Pastors’ Thoughts
Pray for July 26th
Dear Church family, Thank you for being the church during these trying times. I have rejoiced at stories of people being led to Jesus, small groups meeting for prayer and encouragement, shut-ins receiving caring and loving phone-calls, and the Lord’s provision of grace, comfort, and healing. Children have been ministered to on-line, youth have begun to meet in appropriate ways, and the life and mission of the church continues, even as we have not been meeting in person. Thank you…
Church and Race
A message from your pastors and Elders about the Church and race Dear Church family, Several events of the last few weeks have brought the question of racism to the forefront. This is an important conversation, and while we don’t wish to offer political interpretations of these events, we do feel like it is important to speak unequivocally about what the Bible has to say. Jesus was born into a world rife with hate, into a people downtrodden and despised.…
CAC Update
Dear church family, Thank you. I personally am so blessed and encouraged. What I’m talking about is the love and faithfulness of our church family. Later in this e-mail we talk a little bit about giving, but I just want to start out with thanks for being the body of Christ: So many have worked so hard to re-orient their ministries during these days. So often I hear about phone calls, yard visits, and cards sent out. Or about loving…
A Timely Promise
Dear church family, We on the staff are so grateful for you and pray for you, and we’re looking forward to sharing our Resurrection Day celebration with you: “The Lord is Risen!” As the crisis situation settles in, many of us are dealing with a pretty deeply-seated anxiety. There are a lot of unknowns in the mid- and long-term future. That can be scary. I’d like to share two weapons that are helpful to me in overcoming anxiety, and the…
Unity of the Spirit
Dear church family, As we begin to figure out the new normal, a couple of things have come up in conversation with folks on the phone. One is a real desire to take advantage of extra time with the Lord, but somehow finding that’s not happening. It’s pretty easy to while away the time binge-watching a favorite program and scrolling through social media. For me it’s time spent keeping up with the news. Not that those things are bad, but…
Fugitive in Crisis – Psalm 3
Take a journey through Psalm 3 with David facing his own crisis as his life is turned upside down. We can relate to his plight as we face the COVID-19 crisis.
It’s Good to Talk
We are living in unprecedented and uncertain times. With the spread of COVID-19, many of us are left feeling unsure of what life will look like for the present and the future. With an invisible danger spreading throughout our communities, and with the real possibility of an economic recession, it is easy to feel worried, anxious, depressed, and even paralyzed. During times like this, here is something to remember: It’s good to talk. Talking will not change our circumstances usually.…
Thriving As A Part of the Church Family
Dear church family, I just got done listening to the news conference in which Wake County announced a stay-at-home order. We have never seen times like these, and most of us have never lived under similar restrictions. Much is being stripped away. The things that are important, however, remain unchanged. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord remains forever! From everlasting to everlasting, He is God! COVID-19 will pass, but not even the gates…
Church Life during COVID-19
Greetings Church family! In desperate circumstances David asked “When the foundations are shaken, what can the righteous do?” And the answer came: “The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord is on His heavenly throne.” He’s still God, Jesus still saves, and the Church is still His bride and His ambassador. Let’s keep loving Him and reaching people! (Throughout this e-mail, where you see text in blue, you can hold down your “ctrl” button and click with your mouse…
Greetings in the strong Name of Jesus Christ
Dear church family and guests of Cary Alliance, I’m reminded of a phrase often heard a few decades back: “Greetings in the strong Name of Jesus Christ.” Our Elders and Pastors have been much in prayer and consultation about our response to COVID-19. It seems that every hour brings disorienting and distressing news. Your questions, concerns and comments have been much appreciated and have helped shape our thoughts in this matter. We believe that in much counsel comes wisdom from…
5 Ways to Worship During Instrumental Breaks
It is no secret that I love music and the experience of listening to and playing music with instruments. From the time I was plunking out my first power chords very poorly on my dad’s Fender Stratocaster guitar to the present day (which has ironically come full circle as he has given me that same Strat…except now my playing is actually a bit better!), I have been mesmerized by the sound of instruments. I’ve grown to love expressing my praise…
Comfort for Every Sufferer
Here is the comfort for every sufferer: hope is a person, and his name is Jesus. Life is a person called Emmanuel. God enters your life by grace and by grace makes you the place where he dwells. So he goes wherever you go; he’s there with you in whatever you’re facing, and he lovingly provides you with everything you need. You don’t have to search for him; you don’t have to wonder if or when he will come; you…
How We Can Learn From the Lauren Daigle Controversy
If you have been keeping up with Christian music and pop culture, you have undoubtably heard about the controversy with Christian singer, Lauren Daigle. On her appearance on the Domenick Nati Show, she was asked if she believed that homosexuality was a sin, to which she replied, “I can’t honestly answer on that, in the sense of I have too many people that I love and they are homosexuals.” She went on to say, “I can’t say one way or…
To Repeat or Not Repeat. Repeat. Repeat: Repetition in Worship
There are a lot of opinions about what content of worship songs should look like. There are opinions and debates such as to what the form looks like, how emotional the language is, how complex or simple the theology is, etc. One that stands out is the use of repetition and the question of how necessary or unnecessary it is. I’ve seen the many blog posts and memes on repetition in worship. One meme shows the repetitive lyrics of a…
The Intersection of “Knowing” and Intergenerational Relationships
If you were asked the question of what you think is the most important aspect for a children’s ministry to have, what would you say? If you are a family with kids and have ever “church shopped,” what kinds of things did you look for regarding a church’s kids ministry? If you are a children’s ministry worker, what is the first thing you think about when you hear the words “children’s ministry?” More often than not, the answer that we…
Is God’s Love Reckless…or is Ours?
If you listen to K-Love, Christian Pandora stations, or Christian YouTube and Spotify playlists, you might have heard a song that is causing quite a stir lately called “Reckless Love,” performed by Cory Asbury and written by him along with Caleb Culver, and Ran Jackson. It has taken the church by storm and is currently the #1 song being played in churches today. I heard of it early on since I am a member of various worship Facebook groups and…
Standing the Watch
On that silent night long ago, why did God send his angels to shepherds rather than the government or religious leaders? Maybe it was because they were ‘standing the watch by night.’ God tends to show himself to those who stand the watch, whether it is in their study, beside a sick child, attending a dying parent, sitting in a patrol car, or shivering in a fox hole.
The Christmas Story: The Last Shall Be First
Christmas is here and it feels like it comes faster and faster every year. It has always been my favorite time of year. All of the decorations, Christmas specials on TV, Christmas songs and carols, peppermint flavored everything and much more always seem to create happy memories and bring back nostalgic feelings and memories from the past. It is a wonderful time to gather with family and friends, shop for presents and gifts, and not to mention getting some good…
Let’s Not Sing Christmas Carols…unless
Ah, ‘tis the Christmas season! Here at the Brymer house, we actually got our first real Christmas tree (not as in real live tree, but an actual tree instead of a decorative twig) and with the kids, we decorated it with lights and ornaments. My wife Heidi has been streaming her cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix and getting into baking delicious treats that I try to avoid and say oops 5 servings later. As strange as our family may be,…
God’s Solution to Lonliness
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. (Psalms 68:5-6 NIV)