before he was able to drive one. He has participated in the rebuilding or...
Season’s Greetings
Tis the season of greetings! You’ve undoubtedly received and given a number of said greetings in recent weeks. Whether they come in the form of Christmas cards, songs on the radio, decorations adorning houses and lawns, or through interpersonal interactions with family, friends, and acquaintances, season’s greetings abound this time of year. There are more than a few from which to choose. The...
Joining the Angelic Announcement
My lovely wife and I have had an ongoing debate in recent weeks concerning the quality of the Charlie Brown holiday specials. Due to an act of what some might call chance, I stumbled upon the Peanuts Holiday Collection box set. This trilogy includes the classics: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. My lovely bride contends that these...
Soda and the Sweet Grace of God
We have a special refrigerator tucked away in a storage closet here at FBC. It is usually stocked with bottled water, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Sprite. The purpose of this refrigerator is to have a supply of beverages available for staff during the course of the work day and to offer to guests, when appropriate. Some of our younger Baptists go roaming about the church, from time to...
Come, ALL
I love Christmas music. So much so that I composed a whole Christmas album entitled Let There Be Light:A Contemporary Christmas Carol which we recorded and released last December. While all of the songs are original, several include portions of Christmas classics and one is a reimagining of the popular Christmas carol We Three Kings entitled Chasin’ Down the Light. I can tell you from first-hand...
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