Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, All seem to say, “Throw cares away;” Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, To young and old, meek and the bold; Ding-dong, ding-dong, that is their song, One seems to hear, words of good cheer; From ev’rywhere, filling the air, Ding, dong, ding, ding, dong! You’ve likely heard these lyrics before. They form the first verse of the classic Christmas song...
There is an entire academic discipline focused on signs. This field of study is known as SEMIOTICS. It is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. There are three primary areas of semiotics. Cognitive Semiotics involves efforts to understand how individuals derive meaning using signs and symbols. Cultural Semiotics deals with the way signs develop and are used in particular...
The Thanksgiving gathering is a very important event for my wife’s family. It is the one time each year when the extended family comes together. For many years, we referred to this gathering as Thanksmas, as it was a time to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, included with the celebration of these two major events is another date of great significance. In fact, the smaller...
It is a bad time of year to be a turkey. In the days ahead, slow cookers, smokers, fryers, and all manner of food preparation devices will be fired up to prepare the centerpiece of Thanksgiving meals across the country and through the ages, the Thanksgiving turkey. I confess, I don’t really like turkey. I’m convinced we only eat it once or twice a year, not because it’s expensive or difficult to...
A TikTok creator has gone viral with a social experiment she is conducting entitled Testing Your Church. Each video starts with her explaining, “I am about to test your church to see if they would help feed a starving baby.” She provides the name of the church she will be calling and various details about their ministries. She then calls the church in question and poses as a mother in need of...
Every now and again, I discover something during sermon prep that doesn’t fit in the flow of the message. These delicious little nuggets of truth go no further than the pile of post-it notes that litter my desk throughout the study and composition process. A few such morsels have been simmering in my head for the better part of two weeks now. They are found in the story of The Feeding of the 5000...
It will come as little to no surprise to most that I have a robust collection of Bibles populating my bookshelves. The most beloved Bible in my collection is a navy blue, bonded leather, King James Version that was given to me by my Grandma Ruth when I was 11 years old. I wore that Bible out! The binding is held together by several layers of tape. The outer edges of the cover are cracked and...
I had a nightmare unlike any I’ve ever experienced recently. There were no monsters. There was no threat of death or bodily harm. There was no clear and present danger of any kind. The source of my terror was a political dialogue between myself and a family member. In my nightmare, my family member made several comments about an issue of the day. It was clear that they assumed I shared their...
Towards the front of the neighborhood in which I lived for most of my childhood, there was an empty lot with a massive mound of fill dirt. The neighborhood kids all referred to it simply as The Hill. Our favorite pastime on The Hill was King of the Mountain. King of the Mountain was a simple game. At the beginning, all participants gathered at the bottom of the hill. When the signal was given...
Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this before. I need to testify for a minute… My relationship with Jesus began with a bus ride when I was in the first grade. I was out running around the neighborhood that fine Sunday morning. My best friend at the time, Kyle, had just gotten two brand new “jogging suits,” one red and one blue. We thought it was only appropriate that we take them for a test run. As...
Jeremy Myers is the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church of Seymour, Indiana, where he has served since 2017. He has over 25 years of experience in local church ministry and not-for-profit leadership. He has a passion for helping emerging and existing generations learn to make space for each other and caring for the under-served and marginalized. In 2016, he earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Palmer Theological Seminary, with his thesis focusing on developing connections between senior adults and youth in the church. He is a passionate and gifted communicator and is regularly invited to speak at retreats, camps, conferences, and other events. He lives in Seymour, Indiana with his wife Robyn, their two children, Mikayla and JJ, and their Golden Doodle, Evie.
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