Chasing the Rabbit

What do Halloween candy, Brazilian trick-or-treaters, unexploded bottle rockets, The Lord of the Rings, church coffee, and a hypothetical spoonful of chili dumped into a kid’s candy bucket have in common?

Apparently, they’re all part of a conversation about fellowship.

With Adam out this week, the guys do what they do best: start with absolutely no clear destination and somehow rabbit-trail their way into a surprisingly meaningful conversation about what real biblical fellowship looks like.

Along the way, they discuss early voting, questionable neighborhood news interviews, the changing world of trick-or-treating, Wilmington Island traffic, and whether The Fellowship of the Ring might actually give us a better picture of fellowship than the average Baptist covered-dish dinner.

But underneath all the chaos is an important question: What does it feel like to walk into a church where you don’t know anybody?

The guys talk about slowing down, noticing the person standing alone, creating spaces where relationships can grow, and why genuine fellowship isn’t something a church staff can manufacture. It happens when the whole church decides to make room for somebody else.

And somehow Frodo gets involved.

Grab some coffee, find your fellowship, and join us for what may officially be the longest Chasing the Rabbits episode yet.

Pastor Brooks is away at what we can only assume is the Super Secret Senior Pastors Conference — Golden Sneakers Division, so the rest of us were left unsupervised.

And things went about as well as you’d expect.

This week we chase rabbits through medieval sleep schedules (apparently you’re supposed to get up in the middle of the night?), a little Pumpkin Fest judging controversy involving a gift card awarded to the wrong pumpkin, Cowboy Baked Beans, Eric’s insistence that hot dogs belong in corn tortillas, and Adam discovering that there is apparently a special category of salsa reserved for gringos.

We also discover that Jeremy has somehow made it almost all the way through fall without a pumpkin spice latte, fried chicken is officially the Baptist bird, and Starbucks may actually be a bank that happens to sell coffee.

Seriously.

There’s roughly $1.8 BILLION sitting on Starbucks cards and in the Starbucks app.

Naturally, this leads us to consider a prepaid church coffee account…and eventually a prepaid offering plate.

We have decided this is a terrible idea.

Eventually, though, we find our way back to Sunday’s final message in the My Story series and Brian Schindler’s powerful testimony. We talk about the aroma of Christ, the difference a genuinely changed life can make, and why our lives may be one of the clearest ways people around us encounter the reality of Jesus.

Because your story doesn’t have to be dramatic to matter.

God is still writing your story.

Along the way: two sleeps, Boo Books, birria, horchata, the Baptist bird, the church text loop, the “stench of Jesus,” and considerably more discussion about Starbucks than anyone planned.

Just another perfectly normal episode of Chasing the Rabbit.

Scriptures mentioned: 2 Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 4:12; John 3:16–21

What does Amazon know about you?

Apparently, a LOT.

This week, the guys discover Amazon’s “About You” feature—and things get uncomfortable pretty quickly. Amazon knows about Jason’s dogs and knife collection, Jeremy’s shopping habits, and an alarming amount about Adam’s relationship with Good Culture cottage cheese.

Naturally, that sends us chasing rabbits through Swedish hot chocolate, college football, surprise birthday breakfasts, Brooks inventing yet another game where the rules mysteriously change halfway through, thousands of unread notifications, free Bang Bang Shrimp emails, diminished adults, and Jeremy identifying a tuba by its resemblance to the one from VeggieTales.

Oh—and at some point Adam may have fallen asleep.

But eventually we chase the rabbit somewhere that actually matters.

Continuing the My Story conversation, the guys talk about our ministry stories—those moments after salvation when life got hard, God met us there, and we discovered something about Him we couldn't have learned any other way.

Sometimes those stories require vulnerability. Sometimes they begin with simply being able to tell someone, “I've been there. I understand. And I know how to pray for you.”

We talk about why no testimony is boring, why Christianity isn't merely a crutch—it's a stretcher—and how God can use the hardest chapters of our lives to bring hope into somebody else's.

Because you may have one salvation story…but you probably have a whole lot of ministry stories.

Somehow we got there from cottage cheese.

Welcome to Chasing the Rabbit.

Carnies, Captain America & Christ Our Advocate

Jeremy is missing this week, which means things around the table are slightly calmer…but only slightly.

The guys start by talking about state fairs, giant turkey legs, funnel cakes, candy apples, questionable carnival rides, and the comforting—or perhaps terrifying—revelation that Adam actually grew up around the people who BUILD those things. Apparently there are inspections. Lots of inspections. We feel better already.

Eventually, the rabbit trail winds its way back to Sunday’s message from 1 John, where Jason preached for a completely reasonable amount of time that was definitely not 49 minutes.

From there, the conversation turns to one of the most encouraging truths in Scripture: Jesus is our Advocate. Satan is the accuser, but Jesus is the One who stands on our behalf. Our failures don’t cause Christ to back away from us. The work of salvation is finished, and He continues working in us as we grow to become more like Him.

There’s also a connection to Gentle and Lowly, a reminder that sanctification takes a lifetime, and—because Jason is Jason—Captain America and the Avengers somehow make their way into the theology.

So grab a funnel cake, stay off the sketchy carnival rides, and remember: the Accuser may speak against you, but you have an Advocate who has already secured your victory.

It’s another week of chasing rabbits with the pastors of First Baptist Church of the Islands.

What do six inches of rain, a year-round Christmas tree, a four-foot inflatable turkey, a “blessed” pumpkin, questionable personal hygiene, hungry bears, gray water, bald prophets, sand gnats, and sharing your testimony have in common?

Absolutely nothing.

Which means you’ve found another episode of Chasing the Rabbit.

This week, all five pastors are back around the table, and things go off the rails remarkably quickly. We discover exactly how much of the 1970s each pastor survived, learn that Adam’s house celebrates something called “Hallowthanksmas,” debate whether it would be better to look amazing and smell terrible or smell amazing and look terrible, and hear Eric explain why a ten-day wilderness adventure apparently requires you to stop wearing deodorant, swallow your toothpaste water, and occasionally drink things no civilized person should drink.

Naturally, this leads to bears.

And somehow Elisha.

And baldness.

And sand gnats being one of the plagues of Egypt.

But eventually the rabbits lead us somewhere important.

The guys turn to FBC Islands’ My Story series and talk about recognizing the everyday moments when God gives us an opportunity to share what Jesus has done in our lives. From Colossians 4 and speech “seasoned with salt” to seasons of hurt, major life transitions, new babies, moving to a new city, and those moments when someone simply asks, “What do you think?”—our stories don’t need a microphone or a church platform to matter.

Sometimes the best opportunity to share your story is simply the moment God puts someone in front of you who needs to hear it.

Come for the bears. Stay for the gospel.

And whatever you do… don’t drink the gray water.

Chasing the Rabbit is a podcast from First Baptist Church of the Islands in Savannah, Georgia.

What do birthdays, bacon socks, bad trivia answers, 16 kinds of meat, and your salvation story have in common?

Absolutely nothing—which means they somehow all belong in the same episode of Chasing the Rabbit.

This week, the five pastors are together and the rabbits start running early. Jeremy gets “carded” by a first grader who refuses to believe his birthday, Eric introduces the guys to Mount Cleverest and discovers just how much they don’t know, and a discussion about an upcoming men’s breakfast somehow leads to the unforgettable story of eating 16 meats in 16 minutes…and the resulting “meat sweats.”

Eventually, the rabbit trail turns toward something that actually matters: your story.

The guys talk about the My Story series, how to share your salvation testimony without glorifying your past, why every testimony matters—even if it isn’t dramatic—and what we can learn from Paul’s story in Acts. Then comes the question we didn’t know we needed: If you could sit down and hear the full testimony of one person in Scripture, who would it be?

Jonah? The woman at the well? Mary Magdalene? The man born blind?

Or maybe…Brutus.

Yep. You’ll have to listen.

Five pastors. No script. Plenty of rabbits.

Welcome to Chasing the Rabbit.

Four of our five pastors spend some time talking about the changing of seasons, cleaning out junk from around the house, and then unpack the new sermon series we started this past Sunday.

This week on Chasing the Rabbit, the guys introduce themselves by their coffee orders, recount a pumpkin spice disappointment at Dunkin’, and chase a few rabbits through Raising Cane’s, an oddly competitive Daffin Park counting game, and Adam’s unwavering love for cottage cheese.

Then the conversation turns to a question that’s harder than it sounds: How do we actually learn to love people better? Reflecting on Sunday’s message from 1 John 4:7–11, the pastors explore how love begins with God, takes shape in Jesus’ sacrifice, and becomes visible in our everyday relationships. Along the way, they talk compassion, speaking truth with gentleness, and why growing in love means growing closer to the One who loved us first. There’s even an apology and forgiveness moment right at the table.

Grab your favorite coffee and join us for laughter, honest conversation, and a reminder that Calvary shows us what love looks like when love refuses to quit.

Scripture discussed: 1 John 4:7–11; John 3:16; John 13:34; 1 John 3:16; Galatians 5:22–23.

Follow, rate, and share Chasing the Rabbit with someone who could use a little encouragement this week.

This week the guys (all five of them!) get thoroughly off the trail before ever getting on it — gully washers, Chick-fil-A's waffle chicken sandwich, Huey Magoo's vs. Zaxby's, and a hot dog letdown at the Calvary home opener. They also celebrate Pastor Adam's 10-year anniversary with the church, reminiscing about the Fiat, Hurricane Matthew, and two weeks of unexpected roommate life.

Then they chase the real rabbit: Sunday's message from Lamentations 3, unpacking the Hebrew word hesed — God's steadfast, covenant love that is "new every morning." The team digs into why we run from God after we sin instead of toward Him, a gut-punch quote from Gentle and Lowly, and the reminder that "when we cannot trace His hand, we can trust His heart."

Also: a heads-up on the new Wednesday night book study on Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, starting September 2nd in Room D101.

Scripture referenced: Lamentations 3:21-26, Psalm 136, Matthew 11:28-30

Follow, rate, and share the podcast, and visit us online for more from First Baptist Church of the Islands.

What do hydration mishaps, oddly specific church service times, a herd of pigs, and political division have in common? Somehow, they all made it into this episode of Chasing the Rabbit.

After the usual assortment of rabbit trails—including fall weather, Merge stories, and churches that apparently schedule worship by Bible verse—the guys eventually cross the Sea of Galilee and land in Mark 5. There, Jesus meets a man whose life is completely transformed: chaos becomes peace, shame gives way to dignity, and a man once kept in chains is suddenly sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.

From there, the conversation turns to missions, the “so what” and “now what” of faith, and the uncomfortable question of whether we’re willing to cross our own modern-day “other sides”—even when that means crossing the political aisle.

Also discussed:

• Why Jesus crossed a sea for one man

• The danger of deciding someone is beyond hope

• Acts 1:8 and the missionary calling of every believer

• Hippos/Sosita and the mysterious city on a hill

• Merge newcomer-event adventures

• Upcoming GriefShare and Loss of a Spouse gatherings

• More church-service-time trivia than anyone requested

The big takeaway: Go to the other side, tell people what Jesus has done, and try not to lose the plot—or your water bottle—along the way.

Learn more: visit us at fbcislands.com