Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, All seem to say, “Throw cares away;” Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, To young and old, meek and the bold; Ding-dong, ding-dong, that is their song, One seems to hear, words of good cheer; From ev’rywhere, filling the air, Ding, dong, ding, ding, dong! You’ve likely heard these lyrics before. They form the first verse of the classic Christmas song...
One of my favorite weeks of the year is when I get the opportunity to join our student ministry, The Attic, on their summer mission trip. We work with an amazing organization called Mission Serve that specializes in facilitating mission projects designed to engage and equip students, grades six through twelve, for the work of ministry both in word and deed. We provide some basic training on how...
Who is the GOAT? GOAT is a modern acronym for the coveted title of Greatest Of All Time. It is applied rather generously in a wide variety of settings and is argued vehemently in others. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the world of professional basketball. This has been particularly true with the recent accomplishments of Lebron James and the imminence of his retirement. This has led to...
I spent Sunday evening like many other Americans, watching the Super Bowl. As a life-long fan of the Chicago Bears, a team that is perpetually awful, I usually don’t care who wins the big game. This year I would have been equally happy if either Brock Purdy or Taylor Swift’s boyfriend had won. But, if I’m really being honest, I watch the game for the commercials. I’ve been somewhat disappointed...
Some of the songs we call Christmas songs would more rightly be called winter songs. Songs like Let It Snow, Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Walking In A Winter Wonderland are really focused on enjoying the winter weather. Baby, It’s Cold Outside also fits into this category of songs. Rather than celebrating the wintry conditions, however, a concerned boyfriend attempts to dissuade his lady love...
Athletics have become an important feature of the American social experience. Gyms, stadiums, and ball fields have become crucial connecting points where people gather with friends and family, rally around shared interests and affinities, and loudly explain to those on the playing surface how they are doing it wrong and how it could be done better. We call this practice “Armchair...
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...
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...
At no time of the year is tradition more widely observed and celebrated than during the Christmas season. Traditions vary from family to family, but we all have our own cherished holiday traditions. And it is, to some extent, the feelings of hope, joy, love, and peace that those traditions inspire that help make the season so special. Traditions have a sense of transcendence to them. They...
We have developed a habit here at First Baptist Church. As my good friend Deryk Baurle recently described it, we allow our mouths to write checks that we hope we can cash. To put it in more literal terms, we volunteer to take on large projects that require large amounts of organization, volunteer involvement, and, in almost every instance, some level of financial investment. Before we’ve fully...
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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