Time to Celebrate
On September 21, 1898, a small group gathered underneath the poplar trees just beside a spring. Members of the community, 45 in total, came together to meet as a church for the very first time. In April of 1899, they completed the first church building and three years later, a baptismal pool. Since that time, our church building has obviously changed. We’ve built new buildings and changed the landscape of the property. We’ve changed on the inside of the church,…
9/11
In March 2001, I went to New York City on a trip with my Senior English class. On a ferry ride, I took a skyline shot of the city on my 35 mm camera. Later that night, I literally laid down on the sidewalk to take a picture of the Twin Towers. In December 2001, I went back to NYC with that same camera. Same ferry ride, very different skyline. Same sidewalks, no Twin Towers. It was such a sobering…
Community
This past Saturday, my family and I went to Lake James to meet up with 9 other friends of mine from my college days at UNC-Chapel Hill. We have been playing fantasy football together for 20+ years now and gather together every year to draft our teams for the upcoming NFL season. You may not know anything about fantasy football, but part of the experience is something I’m sure we can all relate to in some way—-it’s a great time…
Finding Joy
There are classic scenes in movies that always make us smile, laugh, tap our foot to the music, or make us sing along. One of those classic scenes is found in Singin’ in the Rain. The 1952 American musical romantic comedy film features Don Lockwood, played by Gene Kelly, singing and dancing in the street to the film’s title song that is so familiar…again, whether we admit it or not. It’s hard not to smile, tap your foot, or whistle…
Teacher Teacher
I grew up watching ABC’s TGIF. Most Friday nights with my family were spent watching shows like Family Matters, Full House, and Step-by-Step. One of my childhood favorites was the show Boy Meets World. The show featured a great relationship between the main character Cory and his teacher/neighbor Mr. Feeny. Mr. Feeny always imparted wisdom and shared more than just the knowledge of the classroom with Cory and his friends. Great Mr. Feeny quotes still ring in my ear: “Believe…
What a Summer
This Sunday’s Summer Recap was incredible. If you were not able to join us, I encourage you to watch online and hear the stories and testimonies of how God moved in the life of our church this past summer. I was reminded of the first section of Matthew 18 where Jesus taught the disciples that we are all to have a child-like faith and welcome children in His name. This Sunday was a great reminder that, if we are watching…
Gratitude
Sunday was special—for me, my family, and for our church. What a great day and an incredible service. And that meal! We might have to bring that spread back more often. As the special music said on Sunday, “All my words fall short, how could I express all my gratitude?….all that I have is a hallelujah.” In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul writes these words, “2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the…
Mixed Emotions: “You’re Killing Me Smalls!”
Well…here we go…This is my first newsletter article as your new pastor. I’ll admit, I’m full of mixed emotions right now. Let me try to explain. Last week on vacation, we watched one of my favorite childhood movies, The Sandlot. I vividly remember going to the $1.00 theater in Lenoir, NC, with my dad to watch it on the big screen. We may or may not have snuck in our own popcorn, drinks, and candy in a duffle bag. I’ll…
You Have Been a Blessing to Our Hearts
Dear friends of Poplar Springs Baptist Church you have blessed our hearts across this past year. Janet and I have so enjoyed walking with you during this pastoral interim. We have been thankful to see the ways God is at work in the church and through your lives as you scatter from 1106 Poplar Springs Church Road each week to share Jesus’ love and presence with our community. You all have ministered to us, and you have been just what…
Serving Others and Sharing the Gospel
“World Changers is a hands-on mission experience, engaging students in meeting the needs of people in communities across North America. Students can put their faith into action by serving others and sharing the gospel.” Our Poplar Springs Baptist Church youth ministry has partnered with World Changers many times across the years and this week we have forty members of our church serving together on another World Changers project in Little Rock, Arkansas. They left out early this past Saturday morning…