In 2008, I began a long-term partnership with an organization called Mission Serve. My leadership team and I took our students to Beaufort, SC to serve the community through repairing roofs, building handicap accessible ramps, repainting homes, and sharing the love of Jesus in word and deed. It’s a partnership that has continued to this day. Last week, we took approximately 40 students and adults...
The Little Red Hen Effect
Certain stories have a way of sticking with you over time. As children, we often enjoy the stories for the entertainment value and we might even be able to glean a moral from the story. But, I have found that the messages of some bedtime stories or fables become more poignant as we age and gain greater life experience. One story that seems to consistently come to mind is the American fable by...
Wherever We Go (That’s Where the Party’s At)
Several years ago, the Christian rock band Newsboys released a song entitled Wherever We Go. I loved the song the first time I heard it. Even today, if it happens to come on the radio, I will turn up the volume and let my head bob to the music. Throughout the first verse, the lyrics are kind of ridiculous. They sing about bluebirds singing, flowers blooming, bees behaving, and squirrels smiling...
Mission: What We Do… Who We Are.
The First Baptist Church has been an active part of the community of Seymour for over 180 years. The church was established in 1839 with ten members. The first physical structure of the church was completed in 1840 and the church has been housed in four buildings in the subsequent years, including buildings behind the current location of Peace Lutheran Church, another on the corner of Tipton and...
Own the Moment: Responding to the Current Crisis.
Much like everybody else, I find many of my waking hours occupied contemplating the new realities and possibilities created by the COVID-19 outbreak. Honestly, it is impossible to escape it at this juncture. All of our normal distractions have been infected. March Madness has been turned into March Sadness as all tournaments have been canceled. Likewise, professional athletics have been put on an...
Is There A Doctor In The House
Last week, I had to make my bi-yearly visit to the doctor’s office. I got my CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) several years ago so that I could drive our church bus when necessary, and in order to maintain it, the Department of Transportation requires that I have a physical done once every two years. I had time last Friday morning and the deadline for getting the paperwork in was fast...
Pick a Path and Go
As is the case for most residents of the thriving metropolis of Seymour, my family must make the trek north to Columbus, Indiana from time to time. While we are huge fans of the local restaurants and retailers here in our hometown, there are occasions when we cannot obtain the products or services we require or desire here locally in Seymour. And, to be completely honest, sometimes we simply need...
Time to ACT
The word “ministry” conjures a whole host of images in the minds of people. I find it often gets reduced to a program of some sort, usually aimed at some specific demographic of our community. We have a children’s ministry, a youth ministry, Sunday school ministry, outreach ministry, etc. These are not necessarily ministries, though. They are avenues through which ministry can take place. I...
Your Best Effort
I have a confession to make; I am a low-key Taylor Swift fan. I prefer the songs from her earlier albums, when she was still making acoustic-driven country music. I don’t necessarily dislike her more recent offerings, I just haven’t really listened to them. My first exposure to her music came as I was retrieving a rental van for a Winter Retreat. The radio in the van was set to a local country...
Suffering and Satisfied
I am not a hunter. It’s not for ethical reasons. I find many of our furry woodland friends, particularly deer, to be quite tasty, and enjoy having a freezer full. I do not, however, enjoy getting up several hours before any reasonable creature is up and at it in order to climb up into a tree in the freezing cold of winter surrounded by the thick darkness of night. What was most torturous about...
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