Weekly Messages
What Has Made NRCC Precious
We've had an influx of newcomers this year, so I'm spending a bit of time recounting the things that have made the experience of our community precious to us so we can continue to share those things together as more people become part of us. Have a listen. Doug...
Examen of Consciousness
This is such an important practice. I hope you have a listen. When our view of God changes, our view of prayer changes. Many simply stop praying... stop having a devotional habit. But that's just not good for our souls. Better is to go back through history and...
Stirring Up Gratitude: Thanksgiving 2011
Gratitude changes us. It makes us happier, healthier, and better people. In this lesson we cite both the ancient wisdom, and current double-blind studies. You'll be convinced that gratitude will make your life better. However, it's not easy work. It's tough! So,...
Our "Identities" and How We Look at Scripture – Robin Camu
A special message by Robin Camu Our personal stories influence how we interpret scripture. We need to get rid of our first (false) identity, good or bad. In fact, our "good identity" may be more detrimental because it takes us longer to get to the end of ourselves...
Community Making (2)
1 Timothy 6: 7-10
Community Making (1)
The third ancient practice that helps us defy the crazy-making power of money is community making. The link between community-making and being free of money's crazy-making power is not immediately obvious, so it requires some background. This lesson may stretch your...
The Ancient Practice of Giving (2)
Giving as a means to receiving... Sounds like it misses the point, doesn't it? But that's what we're saying in this lesson. The proscription of the ancients to be givers has a way of rewiring our instincts; breeding humility and self-forgetfulness, and guiding us,...
The Ancient Practice of Giving (1)
I've heard sermons all my life about giving. It's one of the better-known spiritual practices. However, I usually heard the sermon in pretty concrete terms. Give and you will receive... in kind. Give money, and you'll see how God or the universe is generous with your...
The Ancient Practice of Watchfulness (2)
About 1000 years ago, the Christian Church split into the Eastern Orthodox church and the Western, Latin church. There were a lot of political squabbles behind the split (called The Great Schism), but the main reason had to do with two fundamentally different...
The Ancient Practice of Watchfulness (1)
We're still on the lesson "Defying the Crazy-Making Power of Money," but we're moving now to the practices the ancients have given us to defy that crazy-making power. Today we begin looking at the ancient discipline of "watchfulness of thoughts." It's the means by...
Defying the Crazy-Making Power of Money (3)
During these introductory lessons in our "Crazy-Money" lesson, we've seen sometimes amusing examples of how money-troubles are usually heart-troubles, and how money-obsessions are a portals into the condition of the soul. Today, we finish looking at the variants of...
Defying the Crazy-Making Power of Money (2)
We continue looking at how our quirky ways about money can act as a portals into an understanding of our hearts. For a long time our nation's economic situation allowed us to satisfy our thing-obsessions when they came up. We didn't call them "obsessions," we called...
Defying the Crazy-Making Power of Money (1)
We begin a new lesson today about how money makes us crazy... or how it reveals the crazy we already are. If you've been following the news, you realize that anxiety is in the air during these economically troubled times. We're afraid. We're angry. We're churning and...
9/11: The 10-Year Anniversary
Today, we revisit a lesson given 10 years ago, in the raw aftermath of the terrorist attacks on our nation. In it, we conclude that in a world of transience and trouble, the question before us is how we shall live. Nobly. Honestly. Graciously. From our Divine...
The Power of Our Words
Words are more powerful than we often consider day to day. We use them, the ancient proverb teaches us, to bless, or to curse. In this lesson, we look at some of the ways our words can bless, and stir ourselves to use our words to better the lives of those around...
Born Again: What does that really mean?
Christians use the term "born again" all the time. In this lesson we take a look at what it means. It's pretty clear Nicodemus misunderstood Jesus when he used the term. In this lesson, I suggest that most of us Christians make the same mistake he did. Have a...
Let’s Follow the Right Example – David Williams
This week we had a guest speaker at NRCC: David Williams. He is the new Intervarsity Christian Fellowship leader for NCSU and Meredith. Prison letters from our spiritual forefathers are often their most poignant writings. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul...
The Other Side of Power 5: Jesus’ Table Manners
Eating together is a primal thing we human beings do. Jesus used this visceral element of our humanity to undercut the divisions between people. At supper he brought together people that the social and economic upheaval of his day were alienating from one another....
The Other Side of Power 4: More on Renewing our Minds
We continue our lesson from last week on the importance of "meta-noia," that Greek word on renewing our thinking. I give some practical examples of how often we get stuck in the old thinking, and also, how we break free. Have a listen, Doug
The Other Side of Power 3: Renewing our Minds
"Meta-noia." It's a Greek word used in our ancient texts. It means to change our thinking, to go through one state or state of mind, and come out on the other side with another. It's an important spiritual concept, to leave an empty, lesser way of thinking, and...
7/24 – Dan Nelson
I prepare these posts the day before, so I can't write a synopsis of what Dan will be saying tomorrow. But I suspect it will be worth listening to. Dan is my friend, and more than about anybody I know, he cares about the people of our city. My hope is that we get to...
The Other Side of Power 2: Radical Underpinnings of Power
In Jesus's time, Jews under Roman rule had to continually compete for social standing by elevating themselves and putting each other down. Sound familiar? At the core of who we are, we feel that we are not precious. As long as we feel this way, we will be competing...
The Other Side of Power 1: Introduction
When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he was doing something more profound that is typically considered. He was radically upending the normative dynamic of human relationships. In this introduction to a new series on the "other side of power," we reflect on...
4th of July 2011
Have a listen. Doug