Ten years ago, we had an idea. Actually, Shari Monson, our Director of Missions, and new member Laurie Dawson hatched an idea. Since we were supporting the mission of Dave and Karen Eubank to the displaced people groups of Burma… who were being persecuted and killed by their country’s own military. And since these people […]
It Shall Be A Jubilee For You!
So many of you request prayer on Sunday mornings for family members who do not yet believe in Jesus. We are right there with you, praying for members of our own families as we pray for your parents, your cousins, your spouses, and your children. Leviticus 25:10 shows that God’s heart is with you to […]
The End of an Era
On September 13, 1987, my first Sunday at Chapel Hill, the choir director asked me to sing a duet with a young Chapel Hill woman. Her name was Kathy Alvestad. I agreed, and it was the beginning of a long and wonderful partnership. In addition to having an angelic voice, it quickly became clear that […]
A Genderless Society?
Nearly every university today offers a class on “gender studies” which tries to make the case that gender is a “social construct.” In other words, any so-called differences that exist between the male and the female of our species, other than the obvious physiological ones, are a product of our culture. We might shake our […]
Intimate Friendship
One of my close friends called me out a few years ago. “You’ve never talked to me about me being single.” This wasn’t a biting remark. She was just letting me know something I was blindly unaware of as a married friend 13 years her junior. “It would be like me being your close friend […]
Couples Preaching on Couples
In this year of Jubilee—when we are talking about liberty, hope and our future as a church—no topic is more critical to our congregation and our culture than marriage. Marriage, the core institution of humanity, is in trouble and, as I mentioned to the students in last week’s sermon, we are listening to the wrong […]
My Secret Interest Found Out!
During our Christmas break in Salt Lake City, my daughter Rachel came downstairs to find me engaged in an activity she had never witnessed me doing before: “Daddy… I didn’t know you did jigsaw puzzles!” I don’t, often. But I do enjoy them. The challenge of piling up edges, corners and colors and beginning to […]
Year of Jubilee!
Jubilee! Last Sunday we learned about God’s gracious plan for restoring his people to the life and legacy he intended. Every 50 years was the Year of Jubilee. Land was allowed to lie fallow and heal itself, slaves were set free, property was restored to its original owners and debts were cancelled. Every 50 years […]
Jubilee!
Well, 2012 is in the can. As I have mentioned repeatedly, I believe last year will go down as one of the most important in our history as a church. But 2013 ain’t going to be bad, either! On November 17, 1963, the Reverend Paul Neel led 96 charter members to establish Chapel Hill Presbyterian […]
Anticipation!
What did you get for Christmas? This question will likely be the conversation piece du jour for the next week or so. If you had asked me this question when I was younger my eyes might have sparkled, then I might have run up to my room or reached in my pocket and pulled out […]