Church for Normies

What does Orwell's 1984 , Rand's Atlas Shrugged , Dostoyevsky's Brother's Karamazov , and Bronte's Wuthering Heights have in common? Only that they were the last works written by the authors. Now, to be clear, Rick is as healthy as a horse. But his last few messages remind us that every preacher has his last sermon and sermon series. NEXT is Rick's last choice. In this podc...

It is a very special place that Grace is in, right now. We all feel a paradox of emotions: challenging, exciting, sad, happy, cautious, open, etc. And in the middle of this is Rick Hale, who is giving us an opportunity to witness his own journey in a very candid way. For most of us, the end of jobs come with little to no fanfare, and without much philosophical reflection. Rick invites us into exam...

Fifteen years after the American Civil War, a man by the name of Thomas Edison patented and began commercializing the incandescent light bulb. It was a watershed moment not only for the United States, but for the world. Thereafter, it would change the way we design buildings, changed the nature of the workday, jumpstarted new businesses, and forced energy production and conveyance into the stratos...

There comes a time when pastors need to retire, and if he's the founding pastor, that's brings a new set of challenges to that local church. Mostly because they've never been there before. While that could bring anxiety, depression, or insecurity, that's not the case for Grace. Rick Hale has basically written the textbook on how to transfer leadership in the most gentle, generous,...

"There is no such thing as a permanent Senior Pastor. In fact, we are all interims at what we do." It's true, isn't it: all we are in this world are stewards of our time and opportunities. On August 22, 2022, Rick Hale signaled his intention to retire, setting in-motion actions that would lead to a retirement that has always been inevitable, but now steadily drawing near. What do...

Are you in the midst of a fire you can't outrun? Has the blaze taken everything from you except your existence? Or are you watching helplessly from the shore, watching a friend or loved one struggle to reach the shore in the storm? Why does this have to happen? Why does disaster (literal or relational), disease, financial ruin, depression, anxiety, and unceasing pressure exist? Didn't God...

Dallas Willard, a UC Berkley professor of epistemology and philosophy died in 2013 after a tough battle with pancreatic cancer. He was also a deeply devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. "The reason the book of Job is in the Bible partly is to help us understand we're in a battle. You might think if you read the book of Job it would be a good idea not to call the devil's attention to your...

The late Tim Keller wrote: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” Keller believed in the hope Jesus brought to us, that when he died, his departing words were: “Ther...

We all want the right answer. But the right answer can be useless if we don't understand the question. CS Lewis brought this up: "Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask - half our great theological and metaphys...

Have you ever felt like you weren't enough? Dr. Brene Brown triumphantly declared war on the war we wage on ourselves: "Sufficiency isn't two steps up from poverty or one step short of abundance. It isn't a measure of barely enough or more than enough. Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough,...

His name was Levi. But that's probably not what others called him. To them, he was collaborator with the enemy , villain , turncoat , traitor , or profiteer . He must have been a lonely, and unhappy man. What respectable family would allow their daughter to marry him? If he was married, what of his children? Perhaps you have very little in common with a first century tax collector, but we all...

We don't know her name. We can only guess at what her life was like before, and we don't hear much about her after. But her turning point conversation with Jesus was one of the most remarkable in the New Testament. Thanks to her experience, so many of us have hope, security, and refreshment! This week's Living Your Dash Podcast is a conversation about one of the most famous "water...

On April 19, 2021, Ingenuity, an autonomous arial drone took off and took video of it's surroundings. "Big deal," you might say, "that happens all the time." It IS a big deal because Ingenuity is on MARS. That's right - the fourth planet in our solar system! It performed way past it's expected lifespan - but all things came to an end because it crashed and broke off...

Imagine you've worked all night in the cold and water. You're exhausted. Your body aches. The morning sun is bouncing off the water making you squint - and you're probably dehydrated and getting a headache. Suddenly a guy is at the bow of your boat asking if he could use your boat as a platform to speak. Maybe you're a little annoyed at this uncouth request. Maybe all you want to d...

Do you love surprises? Probably if it's fun or positive ... but how about an ominous diagnosis, a loved-one in a car wreck, an unexpected budget buster, or a sudden death. That's the kind of surprise we don't appreciate. On Feb 11, 2024, a freak snow storm blew in to ordinarily arid Roswell for just a few hours - unfortunately shutting down Grace's church services. Since Living You...

John Wesley, the prime mover of the Methodist Revival, wrote: "Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can." ( Letters of John Wesley ) Generosity should flow from a disciple as freely as possible because it is not only expected by Jesus, but he proved t...

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Martin Luther King Jr. “To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money.” Douglas Adams “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” Mahatma Gandhi Three very different people: One a pastor and civil rights leader, the other a satirical author, and third global civil...

CS Lewis brilliantly cut to the chase about WHO Jesus is - and of crucial importance - what HE wants to make of us when he famously penned: I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man...

Lebanese poet and artist Kahlil Gibran famously wrote: "An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind." Forgiveness. We want to receive it - and at our altruistic best, believe that we'll grant it. But then the exceptions come ... the justifications become easier. We sigh. We wonder: "Why even try?" But as our ragamuffin friend, Brennan Manning would say, “To live b...

While it's important to have life goals and even more important to have a life purpose statement , those things don't live in a vacuum. They must be expressed in the real world, past the words, and in with the lives of people. Perhaps this is why pastor JD Greer wrote: "Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future." " Well, nothing is more important than fulfilling yo...

What does Martin Luther, Rick Hale, and Bing Crosby have in common? Not only are all three good looking and smell nice, people pay attention to what they have to say at Christmas! With apologies to Bing, Rick borrows from the famous Latin phrases of the Reformers to frame Christmas in its purity: Sola Fide : Faith Alone; Sola Gratia : Grace Alone; Sola Scriptura : Scripture Alone, and this week: S...

"Salvation" is defined as "preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. It's a common theme in literature, movies, music and art. What would summer super hero movies be like without the salvation by caped crusaders? But our need for some ONE to deliver us from ultimate harm, ruin, or loss is what Christmas is all about. It is not the celebration of wonder, or innocence,...

What does the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), and an American manufacturing theorist have in common? The Deming Prize! Established in Japan in 1951 by the JUSE consortium, the prize is given to individuals who contribute excellency in the production of goods and services. Because of Deming's principles, names like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and others have become household names...

Happy 25th Anniversary to Grace Community Church! Anniversaries are important because they commemorate an important event. To "commemorate" is literally a "mindful remembrance," in Grace's instance, the relationships and shared covenant of purpose; the shared ups, downs, highs and lows as we face them together. After twenty five years, a lot of babies are born, some move aw...

Ever heard of Tesla? Of course you have. Depending on who you ask, it's either the most inflated company in the world, or the most groundbreaking. But, like "Jack Sparrow," you HAVE heard of it! Did you know that Elon Musk, it's founder, went bankrupt with the company and almost lost it all? He resorted to never going home and sleeping on the factory floor. Today, Tesla is one of...