by Doug Hammack | Mar 29, 2020 | Message Audio, Spiritual Community in the Time of Virus
Whatever helps us become ego-self forgetful, helps us access the Inner Divine, our better angels. No time better for that than this, the time if virus. Have a listen....
by Doug Hammack | Mar 22, 2020 | Message Audio, Spiritual Community in the Time of Virus
Every day, even as we are overwhelmed, we are determining together: who will we be when the crisis is over? The ancient wisdom provides us a roadmap. Have a listen....
by Doug Hammack | Mar 15, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
I am not unaware that for a lot of people, organized religion is a big, big problem. It has been for me too. But what if… What if, under all that toxic craziness, there are deep, human, communal ways — we find the sacred, find the Divine, we “find...
by Doug Hammack | Mar 8, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
Pain is yet another place we experience the Divine, experience the sacred. However, it really can go either way. Pain can either sidetrack us, reinforcing all kinds of false-self distractions, or it can ennoble us, stripping away and refining. Have a listen...
by Doug Hammack | Mar 1, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
Awe is the humbling feeling we get when we encounter something vast. A sky full of stars. An overwhelming idea. Anything that shrinks the ego-as-self points us toward Divine experience. Let’s talk Sunday. ...
by Doug Hammack | Feb 23, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
We belong. We just do. We may not feel like it, but that doesn’t matter. We belong. And our souls will be hungry, until that reality is actualized in our lives. This week, we talk about how....
by Doug Hammack | Feb 16, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
Once we rethink where God is—and imagine the Divine is present in every man, woman, and child, a whole set of spiritual practices open up, to help us Find God in All Things....
by Doug Hammack | Feb 9, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
When we think God is far away (in heaven) we expect spiritual experiences to be dramatic—visions or peak experiences. But when we look for the Divine in everything, simple moments—pulling weeds, washing dishes—can become spiritual moments. ...
by Doug Hammack | Feb 2, 2020 | Finding God in All Things, Message Audio
Many who can’t imagine God on a celestial throne, nevertheless feel spiritually connected in the woods or garden. Turns out, a rich part of our tradition, is how to access the Divine here and now, in the juice and joy of the earth....
by Doug Hammack | Jan 26, 2020 | Message Audio, What is the Common Thread
After the great religious unraveling that began after WW1, many struggle with that question. This week, we’ll start thinking about where God is now. (It’s good news!) ...
by Doug Hammack | Jan 19, 2020 | Message Audio, What is the Common Thread
World War I began a great religious unraveling in the West. Where is God during war? Or on 9/11? Let’s think together, about fundamentally shifting where we look for God....
by Doug Hammack | Jan 12, 2020 | Message Audio, What is the Common Thread
It’s not just a pretty name (though it is). The notion of a Common Thread is rooted deeply in our tradition. We are, every one of us, carriers of the Inner Light. This week: two historical streams that didn’t drop that notion when Rome co-opted our religion—Eastern...
by Doug Hammack | Jan 5, 2020 | Message Audio, What is the Common Thread
The church today has been heavily influenced by thoughts and principles coming from the Roman Empire. But there are other Christian heritages from other groups such as the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Have a listen to learn more....
by Michael Walker | Dec 29, 2019 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
At the beginning of each year, we return to the same ancient Jewish Psalm that reminds us to number our days – but why? How do we do it? And how can ancient Roman Stoics, paintings from the 17th century, and blog posts from 2015 help us?...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 22, 2019 | Advent, Message Audio, Revenge and Forgiveness
Last week we spoke about how we forgive ourselves. Turns out, if we figure out how to do that, it really helps us forgive others. https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2019/12-22-19_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 15, 2019 | Advent, Message Audio, Revenge and Forgiveness
That’s the most frequent question that has come in on menti.com during this lesson. https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2019/12-15-19_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 8, 2019 | Advent, Message Audio, Revenge and Forgiveness
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....
by Doug Hammack | Dec 1, 2019 | Advent, Message Audio, Revenge and 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....
by Michael Walker | Nov 24, 2019 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
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...
