You may not be familiar with the term leitmotif, but you are undoubtedly familiar with many of them. If you’ve watched any movies or television shows in the last 30 years, you’ve heard more than a few leitmotifs and probably have some personal favorites. A leitmotif is a short, repeating musical phrase associated with a person, setting, emotion, or theme. We might simply think of them as theme...
Jesus was a bit of a people watcher. There are several examples of Jesus observing the attitudes and actions of the people of His day available to us throughout the gospels. Several immediately come to mind, but one story in particular has always been extremely challenging to me. The story is known as The Widow’s Offering. It can be found in the gospels of Luke and Mark. Here is the telling of...
At what age do we begin to observe and understand the concepts of wealth and poverty? I’m not referring to the deep, philosophical concepts and systems surrounding these two polar twins; I’m talking about the basic observation that one’s own family is either rich or poor. Thinking back over the years of my own life, I had no idea whether my family was rich or poor when I was in preschool and...
When I was 17-years-old, I found myself on the wrong side of the law. As per usual, I was running a smidge late for school and my forward momentum was just north of the posted speed limit. Still, I was utterly shocked that the officer decided to pull me over on that fine morning rather than any number of my fellow commuters that were proceeding with equal or greater velocity. I remembered my...
The Wizard of Oz is arguably the most popular movie of all time. According to the Library of Congress, “[The Wizard of Oz] has been seen by more viewers than any other movie.” The same Library of Congress post notes that a poll by People Magazine declared it “the favorite movie of the twentieth century.” The film was originally released back in 1939, celebrating 84 years of existence this past...
In my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve officiated more funerals than I can count. Each of them, in various ways and to differing degrees, weighed heavily on my heart and mind. Even at times when the service was a celebration of a long life shared with a legion of well-loved family and friends in faithful service to the Savior, my heart hurts for and with the family and my mind strains to find the...
I often find myself reflecting back on friends I’ve had the privilege of knowing at various stages of my life. Over the years, I have lived in 3 states, attended at least 7 schools, and served in 5 churches. I’ve met and developed friendships with countless wonderful people, people whom I deeply love and whom were vital to my survival and success. It saddens me that I have been unable to maintain...
The race is on! Since we purchased a 1988 Ford Mustang (which we lovingly refer to as Miss Betty Blue), we have been slowly replacing components as time and money allow. Over the course of the last ten months, we have replaced the seat belts, the entire headlight and tail light assemblies, and the seals on most of the windows. We have repaired a broken turn signal and the hatch for the hatch back...
Certain stories have a way of sticking with you over time. As children, we often enjoy the stories for the entertainment value and we might even be able to glean a moral from the story. But, I have found that the messages of some bedtime stories or fables become more poignant as we age and gain greater life experience. One story that seems to consistently come to mind is the American fable by...
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life and experience. We are encouraged to pray for ALL things, at ALL times, with ALL kinds of prayers (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Our prayers are powerful. They have the potential to impact not only how we feel internally, but our physical, lived experience. They have power and potential because the God to whom we pray is...
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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