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...
Few ideals, if any, are more valued in our current cultural climate than individuality. The great pursuit of past eras was to find one’s place within society. Today, we place a premium on discerning and highlighting what sets us apart. We all want to be spectacularly different… just like everybody else. Many have endeavored to discover where this shift in focus and drive took place. Most agree...
My good friend and associate pastor, Nathan Parker, and I have the great privilege of periodically leading communion services for residents at a local nursing home here in Seymour. Pastor Nathan leads a few hymns, which the attending residents sing with gusto, I present a short devotional message from the Bible, and we celebrate communion together. Following the service, we normally hang around...
“I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” I have heard and uttered this phrase countless times over the years. In my experience, the phrase falls into one of two categories. It is either funny or foreboding… Or rather, it is an attempt to be funny in order to mitigate the foreboding. The good news, in these instances, is rarely good. It is really just a slightly less ominous...
My family and I are making our yearly trek through the plethora of classic Christmas movies. It would be an exceedingly difficult task for me to choose a single movie as my “favorite.” Each of them plays a part in helping me remember an important aspect or idea of the Christmas season and challenges or encourages me. One such movie is Disney’s animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas...
Our son, JJ, just recently turned 15 years old. Like many young people of his age, his mind is consumed with the very quickly approaching, and seemingly unavoidable, eventuality of operating a motor vehicle. Unlike many of his peers, however, JJ is not all that interested in the latest and greatest shiny new cars that are rolling onto local car lots. As a matter of fact, JJ is rather unconcerned...
Right up until the moment Jesus ascended to Heaven, the disciples believed they were going to participate in a revolution. They, like most of their peers, believed that the promised Messiah/Christ would initiate the coming of God’s kingdom through force and overwhelming power. They believed they were going to help overthrow the evil forces of this world, which, at the time, was personified by the...
I have a word of the day calendar sitting on my nightstand. My wife and kids got it for me this past Christmas. I’ve wanted one for quite some time now, since I was in high school, to be exact. A good friend who attended school with me had one. I’m not sure if it was the calendar or the fact that he was disgustingly intelligent, but he was never without an interesting, if not insanely obscure...
It’s that time of year again. Time for all the ghouls and goblins to make their way out to haunt the world. No, I’m not talking about the forthcoming children’s holiday, when kids get dressed up in costumes and request candy from their kind-hearted neighbors. That happening carries with it joy, community, and cooperation. It is election season and it is coming in hot. It brings with it division...
To one degree or another, most of us tend to be creatures of habit. We all have daily routines and rhythms that we follow as we live our daily lives. I would be willing to venture an educated guess that your routines and rhythms have looked at least marginally different over the course of the past six to eight weeks. In reality, the events of recent weeks have been akin to the shifting of...
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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