Aaron (Page 6)

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…

Yogi Berra, the great professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach, may likely be known more for his quotes, or “Yogi-isms,” than his baseball career. Last night, the Atlanta Braves came back to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in a wild and exciting baseball game. It reminded me of a Yogi-ism, “The game of baseball isn’t over until it’s over.” Go watch the ending. It’s crazy. For those baseball fans in the room, it was…

This Wednesday, we are excited to welcome back Mark Wakefield to PSBC. It has been a couple years since we’ve been able to host him so I’m excited to hear the updates from his Zona Juvenil Ministries in Guatemala. If you are new to Poplar Springs, Mark is one of the missionaries that our church prayerfully and financially supports. We have partnered with Mark for many years and have sent mission teams to Guatemala to help with his ministry. Zona…

There are so many people in our church that serve in a variety of ways. From the nursery to Wednesday night meals, small group leaders to Sunday School teachers, it takes a village of people to do ministry well here at PSBC. We are very fortunate that so many volunteer their time and talents, some on a weekly basis, to our church. This past Sunday, a special group of those called to serve met in the small dining room. Our…

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,…

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…

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…