This summer we’re going to walk through 1 Corinthians 13 phrase by phrase, considering both the nature of love, and how to embody it. It’ll be ugly at times, because none of us are touching the way of life in this chapter. But it will be hopeful, because we can see real growth in love, individually and as a community....
Here's what you need to know and remember about coming back to the building for worship as we reopen. ...
For our Signs sermon series we had several artists from New City represent the sign in their artwork. Sadly we had to cease meeting together in the midst of the series but here are the pieces and brief descriptions from the sermons shared in the series either in person or via our house church liturgies. Thanks to all the artists who encouraged us by using their gifts to create these delightful works! ...
I go under the knife again this week for my sixth eye surgery. At least, I think it's the sixth; to be honest, I've kind of lost count. Truth be told, I'm not too worried about it -- I am an old pro, after all. But those first few surgeries were "moments of deep unrest" for me, to borrow a phrase from the 19th century song writer, George Matheson. Matheson was well acquain...
Keep ReadingI was reading a book recently that makes that case that traditional cultures have always believed that too high a view of yourself is the real root cause of most evil in the world. Crime, violence and abuse all stem from people having too high a view of themselves. So what is the remedy? You clamp down. You modify external behavior. You tell people they’re bad....
Keep ReadingMy dad turns 81 today. Sadly, Parkinson’s Disease has robbed much of his latter years of what he and my mom hoped they would be. And yet, my dad has described this terrible disease as a kind of “severe mercy” for him. For the first 55 years of his life, my dad saw little need for God, at least not a personal God. We were connected to a church community, but that was ...
Keep ReadingIn 1 Corinthians 4:6 Paul says, I don't want you to be "puffed up." Some translations say, “I don’t want you to be proud. I don’t want you to be arrogant.” But here Paul doesn’t use the normal for hubris, or pride. The Greek word is physioo. It’s an unusual word. Paul uses it 6 times here in 1 Corinthians, and then once in Colossians; and then it’s not found ...
Keep ReadingOver the past 18 months, we've been working on a Master Plan to create a comprehensive plan for our facilities that aligns with the ways we believe God is calling us as a church. A part of that plan includes the homes we own adjacent to the church on Floral Avenue. The dilapidation of the buildings and the many code issues make it cost prohibitive to keep those structures...
Keep ReadingOn Sunday we continued our Love series, meditating on Paul's phrase, "Love is kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4). We may tend to think of kindness as a slender virtue (nice and all, but not that big a deal). However, not only does Paul mention kindness as an attribute of love, it is also a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). This means that kindness is not an optional add-on to ...
Keep ReadingWay back in March (which seems like a decade ago), Paige and I packed up the kids and made the long 12 hour trek to see my parents. I would not describe my family as particularly "good travelers." Potty stops abound (and seemingly never in any syncronized fashion); we bicker constantly about food stops; and the litany of "I'm bored" registering from the backseat rivals any...
Keep ReadingThe extraordinary outpouring of grief, protest and anger over the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have captured the attention of us all. We hope that you have had a chance to read the statement from our denominational leaders that we sent to you last week. This is a moment in which, as Christians, we can affirm our faith, stand shoulder to should...
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Keep ReadingNew City Family, The events of the past few weeks and the unrest in our nation remind us that things are not the way they are supposed to be. The heinous killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have once again shed light on injustices that persist in our society. The elders at New City would like to commend to you the following letter from our denomin...
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