Letters from the Pastor

To persevere is to persist through difficulty without giving up. Sunday’s Heritage Day message was titled, “A Call to Persevere.” We reflected on the encouragement to persevere found in Hebrews chapter 12 . . .  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud...

HRBC is blessed to have five strategic ministry affiliates with whom we collaborate to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Acts 1:8). These partners are: The River City Faith Network, Baptist General Association of Virginia,...

Each May, I am grateful to represent our church in the Bon Air Interfaith Trialogue.  There is perhaps not a more important time for faith communities to come together around that which unites us: people.  The Trialogue is an annual three-session gathering where...

Synergy results when we work together for a common good or a higher purpose. Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, defines synergy as “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts . . . one plus one equals three or more.” He points us to...

To succeed in what God has called us to do, we need to establish our priorities and remove distractions. This is easier said than done! The Apostle Paul himself struggled with this and wrote, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I...

When we are present in the moment, we can see glimpses of the sacred in the secular.  I call these “holy ground” moments, referring to the story of Moses in the wilderness. Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in...

Sometimes we change our inner voices that can cause us to be stuck. This is especially true when we face stressful situations in life. On Sunday April 23, we launched a brand-new message series titled, “The Stress-less Life.” The idea is that we will always have...

One of the best ways to teach theology is through songs and music.  In the sermon on April 16th, I emphasized some of the ways we practice teaching in this way at HRBC: our Child Development Center (CDC preschool), King’s Kids children’s choir, Vacation Bible School,...

The following story is from my Easter sermon. I hope that it inspires you as it has inspired me! Sam Bennett, the youngest of three boys in the Bennett family, is a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M University and a member of the Aggies golf team. He won the 2022...

This past weekend, our family traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to attend the wedding of our nephew (Melanie’s brother’s son) and his fiancé. We stayed in Mt. Pleasant with my mom and stepfather. It was so nice to see family and celebrate this happy occasion in...