Relational peace
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May those who love you prosper. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.'" - Psalm 122:6-7 -- The community library's story circle began small - just a few neighbors sharing tales from
2 Samuel
Last Sunday, I preached from 2 Samuel 11:1-15, which is the story of David's abuse of power when he saw, sent for, and violated Bathsheba. To further compound his sin, David sought to cover it up, and eventually had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed.
Community
Pittsylvania County Unites for Prayer Vigil.
Community
At 11:45 AM today, Pittsylvania County citizens will gather on the steps of the county courthouse for a prayer vigil to remember the victims of the Emanuel AME Church shootings, and pray for unity in our own community. The prayer vigil has been organized by local churches and the
1 Corinthians
This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, June 1, 2014. The point of the sermon was to address an issue in the way we were observing communion. Our children were downstairs in Children's Church, and when communion was served, they all wanted to participate. I thought that
1 Corinthians
The Apostle Paul criticized the church in Corinth for the manner in which they observed communion. Last Sunday, I preached from Paul's letter by reading I Corinthians 11:17-34 in which he accuses the Corinthians of failing to be aware of the body of Christ around them while
1 Kings
Tomorrow, Sunday, June 2, 2013, our church will dedicate a new handicapped lift that we recently installed. The lift eliminates the need to climb 7 steps to get into our sanctuary from the educational building. Although we have a wheelchair ramp at the front doors of the church, those 7
Lectionary Yr A
The Reconciling Community Matthew 18:15-20 NIV’84 15 “If your brother sins [against you], go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others
Culture
Today I was talking to a friend, Jim Stovall, who teaches journalism at the University of Tennessee, and is a pioneer in developing and teaching web journalism. In our conversation about how the internet is changing newspapers and journalism, Jim said, “I tell my students to start now, to become
Lectionary Yr C
Jesus reminds us that there is one prayer we can and must pray. It is a prayer that reflects our understanding of who we are in our relationship to God and others. The Only Prayer We Can Pray Luke 18:9-14 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness
Community
Today we ran out of communion cups. I don't mean we didn't have any in the cupboard. Rather, we ran out while serving communion to a larger-than-expected Fourth of July congregation. And it was all my fault. You see, almost everybody I had talked to the
Community
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VymkfenBIw&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Kids love VBS and this 45-second video clip proves it! Part of the VBS fun is learning the songs and motions, and getting into the spirit of the theme. You don't need