Do you love Durham? Do you care about Durham? Do you pray for Durham? Or do you wish you lived somewhere else? When I was a youth minister here from 1993 to 2000, I was amazed at the number of students I had who could not wait to leave Durham. Their attitude was that they wanted to live anywhere else but here. Many of them did leave and relocate to other places once they graduated. During this same time that my students wanted to leave Durham, there was a growing influx of pe

I cannot believe it is already July! I hope you and your family are excited about the fourth of July and spending time together. I know I am ready for a break and extra time to spend with my family. Nonetheless, while spending time with my family is great, my favorite part about the fourth is the fact that there is a national hot dog eating contest. That’s right, the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will be held on the fourth of July. If you have nothing better to do, a

Throughout the Old Testament it is made clear that if someone desired to enter into the presence of God there were certain ritual steps that must first be followed. Often this involved setting the individual apart for a specified number of days, ritually washing their bodies and garments with purifying water, and removing any trace of any matter which might defile the holy temple of God. These ceremonies were typically complex and were very specific. Approaching God was a

From the Pastor... Why are you a Baptist? That’s a good question. Have you ever thought about it? For some, the answer is you were born and raised a Baptist. For others, you married into the Baptist faith. Still others became a Christian and therefore you were baptized and became a member of the Baptist church. And finally, others were raised in another denomination, so even though you were a Christian, when you came to join the Baptists you were baptized by immersion. As Ba

July is finally here and that means summer is in full swing. For many of you, it’s finally time to relax. For others, it just means things move faster. I tend to find myself relaxing more than running during the months of June-August. Being a student for 20 some years of my life, the joy of summer never EVER gets old. I always look forward to the warm nights, barbecues with my family and friends and my all time favorite, HOMEMADE ICE CREAM (Just in case you were wondering, my