by Doug Hammack | Sep 4, 2011 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
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...
by Doug Hammack | Aug 28, 2011 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
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...
by Doug Hammack | Aug 21, 2011 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
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...
by Doug Hammack | Aug 14, 2011 | Message Audio, The Other Side of Power
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....
by Doug Hammack | Aug 7, 2011 | Message Audio, The Other Side of Power
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 ...
by Doug Hammack | Aug 2, 2011 | Christian Meditation, Message Audio
“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...
by Doug Hammack | Jul 24, 2011 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
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...
by Doug Hammack | Jul 17, 2011 | Message Audio, The Other Side 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...
by Doug Hammack | Jul 10, 2011 | Message Audio, The Other Side of Power
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...
by Doug Hammack | Jul 3, 2011 | Individual Lesson, Message Audio
Have a listen. Doug https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2011/07-03-11_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
by Doug Hammack | Jun 26, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
We conclude our lesson on Jesus’ teaching about power and its misuse by looking at the power of naming. People are made in the image of God, our Story tells us. Consequently, the transcendent, ineffable, Divine image is the deepest and truest parts of us. When...
by Doug Hammack | Jun 19, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
Theoretical physicists are imagining all kinds of wild mathematical formulations to explain the most fundamental nature of reality. When they do, they turn around and test their equations with super-colliders, and it turns out… they’re right! How wild...
by Doug Hammack | Jun 12, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
We continue talking about why it’s so difficult for us to hear and heed the teaching of Jesus on power dynamics. Our instincts run so counter to his teaching! Today we do a thought experiment together, and see how our ability to use our imagination is...
by Doug Hammack | Jun 5, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
The idea of seeing ourselves as part of a whole rather than separate individuals has many implications if we would follow Jesus’ teaching about loving our neighbors and our enemies. If we Westerners would love our enemies, the Muslim states come to mind. If we...
by Doug Hammack | May 29, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
We ignore the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and saints and sages from several religious traditions. Consequently, we are rooted in a worldview of separateness. We do not see ourselves as one with God, or one with other human beings. Our instincts and experience insist...
by Doug Hammack | May 22, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
As we begin to think about why power is so abused among us, a starting point is our very view of reality. We tend to think of ourselves as separate from one another, separate beings, separate entities, organized into separate categories. We feel this in our guts, so...
by Doug Hammack | May 16, 2011 | Abuse of Power, Message Audio
In this introductory I tell a story about speaking to our teens about sexual power. In the Bible belt, sex curriculum is limited to “abstinence only,” and teachers who wouldn’t all choose to teach this way are forced to. Consequently our best...
by Robin Camu | May 9, 2011 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
In this message, Robin Camu shares with us some insights she has had recently on how living life and growing to personal and spiritual maturity are similar to the game of Freecell. ...
by Doug Hammack | May 1, 2011 | Guest Speaker, Message Audio
Based on Exodus 1:8-14, Will (a member of NRCC) shares with us a message on what we can remember or do in times of personal oppression. https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2011/05-01-11_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in...
by Doug Hammack | Apr 27, 2011 | Easter, Message Audio
Happy Easter. Doug https://media.blubrry.com/north_raleigh_community_church/s3.amazonaws.com/nrccaudio/2011/04-24-11_Sermon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |...
