Ministry - TravisAgnew.org

The Integrity of the Church

April 25, 2017August 4, 2013 by Travis Agnew

“If you want to be a shepherd, you have to smell like sheep.”

That was just one of the best lines from today’s sermon. This was our second week focusing on the biblical role of elders. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul tells Timothy some of the characteristics and traits that an elder or a pastor is supposed to have.

A true pastor must desire the calling. It’s a noble thing. This was one of the best things I have ever heard on calling and the danger that many treat it with mysticism. If you are called, you desire this work.

You must be above reproach. There must be a good set of morals and living them out. I never really thought about the trait of hospitality like I did today. A true pastor is going to be around sheep. He is going to have them in his home. He is going be near the people in his congregation or he’s really not a good elder.

Today, we worshiped to:

O, What’s a Church to Do?

August 3, 2013August 2, 2013 by Travis Agnew

O, What’s a Church to Do?

O, what’s a church to do?
Socialize, proselytize,
Empathize or try?
Congregate, segregate,
Stagnate or die?
Trivialize, patronize,
Criticize old and new.
Organize to fraternize,
O, what’s a church to do?

Church Bulletin Bloopers

December 30, 2016July 31, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Typos happen in all types of mediums. All types of businesses and organizations have experienced the embarrassment with something written incorrectly. They can be awkward or unfortunate, but most oftentimes, they are just funny. The following statements actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services: Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come …

The Leadership of the Church

April 25, 2017July 28, 2013 by Travis Agnew

I loved having my birthday on a Sunday. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with my family and church family. The day was just fantastic.

The worship service centered around the leadership of the church. As we were going to talk about elders, I wanted to focus on lifting Jesus higher and us getting out of the way. Christian leaders are called to decrease because Christ must increase.

Today, we worshiped to:

1 Decade at North Side

December 30, 2016July 25, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This weekend is a pretty special one for me. On Sunday, I celebrate two events:

First, I am turning 32. Just seeing that number is kinda crazy to me. It’s not a depressing thing, but it just represents a lot of life that God has allowed me to live. I am very grateful.

Second, I am celebrating 1 decade of being a pastor at North Side Baptist Church. In a time when some stats say that ministers stay at a church for an average of 2 years, it seems hard to imagine staying somewhere for 10.

10 years ago on my birthday, I began moving my books into an office in the Family Life Center to serve as a full-time yet part-time College and Missions Pastor. I had just finished up a summer serving M-Fuge in St. Louis, I was engaged to the best girl in the entire world, and I had a hopeful disposition to what was awaiting at North Side.

Things have changed in the last 10 years just a little bit:

Mosquitoes and Worship

April 25, 2017July 24, 2013 by Travis Agnew

I was asked to lead worship last night at the Epworth Camp Meeting. I was very excited to go because I love old camp meetings. There is something very special about those dedicated times.

Epworth is a Methodist campground that has had people gather for over 100 years in the summer to seek the Lord. Their song leader for the last many years passed away after camp last year, and this year they were interested in trying things a little different.

So they asked me if I would bring in a band and try and connect with the young people. See, I’m not that old ;). Apparently, last night was a first in some ways for the camp as far as worship styles. There were many there who have been a part of the camp for literally decades.

Don’t get me wrong, I love leading worship anywhere I get the opportunity, but there was something very special about last night.

Here’s why:

Christian Break-Up Lines

January 3, 2017July 23, 2013 by Travis Agnew

A few months ago, I wrote a post concerning Christian Pick-Up Lines. Since that time, I received some other lines from readers and updated the post. It was full of over-spiritualized sentiments of why two believers should be dating. Maybe the lines worked for you. You got a date, but you now find yourself like someone I went to college with …

The Chain of Events Leading to Billy Graham’s Conversion

December 30, 2016July 22, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As of 2008, Billy Graham’s estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion. That means that approximately 2.2 billion people have heard the gospel from Billy Graham’s mouth. That’s hard to wrap your mind around. Billy Graham has shared the gospel with more people than anyone else in history, but do you know who shared the gospel …

The Stewardship of the Church

April 25, 2017July 21, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As we continue through our “Church Matters” series, we come to week 8 – “The Stewardship of the Church.” As far as the planning of the service goes, we focused on finding our satisfaction in God and not in our stuff. The worship time was intended to lead people to realize that all of our contentment can be found in our relationship with God.

Jeff’s message was so legit. I loved how he started it sharing how oftentimes money sermons go in a church and how he promised not to do that. He said something to the tune of “I can preach on tithing here at this church or anywhere and the offering will go up for about 2 months and then go back to the regular amount…I’m just gonna be honest with you. I refuse to preach the Word of God so that we will get more money. My job as one of the pastors of this flock is not to get more money out of you but my job is to help you become greater worshipers of the Almighty.” It was the best sermon I have ever heard on what stewardship truly is.

Today, we worshiped to:

Papa Joe Bradford and the Unity Choir

December 30, 2016July 19, 2013 by Travis Agnew

The Greenwood Family YMCA High Hopes Program in partnership with North Side Baptist Church’s Project Love, is thrilled to announce that Papa Joe Bradford and the Unity Choir will be in Greenwood on Friday, August 2nd to perform and worship with all of us! The event will be held at North Side Baptist Church at 7:00 pm.

Papa Joe holds the rare honor of having his triumphant life story inspire a major motion picture,Unconditional. Joe Bradford is one of the country’s most respected leaders and advocates for at-risk and fatherless children. As an author, co-producer, teacher, speaker, and program developer he serves through his unique ability to unite teams for active service and love to the least fortunate. He is known as “Papa Joe” in all circles of influence he touches.

“I was so touched by Joe’s story and by the youth choir,” stated YMCA’s CEO Gray Stallworth after seeing Joe and the Unity Choir at an event near Nashville, TN.

The 90/10 Church Rule

January 3, 2018July 18, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Maybe you have heard of the 90/10 rule in marital relationships. Let’s say that John Doe has 90% of everything he ever wanted in a spouse in the person of Jane Doe. She is great. Well, she is 90% great. But she is lacking. She lacks only 10% of what he desires, but overtime, that is the 10% that he …

The Servants of the Church

April 25, 2017July 14, 2013 by Travis Agnew

“Sovereign God, thy cause, and not my own, engages my heart.”

That quote comes from “God’s Cause” in the Puritan Book of Prayers, The Valley of Vision. As we focused on the servants of the church today, that was our focus. The entire service wrapped around the desire and the strength that we need to live for God’s Kingdom rather than our own. Through the videos, testimonies, prayers, and songs, we tried to drive home that point. I loved how our servant panel expressed how each of their roles in the church are pivotal!

Today, we worshiped to:

The State of the Present Church

January 3, 2017July 11, 2013 by Travis Agnew

After 392 A.D., the Church began to view the people in the Roman Empire as having accessibility to the gospel, thus the fervency of the Christian witness within the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire dwindled. Jesus commissioned the early Church to serve as His witnesses beginning in their present location and moving outwards to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Until the Christianization of Rome, the Church had been faithful in this mission. Unfortunately, Christians began to regard missions as only taking place outside of their homeland, and they would depart their own country to evangelize. Some missiologists hold that the present Church has inherited the mindset that evangelism transpires solely outside of one’s immediate geographical living area. Consequently, evangelism rarely happens around the area of an individual church body.

Evangelicals have noticed the endangered position of the American Church. In a recent study, the yearly requirements for a church body to be deemed as evangelistic were to have twenty-six people become Christians under their church’s influence and to have one person baptized for every twenty members.

With that criteria, the surveyors accredited less than four percent of Southern Baptist churches as evangelistic.

Roman Christianization

January 3, 2017July 10, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Christianity had suffered greatly under Rome’s persecution, but the Church had advanced remarkably in influence and size composing ten to fifteen percent of the Roman population early in the fourth century. In A.D. 312, Emperor Constantine waged war with his rival for the throne, Maxentius. Emperor Constantine prayed to the “Unconquered Son,” the Roman patron deity, for assistance in battle. Supposedly, Constantine and his army witnessed a cross ablaze in the sky on which they read the words, “In this sign conquer.” In his sleep that night, Constantine claimed that he was commanded to distinguish his soldiers with the monogram of Christ to ensure victory. Upon applying the monogram, Constantine won the battle at the Milvian Bridge due to Maxentius’s drowning before the battle was even underway.

After this impressive victory, Constantine claimed that he was “under the tutelage of the God of Christianity.”

Persecution of the Early Church

January 3, 2017July 9, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Jesus told His disciples that the world would hate them in the same way that the world hated Jesus (John 15:18), and He foretold of a time when people would kill His disciples and believe that they were doing a service to God (John 16:2). Jesus never minimized the cost that those following Him would have to pay. He clearly prepared them for the trials that would come with involving themselves with Christ’s cause. While Jesus was on earth, His closest disciple, Peter, declared that he would follow Christ, even if all the other disciples would fall away (Matt. 26:33). After Peter’s denial of Christ, the future of the Church’s leadership appeared unable to continue Christ’s work in Jesus’ absence.

Conversely, Peter proved to be a bold witness for Christ after Jesus’ resurrection. In danger of imprisonment or death, Peter amazed the religious officials with his confidence in their midst, and they recognized Peter’s affiliation with Christ (Acts 4:13). Before this instance, the religious leaders had also been amazed at Jesus’ theological presentations (John 7:15), since He had no apparent mentor. Regardless of threats, Peter and the other disciples became insubordinate to the laws of the Jewish community, and they vowed to continue preaching in the name of Jesus (acts 4:19-20). The religious leaders listened to the advice of Gamaliel the Elder, the tutor of Paul (Acts 22:3), and they decided that if this movement was not from God, the people adhering to Jesus’ teaching would eventually dissipate in the aftermath of Christ’s death. The court punished Peter and the apostles with him, and the officials warned the disciples no longer to preach in Jesus’ name (Acts. 5:38-40). Gamaliel and the other leaders trusted that God, and not themselves, would bring about an end to this current movement.

Martyrdom became routine for those holding to the Christian faith.

Christian Persecution

January 3, 2017July 8, 2013 by Travis Agnew

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

In his last recorded epistle, Paul attempted to prepare Timothy and other Church leaders for the coming persecution that they would face as Christians. Nearing the imminent culmination of Paul’s ministry and life, Paul instructed his son in the faith, Timothy, to continue “fighting the good fight” (2 Tim. 4:7), relinquishing the mantle of Paul’s ministry of spreading the gospel to Timothy.

During the time when Jesus lived on earth, He frequently admonished His unbelieving disciples of the coming persecution that He would endure and the persecution that the disciples themselves would soon face in the wake of Christ’s absence. Luke recorded numerous events in the Book of Acts concerning Christianity’s opponents administering beatings, imprisonments, and executions to Jesus’ disciples. Evangelicals and historians have written volumes of literature describing the accounts of Christians who have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus.

As God built on the foundation of His Church with men and women who were aware of their possible and probable death by their association with Christ, disciples boldly witnessed to all people concerning the grace of God, and many people were being saved (Acts 2:47). In countries where persecution of Christians is still prevalent, the Church is bold in witnessing and dynamic in growth; in countries where Christianity is allowed or even encouraged, the Church is often stagnate and declining.

The Worship of the Church

April 25, 2017July 6, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As we focused today on the worship of the church, I was eager to lead something I have had churning in my head for a while now.

We led worship music from 6 centuries in about 12 minutes. I took the theme concerning the greatness of God, and showed how it’s a constant theme through the ages, and that the style doesn’t really matter. It was a very special moment at the end of our services as we united with the Church over hundreds of years.

As the medley progressed, I posted the year each song was written as we started in the 1500s and ended up in the 2000s. The lyrics for the medley is available here: The Greatness Of God (Worship Medley) – lyrics (I never chorded out the song since I was playing it on the piano by myself for most of it and had liberty to adjust as we went along).

Today, we worshiped to:

The Discipleship of the Church

April 25, 2017June 30, 2013 by Travis Agnew

We had one of those days at North Side where you weren’t sure if the roof was gonna come off or Jesus was gonna come down! I love worshiping with our family when we get after it like that. I loved the diversity in our worship today and the intensity at every corner. Our worship team works so hard to lead people to Jesus each week and I am so honored to lead beside them! Today was simply a joy.

The above picture was my personal prayer focus for the day. We took time and prayed specifically for military chaplains serving today. As I was going through the prayer cards, I found one for a college friend, Jason Sluder. It was great to be able to pray for him and the other chaplains today with our Be the Church highlight. Such an honor to help support this ministry through our offerings each week!

Today, we worshiped to:

The Unconditional Love of Jesus

August 5, 2022June 29, 2013 by Travis Agnew

The video below is a snippet from our “Knowing Jesus” DVD. My dear sister, Tammy, is doing a spoken word entitled “Unconditional Love” and then we lead the song “Friend of Sinners.” I love how all this came together and love the energy captured here on video. Enjoy it – if you want the entire 95-minute presentation, you can get …

Bad Church Sign: Average Temp in Hell

December 30, 2016June 28, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This week’s bad church sign reads: AVERAGE TEMP HERE 95 AVERAGE TEMP IN HELL 200 As summer approaches, more and more church signs will use the rising temperatures to scare you into heaven. Let me make clear: fear of hell does not permit you a seat in heaven. Salvation is more involved than that. Regardless of the theological implications, 200 …

Church Staff Reality TV Show

December 30, 2016June 27, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Being on a church staff is not exactly what you think it would be. Unless you have been a part of one, you can’t really appreciate the randomness that can happen in a week.

Sure there are the tasks that you might expect, but then there are the things they don’t train you for in seminary. In my first 10 years of ministry on a church staff, I wish I would had been trained how to subdue a violent person, unload a handgun, helping someone who is confident their house is haunted, confront someone siphoning gas from the church parking lot, minister to someone in Jesus name who thinks he is Jesus, bats swooping down on people in worship, how to keep a straight face when people high on medication try to explain why they are in the hospital, and the regular weekly stuff like that.

So, I had this idea. It’s a great idea even though it will never work. Wouldn’t you love to see a church staff reality TV show?

The Missionary of the Church

April 25, 2017June 22, 2013 by Travis Agnew

It was such a great day today to BE THE CHURCH. We have partnered with a fantastic missionary family in Africa for almost 2 years now, and they were finally able to join us in person today! Greg preached an incredible sermon on the reason our church partners with places that are hard to reach, dangerous to reach. Sharing from the Word and personal testimony about their work among the Hausa people of West Africa was incredible.

Our worship time focused upon the praise of the nations. We focused on our response to take the gospel. We won’t relent until every nation has heard the gospel. It was a gospel-saturated, nation-focused worship time bent on the glory of God. Loved it.

Today, we worshiped to:

The Mission of the Church

April 25, 2017June 16, 2013 by Travis Agnew

We had some guest worship leaders helping out this Sunday for Father’s Day at North Side. I assembled some of the band to recruit their children to help lead in worship and we had a stage full. I was so honored to have my two sons leading beside me. Obadiah and Eli are passionate singers and musicians. Many people commented on their energy, and I told them this was them on calm. If you were out of town, watch online here.

Family is important at North Side. We prize lifestyles of worship lived within the homes. This wasn’t a stage idea for Sunday, this was an example of what real life in the home should look like – men leading their children to love Jesus.

That’s what was great about the other elements in the service today. It was about fathers and sons going on mission together. Men of God stepping up to lead in the Great Commission.

Today, we worshiped to:

Is Church Membership Like a YMCA Membership?

December 30, 2016June 14, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Below is a great snippet from Jeff’s message on church membership:

Bad Church Sign: Tired of Contemporary?

December 30, 2016June 13, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This week’s bad church sign says:

TIRED OF CONTEMPORARY?

COME TRY US.

I don’t know what town this is. I’m unsure of what church this is. But I know the situation exactly. Want me to paint the picture?

It’s in the Bible belt. It’s in a city where there is a lot of transfer growth. Sheep hopping from flock to flock. There is one (or more) churches who have grown recently due to a contemporary service or flavor. Some of them are traditional existing churches that have turned more and more contemporary over the years.

The church in the picture has lost some members due to that fact. In an effort to lure people into their flock, they use an advertising campaign for anyone passing by. But the ad is not for just anyone, is it? Read it. Is it for church people or unchurched people?

It’s for churched people of course. Outsiders don’t even know what a contemporary is in the context that us regulars understand it to be. This church is appealing to members of another flock. Actually, they are appealing to disgruntled members of other flocks in hoping that those worn out with the 20 minutes of contemporary worship music within a week’s time (which is .1% of the 10,080 minutes we are called to be the church all week long) will now join their flock. Let’s gather a group of disgruntled sheep in hopes that all their hopes and preferences will be met at our church house.

That’s a flock full of quite the dynamics, I would say.

This sign reveals a bunch about the state of the American Church today:

The Membership of the Church

April 25, 2017June 9, 2013 by Travis Agnew

What a special day to be a part of North Side! Our service started out with the band leading and then we got the joy to pass the microphones over to Point of Grace’s Leigh Cappillino and her husband, Dana, and their daughter, Darby. I tried to give them some band names for the day but they never stuck (The VonCapps, The Flying Cappilinos, The Cappillino 3, Leigh & the Cappillinos).

Jo Anne Reinhardt gave a great testimony about giving or going to Shake-n-Shine this year, a great church membership testimony from Terri Budreau, and then we got to hear a fantabulous message on church membership.

Leigh Cappillino sang with the Parlers and Kennerlys in college at Charleston Southern and have remained friends since then. They were nearby visiting family and were gracious enough to pop in and sing for us this morning. What I love about this family is how real they are. With all the success Leigh and Point of Grace has had over the years, they are so grounded, humble, and genuine. And in addition to their character, they are phenomenal musicians! They did such a great job!

Today, we worshiped to:

Christian Pick-Up Lines

January 3, 2017June 5, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Something happens when Christians start to date. There are two extremes. One group tries to over spiritualize everything, and the other group unfortunately just takes God completely out of the equation. Let me show you what it looks like when somebody is trying to over-spiritualize a situation. Just a simple Google search of “Christian pick up lines” will show …

Bad Church Sign: A Ride to Hell?

December 30, 2016June 4, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As the summer heat begins to grow in intensity, threats concerning the stifling weather of hell will begin to grace many church signs.

To start this wonderful time of year where we try to scare people into church, I give you this week’s bad church sign:

HOT?

IMAGINE HELL

FOR A RIDE CALL…

Not only is this church willing to tell you how hot is, they are also willing to give you a ride there ;)! That’s very thoughtful of them, but I’d rather pass.

A few thoughts:

The Authority of the Church

April 25, 2017June 2, 2013 by Travis Agnew

While Jeff Lethco can preach anything well, I love the stride he gets in when talking about the church.

It was a powerful start to our “Church Matters” series today as we focused on the authority of the church. For us, it’s Scripture. We won’t be conditioned by expectations. We don’t have to cave in to comparison traps. We don’t have to try to woo or keep anyone based on preferences. We want to be obedient to God’s Word. And oftentimes, churches can begin to base all of their activity and identity on something that is totally absent in the Bible.

Today, we worshiped to:

Church Matters

December 30, 2016June 1, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Sunday, we are starting a series at North Side entitled “Church Matters.” During the summer, we are going to look at what the New Testament says about what a church is and is not.

Much confusion exists today on what a church is and what a church should be doing. We hope to clarify that. Not with our opinions or thoughts, but the Word of God.

We recently got some church members together to talk about how being a part of North Side has changed their lives. It was incredible to listen to their stories:

Summer Discipleship

December 30, 2016May 31, 2013 by Travis Agnew

When you are still in school, summer can be a great gift for relaxation and, unfortunately, a great divergence for spiritual formation.

During the summer months, you have more time than ever to read the Bible, pray, and serve, but sometimes, that freedom can lead to laziness and apathy.

I’m hoping to help that for some of you.

Bad Church Sign: God Could Not Be Everywhere

December 30, 2016May 30, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Here’s a church sign someone probably decided was a good idea for Mother’s Day:

“GOD COULD NOT BE EVERYWHERE SO HE CREATED MOTHERS”

Fail.

Epic fail.

In an attempt to make mothers feel special, this church actually has made them more anxious. To live in a world where God was not everywhere means that the sustainment of life would be in our hands which would be a scary place to be.

Here’s why it is theologically inaccurate:

The Story of Job

April 25, 2017May 25, 2013 by Travis Agnew

What a wonderful day of worship at North Side! I got the incredible privilege to preach to finish up our 2-week series, “Through the Storms.” Ken Petrus did such a fantastic job sharing his heart last week, and it is an honor to follow his lead!

During his message last Sunday, I felt the direction to go in a different path than previously scripted. I feel like the Holy Spirit was guiding me to preach through the entire Book of Job.

From the perspective of Job.

I went into character for the message today. I even grew a beard for this message (that’s commitment ;))! I tried to convey what it’s like when you go through a storm and want to ask God why you are in it. Then, what it is like when he actually responds. As I traveled through the book, we would put up key scriptures to keep people moving along. At the end when God finally speaks, we used some really neat pictures of God’s creation to drive home the truth that God is in control. The band went right into “Indescribable,” which much of the imagery there comes straight out of Job 38-42.

Today, we worshiped to:

“Are Your Musicians Paid?”

April 25, 2017May 23, 2013 by Travis Agnew

During the process of “Knowing Jesus,” I was asked a question frequently by many different people: “Are your musicians paid?” I think it stems from the fact that I am around such quality people and it causes many people to stand in bewilderment. Surely, he has to pay these people because of their high caliber. I really am blessed to …

Through the Storms

April 25, 2017May 19, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Such a heavy, beautiful way to worship today. It was honest, authentic worship. We started a 2-week series today entitled “Through the Storms.” Ken Petrus, Executive Pastor at North Side, preached this first week.

4 months ago today, Ken’s youngest child, Eric, went to be with Jesus after an 11-year fight with cancer. Eric had asked Ken to preach his funeral. At that funeral, I witnessed one of the most beautiful expressions of faith, hope, and the peace surpasses all comprehension that I have ever seen. When Jeff and I were planning out the remainder of the messages for 2013, 2 weeks at the end of May were vacant. I asked Ken if he would want to address the congregation that had prayed so much for his family. With tears in his eyes, he said he would love to.

He did an incredible job. He shared the story but kept pointing us back to the Word as the source of our hope. He had also asked for some specific songs in today’s service. He asked Stacy Wideman to sing “It Is Well” as she lost her son a few years ago and can sing that song with more meaning than most. He asked for Ted to sing “How Great Thou Art” which he sang at Eric’s funeral. And “Amazing Grace” meant so much to the family to know that Eric’s chains are truly gone and he is finally free.

Today, we worshiped to:

Bad Church Sign: We Love Hurting People

December 30, 2016May 16, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This week’s bad church sign: WE LOVE HURTING PEOPLE Thanks for the warning. I will make sure to steer clear of you in the future so that I am not your next victim 😉

3 John (Don’t Be a Diotrephes)

April 25, 2017May 12, 2013 by Travis Agnew

We finished up our “Knowing That You Know Jesus” series today by studying 3 John. The entire study since the beginning of this year has been so good. Jeff’s message on 3 John concerning encouragement and confrontation within the church was so insightful and practical. The Apostle John was encouraging Gaius concerning opposition he received from Diotrephes – a person within the church who loved to be first. Don’t be one of those.

Since it was Mother’s Day, we had our ladies lead us in worship. I thought about giving all these moms the week off, but then I realized that maybe someone else responsible for watching the kids that morning might be a welcomed treat. My wife and the other ladies did great. While they sing great, they lead great. They are worship focused themselves.

Today, we worshiped to:

Bad Church Sign: Your Mother is What?!

December 30, 2016May 10, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Here’s a church sign for you just in time for Mother’s Day: “SHE AIN’T HEAVY SHE’S MY MOTHER.” Good to know, church with a pulse, good to know. And I imagine your mother is happy to know that as well!

Sharing Christ with Your Family

December 30, 2016May 9, 2013 by Travis Agnew

One of my favorite movies when I was a child was the Christmas classic, Home Alone. When I was in elementary school, I got to watch Macaulay Culkin live out every child’s fantasy on the big screen: no parents, no siblings, freedom without end, and making your home into a legitimate war zone. The desire to be a mischievous hero marked every little boy my age.

If you remember the plot line, Culkin’s character, “Kevin,” had a pretty awful family. He had a brother Buzz who wanted to feed him to his tarantula. He had to bunk with his cousin Fuller who was prone to bed-wetting and was downing some serious levels of Pepsi. Worst of all, his cheapskate Uncle Frank was known for spouting off towards Kevin one of the most memorable movie lines of all time: “Look what you did, you little jerk!”

Let’s face it: Kevin did not have the best family in the world, so when they dramatically disappeared one morning before Christmas, Kevin thought he had been raptured into a parent-less bliss. His wish had become true. His annoying family had been whisked away from his home.

While every child has probably wished a family member away at some time in their lives, every person also knows what it is like to be overwhelmed with the state of their family. While we all have those family members that disappoint or upset us, we also know what it is like to be truly concerned with the salvation of a family member.

It’s beyond they get on our nerves, we are truly worried about the state of their souls.

“Knowing Jesus – Live” on iTunes

April 25, 2017May 7, 2013 by Travis Agnew

I got a new album today that I’m pretty excited about. North Side’s “Knowing Jesus – Live” is available on iTunes. If you are a purist, you can get your hard copy at North Side. 23 tracks of the story of Christ. Pretty special stuff (even if I was a part of it). Even if you have a hard …

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