Posts with the category “monthly-newsletter”

Twenty years ago, I read a book titled Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, written by Alister McGrath, a Christian Apologist. Richard Dawkins was a famous atheist apologist, one of the so-called “Four Horsemen” of the new atheism. Dawkins is still alive physically, but perhaps not as prominent as he once was in the world of atheism. Some of Dawkins’ luster may have been lost when ...  Read More

The dog days of summer have come upon us! Originally, the dog days of summer stem from Hellenistic astrology and the heliacal rising of Sirius, the dog star. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that Sirius’s dawn rising in the summer contributed to the extreme heat of the season. The name “Sirius” even stems from the Ancient Greek seírios, meaning “scorching.” The Egyptians used Sirius’s dawn r...  Read More

July has always been one of my favorite months for several reasons. One, it is my birthday month. This year I will celebrate a big one. I cannot believe I have become this old. The alternative, however, seems a bit premature at the moment. Two, my dad always bought fireworks to celebrate the Fourth. Usually, after shooting off all the fireworks, we would break out the shotguns. I’m not certain tha...  Read More

Of all the realities in existence, two related ones are the most sobering to me: the brevity of life and the reality of death. We are not getting out of here alive! Throughout the centuries, death has been called the King of Terrors for good reason. The statistics on death are overwhelming—every one out of one person dies. Furthermore, the reality of the passing of time becomes more apparent the l...  Read More

I lived in a time when children went to school for nine months and had three months off during the summer. We usually got out of school after Memorial Day and returned to school sometime around Labor Day. Three full months away from school was a nice break. However, returning to school after a full summer break was a challenge. Nevertheless, this schedule made the month of May special because I as...  Read More

Growing up, I always heard the saying, “April showers bring may flowers.” As we enter the second quarter of 2024 already, let’s take a minute and think about what God said about flowers in His Word. For the most part, God used flowers in one of two ways. One, God used the beauty of flowers to assure His children that He would take care of us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 6:28-...  Read More

God has always wanted His people to worship Him according to His Word and His Way. When God gave Moses instructions on the construction of the Tabernacle, God made sure that the people tasked with building the Tabernacle were also empowered to be faithful to His instructions. Exodus 35:30-35, 30 Moses then said to the Israelites: “Look, the Lord has ap-pointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hu...  Read More

When I think of February, I think of two things: cold weather and Valentine’s Day. I’m not a big fan of the former but do enjoy the latter. The Miller Family tries to have a nice family dinner date on Valentine’s Day. We don’t always get to make that happen, but that is the goal. As I check out the calendar, this year we will get to celebrate Valentine’s Day with you since it falls on a Wednesday....  Read More

New Year’s Day brings all sorts of emotions and excitement. This year is going to be the year we lose weight, read the Bible, save money, get out of debt, join the gym, or any other number of things. The reality is, however, often what we plan for the new year does not actually play out during the year. As we all learn from painful experience, life is full of uncertainty and unwanted reality. So, ...  Read More

Merry Christmas!!! I can’t believe I’m writing the December newsletter article. Christmas season is upon us. I hope all of you have the best Holiday Season ever. Mark your calendars for Christmas Eve, December 24, at 5:00PM. We will have a Candlelight Service and observe the Lord’s Supper. I thoroughly enjoy Christmas Eve services. I hope to see you this Christmas Eve. As we enter the Christmas Se...  Read More

A house is not the same thing as a home. We understand that distinction. One of the things that makes a house a home is the “stuff” in the home. We want and love our stuff! Some of the “stuff” the Millers love is the Fall decorations Ms. Tammy sets out each year. I love the way she decorates the house for every season. As we enter the Thanksgiving Season, let’s make a deliberate effort to acknowle...  Read More

I am writing the October 2023 newsletter article! Just saying that out loud as I type it grabs my attention. The anticipa-tion of summer feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago. Now, I am anticipating our week of winter. The saying “time flies when you’re having fun” is certainly true for me in 2023. What an amazing year so far. God has richly blessed Bethel Baptist Church during the first th...  Read More

Summer Heat!!! August has lived up to its reputation: the past several weeks have been extremely hot! As all Southerners know, the difference between the heat here and the heat elsewhere is the incredibly high humidity we enjoy in this part of the country. During our time in New Orleans, we faced some comparable heat indexes. As uncomfortable as the past few weeks have been outside, we have found ...  Read More

What really matters? From the time of my youth, I wanted two things: a nice truck and a nice boat. We bought an all-wheel drive Honda Pilot with the intention of buying a small boat. The Pilot was a nice vehicle, but after we decided to buy a tri-toon I knew we needed a truck. The tri-toon was much heavier than the towing capacity of the Pilot. So, we bought a brand new Z71 in 2020. Our Chevrolet ...  Read More

On July 2nd I will enter the last year of my 40s. That statement is hard to write, harder to read, and even harder to ac-cept. However, I have no other choice but to accept it if I want to be an emotionally and mentally healthy person. The only cure for growing older is to die young. Two days later, our country will celebrate her 247th birthday. Although the United States of America is not a perfe...  Read More

As a child, I looked forward to three months of Summer. I grew up in an era where summer break from school was June, July, and August. My family usually went on a vacation to Daytona Beach during the month of July. Initially, we stayed in Ormond Beach at a hotel called The Maverick. I remember it having a horse in front and two pools in the back. Surprisingly, I looked on-line and found it still o...  Read More

May is the month we normally associate with graduation. I have fond memories of last year when Madison took part of Graduation Recognition at Bethel and graduated from Evangelical Christian School in Fort Myers. She began attend-ing ECS in K4 and finished her Senior Year in their on-line academy. My mind has a hard time grasping the fact that my children are past their high-school years. As we thi...  Read More

We have all heard the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I, however, would like to amend it to say simply, “Time flies while you’re living.” Think about how quickly life goes by while we are living it. In my mind, I still think I am as young, strong, and trim as I was in my twenties and thirties. However, as soon as I try to run, or walk past a mirror, I am reminded that I am entering th...  Read More

MARCH 2023 As we go through life, one thing we should learn is the value of good people and close friends. The world has a need for more good people, and we certainly have a need for more close friends. Another thing we need to learn as we grow older is that we should value those who we consider close friends because the unavoidable limits of biology often express themselves in inopportune times. ...  Read More

FEBRUARY 2023 God moved the Miller Family from Newborn, Georgia to Lakeland, Florida a year ago this month. Although I was born and raised in Georgia, Florida has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up, my family always vacationed in Daytona Beach. Furthermore, my children started school in Fort Myers when I pastored FBC Pine Island. Our return trip to minister in Florida has been ama...  Read More