Weekly Messages
Turn the Other Cheek? C’mon! Seriously?
Revenge is hard-wired in our brains to protect us from future harm. But it’s really bad at the job! It’s a cure that’s even worse than the disease. There are other tools that are really effective. They’re just counter intuitive.
Revenge Matters (For Forgiveness)
In hyper-polarized times it is difficult to access our best selves. How do we find forgiveness for those who bother us, who hurt us? Well, counter-intuitively, revenge serves an important function.
Gratitude
Our culture talks a lot about gratitude, especially at this time of year - but how much of this is actually shallow and ineffective rather than transformational? Sunday, we talked about the danger of transactional thinking and how it can often encourage the misuse of...
So, Now What?
Last week we talked about how our community's history fits in the broader context of religion's meltdown in our society. We talked about how we've been rebuilding in the ruins of religion. Today, we talk about what that will mean for each of us. Have a listen.
Is There a Future for Religion?
A lot of folks don’t think so. I understand why they think so. But I think history invites us to think more broadly. Today’s lesson is the story of what we’ve been doing as a community, to be part of the future we believe there is.
Sex Norms — That Work
We integrate health and well-being into our lives best, when we are supported by a culture and institutions with a shared narrative and shared norms. But our time in history, is a time of stripping down and rebuilding both our norms and our institutions. The work for...
Sex Isn’t “Just Sex”
In a sense, yes. Sex is “just sex.” But there’s more to the story. There are deep psychological, emotional, and relational processes that accompany sex. If we get them right, forever after, isn’t just a pipe dream.
Yin, Yang, Sex, and Love
When we live in imbalance, it harms us. And as a society, we’re out of balance. And — our sex and love — they don’t last. Have a listen.
How The Church Screwed Up Sex
We owe folks an apology! Some of our society's worst instincts around sexuality, draw from blueprints the church drew up -- 1800 years ago. If we're going to offer anything as our society is rethinking sexuality (and we have some good stuff to offer), we have to go...
The Sexual Journey (the whole thing)
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
Rethinking Sex: Let’s Start with a Story
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
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
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
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
We Have Met The Enemy — And He Is Us
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
John Pavlovitz bring us a very relevant message about how to approach upcoming turbulence.
8/4 Sermon
Doug's message from Aug 4.
We Can Do This Hard Thing
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
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
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
Can You Spare Some Change?
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.