Urgency

With a church the size of Covenant, communicating clearly and effectively to everyone is a big challenge. We are always striving to find the best mode of communication to get important information to you, as well as the most effective time and place to share it. It’s probably a bigger problem than you realize! Read more »

Missed your CovenantAIR flight?

This past weekend’s CovenantAIR flights were packed, and I am so glad many of you were on board. What a creative way for all of us to experience our three, 40-acre mission stations.

Did you miss one of the flights? Please stand by for rebooking instructions!

To recap: CovenantAIR took off at each of the three weekend services and landed in a 40-acre neighborhood in West Greenville. In so doing, we got a close-up look at our emerging ministry to our Greenville neighbors just 3.5 miles from our Main Campus. Walter Strathy, Director of Outreach, shared about the lives that have been changed as a result—both ours and the neighbors we have been meeting. Valerie’s testimony combined with video clips from inner city missionaries was also a powerful witness to what happens when we live out Jesus’ call to care (Matthew 25). Read more »

Our Neighbors

As we’ve been working through this current sermon series, I’ve noticed that I have been reading the story of the Good Samaritan very differently. I’ve been reading it personally. I hope you have too. It is not enough to shoot for loving God with all your heart if your eyes stay closed to the people around you that He loves too. Part of loving God is loving our neighbors.

As a church, we’ve been asking ourselves the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Over time, we’ve discerned the Holy Spirit leading us to focus our neighborly efforts in three places: West Greenville, the Dominican Republic and our Main Campus.

This weekend, we’ve prepared an innovative worship experience to take you to all three of these strategic locations via our fictitious CovenantAir. Read more »

Benefits of Snow

Before we left Michigan in 1987, I gave my snow shovel to a neighbor. Gleefully I said, “I’ll never need this in North Carolina.” Having been born and raised in Texas, I was glad to be moving back to a warm climate. And although I really like to sled, ski, build snowmen and throw snow balls, I hate to shovel snow. This deep-seeded conviction has once again been confirmed these past few weeks. Come on spring!

But there is one thing I do love about snow in the South: it changes my priorities for the better. Read more »

Humbled

If you were here this past weekend, you got to witness a clear God-moment.

Not that the other three weeks of our “No Regrets” series haven’t been powerful, but I, like many of you, were blown away as hundreds of people during the weekend remained in their seats instead of taking communion. People took me up on the challenge to bypass receiving the elements this month until they could make a relationship right, forgive someone who had hurt them, or at least, “as far as it depends on us…make every effort” possible to repair brokenness in a relationship.

I talked to dozens of people. They all have stories similar to these (paraphrases): Read more »

Trading With No Regrets

Have you spotted the new Trade-It store in town?

This innovative retailer can be found at the corner of Evans St. and Greenville Blvd., and its signage subtitle says it all: Sell it…Buy it…Love it. I was intrigued by this marketing slogan and recently conducted some firsthand reconnaissance.

No great surprise once I got inside. You sell your stuff at wholesale and can buy other stuff at retail, goodies that your peers have previously sold. It’s essentially an upscale garage sale all in one place, and I can see why the place was packed the day I visited. Read more »

Mustard Seed

Again Jesus said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32 (NIV)

Apparently Jesus understood the power of a small contribution. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a tiny, little mustard seed. It starts small and then becomes a tall and powerful tree. You might remember that Jesus said if our faith is even the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Read more »

Still Learning to Have No Regrets

“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” Mercedes Lackey

“A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams.” ancient proverb

Our current teaching focus on “No Regrets” is hitting very close to home as Mary Lou and I approach a new season in our lives. In fact, it explains a whole new direction we are taking. Let me explain.

Read more »

Lessons

When I woke up on Friday, I knew something was up with my throat. I had not been sneezing or coughing. I didn’t have a runny nose. In fact, I felt fine, but I could feel my throat closing up on me.

AND, it just got worse. I talked with people at the Four:Twelve Event with Tom and Betty Tyndall on Friday night, but by the next morning I was struggling to talk. I gargled with saltwater, drank hot tea and water almost all day, but by the time I got to church, I was hardly able to speak. Somehow, I got through it.

Sunday, though, was worse. Read more »

Pressing On in 2010

I had made it this far; I sure wasn’t going to turn back now!

Several years ago, my son John and I had an awesome time mountain climbing in Colorado. On our last climb, we tackled an 8-miler above the tree line, and it kicked my 50+ tail big time. At three-quarters of the way, we moved above the tree line and stopped for a quick break and a bite to eat. The view was breathtaking, a testimony to God as you can see in the picture I’ve included.

As we rested for a few minutes, I was so pleased by our progress and had great confidence that we would make it. At the same time, getting to the summit would not be easy by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, I knew it would get tougher. While John’s nimble and fit 20-something body was soaring, I was huffing and puffing in the altitude’s thin air. But I just kept quoting a favorite children’s story: Read more »