The human mind is an interesting machine. It is capable of receiving, storing, and utilizing amazing amounts of information. The potential our minds possess is seemingly infinite. This makes it all the more frustrating and embarrassing when our minds fail to function appropriately with the most basic of tasks: looking and listening. We have all had those moments when the information is coming in...
Sweet or Sour: Life, Lemons, and Lemonade
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’m not sure who first uttered these words, but it’s hard to deny the wisdom they communicate. Early and often are the times that life goes sideways on us. In those times, we must decide if we’ll let our circumstances make us sour, or if we’ll find a way to make something sweet and enjoyable out of it. In my own life, I’ve found that many of my best...
These Are Some Good Days
Several years ago, country singer Trace Adkins released a song entitled You’re Gonna Miss This. The song chronicles the life and frustrations of an unnamed woman. When we first meet this woman, she is an angsty teenager being dropped off for school by her mother. She is looking forward to better days, days when she is older and independent. The song then jumps ahead a few years to just after the...
Is It True? (The Trouble with Memes)
Biologist Dr. Richard Dawkins is credited with coining the term “meme” in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. The word is derived from the Greek word mimema, which means “to imitate.” Dr. Dawkins chose this word because it sounds similar to the word gene. He created it to describe how genes reproduce by passing information from one organism to another. In the book, Dawkins goes on to explain how...
Friendly Competition
The flame has been extinguished. The medals have all been awarded, for the most part (apparently gymnastics is getting a bit gymnasty about the bronze medal). The games of the XXXIII Olympiad have concluded. We may all return to our regularly scheduled routines. We no longer need to sneak a peek at our phones to see how our favorite American athletes are faring. Or, perhaps you wanted to watch...
Attitude Check: The Power of Perspective
We recently held our final activity of the summer for the Attic Student Ministry, the youth ministry of FBC Seymour. As the students sat next to the lake, I began the devotion for the evening as if I was conducting a funeral. The opening was as follows: “Dearly Beloved. We are gathered together today in the sight of God to remember and reflect on the life of our dear friend Summer Twenty Twenty...
Going for Gold: Olympic Offending
If being offended were an Olympic event, there would be some stiff competition for the gold. I’ll be honest; I was personally a little offended by the opening ceremony. I wasn’t offended because of any specific scene I witnessed, though the organizers definitely crossed lines of propriety from my perspective. I was offended because it was boring and confusing, and especially because they...
Young Guns, The Old Guard, and the Body of Christ
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...
Do You Want to Get Well?
In the fall of 2022, we purchased a 1980’s, Fox Body Mustang for our son for his sixteenth birthday. The plan was for the car, lovingly named Miss Betty Blue, to function as a rolling restoration project. She would serve as JJ’s daily driver and we would repair, replace, and upgrade various portions of the vehicle as both money and time allowed. Miss Betty Blue is now an overpriced decoration...
More Than YOU Can Handle
“God will never give you more than you can handle.” I can’t tell you how many times this phrase has been uttered to me throughout my life. My guess is you have heard or even used this phrase yourself at some point in time. The phrase undoubtedly comes from the right heart. The only problem is the message communicated is wrong. Even the most blessed of lives will have a fair share of moments that...
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