Weekly Messages
What’s Found on the Other Side of Loss
After we grieve the loss of old thinking about God, our tradition invites us to a more expansive experience of God. Grieving the loss of the old ways, helps us prepare for the new ways of seeking, knowing, interacting, and relating. SUNDAY SLIDE DECK
Updates Available: God 6.0
Our Enlightenment-era, reformation God metaphors were stellar – for the Enlightenment era. But this new era begs new, expanded God metaphors, which will require our approach to God interactions to update as well. SUNDAY SLIDE DECK
When We Mistook the Mystic
In our haste to throw out the superstition bathwater 500 years ago, our mystical tradition of direct encounter with God was tossed too. Slowly, we are reclaiming this tradition and finding ways to relate to God in us. SUNDAY SLIDE DECK
Why we should nurture our hearts
By Robin Camu What does the "Heart" or heart center mean? Heart-dominant people tend to feel first, and then they think and then they know. We often believe that our feelings always tell us the truth. But we need the sum total of our feelings, thoughts and instincts...
Spiritual Puberty – The Coming of Age Talk
As we grow spiritually, our journey can become stale and rote. God Is not the problem, it is our man-made God metaphors that are in need of an update.
Pecking Orders are Real . . . Just Not Real Enough
We’re Better Together
Have a listen.
From Reacting to Responding
Our 24-hour news cycle keeps us on 24-hour alert. Break the cycle with the Welcoming Prayer.
Values Stated. Values Lived. The Difference.
The New Year prompts us to check in on our values and our actions. Are we spending our time on what we say we value? A couple things you'll need to process the lesson 1. watch THIS youtube 2. print out THIS form
12/23/18
Finding Peace … Through Nature’s Nurture
Step out in nature, and we gain a perspective that brings peace. Here's a self-care practice to carry us through this Advent season.
All Roads Lead to the Golden Rule
Study any religion and you will encounter the Golden Rule. There is no way forward from all that divides us but this. It is as simple . . . and difficult . . . as that. (special thanks to Norman Rockwell)
Stirring Up … Our Gratitude Attitude
Our brains have a negative bias. We must be intentional in stirring gratitude, or we can easily zombie through life missing everyday light and love. Stirring gratitude is a simple spiritual practice that returns to us twenty-fold.
Serving . . . Serves Us
Our independent Western instincts lead us away from connectedness. When we feel lonely, isolated and depressed, we focus on fixing ourselves. But counter-intuitively, self-focus only makes us more miserable. When we give ourselves in service to others, we heal...
Dying to Connect
Americans are lonely people. Our lack of connectedness is literally killing us. The physical effects of loneliness include depression, anxiety, cardio vascular stress and suppressed immune systems. As technological and cultural trends move us further away from true...
The Connection Connection
Our well-being is connected -- to our connection -- to others. And -- our most powerful connections, are with those we think of as "the other.” When "they" become "us," a deep source of our fear and anxiety is eliminated.
Spiritual Exercise: Get on the Virtue Cycle
When we undertake the ancient spiritual practices, we find health. As we do, we build up reserves from which we can serve our hurting world. We are blessed so that we can bless others. It’s our way. It’s our cycle. Jump on.
Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There
Our Western instincts tend to view meditation as passivity in a world needing action. But no! Meditation helps us detach from agendas, anger, ego, and fear . . . so we can be active in the world. It helps bring our healthy selves, our loving selves to action. It...
Just Be . . . All You Can Just Be
We practice contemplative practices so that we can bring our best selves to repairing the earth during this of great time of upheaval. It is our gift we can offer a hurting world. Without the detachment contemplative practices afford us, we remain clanging cymbals who...
Self-Awareness, Self-Disclosure Orientation (week 1)
Four Fall Wednesdays Introducing the practice of self-awareness and self-disclosure
Repentance, Reconciliation, Redemption — Redux
Often cringeworthy words for those who grew up in church, these ancient practices, when stripped to their essential purpose, can enliven our spiritual journeys. We believe they deserve a resurrection. Note: some folks found the introduction to the lesson...
You Don’t Need the Hokey Pokey . . . to Turn Yourself Around
When you see what you hadn’t seen, your life can turn significantly. Turn from thought ruts and defeating habits. At NRCC, we use a worksheet to help us see what we hadn’t. And it's true! Our lives do turn around. The ancients called the process "repentance." They...
Stretching Our Edge. Finding our Balance
In our pursuit of oneness that is not sameness, we ascribe to a basic set of time-tested spiritual practices to unify us. While each one of us must discern to which practices we are called, when to stretch, and when to rest.
Grace, Pace and Place
When church is healthy, its place in society is to take the lead in helping, healing and hoping. Grace is needed at North Raleigh Community Church as we find the appropriate pace with which to step into our place.