Yesterday was Halloween and my family had a blast trick or treating in our neighborhood. But did you know that yesterday was also Reformation Day? Kind of slips under the radar, doesn’t it? Reformation Day commemorates the day Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31,...
When Paul wrote a letter to a church, he often ended it with a blessing. This was true when he wrote a letter to the church in Thessalonica (what is now modern day Greece). Instead of simply saying goodbye or so long Paul ends his letter by saying… “Now may the Lord of peace himself give...
Do you have an inner critic? I bet you do. All of us do. You know, that voice inside of you that critiques, questions and doubts. The inner critic voices complaints against who you are as a person. You’re not good enough at (parenting, your marriage, your work). The inner critic is really good at making you...
This Sunday we are starting a brand new preaching series. Things We Think The Bible Says (But It Doesn’t). Over time, we tend to pick up ideas about God and the Bible that are not entirely accurate. Most of the time the ideas harmless, but sometimes the things we believe can profoundly affect our faith...
This Sunday is Visioning Sunday. What is God’s vision for Unity Presbyterian in 2023? Where is God at work in us— both individually and corporately? Where do we feel God nudging our hearts? Once a year, we dedicate a Sunday to asking these questions. I believe God is leading this church and it is our...
Each Wednesday I lead a Bible study at 5 pm, followed by a church-wide dinner at 5:45 pm. This week our Bible study topic is Embracing Your Uniqueness. In today’s newsletter, I’d like to explore this topic. Many of us have the following psalm nearly memorized because we’ve heard it repeated so many times: I...
How can you overcome the challenges in your life? Unfortunately, obstacles and heartache are a part of the human experience. We can’t avoid them and will only cause ourselves frustration by trying to. The challenges of life come in many forms: Conflicts with family. Sleepless nights due to stress. Holding a grudge because of a...
One year ago Unity partnered with the Presbytery of North Carolina to start a new church in Lincolnton— Artisan Church. Over the course of the year, God has formed a strong community of people who are engaged in weekly worship and growing deeper in faith. It has been incredible to watch. Here’s a list of highlights...
Our children’s ministry is booming! It is so fun to see 20-25 kids engaged each week in Sunday school! Session has been at work to create a plan to keep this momentum growing, even as Bailey transitions. Here’s how they plan to accomplish it: Pastor Dana will shift her responsibilities in order to shepherd the...
Faith, as we see in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus’ usage of them, is much closer to our words “trust” or “confidence” than it is about believing doctrines to be true. —Richard Rohr. This Sunday we’ll continue our exploration of Strange Stories in the Bible. This week’s story discusses having enough faith to move mountains. Have...
