Posts from 2023

When I was a child, we had a wooden Nativity. It is the same nativity that you will still find in my parents’ home each December. It is similar to the one in the picture, but the stable was much larger. My sister and I used to argue (oh the irony) over the setup of the figures in the stable. There was of course baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, a handful of animals, and, though they arrived later in…

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” – Buddy the Elf Each Sunday this December I have mentioned how much music means to me during the Christmas season. I’m sure many of you share my affinity for Christmas music. From the hymns to the special music, children’s sweet voices to the choir’s cantata, all the Christmas music has such a special way of ushering in the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In…

During Christmas time when I was 8 years old, my family went to the local theater in Lenoir. We chose a movie about a little boy whose family is halfway to Paris when the mother realizes she left him behind. The child, however, is having the time of his life with the house all to himself. The movie is of course Home Alone. This 1990 Christmas comedy goes on to feature the boy, Kevin, defending his suburban Chicago home from…

In the days of Amazon Prime 2-day deliveries and businesses’ constantly improving their ordering process, we have gotten used to packages arriving at our door. However, do you remember the feelings you had when ordering things over the phone or online for the first time? You would make your final selection and then watch the calendar for the expected arrival date or refresh tracking updates online. You knew that special thing you’d ordered was on the way. Your excitement would…

My childhood pastor, Dr. David Smith (who preached my ordination service in August), writes a email devotion a couple times each week. Having listened to his preaching many times, I can hear Dr. Smith’s voice when I read his messages. In his most recent email devotion, he reflected on the same scripture we looked at on Sunday from Luke 17 where Jesus heals the ten lepers. He included an illustration that is too good not to pass on to our…

When was the last time you thanked God for clean water? I’m serious. Think about it. How often do we overlook simple blessings that we enjoy freely and abundantly here in America? Many of you will remember when Rev. Michael Nhonya and Rev. Arnold Manasse from Tanzania visited PSBC. This is a picture of Michael with a $6,000 water project, the largest community development project that we have worked on together, which features a borehole well and a pump that…

This Sunday, we started a new series on Gratitude. What does it mean to have an attitude of gratitude? We began to look at what it takes to have a constant mindset of thankfulness. A few years ago, I learned about an interesting guy affectionately named Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a monk who had the very nonspiritual task of washing dishes in his monastery. Through this mundane task, he discovered deep insights into spiritual disciplines and wrote a book…

A few years ago, the Lincoln car company produced a series of ads with actor Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey would be driving a Lincoln through some vast wilderness, fishing on some remote lake, or enjoying the interior of the car at a noisy train crossing. All the ads end with the phrase, “The Power of Sanctuary.” The obvious implication was that the new Lincolns were so nice they brought you peace just driving them or simply sitting and enjoying the plush…

Our Fall Festival is this week and will be a blast. The costumes, food, bingo, and fellowship around the table will make for a night to remember. The icing on the cake will of course be the lip-sync battle. Every year, we get to experience hits from across many genres of music. Each song is masterfully performed by members of our church. It is always fun, full of surprises, and lots of laughs. A lip-sync battle is about more than…

Halloween can be so much fun. I remember dressing up as a cowboy, ninja, professional ball player, fireman, and many others. My friends and I patrolled our neighborhood like a candy mafia. We were determined to bring in as much sugar as humanly possible…or as much as our moms let us keep, whichever came first. As a parent now, it is fun to watch the same joy on my kids’ faces as they venture from house to house in search…