Between the Lines

"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat       As of this writing, the congregation that I serve has just experienced its 22nd week of no in-person gatherings for worship. We have however, worshiped virtually, and like with anything else you do with practice, we have continued to improve and diversify what we do and how we do it. Consequently, because of the virtual worship services (we have pre-recorded and posted them since Pentecost), I have now had my Sunday mornings free, and I have to say, I am starting to see why people may choose not to attend church on Sunday mornings! ( GASP )        For most Sunday mornings since I started my first paid-position in a congregation back in 2006, I have been obligated to be in a church building on Sunday mornings. There have been only a handful of absences due to vacation and any other misses were on account of doing something related to the church (mission trips, traveling to conferences, etc.). So over

     Last month, I facilitated a weekly virtual Bible study gathering with adults in my church. My approach to these specific studies are a little different than others I facilitate at our church; there is no lesson plan, no outline, except to read passages of scripture collectively, and see where the Spirit takes us. Whatever questions, thoughts, reactions, or truths one offers up is free game.       Given the global pandemic we all find ourselves in, and my desire to engage a passage of scripture we don't usually preach/teach, I was immediately drawn to the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is that easily flipped over book of the Old Testament nestled after Jeremiah and before Ezekiel. It is only 5 chapters long, but is full of powerful imagery. It is commonly attributed to Jeremiah (hence its location right after his prophecy), however there is some debate over whether or not he actually was the one who wrote it. It does however deal with the destruction of Israel following bei

     Graduates of the class of 2020, can I just say, you and the rest of the world will not soon forget your graduation season. The concluding months of your final year have been marked by a global pandemic, civil advocacy, and an economic shutdown of historic proportions. Yet here you are. You have weathered all of these turbulent waters and have come out on the other side, a little worse for wear yes, but no less having earned the title of graduates. You had to mourn the loss of so many things; senior year staples like prom , banquets, yearbook signings, tear-filled goodbyes, and of course your commencement celebrations. Many of you had to forego your final seasons, last concert, or that senior recital. The amount of loss you have had to endure, at no fault of your own, is heartbreaking. Let's just say what having all of these things robbed from you really is... just plain wrong.       Yet, all of these calamities and loss will not be what defines you, or even what you are rememb

If you know me, then you know one of the great sources of joy in my life is food. When I travel, I love trying new or different places, I'm always down for a good old fashioned greasy cheeseburger, and I like to reward myself on occasion with trips to Krispy Kreme after a tough day or successfully completing a project. Whether you are reconnecting with an old friend, or taking in a baseball game, good food and drinks always seem to have a way of elevating that which you are experiencing. Well, over the last 30 days, I have undergone a new, and certainly different experience with food, the Whole30 program .  A few months ago (pre-pandemic) my wife, Lindsay began mentioning her desire to take a hard look at our tendencies and norms with regards to diet and exercise, and she floated the idea of her wanting to do the Whole30 program . If you are not familiar with the program, Whole30 was first offered up in 2009 by a blogger named  Melissa Hartwig Urban that would go on to become a wor

Anytime I am asked what my favorite kind of cake is, I don't even have to think because there is only one answer... birthday cake. Not just any kind of birthday cake, but cake that is topped with as much buttercream icing as humanly possible! The cake is of course a delicious, occasional treat, but it is also a fun way to acknowledge the celebration that is taking place, another year of life! Another year of experiences, relationships, and growing. Thankfully, the Church is not absent of such a celebration.  This Sunday marks the Church's celebration of Pentecost.  Pentecost is a celebration that is always 50 days after Easter, and it marks the end of the Easter season. It commemorates the events recorded in Acts 2 where God sent the Holy Spirit to fill the disciples of Jesus. This is important because it marks the “birth” of the Church and how people from all over the world began to be invited into the family of God. Typically, the day is highlighted by wearing red, images of

Over the last ten weeks the sanctuary at First Baptist Monroe has sat dormant. Though we haven't been worshiping in that space, worship has continued via a more intimate setting in our church's choir room beamed up into airwaves for people to participate in on all manner of personal devices. I have missed being able to gather with our folks there, and when I walk through it now, something is definitely missing. It is a vast understatement to say the COVID-19 pandemic has overturned our very way of life. Restrictions on work, retail, recreational, and social activities have hit us all hard. Like a two year old toddler, the first instance or two of being told "no" might slip right by us, but after repeated denials, that opposition often grows into anger-filled defiance before generating fits of rage-fueled outbursts. It happens. Churches are no stranger to this as the recent push to allow congregants to gather in NC has made its way through the court system. As a subscr

The first time I put on my mask to enter a store, I have to say it felt...awkward. I fumbled with the right way to tie the ends, where the top knot should sit on my head, and how low was too low for the lower set? I took a moment to pull and push to make sure it covered the right portions of my face, and acknowledged the slight itch that came from the mask pushing against my beard. And for some strange reason, I suddenly wondered if this is what it was like for a person who was about to enter a store with the intention of robbing it? Weird, I know. I never would have guessed the act of putting on a mask would illicit such strange thoughts, but again, this was my first time in such a scenario.   As a child, the idea of it being socially acceptable to wear a mask all day would be seen as a godsend ( of course that would require it be the applicable favorite superhero of the moment ). Yet now, it feels more like a responsibility rather than fun. A responsibility to myself, to my loved one