For the last few months, we’ve been unpacking what Jesus called the “Greatest Commandment” of all: love God with all you have and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. That second part—love your neighbor as much as you love yourself—has been our particular focus. What if we took Jesus seriously…literally…and REALLY loved, […]
Introduce someone to the GLOW of Jesus
These last few weekends in worship, we’ve been in a series called “I ≠ Him.” Simply put, we are not equal to Jesus. We have learned that we are not the light; Jesus is the light! We are not the first; Jesus is first! We aren’t meant to take on all the pressures and all […]
Keeping our kids safe
I’m sure every person in this church would agree: there is nothing more important than the safety, security and well-being of our kids. Which is why we invited the Department of Homeland Security to come in and assess our building with an eye to the security of our children. To sum up their response: our […]
Sum it all up
His name was Dr. James Bradley. He was a history prof at Fuller Seminary and he was, without a doubt, my favorite professor. His opening devotions and prayers were worth the price of admission. But then he would launch into the topic of the day—some aspect of Christian history—that captured me and carried me back […]
Our peculiar holiday
If you scan the calendar you will not find “St Andrews Weekend.” Google might offer up November 30, “St Andrews Day,” Scotland’s national day of celebration of their patron Saint. But “St Andrews Weekend?” Nope; we made that up. Years ago. I confess some culpability. I did my PhD in St Andrews, grew to love […]
If you love kids…
If you love kids—and we do here at Chapel Hill—I have some exciting and important news to share with you. First, I am delighted to announce that our new Director of Children’s Ministries, Paul Hargreaves, has arrived! He and his wife Gina (who is teaching in our Chapel Hill Preschool) bring LOADS of experience and […]
Dog with a bone
We raised German Shepherd puppies on our little three-acre alfalfa farm in Yakima. My grandpa was a butcher and he used to bring bones for them. If you’ve ever watched a German Shepherd gnawing on a cow’s knee joint, you understand the saying, “Like a dog with a bone.” They will work and gnaw and […]
Can you hear me now?
I once had an alarm that would sneak up on me. When it first turned on, it was very quiet. Then, it would grow slowly louder and louder. In those wee hours, I would have dreams that included a faint beeping sound in the background until, suddenly, I realized that the beeping was my alarm […]
I’m in!
It wasn’t on our tour itinerary. I don’t recall the first time I even heard it was possible, but when I found out—I jumped at the chance. It’s called the “Wall Walk.” You climb up steep stairs in an ancient tower near Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, and you can walk half […]
A sabbatical announcement
My dear Chapel Hill family:‚Ä®‚Ä® I have often been asked by pastoral colleagues how it was possible for me to have remained in one church for more than 30 years. Of course, my first response is always, “They are a Sweetheart Church.” A close second is, “Have you ever BEEN to Gig Harbor?” But here’s […]