Today’s question from the congregation: Why does God allow the war in Ukraine to continue? Let’s begin with what we know unequivocally: God condemns evil. God stands with the oppressed. One day God will judge those who have killed the innocent. I know God sees the unjust war in Ukraine and is deeply grieved. Why...
I can’t see the wind, but I see the effects of it. It’s obvious when a sudden gust blows the branches of the tree in my front yard, bending it with its strength, tossing the leaves aside. Or when I’m at the beach and a constant breeze off the shore pushes against my clothes. There...
Most nights I can fall asleep quickly. I read before bed and as I find myself drifting or reading the same sentence a couple of times, I know I can put my head on the pillow and be out like a light within seconds. Most nights… Some nights I toss and turn, usually when something...
My family spent the past week at Sunset Beach for our annual post-Easter vacation. Sarah’s parents joined us, which meant Sarah and I could sneak out for nightly walks after the kids were in bed. Most evenings we’d start on the beach and walk until the sun had set. One night, when the beach was...
The temptation will be to treat this week as if it were like any other. But it is not. One week out of fifty-two is set aside as holy. We are in the midst of Holy Week. Holy Week recounts the story of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. I like to think of...
Unity is involved in a lot of missions. Supporting Afghan refugees in our manse. Partnering with missionaries in England. Serving monthly meals at Hesed House— Lincoln County’s only homeless shelter. Providing food donations to the hungry through Novant Health, East Lincoln Christian Ministries, and Moms and Munchkins. Funding disaster assistance through the One Great Hour...
Sixth grade was the first time I ever questioned the Bible. Up until that point, I was immersed in a childlike faith. No questions. No hesitations. Just a full throated embrace of Christianity. I distinctly remember sitting in Sunday school at my church in Tacoma, WA, hearing the Bible lesson, and having an unwelcome thought...
One of my favorite parts of living in Denver is being near to the mountains. I took the picture in this email during one of my family’s first trips to the mountains after moving to North Carolina in 2018. I snapped this photo because of how struck I was by the many ridges I could...
The next time you’re on the church campus, take a walk along the sidewalk that leads behind the Education Building. At the far end of the building you’ll discover my favorite tree on campus. As I’m writing this on a Tuesday morning, it is fully in bloom. The light pink petals often cascade off of...
A congregation member once told me that she’d attended a Hickory Crawdads game and her section had won a prize. The whole section of the stadium was abuzz. What did they win? Free tickets to a game? A Crawdads t-shirt? A new car?! It turns out, each person in the section was given one can...
