by Doug Hammack | Feb 14, 2017 | Message Audio, Transcending a Religion of Fear
When we let our technology fool us into believing we are safe and invincible, our tools . . . make us tools. When religion devolves into just another technology we use to allay our fears, we miss the opportunity to transform our relationship with fear and enter into...
by Doug Hammack | Feb 7, 2017 | Message Audio, Transcending a Religion of Fear
C.S. Lewis lamented that we settle in our lives, far too easily. In this lesson, we see that when we use religion as a tactic to calm our fears, we are settling for a second hand-religion. Religion can do better. It holds out the promise of first-hand...
by Doug Hammack | Jan 31, 2017 | Message Audio, Transcending a Religion of Fear
Today’s lesson is an introduction to our next series, “Transcending a Religion of Fear.” We look at a point of origin for how religion has so often had an unsavory relationship to fear. When we use religion as a psychological crutch to avoid and...
by Doug Hammack | Jan 22, 2017 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
NRCC’s journey began many years ago, desconstructing Enlightenment-Era church. After that, we began reconstructing a way to be Christian in the Quantum Era. Along the way, among the writings and practices of our ancient Christian Mothers and Fathers, we found a set of...
by Robin Camu | Jan 15, 2017 | Enneagram, Guest Speaker, Message Audio
Vice and virtue are two sides of the same coin. Rather than rejecting your “sins of the ego”, Robin Camu suggests bringing awareness to them in the moment, offering yourself loving kindness, and watching them melt into opportunities for virtue to flourish. Have a...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 18, 2016 | Advent, Message Audio
It’s our Christian mandate to change the world . . . and Lord knows it needs changing these days. But how do we do good – but do it better? How do we make change – that matters? Paul points us to some tools that help. Even in the quantum era, we...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 11, 2016 | Advent, Message Audio
In this lesson we are reminded of the story of hope the Baby Jesus represents. When we are despairing, Baby Jesus reminds us the light is bigger than darkness, life is bigger than death, love wins over fear. And it is only from a position of hope that we garner the...
by Doug Hammack | Dec 4, 2016 | Advent, Message Audio
Our embattled world needs repair. Developing a oneness orientation will be key to unlocking our entrenchments and releasing us to deep transformation. In this lesson we continue discussing our community’s intention to be a heterogeneous church. We believe the...
by Doug Hammack | Nov 27, 2016 | Advent, Message Audio
Advent 2016 – Week 1 During this season of Advent, we focus on waiting in the darkness (and especially so, in this present time of darkness) with hope. With gratitude being the fountainhead of hope, our tradition points us to intentionally stirring gratitude to...
by Doug Hammack | Nov 20, 2016 | Community Meeting, Message Audio
https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2016/11-20-16_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
by Doug Hammack | Nov 13, 2016 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
by Chris Graebe This is the last lesson in the series that Doug started on Amos and what he had to say about social divisions and their impact. https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2016/11-13-16_Sermon.mp3Podcast:...
by Scott Shackleton | Nov 6, 2016 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
By Scott Shackleton Today is Orphan Sunday. It is a time to reflect on those who really need our caring for them and it gives us a chance to expand our empathy. Have a listen. ...
by Doug Hammack | Oct 30, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
We continue our discussion around talking across the divide. In today’s lesson we look at the effects both affluence and poverty have on our brains, and the corresponding ways those effects influence our spiritual journeys. Have a listen, Doug ...
by Doug Hammack | Oct 23, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
In this lesson, we continue our discussion on civil discourse across the divide. I encourage us to be suspicious of our own righteousness. It’s a default response served up to us by our lower brains, which our upper brains dress up with nice justifications and...
by Doug Hammack | Oct 16, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
In this lesson we continue exploring how to listen across the political divide by examining the six moral foundations of humanity. Discover which three moral foundations the liberals value most highly and which four traditionally underlie conservative positions....
by Doug Hammack | Oct 2, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2016/10-02-16_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
by Doug Hammack | Sep 25, 2016 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
Our sexual ground rules no longer serve us well. We developed them when we were agrarian and industrial societies. Now we live longer, we enter puberty earlier, and we marry later. Now, there is an average 15 year gap between sexual maturity and marriage. It is time...
by Doug Hammack | Sep 18, 2016 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
All signs point to the fact that we are not handling our sexuality well. When we reduce sex to “the act” and miss its much broader context, we also reduce our experiences and relationships. Have a listen, Doug ...
by Doug Hammack | Sep 4, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
As we saw last week, we can sum up the message of the ancient prophets pretty simply. “Do the right thing . . . or suffer the consequences.” That idea riled up some folks in our community this last week. It poked some old church hurts — preachers...
by Doug Hammack | Aug 28, 2016 | Amos and Social Solidarity, Message Audio
We can sum up the message of the ancient prophets pretty simply. “Do the right thing . . . or suffer the consequences.” To many religious folk, that sounds like a threat from God. In a recent TED talk, we realize, it’s a pretty accurate description...
