Family Blog
Take It With You 10.03.2021
Our family loves to work puzzles. Many times we’ve spent a lot of time searching for one lost piece only to find it on the floor or under the box lid. Each one of us is a piece of the puzzle that makes up the body of believers at Snyder. I have a quote in […]
A Pastor’s Perspective 09-28-2021
We hear it all the time from friends or loved ones. It comes with a wave or a nod. Words of love and concern for our well-being. “Take care of yourself.” How do you react to those words? “You too.” is the normal response we shoot back with our own wave. Then, we go on […]
Take It With You 09.26.2021
Identity is a tricky thing. We tend to identify ourselves (and others) by one of three things: our relationships, our work, or our accomplishments. I am Chris’ wife, Abi and Alex’s mom, Fred and Deborah O’Neil’s daughter, Angela and John’s sister, a member of Snyder Memorial. I am a teacher, a director, an actor, and […]
A Pastor’s Perspective 09-21-2021
Post-Sabbatical Thoughts: Snyder is a generous church. Each member of the ministerial staff is granted a nine-week sabbatical once every seven years. This is intended as a time to rest, renew, retool, restore and re-dream. Each minister plans a sabbatical around their specific needs and interests for their current season in life and works toward […]
Take It With You 09.19.2021
Often we use the word freedom as permission to do whatever we want, whatever might satisfy our own personal desires. While it is true, freedom has wide boundaries, this is not the intention of freedom. In the Epistle of James we read about the “royal law found in Scripture” in James 2:8 which reminds, “You […]
Take It With You 09.12.2021
The Gospels, unsurprisingly, are focused on Jesus, and relatively little space in them is given exclusively to the apostles. Sure, we see how they interact with Jesus, how they talk and walk with Him. We even get an idea of some of their roles and personalities, but we don’t know much about them personally. We […]
A Pastor’s Perspective 09-14-2021
Being a parent is hard! There are so many things to think about and take our focus. We have to think about the here and now while also thinking about the future. As a result, we are forced to make spur-of-the-moment decisions that will have implications down the road. Parenting really is a crazy thing! […]
A Pastor’s Perspective 09-07-2021
Tonight, September 7, Snyder Memorial Baptist Church’s pastor search team will meet for the first time. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they will ultimately present to the church body their recommendation for the person who will be our shepherd in the coming years. The timing of that person being presented to the church […]
A Pastor’s Perspective 09-03-2021
Many Sundays I have the privilege to lead the Pastoral Prayer during our worship service. Sometimes I just pray “in the moment” as the Spirit leads. Other times, my prayer finds its way on paper after pondering the events that capture the world, national and regional headlines during the week. The heaviness of the state […]
Take It With You 08.29.2021
There’s an old saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” In other words, keep your nose where it belongs. Turn a blind eye. Don’t venture too far from the status quo and all will go well. That saying can also warn us away from things that truly can hurt us. There is much of curiosity, however, to […]