There are few things that we love more in the information age than being well-informed, or at least believing we are well-informed. In theory, the advent of the internet and a plethora of digital devices have put a veritable treasure trove of information at our fingertips, all the time. The ubiquity of our access and our proclivity to act upon it has forced us to create new words to describe the...
When one thinks of the church, a wide range of thoughts and pictures probably flood the mind. Somewhere early in that deluge is probably the image of an actual church building. Perhaps it was the church you or a beloved family member attended when you were growing up. Maybe it was the location where an important, life-shaping event took place. Or, it could be that it was or is just a prominent...
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...
When I was a little boy, I almost drowned. And I must confess, IT WAS MY FAULT! My family was attending a party at the house of some friends. In their back yard, they had a swimming pool. It was an in-ground pool with a clearly demarcated boundary to separate the shallow end and the deep end of the pool. I don’t remember how old I was at the time, but I clearly remember that I couldn’t swim. I...
Summer is a busy season in ministry. Over the course of the 8 to 10 weeks of summer, camps, conferences, and mission organizations provide numerous opportunities for service and encouragement for people of all ages. While it is a very exciting time, it is also a very exhausting season. By the time you insert a vacation or a weekend away, the summer is spent and you often find yourself needing a...
Have you ever taken the time to read Ecclesiastes? It’s in the Old Testament right after Psalms and Proverbs. It isn’t exactly one of those books that we go running to for encouraging reading material. It does contain a few passages with which many of us would be familiar, though. Allow me to provide a few examples… Ecclesiastes 1:2 reads, “Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher...
I met Mr. Jim Cox sometime in 2005. As I reflect back, I can still see his face. His eyes were always filled with compassion and joy and he had a wildly contagious, if not a little mischievous, smile that could light up a room. I’m not 100% sure what the first words he spoke to me were, but I’m fairly certain that our first conversation after I joined the pastoral staff at the church he...
A simple claw hammer, a two foot metal stake, and a yellow jacket nest… On first glance, this could be the start of a really bad joke. And, just like a really bad joke, there’s nothing funny about where this story goes. In late summer of 2018, the third largest Californian wildfire was set ablaze as a result of these simple items. One article about the fire explains, “California’s largest...
In composing these weekly reflections, I make great efforts to not go back to the same wells too often. But, it wouldn’t be difficult to fill an entire book with lessons I learn observing our family’s Golden Doodle, Evie. As I consider the ways she interacts with my family, responds to various strangers and visitors, and approaches the world around her, I see small glimpses of what I think God...
During a recent meeting of our youth ministry, The Attic, we conducted a little experiment that I found both interesting and illuminating. The experiment was inspired by two seemingly simple questions provided in a Grow Students teaching guide. “What is something so easy to do that it doesn’t require instructions?” “If you were to provide step by step instructions for that activity, what would...
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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