Brothers and Sisters, For the past several years, I’ve ended most days with upper back/neck pain and a gnarly headache. It was especially bad on days when I’d done a lot of reading. I always blamed my posture. I’d do…
Brothers and Sisters, A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I ran into one of the kids from our child care ministry at a Daddy-Daughter dance. There I was, cutting a rug with Sophie, when this little girl saw me…
Brothers and Sisters, If you hadn’t noticed, God has blessed us with a steady stream of new visitors over the past few months. The Lord is on the move at Hickory Grove and our sanctuary has been fuller than we’ve…
This past Sunday, we considered our church’s mission statement: we are a loving family who glorifies God by building people up in Christ. In the family of God, we love one another best when, in our words and deeds, we…
Brothers and Sisters, Can one moment in time reveal the deep truths of eternity? Can one spot on the globe contain a revelation so comprehensive that it spans the universe? According to the 18th-century German philosopher, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, the…
“Peace,” my friends and I used to say as we bid each other farewell with two fingers stretched sideways across the chest (the way the cool kids flashed the peace sign). In the early church, believers traded the same greeting…
Brothers and Sisters, I once had lunch with an atheist friend at Ikea and was utterly perplexed when I saw him bow his head before a plate of Swedish meatballs. He told me he was “giving thanks.” Interesting, I thought.…
This past Sunday, we considered the kindness of God in Christ. Like I said, that kindness is no static thing. The Book of Ruth is showing us that the dynamic, extravagant kindness of God does not merely come to us;…
Brothers and Sisters, I read an article earlier today on some of the myths we believe about grief. One of them stuck out to me: “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Have you ever heard that…
Brothers and Sisters, This week, mortgage rates crossed 7% for the first time since 1998. This came on the heels of aggressive intervention from the Fed to try and control inflation. You may not care too much about mortgage rates,…
Brothers and Sisters, As the son of hard-working parents who grew up in the Portuguese countryside, I come from very self-sufficient stock. This has been a great blessing to me, but my ingrained penchant for hard work has also made…
Brothers and Sisters, A child of the 80s, I grew up watching the Muppet Babies. My favorite character? Gonzo, the blue oddball with the long curly nose. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps, I saw myself in him. He was weird,…