“Yala, Yala!” I can hear a co-worker enticing us to transition into a meeting. “Pali-Pali!” I can hear a professor teaching us about Korean culture to get moving. “Let’s go!” I can hear myself calling out to my family from the garage just about any day. It’s human nature, right? Productive. Efficient. Multi-tasking. These attributes rank high as points of praise for employees, students, and kids alike. […]
Trick or Treaty?
Last Halloween my family and I were on a Pokémon kick. We’d played a lot of the video game and the trading card game during the lockdown and so we dressed up as Pokémon. Ezra was Pikachu, Evelyn was Eevee (go figure), and Rachel and I were Pokémon trainers. We had a great time at the Candy […]
What is my Origin Story?
My paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants to London in the late 1940s. They ran pubs all across west London, including their very first pub being at the end of the driveway to Holy Trinity Brompton, the church where Alpha originated. My grandmother returned to Ireland 30 years ago, and lives on a farm in the […]
Why are we so divided?
“Why is half the church made of cinder block, and the other half red brick?” That was the question a friend of mine asked his father, who had just taken a call as the pastor of the church in question. The church sanctuary was literally split down the middle with half of the room made […]
Movin’ on up
Our son came home after every service this summer with a new Bible verse memorized. They came complete with hand motions, and he was so proud to show them off. Do you know any teenagers who similarly want to learn Bible verses with exaggerated hand motions? Me neither! But we had a conundrum in moving […]
Healing
These are Chapel Hill Church’s core beliefs on healing. God is sovereign. He heals his people by whatever means and in whatever time he chooses. (Mt. 8:1-3; Mk. 1:40-42) God alone is the source of all restoration and healing. Spiritual reality encapsulates every aspect of human life, affecting mind, body and soul. (Job, esp. chapter […]
I was out, when I thought I was in
I recall coming to biggest rugby game of the year when I was in my second year at university. The announcement for the team was to take place one Sunday night with all present. I was sure I would be in the starting line-up. Yet, when the names were read, I was left on the […]
Got Trust Issues?
We put a date on a sticky note: October 16, 2021. That one yellow square lives on a poster-sized post-it note by the copier at 703 Kitsap Street where we mapped out all the events for the fall. This date didn’t have an event title yet, but we knew we wanted to serve our neighborhood […]
Cruising Down 16
The other week a friend walked into my office, and as we caught up on life he shared with me what his LifeGroup had been at work on: memorizing Psalm 91. After we said our goodbyes the idea of memorizing Psalm 91 stuck with me. Sometimes I’ll joke with people that as a pastor I […]