Her name was Gwen. Gwen Bradley. She was born in England but immigrated to the U.S. when she was five. When it came time for university, she opted to go to England to train to be a nanny for royalty at the prestigious Nordland Institute, the first American student to attend there. Upon receiving her […]
How much are you worth?
Cyndi and I just returned from a vacation in Arizona. One of the highlights was our visit to the Grand Canyon. We often use the term “breathtaking”…sometimes too lightly. But this is one of those moments when, literally, it took my breath away. So beautiful, so massive, so impossible to describe with words. Even pictures […]
I didn’t see the sign!
Recently, our 9-year-old dishwasher was struggling and after three attempted repairs I gave up and purchased a new one. I chose to install it myself because I had already taken apart the old one so many times, I figured it would be easy. The delivery guys dropped it off, took away the old one, and […]
How to keep your kids’ faith alive
Statistically speaking, most students who attend church as a teenager will stop attending as an adult. How can we reverse that trend? Over the last few months, our staff have been studying the book, Faith for Exiles by David Kinnamon and Mark Matlock, which seeks to answer that very question. Two of the five practices […]
A weekend to celebrate!
Wow! What an Easter! When we processed down the center aisle for the first service and I saw a room full of people gathered eagerly for the 8:30 celebration, a wave of gratitude and emotion swept over me! Particularly to see so many of my older friends back after more than a year, vaccinated, feeling […]
“He is risen!”
I wish one of Jesus’ 11 remaining disciples had gone to his tomb on that first Easter morning. Just one! Alas, it seems that all of them were hunkered down in homes, hiding from the authorities who had arrested and killed their rabbi, Jesus. The honor of discovering the empty tomb went to those faithful, […]
Postal Jesus
“Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.” This was a hymn written by Samuel Wesley and it presents a lovely picture of our Savior. And there are certainly moments in Jesus’ life when that gentleness shone through: when he welcomed the children to him, when he protected the adulterous woman, and when he dined with the tax […]
Lift a glass to him
“For the City.” That is a theme we have pounded on for the last couple years here at Chapel Hill. In our lobby you will find a map covered with stickers representing ways our members have reached out to love, serve, and better their neighborhood and their community. The prophet Jeremiah once wrote, “Seek the […]
Blocking the streets
The other day, Cyndi and I found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam caused by 20 people who were in the middle of the intersection. And I drove away from the experience with joy in my heart! Surprised? Let me explain. We were stopped at a very busy intersection in Fircrest, when we watched as […]
Help us remove some awkward!
You’re too early for the dinner party. We all know that feeling. You pull up to the house. There’s only one other car there. You check the calendar. Did you get the time right? The address? Sure does look right. Did you really need three dozen brownies for this thing? You don’t know these people […]