From the Pastor That Time of the (Church) Year(Acts 2:29-33) It’s that time of year in North Carolina that summer has not quite arrived, but we know it’s on its way. NBA conference finals are almost over. Fireflies in the backyard have not yet given way to cicadas...
From the Pastor “Come and Have Breakfast”(John 21:1-14) One of the best signs I ever saw was at a breakfast place in Fuquay-Varina called “Eggs Up Grill.” It was a long and thin horizontal sign, with white or beige-colored lettering on a dark-background. It read...
From the Pastor “If It Dies…”(John 12:23-24) Have you seen the Yoshino cherry (sakura) tree in front of the main office of our church this year? It burst into bloom several days before I wrote this article. And though today the tree is dropping petals with every...
From the Pastor Thriving in a World of Change(Jeremiah 17:5-8) How well do you deal with change? Over the years I’ve learned that in times of change, routine can be helpful. I’ve noticed that an unusually cold weather day usually feels better if it begins with my “happy...
From the Pastor The Beauty of God’s “New Year’s Resolution” to Us(Luke 2:21) On this New Year’s Eve morning, as I was driving over to church, I overheard a podcast about New Year’s resolutions. It was predictably full of all the conventional wisdom we...
From the Pastor Bethlehem and the Promise of God’s “Yes” in Christ Jesus(Luke 2:16 and 2 Corinthians 1:20) God’s “YES!” is always more earthshattering than the world’s “maybe.” Heaven’s “YES” is always victorious over...
From the Pastor Fearfully and Wonderfully Made… For God’s Glory(Psalm 139:14; 3 John 1:2) The 3rd Letter of St. John is the shortest book in the Bible. At only 15 verses, there isn’t any room for extraneous detail! But inside this short and to-the-point epistle there is...
From the Pastor “Sunday School” is for Moms and Dads Too As I write this article for our September newsletter, activities and plans for the fall at RLC are gearing up. Of course, that includes Wednesday Night Workshop dinners (new branding: “S & S” [Supper &...
From the Pastor Our Faithful Creator(Genesis 9:8-17) One of my fondest memories of family trips in the car with our kids Sarah and Joel was what happened AFTER we drove through a deluge on the highway. We’d pass through the storm with sunshine ahead while dark angry clouds...
From the Pastor When God Has a Better Idea(2 Corinthians 12:9-10) There’s a dozen or so Bible verses that every pastor knows speak readily to folks who need to hear the promises of God amid life’s wilderness experiences. One of those Bible verses that we often have ready to cite by...
