Letters from the Pastor

In Sunday’s message, we reflected on the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonian church to “encourage one another and build each other up, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, and do what is good for one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11-24)....

One of the Apostle Paul’s great reminders is found in Romans 10:14–15:  “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And...

This past Sunday, Melanie, Isabella, and I worshiped at Alethia Church in Harrisonburg while visiting Isabella for Family Weekend at JMU. Alethia (the Greek word for truth) is where she and her housemates attend on Sundays. Their pastor preached from Joshua chapter 5,...

One of the quieter secrets of sustained, faithful leadership is not more answers — it is better questions. In a recent podcast interview, Pastor Rick Warren reminded Carey Nieuwhof (and all of us listening) that the quality of our life and leadership will be...

This past Sunday we explored the story of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22–23, a young leader who rediscovered God’s Word, allowed it to pierce his heart, and led his people into repentance and renewal. Josiah reminds us that the most dangerous loss in life isn’t misplacing...

While in seminary, I was introduced to Brother Lawrence by my professor of Christian Spirituality, Dr. E. Glenn Hinson, who passed away earlier this year. Dr. Hinson had a way of pointing us toward voices in the Christian tradition who spoke with clarity and depth...

This August, we walked through a three-part series titled Gifted and Called: SHAPED to Serve, exploring how every believer is saved for something – called, equipped, and sent for God’s purposes. Together, we saw that God’s calling isn’t reserved for pastors,...

Church seating is a fascinating thing. Over time, most of us gravitate to “our spot,” whether that’s on the aisle, near a friend, or close to the back. I’ve even joked that if someone sits in your seat, it can throw your whole morning off. And of course we kid about...

This past Sunday was a special day of prayer and blessing at HRBC. We began with our Blessing of the Backpacks, where students of all ages brought their school bags forward and we prayed together for a year filled with curiosity, kindness, and courage. As a...

This past Sunday we began our new sermon series, Gifted and Called, by exploring what it means to be One Body with Many Gifts (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12). We learned that every believer is uniquely designed by God – on purpose for a purpose. God has given each of us...