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There are a lot of significant stories within the overall Easter narrative. Several of these stories have well-known titles and have individual days devoted to their memory. These include The Triumphal Entry which is celebrated on Palm Sunday, The Last Supper which is celebrated on Maundy Thursday, The Crucifixion which is remembered on Good Friday, and The Resurrection which is celebrated on...

One of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of being a pastor is trying to discern how much food to order for a church event. This was especially true when planning for youth and young adults. Young people fall onto an extremely broad spectrum when it comes to eating habits. There are those who nibble on the corner of a piece of pizza, eat two Cheetos, and drink a quarter bottle of water and are...

I’ve had the privilege of developing relationships with some amazing people throughout my 25 years in ministry. For most of that time, my family and I have lived far from home. In each of the churches we have served, God has graciously provided us with people who have welcomed us into their homes and adopted us into their families. These saints lived out the words of Hebrews 13:1-2, which reads...

It’s crazy how fast the severity of sin increases in the Bible. Before any of you theological purists start clutching your proverbial pearls, I understand that all sin is severe in God’s sight. But, I think it’s reasonable to recognize that there is a sliding scale of the scope and consequence of our wrongdoings, particularly in their impact on our lives and the lives of those around us. In...

They say that, “Confession is good for the soul.” So, let’s be honest with one another for a moment, shall we? For even the most dedicated and devout of Christians, there are certain passages of Scripture that we do NOT like. To be more to the point, there are things God has asked of us which we believe to be unfair, to say the least. There are adjustments to actions and attitudes that go beyond...

St. Peter is undeniably an important character in the New Testament. He gives off what the kids today call “main character energy.” Throughout the gospels, Peter boldly and often brashly pushes his way into the spotlight with Jesus. Consider, for instance, his attempted stroll on the water with Jesus, which ultimately ended with Jesus pulling Peter’s scared and soggy behind out of the surf, or...

Last week, as I was studying for Sunday’s sermon, I stumbled upon something interesting. I learned that our English words jealous and zealous come from the same Greek word. If you think about it, there is a very fine line between the two concepts. When someone is zealous, they are passionate in the pursuit of a cause or objective. When someone is jealous, that passion is replaced with envy over...

There are large stained glass windows at both ends of the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Seymour. This isn’t at all unusual. Stained glass was and remains a common feature of many church buildings. What is uncommon, however, is the images contained within those windows. Often, stained glass windows depict major biblical stories or symbols. Common symbols include crosses, stars, roses of...

You may ask yourself, what exactly does a pastor do on an extended break from serving at his or her local church? I’m not sure what other pastors do, but this pastor went to church, or rather churches. It would be difficult to estimate exactly how many churches we visited during our travels. In Rome and the cities we visited across Greece, there seemed to be churches on every corner and more than...

From 2008-2011, Capri Sun ran an ad campaign called, “Respect the Pouch.” The commercials were actually quite entertaining. One commercial featured two boys outside enjoying some Capri Sun. Upon finishing his drink, one of the lads blows air into his pouch, inflating it like a balloon. He glances mischievously over at his friend as he places the inflated pouch on the ground, then begins pumping...