Aaron Bartsch is the recently minted Director of Facilities and Maintenance at First Baptist Church, or as we like to call him around the office, the Minister of Maintenance. He has also served on our Deacon Board and plays bass guitar for our worship team. Most people at First Baptist are aware of these facts, but what you may not know is that Aaron is an actual, real-life Samurai. I’ve seen his...
“Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.” I don’t really know who David Gerrold is, but I’m grateful for this quote that is attributed to him. While it certainly presents a painfully dark and narrow view of life, there are times when it paints a fairly accurate picture of the struggle I feel in my heart. For any...
I was greatly amused by a meme I recently saw while scrolling through Facebook. It was a simple white background with words over the top. It read, “We are 5 months into 2020 and it’s still January.” Though we have turned the page on the calendar and made our way into February, the slow slog still continues. My daughter made a profound assessment of the last month and change. As we prepared for...
I have done dozens of baptisms over the years. Of all of the things I do as a pastor, I find baptism to be particularly meaningful as it is a very public declaration of faith in obedience to the command and call of Jesus and because of the beautiful symbolism it demonstrates. I find myself getting emotional every time I lower someone into the water and pronounce the words, “Buried with Him...
My son decided he wanted to start playing basketball again this season. We signed him up to play for a local league called “Enter His Courts.” One of my favorite parts about “Enter His Courts” is what I like to call the “Come to Jesus Moment” that takes place before each game. The “Come to Jesus Moment” plays out in two ways. After my friend and the league director, Tim Goodpaster, sits all the...
West Virginia offered a host of recreational activities not available where I grew up in the northern plains of Indiana. So, when I moved to the “Mountain State,” I took advantage of as many of the outdoor adventures as possible. My wife Robyn and I hiked the hills of nearby state parks, I took a college course on Whitewater Rafting and served as a guide for a summer, and I purchased a mountain...
One of my favorite memories from my time in youth ministry involves a speech given by one of my amazing volunteer youth workers in a cornfield in Kentucky. It was my first major event for First Baptist Church of St Albans, WV. I had been at the church for several months, but I didn’t know the teenagers very well, nor they me. So, as is often the case, some of the teenagers were pushing the...
There is a lot of talk these days about superheroes and the powers they possess. This is certainly the result of the deluge of superhero movies that have poured into the theaters and into our homes over the past decade. While watching one such movie recently, I was intrigued by a question asked by one of the mortal characters in the film. The character simply asked, “If you could have any...
Social media provides us with an interesting tool for observing current social norms. When we create accounts and agree to the terms of service provided by these companies, we are afforded entry into a massive fishbowl of sorts. Anyone with access to a computerized device, which is literally everyone in our modern world, is able to watch as the insanity ensues. It is both entertaining and...
Over the years, I have developed quite the collection of nativity sets. For those unfamiliar with this term, the nativity is the depiction of the birth of Jesus. It is often referred to as the manger. These sets often contain the virgin Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, a donkey, an ox, some shepherds with sheep, wisemen/magi with their accompanying animals, and an angel or a star. These nativity...
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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