Listen. When you hear the word listen what comes to mind? Your parents or teachers or coach saying, listen up. Perhaps in the Old Testament when the prophets would complain that no one would listen to them. Quite often in the New Testament Jesus calls those in a...
We are about to embark on the liturgical season of Lent. Lent marks the 40 days (not counting Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is a time for reflection and, historically, for the preparation of new disciples for baptism. Often it is associated with...
As we prepare for Neil’s retirement and then Franklin’s, we give thanks for their ministry and presence among us, for God’s work through them. In the midst of the celebrations and then changes that are coming, we are also reminded of the repetition of our liturgical...
Growing up in a small town in NC, my parents had very good friends in our church that we often traveled with to N.C. State football and basketball games as well as the occasional out of state bowl games. On these trips we would frequently stop at restaurants and...
Neil Dunnavant is retiring this month. His last Sunday with us is February 27. We will have one service at 11 am. For information on how we are honoring Neil, look here. In the state of Guerrero, Mexico, it is popular to eat pozole on Thursdays. Restaurants called...
I am revisiting a book I read a few years ago, The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion. The authors, there are three of them, want to help readers navigate the onslaught of information and the relentless, expansive, fast change...
Humans, it seems, have a propensity for marking time. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries ritualistically. We countdown days until specific holidays arrive and, often, become extremely attached to the traditions that accompany them. We mark off calendar days and...
As we enter February, another month in this strange new normal-ish of COVID, we may feel as stuck in it as ever. The end, which seemed to be in sight, feels far off again. As Jill named last week, in these past few years we’ve been through a lot. A lot has happened...
Recently I had the experience of getting an insurance company to make an exception. The story is long, boring and all-too-familiar. You’ve likely lived it. The medication or procedure is not covered. The doctor is out of network. Too bad, so sad, think of the care you...
While solving big problems with big ideas is needed and important, it is also true that most positive changes will come in very small ways one life at a time, one little plot of land at a time, one person willing to do the right thing against all odds and with little...
