2011 Ridge Rd.
Raleigh, NC

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Sunday Service
10:00 a.m.

Weekly Messages

Categories

The Sexual Journey (the whole thing)

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...

Rethinking Sex: Let’s Start with a Story

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

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

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

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.  

We Have Met The Enemy — And He Is Us

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! ...

We Can Do This Hard Thing

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

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...

Can You Spare Some Change?

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.  

Outlasting Outrage

Outlasting Outrage

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

Service Work + System Work = Sea Change

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.  

Stay.  See.  Settle In.

Stay. See. Settle In.

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...

How to Miss … The Abyss

How to Miss … The Abyss

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

Valuate Your Values

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.  

04/28/2019

04/28/2019

Sermon from April 28, 2019   https://s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2019/04-28-19_Sermon.mp3