Pastor's Blog

When Nathan and Hannah were in Elementary, Middle and High School, they played church league basketball.  They didn’t do it because they could squeeze in just one practice a week. They weren’t trying to improve their game to make the school team. And they certainly didn’t have visions of grandeur about one day going pro. It was just fun.

This Sunday kicked off our new sermon series called the “Marks of Discipleship.” During this Lenten Season, we are going to explore what it looks like to follow Jesus. We have five marks: Worship, Devo, People, Service, and Stuff. We will explore a new one each week.

This Saturday, February 21st, is our first home basketball game, for our youth, in a decade. That’s pretty cool. I feel like playing basketball in North Carolina is like playing hockey in Minnesota or football in Ohio.

It doesn’t happen very often, but periodically we get a glimpse of God at work. To be sure, God is always at work around us, but sometimes we need to fine tune our eyes and hearts to see and feel God at work.

I can’t help it, I love snow. I love it. While this isn’t an official ode to snow because I do not write lyrical poetry, I believe that if I were to start, I would start with snow.

Have you ever been mauled by a pack of golden retriever puppies? I haven’t but I’ve seen videos. It’s on my “bucket list.” It’s one of those experiences that, I think, we can all understand without ever having engaged in. Any overwhelming joy and happiness just because you exist. 

Recently, Charlotte was blessed with a visit from Venerable Buddhist monks, who came to share a message of peace, mindfulness, and compassion. My husband, our two young boys, and I joined thousands across the South Charlotte area to welcome them. People from all walks of life were there—rich and poor, well and sick, Black, White, and Brown—everyone was welcome.

As I sit in front of my screen to write this blog, my heart swirls with emotions. I am full of feelings about recent events. Words come a little harder.

Right after Christmas there's this time, just before the new year, where almost nothing happens. In our frenetic American culture, it's truly a unique thing to experience. And at the church, it's nice to have. We've been going at a fever pitch until we reach Christmas and so there's a nice lull waiting on the other side.

Dear reader, I pray this message meets you exactly where you are. May you receive these words with an open heart and an unguarded spirit. As we step into a new year, I pray your faith would be both surrendered and strengthened — not pressured by the world or rushed by expectations, but anchored in God’s perfect plan and timing. Amen.

Since the start of the summer, our high school students have been meeting weekly for a Bible study. This all began when one of our alumni, Cole, returned with stories about how his faith had grown while he was away at college.

As I unlocked the Deck Barn on the  Southland I was singing Tony’s praises. He had come by the night before and remembered to turn on the heat. It was cold enough to see your breath outside but the meeting space was warm, and the coffee was hot and strong.

This weekend, Stephen and I got to see Handel’s Messiah performed by the Charlotte Symphony. I had never heard the entire composition, and certainly never in person. For most of my life I thought Messiah belonged only to Easter, not Christmas—after all, the “Hallelujah Chorus” feels like something that should burst out of an empty tomb, not a quiet Bethlehem night. It has only been in the past few years that I have even heard it at Christmastime.

Dear Friends and Members, There is a Christmas song from the 1960s musical, Mame, titled “We Need a Little Christmas”. The song is sung by the synonymous main character as she chases away gloom by dancing around and prematurely decorating her mansion with Christmas decorations; the classic Christmas traditions mentioned in the lively number include decorating the house, eating fruitcake, and singing carols around the piano.

Dear Friends and Members, With the recent activities of ICE and the Border Agents here in Charlotte, the immigration issue has now hit home. You know that we typically steer clear of politics in the pulpit, but because we feel this is less political and more humanitarian, your pastors felt compelled to respond.