Posts from June 2024

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there is an interesting story called “The Transfiguration.” Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a high mountain to pray and be alone. Luke 9:29-30, says, “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” In 1st century Judaism and in the New Testament, there was the belief…

As I write my article for this week, I am sitting at a place I know very well and love to visit. This is Caswell week for our youth group, and Nicole let me join in the experience. I’m here with our group of 47 youth and chaperones along with other churches from all over North Carolina. We have our large group worship sessions in Hatch Auditorium. Since the 1960s when it was constructed, Hatch has been a place of…

Mark 12:29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” This week is Camp HoriSon. There are 115 kids here for camp, and they are surrounded by a small…

My family moved to Lenoir, NC, when I was in the second grade. My dad was called to FBC Lenoir to be the minister of music and youth, and the church had something I had never seen in a church before…a balcony in the sanctuary. My friends and I would always sit on the front row in the bottom right corner of the balcony. The sun would come through the stained glass window and warm up the pew just right…