My heart’s desire is that churches would strive to be FOR the community, not just IN the community. Of my own church, I regularly say, “We need to be First Baptist Church FOR Seymour, not just First Baptist Church IN Seymour.” Many times, churches become prominent historic fixtures in the community. For those outside the church, they serve as landmarks for directions and house memories of days...
I would like to meet the individual who is tasked with scheduling the airtime for the advertisements that play on the television from day to day. Either the television companies are running short on advertisements and as a result lack the necessary material to create a buffer between competing ads, or whomever is tasked with scheduling has intentionally chosen to run the ads for competing...
In the fall of 2001, I began my junior year of college at Appalachian Bible College. My wife Robyn and I had gotten married just a few months earlier, and for financial reasons made the move from Indiana to West Virginia to continue our educational pursuits. To be completely honest, it was an extremely difficult move for us. We were newlyweds with little money, no job prospects, and no friends or...
While my family and I have lived here in Seymour for the better part of two years, this year afforded us our first chance to engage in the flurry of activity that is Oktoberfest. Before we even stepped foot in Seymour, Indiana, we heard about the Oktoberfest. During the process that brought us to First Baptist Church, our first face-to-face interview was delayed because of Oktoberfest. Several...
Robyn and I purchased our first cellphone in the fall of 2001. I don’t remember the exact model, but I know it was a bright blue Nokia phone. It was a pretty exciting purchase for us. At the time, we were newly married and living in Beckley, West Virginia, which was approximately 8 hours away from our nearest family members. This mobile phone cost half as much as our landline, and allowed us to...
I find that the members of my family teach me as much about the love of God as anyone else. That includes my youngest (not littlest) baby, Evie. I’ve written about Evie a few times in the past. She is our one-year-old Golden Doodle. She is a sweet girl and she is under the impression that our attention should be focused on her at all times. This is particularly true when she wants to play ball...
I never actually played football as I was growing up. Sure, I threw the ball with my friends in the neighborhood and played the occasional schoolyard game, but I never played organized ball with a team. It was one sport that was never available to me. None of the schools I attended offered it as an option. The only “football” available to students at Elkhart Baptist Christian School, Grace...
Sometime over the summer, my eleven-year-old son, JJ, decided he wanted to run cross country for his school. Actually, that’s not 100% true. He decided he wanted to run track for his school and, as per school rules, runners have to run cross country to run track. So, during the summer, JJ went to running club whenever he was able and then to practices as we entered into the school year. To be...
Several years ago, I discovered Mr. Bob Ross. He was a painter and had a show called The Joy of Painting on PBS. If you don’t know Bob Ross by his name, you almost certainly would by his picture. Bob had a well-kept beard and an amazing ‘fro (turns out Mr. Ross hated his hair style, but kept it for branding purposes). The setting of the show was very simple. It was just Mr. Ross, his canvas and...
We live in exciting times. Human history is in the midst of a fundamental shift in the way we function. The advent of the smart phone is forcing us to evaluate and redefine how life is lived in our current age and for years to come. Not since the invention of the printing press has humanity experienced such massive changes. Every aspect of life has been touched by this new digital revolution, but...
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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