Posts from 2020 (Page 2)

The Risen Savior addresses the seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation offering warnings, insights and needed instruction. In chapter 2 verses 1-7 he shares a direct yet somewhat confusing assessment of the congregation at Ephesus. Eugene Peterson translates v 2-4 this way: – I see that you have done, your hard, hard work and your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in…

Hello, my name is Micah Roberts. I am going to be helping out Andy, Nicole, and Katherine this Fall for a course I am taking at Gardner-Webb. If you see me around feel free to come and talk to me. Here are a few things to know about me: I am currently working on my Master in Divinity for Pastoral Care and Counseling, I am from Greeneville, TN, just on the other side of the mountains, I graduated class of…

I have told you before that my best time for thinking is from 2 am until about 5 am on most nights recently. I don’t worry during this time it just seems that God speaks to me clearly during these hours. I have suggested that Thee Almighty might want to consider 10 am… but he’s God and He doesn’t need my consent to do anything He wants to do. If he wants to continue the early morning sessions I am…

There have been times in my life when I have needed signs from God and in a couple of these cases he has obliged. I only share these incidents on rare occasions when I am around those who will not consider me some sort of mountaintop mystic or delusional pastor in need of help. I say this with quite a bit of caution but I am in a time of personal faith where signs are not necessary. But I am…

…One of my go-to places to aimlessly scroll on my phone is my Pinterest app. For those that aren’t familiar with this, Pinterest is a place where people can share thoughts and ideas on anything from recipes to teaching ideas to home improvement to self-improvement. I go here when I’m wondering how to redecorate my living room or what recipes there might be for desserts. Nicole and I often search there for ideas for VBS crafts or shirt ideas. The…

To say absence makes the heart grow fonder is inaccurate because it implies a need to get away from someone or something. That would not be a valid assessment of yesterday’s service. I never wanted in a million years to be away from my church family; though if I am honest, when this whole pandemic started the first weeks did seem like snow days. But after a week or two I was ready to get back to being with the…

TO SOON GONE a song by The Band is playing on my iPhone as I begin my newsletter and therein lies my prompt for the week. Kim and I celebrated our 39th Anniversary over the weekend. We spent our time eating drive thru and carryout meals. There was some laughing , some crying, and quite a bit of reminiscing. One particular topic continued to come up in our discussions pertaining to our past experiences, present realities, and future dreams… To…

On July 15th I was tested for COVID 19 only as a precaution due to the fact that some friends I had been in contact with tested positive for the Coronavirus. So I went for the nasal swab, which can also be used as “back of yer eyeball scratcher”, to see if I might be a victim of this dreaded ailment and on July 18th the results arrived…(“May I Have The Envelope Please” or “Tell em What He’s Won Johnny”……

Poplar Springs family, the time I have been both dreading and looking forward to is drawing nigh. I was informed by my doctors that this procedure which was experimental and rather cutting edge when my mother had Parkinson’s was now a standard procedure for those being diagnosed with the ailment. I was still somewhat skeptical and fatalistic thinking I would rather die than have someone play around in my cranium for four hours while I was awake and communicating with…

This week, Andy wishes to share a poem that he found when he was about 14 years old and it changed his attitude toward life: He has achieved success who has lived well, Laughed often, and loved much;Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, The respect of intelligent menAnd the love of little children; Who has filled his niche and Accomplished his task;Who has left the world better Than he found itWhether by an improved poppy,A perfect poem or…