Good evening friend! Covid-19 is highly contagious; we all know that. But so is kindness. I have had more sweet conversations in and around our neighborhood these last few days than any other comparable time since Cyndi and I moved here. And what I’m discovering is, if you START that conversation with the question, “Is […]
Sleep on This | March 26
Good evening friend: How is your soul? Did you give it a good talking to yesterday, as I suggested? My soul is better because I took my first walk in several weeks. My cough (not COVID…just persistent) of three weeks had really limited my physical activity. But I seemed to turn a corner yesterday. And […]
Sleep on This | March 25
Good evening friend! How is your soul? On Sunday, I challenged you to “keep calm and carry on.” It must be the case that we can actually tell ourselves how we ought to think and feel because the psalms are full of examples of such self-talk. In Psalm 42, for instance, David confesses his fear […]
Sleep on This | March 24
Good evening friend! How is your soul this night? Breathe deeply even as you answer this question for yourself. Breathe and invite the Holy Spirit to come in and fill you anew. As you breathe out, exhale fear, anxiety, discouragement. In Philippians 1:27, Paul exhorts his readers: “Only let your manner of life be worthy […]
Sleep on This: March 23
Good evening, friend. What a joy to share with you all in worship yesterday! A year ago, Pastor Ellis urged us to prepare our congregation for live streaming! I’m so glad we followed his advice! Thank God for technology that brings us together, even in a season of enforced solitude. It was fun to read […]
Defiant hope
A week ago last Wednesday as Cyndi and I were on an airplane flying to North Carolina to visit our daughter, the governor of our state of Washington was announcing the first of the restrictions intended to blunt the impact of COVID-19 upon the residents of our state. By the time we had landed in […]
Sleep on This: March 20
Good evening friend: “Selfish ambition.” That’s the phrase Paul uses in Philippians 1:17 to describe his “competitors.” Preachers who were using the opportunity of Paul’s imprisonment to advance their own reputation. With Paul on ice, these jealous rivals snatched the opportunity to steal some of his followers and impugn his reputation. It is really quite […]
Sleep on This: March 19
Good evening, friend: How is your faith this night? How confident are you that God is in control and at work? Yesterday morning, I watched the sun rise in a cloudless sky. This morning the fog obscured all but the next row of houses. Am I any less sure that the sun is out there, […]
Sleep on This: March 18
Good evening, friend. How is your soul? I know this has been a day of continued unrest, but regardless of what you are hearing on the news or social media, God is still on the throne! Jesus is still Lord. The Spirit of the risen Christ is living within you and nothing, nothing, nothing can […]
Sleep on This: March 17
Good evening my Chapel Hill Family: During this season of disruption, I feel the need to connect with you on a more regular basis. The word “pastor” means “shepherd”; my favorite image of the privileged role to which I am called. I am an under-shepherd of Jesus, the Great Shepherd, and you are my assigned […]