Weekly Messages
The Sexual Journey (the whole thing)
by Doug Hammack | Oct 6, 2019
When we diminish how much of our humanity falls under the heading "making love," without realizing we're doing it, we cut out whole swaths of human experience. And... We suffer the loss of elders in our society. In this lesson, I'll suggest the two are linked. Have a...
Our Sexuality is *Way* too Small
by Doug Hammack | Sep 29, 2019
Rethinking Sex: Let’s Start with a Story
by Doug Hammack | Sep 22, 2019
After a long summer lesson that evoked more than a little emotion (read controversy), I'm ready for some smooth sailing. So of course, let's talk about rethinking how church approaches sex ed. And in particular, let's talk about how our community came to be fully...
How To Change The World: Wrap-Up
by Doug Hammack | Sep 15, 2019
The exercise we're doing this morning is important enough to spend Sunday morning, breaking into circles, wrestling with the questions of pain and pressure here in Wake County. That's how we'll discern the work before us (along with other congregations in our city),...
The Power to Change the World: A Story
by Doug Hammack | Sep 8, 2019
Today's lesson is a story about a white supremacist and some Jewish college kids. The rest of the lesson is context-setting; why this story matters to our community. I hope you'll have a listen. Doug
Building the Power We Need to Change the World
by Doug Hammack | Sep 1, 2019
Here. Now. Small. Doable. How often do we repeat those simple guidelines? We repeat them so often, because again and again, they are how we access ancient wisdom. And building the power necessary to change the world -- no exception. Have a listen.
8/25 – Robin Camu
by Robin Camu | Aug 30, 2019
We Have Met The Enemy — And He Is Us
by Doug Hammack | Aug 20, 2019
One of our brain's evolved survival mechanisms is the proclivity to externalize our troubles and assign them to "the other." It may have been a helpful survival strategy in hunter-gatherer bands thousands of years ago... But now? In a globalized society? Toxic! ...
8/11 – John Pavlovitz
by John Pavlovitz | Aug 11, 2019
John Pavlovitz bring us a very relevant message about how to approach upcoming turbulence.
8/4 Sermon
by Doug Hammack | Aug 7, 2019
Doug's message from Aug 4.
We Can Do This Hard Thing
by Doug Hammack | Jul 30, 2019
Triggering environments are not going away. Our world has gotten more connected. We can't stay in our divided little groups, so we no longer have the luxury of living in homogeneous bubbles. It’s time to build our relational skills so we can participate in changing...
It’s Not Your Fault . . . It’s Your Brain
by Doug Hammack | Jul 23, 2019
Our brains evolved to keep us safe in hunter-gatherer bands on the Serengeti. Features of a brain designed for safety there, don't necessarily work well for us here. Unconscious bias is one of those "safety" features. But the spiritual journey invites us to access a...
Easy Choices Hard Life — Hard Choices Easy Life
by Doug Hammack | Jul 16, 2019
Our brains evolved to trick us into automatic choices for survival. Those choices don’t fit very well into our modern context. We gain freedom of choice through our spiritual practices.
I Nearly Lost My Son on 4th of July
by Doug Hammack | Jul 9, 2019
Can You Spare Some Change?
by Doug Hammack | Jul 2, 2019
We cannot “put on” love, goodness, courage. We must become them if we want to change the world. It’s not easy, but it is simple. See how.
Outlasting Outrage
by Doug Hammack | Jun 25, 2019
Outrage will fuel change -- but not for very long. If we want to change deeply rooted systems that cause harm, we must be the kind of people who can function in that demanding environment. Turns out, many generations of spiritual people before us, figured that out....
Service Work + System Work = Sea Change
by Doug Hammack | Jun 19, 2019
If we follow Jesus, serving those hurt by oppressive systems is our work. But Jesus also taught us to change the systems that hurt people in the first place. If we want to change the world, the job before us is to rebalance our win-lose systems.
How To Change The World (Intro)
by Doug Hammack | Jun 10, 2019
Stay. See. Settle In.
by Doug Hammack | Jun 4, 2019
Meditation is an essential practice on the spiritual journey. But it challenges all our established internal habits. That means to gain the benefits of the practice, we need to develop some complementary skills -- staying when we want to leave -- seeing when we want...
Do You Have Stuff . . . Or Does Stuff Have You?
by Doug Hammack | May 30, 2019
The practice of spiritual detachment helps us cut through our false self to excavate our deepest desires and to set about attaining them.
How to Miss … The Abyss
by Doug Hammack | May 22, 2019
When we find ourselves looking into the abyss, we struggle to reverse course because our path there was unconscious. Spiritual practices help us to “wake up”, observe our false-selves and discern the next right step.
Valuate Your Values
by Doug Hammack | May 14, 2019
A fearless inventory of how you spend time -- and money... These are powerful spiritual tools. They tell us if our actions line up with what we want to be our values. Have a listen.
5/5/19
by Doug Hammack | May 7, 2019
Sermon from NRCC on 5 May 2019
04/28/2019
by Doug Hammack | Apr 29, 2019
Sermon from April 28, 2019 https://s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2019/04-28-19_Sermon.mp3