Thirteen years ago almost exactly, Pastor Jeremy Vaccaro and I walked into Hope Church in Memphis, Tennessee to attend the General Assembly of a denomination not our own. We were in the process of leading Chapel Hill out of the PC(USA) because we were concerned about the direction it was moving theologically and socially. But […]
A Father’s Blessing
Several years ago, I taught a series of classes called Men’s Life: Authentic Manhood. Several things surprised me about that experience. First, the incredible turnout! There was a real hunger among men to understand God’s view, not the world’s view, of what a real man is supposed to be. Here’s another amazing realization: I was […]
A Church Without Kids!?!
I never planned to be a pastor. Not at first. Not even in the middle. My journey into ministry began by just going to church with my family at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Yakima. Sunday School. Youth Group. (We called it “God Squad”…I know, gag!) Vacation Bible School and summer camp. A traveling high school […]
Welcome Our New Student Ministries Director!
I’m thrilled to announce a significant addition to our team that marks a new chapter in our commitment to youth formation and discipleship. We have just hired our new Student Ministries Director, Caleb Bagdanov, who brings a wealth of passion, experience, and dedication to our mission of nurturing the next generation of leaders to be […]
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Seamless Succession
It hardly seems possible that it was 13 years ago last January that I first laid eyes on him. I had just taken a red-eye flight to London and taxied into Oxford. Rich Jasper and I went right to a class being taught by our friend, John Lennox. Only one unoccupied seat remained, and I sat in it. […]
Two Great Reasons!
Cyndi and I had the privilege of attending the Masters Golf Tournament last week. It was a true bucket-list experience. Even if you aren’t a golfer, you know of the Masters. This was one of those times when the experience exceeded the expectation. And…there are things I learned at Augusta that translate well back into our life […]
An Incredible Hire!
Five years ago, I began to think seriously about my retirement date and the process of transition. I wanted to do all I could to ensure a smooth handoff of leadership to the next Senior Pastor. But I was also aware of several key administrative leaders on our staff who are of my “vintage” and […]
My Last Easter as Your Senior Pastor
I still remember my first Easter at Chapel Hill. It was April 3, 1988. (I didn’t actually remember the date! I had to look that up.) We were worshipping in what we now call the Memorial Chapel. Chapel Hill offered three services and packed the place out with more than 700 in attendance regularly. It […]
Discover deeper love
This past week, something occurred that will only happen three times this century: Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and generosity that ends at sundown on Maundy Thursday. Valentine’s Day is, of course, that made-up holiday intended to […]
The end is near! (Or is it?)
Eschatology. It’s a very fancy theological word that means “the study of end times.” It’s based on a Greek word eschatos which means “last things.” In our EPC world (Evangelical Presbyterian Church…our denomination), eschatology is considered a non-essential. In other words, we affirm that faithful, Bible-believing Christians can disagree on these doctrines and not have […]