Last weekend we launched a sermon series on Nehemiah called For the City. (What a blast it was!) We are spending the next few weeks asking, “What would it look like for the people of Chapel Hill to REALLY be for the city? To not just live here; but to champion the place in which […]
What does it mean to be “for the city”?
I’ve got to tell you, there are few things more encouraging (or slightly suffocating) than receiving a bear hug from a joyful big guy who has been baptized! We just celebrated Baptism Weekend and I had the privilege of introducing eight new folks into God’s family through baptism. And some of them were “surprises”; only […]
Take the plunge
In the ancient city of Ephesus, one of my favorite places in the world, you will find the Basilica of St. John. Here the “beloved apostle” John, the author of his eponymous gospel, is buried. One of the highlights of that historical site is the baptistery. As you can see from the picture, it is […]
Worship is weird!
There’s something a little weird about worship. Now, for those of us raised in the church, it is almost second nature. Worship is what you do on Sunday; church is where you go. I remember the purple hymnals, the mimeographed bulletins with runny print, an unmistakable aroma—and always a few typos. I remember purple velvet […]
Good remembering
I have always been intrigued with the last verse in Luke 9 where Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” As I understand it, Jesus is saying that if we spend a lot of time looking over our shoulder at past […]
Looking back and looking ahead
I hope you were one of the almost 1,350 souls who were able to worship with us last weekend as we celebrated dads! It was wonderful to be able to team-preach with Pastor Ellis about our experiences with our own dads, and to give all the dads who filled the Sanctuary throughout the weekend some […]
Celebrating Dad
As I think about the things that formed me into the man I am, near the top of the list is my amazing dad. My dad was (and still is) a strong and seemingly fearless man. I still remember times—in the Yakima theater, in a public restroom, on the front door of a neighbor’s house—where […]
Time for a fill-up?
We had a great time last weekend celebrating my wife Cyndi’s birthday! We went to worship, planted some veggies in our new garden, and walked down to the “Gig” to listen to the Shy Boys. Only problem was, we were one person down; our son Cooper joined us for the festivities, but we were without […]
Season of Celebration
Well, they’re coming in! The graduation announcements, the graduation party invitation—this is the season when we celebrate and prepare to say goodbye to another class of high school seniors. My memories of our own kids’ graduation ceremonies—the Tacoma Dome crush—still seem so fresh to me even though Rachel and Cooper are now college (and seminary) […]
Game Changer
So…do you recognize this? Any idea what it is? 1,000 points if you do! Well, unless you were a sentient being in 1955 and an owner of the latest, greatest version of a Zenith television, you might not recognize a game changer when you are looking at it. This, my fellow couch-potatoes, was the Zenith […]