Church Blog

There were numerous rules associated with youth mission trips I have been on through the years with the most common one proclaimed on each trip being … “be flexible.” This means to be adaptable due to the fact that you never know what you will be called upon to do at any particular time. This little bit of advice has come in handy during the pandemic. I am sure like most Baptist Christians (myself included) you may have found yourselves…

One of my first requirements in the Oliver home on the Lord’s Day following services was to take my “Sunday clothes” off, hang up my wild “70’s” multicolored polyester sport coat, find the crease in my synthetic double knit bell bottoms, and hang them on a pants hanger in my closet. It was an expectation on Sunday around 12:45 pm at my house that I fold my clothes. In the gospel of John, we have an account of folded grave…

Way back in 1978, I had an encounter with almighty God. It seems our maker had been dealing with me for some time, but I failed to recognize his labors. It took a number of troubling events for him to get my attention mostly in the form of decisions to be made and the fact that I was probably not on the coveted dean’s list at Clemson University, but perhaps on another list for those who might be seeking an…

Oftentimes we hear the word evaluation and visions of criticism and intense interrogation come to mind. We begin thinking our worth is being questioned, and we sometimes become defensive in the process of just seeking how we can do things better. Two weeks ago your church staff was a part of the evaluation process as we met with our personnel committee and I would like to state for the record: I was not tortured nor was I interrogated and I…

(CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS SATURATED WITH SARCASM AND BRISTLING WITH NEGATIVITY…READ AT YOUR OWN RISK) I just looooove time change Sunday! It has to be one of my favorite days of the year. It ranks right up there with the stomach virus or as I call it “the decision virus” due to the fact that sometimes in the midst of this ailment some tough decisions have to be made. It’s a close second to a late night toothache or…

I was involved in a conversation with good friend this morning. We were discussing why it is that nothing seems to be easily accomplished. It seems that Murphy’s law goes into effect whenever we attempt to do something beneficial. It is as if everything that can go wrong does. The money is not there or the other resources become scarce. Maybe it’s a problem with time constraints or medical or health issues. It seems at times that the odds seem…

As most of you know, I am fairly new to the world of technology and computers. For the longest time I thought a modem was a bathroom device and a monitor was a lizard. I thought a keyboard was where auto mechanics placed these small ignition utensils on the wall when you took your car in for repairs. I spent thirty years avoiding computers. They grew in popularity but I was worried about getting hooked on solitaire or pressing the…

When I was a youngster, I was always told to clean my glasses. I could never see out of them, and I discovered that the best view was over the top of the corrective lenses. So, my spectacles which not only cleared my vision and corrected a condition known as “attractive nose syndrome” (my nasal appendage was so pleasant to observe that my eyes liked to look at it) did very little good. I simply was not using them. There,…

In the Rob Reiner film, Stand By Me, three adolescent (or close to it) young men go on the search for a body that was reported to be in the woods outside of their small town. Yes, it was a human body and not a body of water. I will not focus on how the body got there. Nor will I elaborate on some of the language in the movie. I will simply say …they are adolescent boys on a…

Since November, I have been in a season of trial and error as I sought different ways (with the guidance of the fine medical staff at Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem) to get my rather suspect brain back into working order. The process has been frustrating and at times quite discouraging. Medicine has always been a challenge. But now I am trying to figure out the proper combination of medication and machinery since I am now battery operated. Needless to…