From the poem, IN 1492 , we learn that “In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Prior to 1492 the European world was unaware that the American continents existed. Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in an attempt to find an improved trading route from Spain to India. His discovery of the Americas sparked a European conquest, which led many people to search for a better country. Those brave souls who wanted a better country laid the groundwork for much that we know and love about our country today. Many great churches have been founded in the last five hundred years. I have been invited to preach during a homecoming service in the church where I grew up. Spring Hill Baptist Church is the church where I was nurtured in the faith, baptized, licensed to preach, married, and ordained as a minister. Last year, I preached part of my grandmother’s funeral in the church. Spring Hill is a grassroots, country church with a special place in my heart. As I prepare t