One of the many lessons I’ve learned in my years as a pastor is that life is short and fast. As a pastor I am often invited to participate in the celebrations of life’s beginning, when a person is born, and also at life’s end, when a person has died. It has made me keenly aware of the fragility and fleeting nature of my own life. We are, each of us, only here for a matter of moments, and then we...
Every year, on or around my birthday, I would receive a card in the mail from my Grandma Ruth. I would begin looking forward to that card weeks before it was supposed to arrive. I would check the mail every chance I got, hoping to see my grandmother’s handwriting on an awkwardly sized envelope. It was, without question, the highlight of my birthday every year! Before you get too sentimental, my...
I remember the first time I ever jumped off a high dive. I was in seventh grade and was a camper at Lake Ann Baptist Camp up in the nether regions of Northern Michigan. Out on the lake they had several jumping off points. You could jump off of the dock, which was no big deal because it was only about a one-foot drop from the platform to the water. There was a low diving board, which was about six...
My wife, Robyn, and I have been married for 17 years. We are living the quintessential “American Dream” with two kids and a dog. It was a dream that seemed very unlikely when we first met on the first day of our freshman year of college. It was NOT love at first sight. As a matter of fact, our first impressions of one another were less than favorable. It was NOT love at first sight. As a matter...
When I was a kid, church camp was the highlight of my summer. The church I grew up in was rather large. As a result, the children’s and youth ministries were big enough that our summer camps were self-run. The church would rent the entirety of a camp facility for our weeks of camp. We would bring in our own camp staff. From directors to counselors, from cooks to kitchen help, from crafts to kids...
One of my favorite bands as a teenager was Caedmon’s Call. If I were to play one of their albums right now, I could probably sing every word to every song, but few of them stick with me in the in-between times. There is, however, a line in the song Center Aisle that comes to mind early and often. The song is about a young woman who took her own life. The vocalist hauntingly sings these words…...
TO BE CONTINUED… When it comes to literature, movies, television shows, and other storytelling forms, is there a more annoying phrase in the English language? There are few things as frustrating as investing yourself fully in a story only to be confronted by these soul-crushing words. You ride the storyline all the way to the top of the climax. You invest yourself fully in the characters, in...
The first time I applied for a job was soon after my fifteenth birthday. I had gone through the process of getting the required waiver and was certain of my ability to find gainful employment at one of the very respectable purveyors of fine foods in our area. My first choice was the gallery of culinary artistry known as Subway. I chose this particular establishment for three reasons. First, at...
This morning as I was preparing my morning coffee, I listened in on an interaction between my wife and my son. My son, who is only 11, was very concerned with his ability to maintain his energy levels for the day. He has several opportunities today to engage in athletic activity and he wanted to make sure he did the right things before heading off to school to pave the way for success in all of...
Home renovation shows are all the rage these days. If I were to be completely honest, I do enjoy some HGTV when I get the chance. We don’t have cable at our house, so when we are on vacation we spend a good amount of time observing the latest trends in home decoration and design. Recently, while I was binge watching copious amounts of this mind-numbing goodness, I began noticing some...
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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