Rev. Dr. Jeff Garrison
Much of this blog post had been originally published as an article in The Skinnie published in March 2018. This version has been slightly edited and altered. Easter Sunday 1982, Old Salem, North Carolina The wake-up call came at 4:30 AM Sunday morning. I am staying at a hotel right across from Old Salem in present-day Winston … Read more Easter Sunrise Services
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesApril 10, 2022John 12:12-26 Sermon recorded at Bluemont Church on Friday, April 8, 2022 At the beginning of worship: Palm Sunday. We begin Holy Week as we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Later, when I read the Scripture, I am using the account told in John’s gospel, which is often overlooked … Read more Sir, We Wish to See Jesus
Bluefield, West Virginia I traveled to Bluefield last Friday to attend the HopeWords Writers’ Conference. I had never been to Bluefield, although I often taken the West Virginia turnpike, I-77, through West Virginia. The turnpike bypasses Bluefield by about ten miles to the north. Known for coal and trains, the Norfolk Southern yard takes up much … Read more HopeWords Writers’ Conference
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesIsaiah 6April 3, 2022 At the beginning of worship: Each of us are instilled with the need to worship. Whether or not we’re Christian, whether or not we’re religious, we have a desire to find meaning in something larger than ourselves. That “something” becomes the object of our worship. The “atheistic … Read more Why Church? For proper worship
A butt-naked boy ran through the crowd. This is the first thing I see as I step into the country, immediately after having my passport stamped. And he wasn’t just a boy, certainly no toddler. He was at least five feet tall and probably 11 or 12 years old. I do not know what was … Read more From Bangkok to Siem Reap
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry Churches March 27, 2022Luke 9:51-61 At the beginning of worship As we continue our Lenten theme of “Why Church?” consider the role of church to reorient our lives. Back in the 1980s, Neal Postman wrote a classic book titled, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Even before the rise of 24/7 news programs and the internet … Read more Why Church? To Reorient Our Lives to Jesus
It looks like we’ll have a baseball season this year. Why are there so many good baseball books? I don’t know of any other sport who produces as many good writers as baseball. In anticipation of the season, I listened to Robert Creamer’s Baseball in ’41, which I’m reviewing below. I’m also attaching a review of another … Read more In Preparation for the Baseball Season: Book reviews
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian ChurchesMarch 20, 2022Luke 10:25-37 Thoughts at the beginning of worship: We’re continuing with our Lenten theme, “Why Church?” Our world can be cruel. But that shouldn’t be the church. We’re to show an alternative to the world.[1] We’re to be a place and a people who care for others. And because … Read more Why Church? To Care for the World
Anne Applebaum, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine (2017), 17 hours and 46 minutes I read reviews of this book when it first came out. It looked intriguing, but I never got around to read it. When Russia invaded Ukraine, I decided I needed to read something to get myself up to speed on what is happening … Read more Red Famine (some background on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia)
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesMarch 13, 2022Acts 8:26-39 At the Beginning of Worship: Last Sunday, I kicked off my Lenten sermon series on “Why Church?” with a discussion on why Jesus established the church. In the sermon I pointed out that the word used in the Greek New Testament for church is the same word used in … Read more Why Church? A Place for Questions