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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...

Taylor Swift recently finished her Eras Tour. The tour featured performances of songs from each of the ten studio albums she’s released over the course of her 16+ year music career. I wouldn’t call myself a “swiftie,” the moniker given to Ms. Swift’s most passionate and loyal fans, but I must confess that I do enjoy some of her music. In particular, I loved her self-titled debut album, Taylor...