It is the time of the year when Janie and I will start “de-decorating” our home. I have loved the Christmas decorations, all the Nativity scenes, and especially the Christmas Tree with all of the lights. But for us, it is time to put them away. So, this Friday and Saturday we will start packing the decorations and start putting them away.
Now, there is a hidden bonus in this “storing things away chore”. Every now and then, we come across something that has been “missing” only to find it was not missing. It was only resting safely where we last put it! When you find something that has been missing, it is like getting a gift.
I hope these next five weeks will find us excitedly finding some spiritual gifts, some spiritual disciplines, that have been stored away for a while. Let’s discover them together as we unpack some of these gifts. It could very well be that for you, these gifts, these spiritual disciplines have never gone missing. I really do believe many of our church family and friends practice these spiritual habits on a regular basis. For others, it may require dusting off a little and finding a place in our lives for these missing treasures. Some may have forgotten what the Bible says about some of these disciplines and habits. For the next five weeks, let’s celebrate them together. These gifts of spiritual disciplines help us strengthen our inner man and outer lives. Perhaps they can help reshape us back into a deeper maturity to live the life of abundance Jesus’ spoke of in John 10:10! There are inward disciplines like prayer and Bible reading and mediation. There are also outward disciplines like rest, sabbath, solitude and service. The end result we are aiming for is to bring us closer to God and to one another.
A popular TV add as the questions: “What is in your wallet?” I modify the question to ask : “What is in your stored away box?” Let’s take some things out and see. Let’s start with Prayer. As we finish up the PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7/365, let’s see how we can continue praying for Charleston. Someone said “to pray is to change”. OK, then let’s make 2026 about prayer…and about change!
See you Sunday, good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
The old saying is “failing to plan is planning to fail”. I surely do not want to fail when it comes to becoming more like Jesus. Ok then, what will be my plan for growing more like Jesus in 2026?
This year, I will start my 2026 Teaching Series on the topic of Spiritual Disciplines: The Habits Every Believer Needs to Grow. Spiritual disciplines are spiritual habits. They are the intentional things we do that allow the Spirit of God to shape us as we become more and more like Jesus. These include spiritual habits like prayer, Bible Study, Worship, rest, etc.
The firs six weeks of the year will be given to helping us build a strong foundation or strengthening the foundation that we already have. Think of spiritual disciplines/spiritual habits as spiritual “workouts” or spiritual “training.” It is what we do to get stronger, better, more holy (in a good way not in a “holier than thou” way).
It is the transforming work of God we sometimes refer to as sanctification. In Philippians 1:6 Paul says it this way: “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on until the day of Christ Jesus.” This is one way He continues His good work in us.
I am 70 years old. A physical trainer once asked me my goal for working out and lifting weights. He kindly suggested I had to deal with the reality that I would never again “bulk up”. I assured him I was not going after the Arnold Schwarzenegger look with 22” guns. I just wanted to be able to carry my own luggage on vacation, keep my balance and have a healthy heart and always be able to outrun Janie if I needed to! Exercise to keep me physically and mentally healthy. Spiritual disciplines help keep us healthy, spiritually, emotionally, even physically. At the end of 6 weeks, let’s see if we can develop a plan to help us become more like Jesus!
See you Sunday, good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
“You gotta let the big dogs eat!” This is a phrase used by a professional football player for motivation. It means you are going to perform at a high level and give it your best. That is the way I feel when Pastor Kyle and Pastor Logan preach for us at JIBC. When I am gone on vacation or am away from the pulpit teaching ministry for some reason, I usually say “It is time to let the big dogs eat.”. Both Logan and Kyle are very good pastor/teachers…what many refer to as “preachers”. I am usually the one in the pulpit bringing the message. There are times, though, when I feel like “letting the big dogs eat”…letting them do what they love to do and both of them do at a high level. We are blessed to have two such gifted men on staff. When I am away, I do not hesitate to ask either of them to fill in for me. I know they both will do an excellent job, giving it their very best, with rock solid theology presented in an interesting way. The other side of that saying is “Let the old dog sit one out!” It is probably a good idea for me to take a break…and give you a break!
“ALL HAIL KING JESUS” has been the theme for this 2025 Advent Season. I have found it interesting to remember the baby Jesus was the “born king of the Jews”. Prophesied over 400 times in the Old Testament; born in a manger as the serpent crusher Lion King; showing all a different kind of King and then remembering Jesus is coming back. This time, not a babe born in Bethlehem but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All Hail King Jesus! This Sunday we will look at the promised second advent of Jesus. The King is coming…again.
Christmas Eve we will have a more traditional Carols, Communion and Candle Light worship experience. I so hope you can make it to the 4:00 or the 6:00 service. It looks like this will be a beautiful Christmas Eve Celebration.
See you Sunday, Good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
Just like presents under the tree, missions come in all different shapes and sizes. Some missions are big…I mean really BIG. For instance, it has been a year since the JIBC family joined in with over 50 other churches to be a part of “Pray Charleston”. Each church took one day a month to pray 24 hours that day for Charleston. JIBC took the 10th of every month and so for 12 months, we were committed to praying “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in Charleston as it is in heaven”. We had 168 people commit to praying and interceding to cover every 15-minute period of the 24 hours and then some. We even had our partner church in Romania join us in this prayer mission effort! Thank you, Father.
The second package is just as amazing. Asked to provide 300 Christmas toys for children in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, you crushed the effort! We quit counting after 400 toys. I don’t think “Santa’s” sleigh could carry this many toys in one trip, so we rented a UHAUL! We packed 30 XL boxes full of every kind of toy you can imagine; 2 XL boxes of candy and 300 little stockings (to be filled by the Greenville, Tennessee High school ROTC and the BETA club, an international honor society for students in the 4th through 12th grades.) In addition, we are sending 6 boxes of potato chips for the party they will be having on Saturday, December 19. Our members, full-time volunteer missionaries, Charles and Judy Dillon, will be there as Santa and Mrs. Claus to tell the children the Christmas Story about baby Jesus. Thank you all for crushing the goal of 300 toys! Yay God and Yay JIBC!
The third mission present is “unwrapped” on Wednesday, December 17. Everyone is invited to go Christmas Caroling at the Bishop Gadsden Rehab Center. Note, it is the “Rehab Center, Gadsden Glen”. Our worship pastor, David Martin, has put together the best caroling booklet I have ever used. You get the words to the Christmas songs and a brief and informative story about the songs. It is a fun event that carries a lot of potential for making the season bright!
See you Sunday, good Lord willing, as we continue this year’s advent theme, “All Hail King Jesus”. He is a different kind of King!
Pastor Tom
This coming Sunday, November 23, is the Sunday before Thanksgiving. There are a couple of reasons why that should matter. Three events will happen on that Sunday.
First, we will be celebrating The Lord’s Supper. “He took the bread and He gave thanks”. What a great season to receive the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us take the bread and give thanks: thanks for Jesus, for our salvation, the presence of His Spirit, the love of our church family, and for “Friends-Giving”. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday the 27th. We also hope you have a wonderful worship experience on The Lord’s Day, November 23.
Second, we will present our 2026 Mission and Ministry Budget. Our Budget represents the vision of the Ministry Team leaders. It reflects what they believe God is leading them to do as they work with Him to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. Our process is to present the 2026 Mission and Ministry Budget. Then anyone can ask questions to any of our Budget Team members (names listed on the budget brochure). Then we will vote to approve the Budget on Sunday, December 28.
Third, it will be another Sunday for anyone who would like to donate a Christmas Gift, new or slightly used, for over 300 children in East Tennessee/Western North Carolina. One very creative family donated boxes of their puzzles. They we used only once, repackaged and look brand new! I love that idea. We probably have close to 200 gifts as of Monday, November 17!
ADVENT 2026 starts Sunday, November 30. This year we chose the theme : ALL HAIL KING JESUS. We will focus on what the Bible says about Jesus’ role as King…the One born King of the Jews! Advent will be designed to keep our worship and thoughts focused on the reason for the season. It also helps to encourage us to be generous givers as we support Children’s Christmas in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina; donate Jelly and Pancake Syrup for our neighbors and friends through James Island Outreach; and as we make a financial gift to International Missions. By the way, how would you like to provide firewood for the Gypsy Church for the entire winter and help put a need roof on to our church partner in Campulung, Romania? Why yes please, I think we can! We can accomplish both of those projects for $2,500. Let’s make it happen.
May He bless you with a great Thanksgiving and a holy and wonderful Advent Season!
Pastor Tom
A few Sundays ago, we had a timely prayer request turned in during the time of our offering. That is usually the time in the Sunday Worship Service when everyone is invited to “turn in” their prayer request. Back to the timely request. I loved the way this person turned in a prayer request concerning the need for a Bible Study for young single adults. The age group in college and into their early thirties. We currently do not have a Bible Study for that age group/demographic. They are just welcomed into the next available age group. I am asking, along with the person who put in the prayer request, that you would join us in prayer. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus invited us to “pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He will send out laborers into His Harvest. The Harvest is truly plentiful but the Laborers are few.” This is a wonderfully precious time of life. Let’s see if the Good Lord will send us laborers!
Christmas in Eastern Tennessee
We are working with our volunteer missionaries (See what I did there? Volunteer, The Tennessee Volunteers) Charles and Judy Dillon. They are working with the Hunger First Tri-County Mission seeking to provide Christmas to 300 Children. That sounds like a challenge that JIBC would take on. JIBC does something a little different during Advent. We incorporate Missions into the celebration of Christ’s coming. We will receive an offering for International Missions which always includes The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Jelly and pancake syrup for James Island Outreach and this year, 300 gifts for Eastern Tennessee Children affected by the extreme rainfall, terrible floods, landslides. If you would like to help and are able, they will receive any toys, even gently used ones, for ages birth to 14 and for Senior Adults. (We are sending 100 copies of The Good News According to John, the readable Bible Women’s Missionary Union Gift Edition.) Each of the 300 children will also receive a Christmas Stocking filled with candy courtesy of left over JIBC Fall Festival candy! Double blessing! If you do purchase or donate a gift, please bring it to the Worship Center or place it right outside the office.
Thank you for your prayers, your generous giving and your service to His Kingdom. God is good all the time and all the time….You got it!
Pastor Tom
One of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving and Christmas is getting ready for the Advent Season. The word advent means coming. Christmas is the celebration of the coming, the advent, of God’s Son into the world. It is so easy for me to be distracted by political news, family events and secular messaging. To help me stay focused I have some spiritual practices that I try to incorporate into my holidays. Starting December 1, I will re-read the Christmas stores and all related passages. There are times when I use an Advent Devotional. It usually includes a scripture reference, a short thought and a prayer for the season.
As a church family, one thing we do involves remembering why we give gifts. Following the example of the Wisemen/Magi/the Three Kings, we bring our gifts to celebrate our Lord’s birth. We still give family gifts and have wonderful days of family gathering with gift exchanges. Christmas is not the only time we give gifts but it is one time when we are most likely to share love and gifts!
Here is one tradition I love as much as any. Our church family for years has incorporated mission giving and mission support into the Advent Season. The gifts can vary from year to year. The intent is always the same: love someone in Jesus’ name and bless them however you can. This year, we are doing three gifts for Advent. The first one is by far the biggest challenge. We have been asked to provide Christmas for 300 children in Western North Carolina. These can be gently used toys or new toys. They can be for ages starting at birth and going through age 14. There can also be gifts for Senior Adults. Please join us in trying to provide 300+ toys for these children. I think we will have twice that number. By the way, you do not have to wrap them. They will have a special way to deliver the gifts to the families. No wrapping required. We will have at lease three Christmas trees around the church campus: the worship center, the atrium and the fellowship hall. You can drop them off any time. We will be taking the gifts to Greenville, Tennessee, the collection place. They will get them to their Ministry-Mission warehouse from there. So, the last date to receive toys at JIBC is Monday, December 8.
The other two Advent mission projects include our Jelly and pancake syrup for James Island Outreach. How sweet it is! Keep an eye out for the BOGO deals. Let us know where you find great deals and we will spread the word.
The last of the mission projects includes an offering for International Missions. This fund will be directed to mission efforts around the world. Among them will be the Lottie Moon Christmas offering.
Well, it is early, but the days are flying fast. Make plans now for how you will celebrate Advent.
Blessings,
Pastor Tom
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