Gwynn's Island Baptist Church

09/07/2026

September 6, 2026 

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09/03/2026

Lifelines

by Dr. Ed Jordan © 2026
Pastor, Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA
September 3, 2026
Topic: Why do you love the Lord?


The Day Darkness Turned to Light!
© 2026 by Dr. Ed Jordan

With the glut of information daily bombarding our minds, we rarely take time to really think about even important things. We react quickly and shallowly, rather than thinking purposely and deeply. Do you take time each day to ponder the place of God in your life, or just spend your day like a ball bouncing around in a pinball machine?

One of the things we tend to forget about is 9/11. But we mustn’t forget!

It was a beautiful fall morning until 8:46am, when New Yorkers heard roaring engines above and moments later hijackers flew a passenger jet into the World Trade Center North Tower, momentarily leaving its smoky outline. Black smoke filled the sky, while shock and unbelief filled the observers. Those who did not die from the crash were trapped inside above the 91st floor.

At 9:03am, another passenger-laden hijacked jet flew into the South Tower. More shock, more despair, and more desperate attempts at escape. I will never forget the sight of people jumping off the upper floors of the towers, to avoid burning to death in the buildings. What a choice to have to make!
At 9:05am President George W. Bush, was told “America is under attack!” The President calmly left the classroom where he had been reading to children, and was whisked away to deal with a long and alarming series of events, and many difficult decisions.

At 9:37am Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing all passengers and 125 civilians and military personnel.

At 9:45am US airspace was shut down, under Operation Yellow Ribbon, by which all civilian aircraft were to land at the nearest airport.

On passenger Flight 93 hijackers took control of the pilot’s cabin. At 9:57am some passengers try to take back the plane from the hijackers, and quickly ran to the front saying: “Let’s roll!”

At 9:59am the South Tower collapsed to the ground.

At 10:02am, Flight 93 plowed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

At 10:28am the North Tower collapsed.

On that day of infamy when terrorists attacked America, 2,977 people were murdered. Thousands more died in the months and years to follow from the fallout of that day’s attacks. But let us also remember the hundreds, if not thousands, of heroic deeds that took place on that day, and the days that followed.

I know this contains a lot of information, but this information is worth remembering. Do you remember where you were at 9am on September 11, 2001, and how you felt when you saw such unbelievable evil manifested on your screen?

I remember that day vividly. Our family was serving as missionaries in Szeged, Hungary, and at 3pm a Hungarian friend called to ask if we were watching the news on TV, which we weren’t. She said turn it on now, “Because something horrible is happening in America.” We turned to British satellite news just in time to watch the second plane hit the tower. We watched in horror as the buildings collapsed and people staggered around covered with ashes from head to foot. We were stunned speechless, in shock, but also so proud of our brave First Responders who put their lives on the line to help others.

But what could we do, living 6000 miles away? Our mission group and the State Department were telling Americans overseas to shelter in place, lie low, and don’t speak English in public. Our first thought was, “No way! I needed to do something to let others know that I stood with our country when under attack.”

So I took our American flag and tied it at half-mast to the pole in our front yard that held the basketball backboard. We received call after call from Hungarians friends to grieve with us, support us, and even pray for us, the survivors, and our country.

Ecclesiastes 2:12-13 states: “So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; … And I saw that wisdom excels folly, as light excels darkness.” When we don’t learn from the past, we repeat the mistakes of the past. When we don’t take time to think, we lose the context and skills necessary for sound thinking. The world’s culture is dumbing us down, and we’re becoming mindless, and valueless. Americans who don’t value this country and our system of government, are mindless. Turn to consider!

Light wins in the end, so step into, and live in, the Light of God’s truth, instead of sinking into the darkness of the thoughtless. Thank God for the blessing of living in our country, and value that blessing! Do not forget!

Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA. Dr. Jordan’s new book: “Doing Love! It can change your life!” can be purchased on Barnes&Noble.com or Amazon.com.

08/30/2026

August 30, 2026

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08/28/2026

Lifelines

© 2026 by Dr. Ed Jordan
Pastor, Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA
August 27th, 2026
Topic: Why do you love the Lord?

Class Is … As Class Does!
© 2026 by Dr. Ed Jordan

Dolly Parton entered into Heaven and the presence of Jesus, on August 25th, 2026. I am sure that she is receiving a warm welcome, as Dolly, the Queen of country music bows before the King of Kings and LORD of Lords. She most certainly has experienced the smile of Jesus and His heartfelt words: “Welcome to Heaven, Dolly! It’s so good to see you here, where you belong!”

As people remember her, and grieve her departure, it becomes apparent that she was an incredible person, a one in a million, who for her 80 years of life, lived life in humility and service of doing good and being helpful to others. She was born as Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Her family was large, so she had 11 other siblings, all growing up with limited income in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. She learned music from her mother who taught her to sing traditional folk and church music. When she was 13 she made her first appearance as a guest on The Porter Wagner Show. In 1964 she moved to Nashville. As a prolific songwriter, she wrote over three thousand songs, and was smart enough to own them and keep the copyright and royalty rights to them.

Yet when you listen to those who knew her well, and people who had friendships with her, she was a loving, caring person, who never let success go to her head. She was a giving person, willing to help others succeed and to give others opportunities to sing her songs, and to honor them enough to not steal their thunder when they were successful. She was real, and unpresumptuous as a person and performer. Pat Boone noted that she was the “purest person” he had ever met, not in the sense of a prude, but rather in the sense that she had no pretense, no hidden agendas. She was who she was, and lived her life doing what she felt was best.

One of my favorite songs by Dolly is “The Coat of Many Colors, that My Momma Made for Me.” That seemed to well-depict her life as a child, and the love of her parents trying to feed and clothe twelve children.

Perhaps one of her most lasting legacies is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. She dedicated it to her father, who never learned to read or write. She wanted everyone to have the opportunity to read, and saw reading as the door to all other learning opportunities. According to its website, there are currently 3,197,250 children enrolled in the program in multiple countries, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted 332,411,218 books to children for them to read. Dolly stated that the library was her way of helping others in difficult living scenarios. She was planting seeds into the children and their families, seeds of life and hope.

As Dolly stated on their website: “When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community today can grow across the world.”

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:8: “Freely you have received; freely give.” Again in Luke 6:36 Jesus taught: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” God was good and merciful in caring for Dolly and her family, and she wanted others to experience the goodness and mercy of God as well. She didn’t just give money; instead she gave books, and learning opportunities, and planted seeds which could unlock potential in others.

In Luke 6:38 (NIV) we find another great verse which Dolly lived-out through her life: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Dolly Parton has left behind a legacy, which will keep planting seeds that will change the lives of others. Regarding being a success in life, she once said: “If your legacy is that you dream more, learn more, and influence others to become more, then you are a success!”
She didn’t just say it … she has done it. Class is, as Class does. Dolly embodied class! May her tribe increase, to the glory of God! Amen!

Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA. Dr. Jordan’s new book: “Doing Love! It can change your life!” can be purchased on Barnes&Noble.com or Amazon.com.

08/26/2026

Mark your calendar! Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, 10:am,
we will honor our 1st Responders
👮‍♀️🧑‍🚒🧑‍✈️🎖️🚒🚓🚑🚨🛥️📞

08/23/2026

August 23, 2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/20/2026

Do you love the Lord? If so, why do you love the Lord?

Lifelines

by Dr. Ed Jordan © 2026
Pastor, Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA
August 19, 2026
Topic: Why do you love the Lord?

I Love the LORD Because…
By Dr. Ed Jordan © 2026

In an era when the airwaves are filled with hatred, we sometimes forget that God is not the author of hatred, the Devil is. Some want to blame the media for our hatred. Some want to erroneously blame God, but God is love to the core of His being. He “hates” sin and destructive behaviors, precisely because they warp and desecrate people whom God created in His own image.

God loves you, me, and everyone created in His image. He created us to live in a 24/7 personal relationship with Him. He desires for us to talk with Him daily, discover what He wants us to do each day, and set about getting it done. He guides believers as we dialogue with Him all day long, talking about how to do this or that, and discovering God’s surprise encounters throughout each day.

Adam and Eve were deceived by the Devil in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted them to eat what God had forbidden them to eat. Once they did that, sin entered into the world, and life in a sinless paradise was lost. Our sin broke the pure relationship and interaction that man had with God. As a result, sinful man hides from God, just as Adam and Eve did. But God had a plan to remedy this. He would send Jesus who would live a perfect life, die a brutal death to shed His blood to provide the payment for our sins, and reconnect those who believe into a living personal relationship with God, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. When we agree with God that we have sinned, and claim Jesus’ payment of our penalty, and invite Him to come live within us, we are forever reconnected to God, to live in daily relationship with Him.

In Psalm 116:1-9 (NLT), King David gives a list of reasons why he loved the Lord, saying: “I love the LORD because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “Please, LORD, save me!” How kind the LORD is! How good He is! So merciful, is this God of ours! The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on Earth!”

These nine verses give us a whole list of reasons why we should each love the Lord. I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayers. I love Him because He bends down to listen to me. I love God because has rescued me from death on numerous occasions, and because He brings me through and out of my troubles and sorrows. I love the Lord, because when I called out to Him to save me, to rescue my soul from eternal death, He saved me. I love that He is so merciful towards us. I love the Lord because He is with me all the time and protects me all day long and throughout the nights. I love Him because He has saved me from eternal death, dries my crying eyes, and holds me up when I stumble.
How about you? Do you know the Lord? Have you prayed and asked Him to forgive you of all your sins, to cleanse you inside and out? Have you received Jesus, so that His Spirit has come to live within you? The next time you feel disheartened, why not pause and begin to talk with God? “God, I love you so much! You are so good to me. I love you because…” Thank Him for everything that comes into your mind, event after event, assistance after assistance.

Write a list of as many things you can think of that God has done for you, in you, or through you. Whenever you’re in a rotten mood, get your list and converse with God, telling Him all the reasons you love Him! While you’re at it, why not tell each person you meet today, one specific reason why you love the Lord! It will bless them, bless God, and bless you!


Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA. Dr. Jordan’s new book: “Doing Love! It can change your life!” can be purchased on Barnes&Noble.com or Amazon.com.

08/16/2026

August 16, 2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/15/2026

Tomorrow's GIBC 10am Worship
Inside the Sanctuary

08/13/2026

Why is there so much chaos over whether someone is a male or female. Who decides what is really truth, and what is not true? How important is having a source for what is objectively true, and timelessly true, instead of a values' system that changes with every wind of feelings?

Hope this helps you make life's choices more obvious.

Blessings,

Ed
Lifelines

by Dr. Ed Jordan © 2025
Pastor, Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA
August 13, 2026
Topic: Inside-Outside Prov. 3:3-4

Inside-Outside, Lasting Character
By Dr. Ed Jordan © 2026

Have you noticed that there is a deepening void in people and culture, which used to be filled with lasting, healthy values? When parents don’t model and instill good character into our children, the effects cause a cascading effect throughout cultures. The Post-Modern’s valueless mentality is a large culprit in the decline of timeless morality, honesty, and the valuing of human life. Evolution also played its role in declaring that humans are just an evolutionary accident in Earth’s timeline, that humans are merely animals. Teach that stuff long enough, and surprise, surprise: humans are mere biological beings, of no more value than any other animal. The ramifications of that mentality are seen every day on the newscasts. Children kill children, or kill their parents. Some states now allow abortion up until birth, like the baby is merely an unwanted tumor that can be surgically removed with no moral considerations or psychological ramifications.

The world is drowning in violence and destruction. Combine this with the many people who develop a self-centered existence, where everything is subject to pleasing oneself. If not, it or they get cancelled. Those who embrace cancel-culture shrink their world, negating everything with a different perspective. It shrinks one’s values, input, information, and perceptions, keeping only “what is true for me.”

It’s come so far that some female sports teams can’t even clearly state what makes a female a female. Why should women’s or girls’ sports organizations exist, if females can’t even be objectively identified? How about using proven DNA and human biology to determine who is a female? How about chromosomes? No, that truth can’t be used, because it threatens “my self-centered truth,” and would cause me to admit that there is truth that is tangible and provable as objective, verified, real reality. But when you throw out objective truth, and substitute it with what a person “feels should be true,” then there is no truth left, just imagination. As a result, society encourages people to cancel and throw away anything, and anyone that does not conform to their subjective demands and values.

The Bible is full of truth that has proven true over many centuries. The book of Proverbs was written to train young people to learn from mistakes of the past, and to develop timeless, practical values which would empower them to live a quality life each day. This lifestyle is built upon timeless truths and characteristics which have proven to be true and beneficial in the lives of many people over many centuries. We find two core values in Proverbs 3:3-4 (NASB) which states: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, so you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.”

We are told that kindness (committed goodness and love), as well as truth, are two character traits which should be continually present in our lives. The writer stressed that kindness and truth are to show outwardly, symbolically written on a tablet that hangs around your neck, as well as “written” inwardly in your heart, etched into the core values that direct your decision making and relationships with others.

In verse 4 the Proverb states that if kindness and loyalty to God’s truth, are deep-seated in our lives, then we will find our life to be graced by God’s favor and blessings. We will also have good relationships with others, and a good reputation among those we relate to. What a great way to live!

God has written the Bible for our benefit, so that we know the values and lifestyle which honors God, ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live in. As we make the Bible’s truth and teaching a regular part of our lives, it becomes much easier to determine what is really lasting truth, or merely subjective feeling.

Objective truth has been proven true, and can be relied upon to still, and always, be true. Subjective truth is a quagmire of confusion, stress, and insecurity. Choose God’s truth, intertwine your core values with it, and enjoy the benefits of having favor with God and with others you live among. Embrace God’s kindness and make it a part of who you are as a person, both inside and outside.


Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church, Gwynn, VA. He can be reached at [email protected]. Dr. Jordan’s new book: “Doing Love! It can change your life!” can be purchased on Barnes&Noble.com or Amazon.com.