Dear Cobham Park Church Family, Late on the last night of November, I sat at home for a monthly ritual: under the yellow light of my desk lamp, I paid bills and balanced my checkbook. The Lord had blessed me with a specific bank account balance to work with, and I needed to wisely decide… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, I vacationed last month in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where my family usually rents a house overlooking the beach. Sadly, it rained on my whole drive down and then intermittently for my first two days there. Skies were gray, the wind was cold, and my mood was dreary. On the… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, There once was a great chef. She’d worked at the same little restaurant for many years, and people would travel long distances for a taste of her cuisine. Her dedication and attention to detail made every dish a delectable masterpiece. For hours before and after meal times, the restaurant kitchen… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, I had ten family houseguests over for the Labor Day weekend. While hosting can be a lot of work, it was well worth it! My normally quiet house rang with laughter and animated conversation; many priceless memories were made. After church on that Sunday morning, I was the last to… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, We all have ongoing thought-conversations that nobody else can hear. This inward whispering shapes who we are and what we do. Most of the time, our private thoughts help us to function rationally and plan for the future. But inward whispers can also go very wrong; I call them “wounding… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, Once a year—usually the Thursday before Homecoming—we schedule a “Church Work Day.” On this occasion, volunteers comb our church building and grounds, looking for any maintenance or cleaning tasks that have been neglected during the preceding year. Air filters and lightbulbs are changed, weeds are pulled up, and “deep-cleaning” happens… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, Before I begin my morning’s sermon preparation, I decide to quickly glance at the news on my phone. There, I find that nations are still destroying one another. Innocent people are dying. Politicians are threatening and insulting one another. This year’s hurricane season has started. AI is taking over everything.… Read More »

“to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;” —Psalm 136:4 (ESV) Dear Cobham Park Church Family, We increasingly live in artificial bubbles of our own making. We spend hours each day staring at glowing digital screens for our entertainment, truth, and meaning. We spend much of our time sealed off… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, Each day, we are buried in bad news. We see it on TV. We read about it online. We hear about it from our friends. Yet another funeral is scheduled. Health dwindles. Relationships splinter. Nations totter. Hope falters. We grieve. We worry. We’re angry. How can we escape this unyielding… Read More »

Dear Cobham Park Church Family, Immediately after our last snow, little green daffodil shoots began poking through the dead leaves and brown grass by my front porch. They are standing taller now in little clusters, like prophets announcing that winter’s days are numbered. And although it still doesn’t feel very warm, I’m sure that they… Read More »