From The Pastor

Brothers and sisters,

I’ve mentioned this a few times now, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying a fantasy book club I joined earlier this year. We meet at a bookstore in Chapel Hill once a month and we talk about the latest fantasy book the leader of the club has chosen. Five months in, I’ve enjoyed all of the books we’ve read — some definitely more than others.

Well, last Thursday, I went to chat with the other book club members about a book called City of All Seasons. It’s a very new book, having literally come out this May, that is co-written by two respected fantasy authors. The novel is set in the island city of Fairharbour and is told through the perspectives of two cousins, Jaime and Esther Pike. Sounds simple enough, until you learn that, because of tragic circumstances that happened decades earlier, the cousins have been separated since Fairharbour exists in two different, overlap-ping dimensions. Jaime’s Fairharbour is stuck in eternal winter and is governed by the oppressive Doormen. Esther’s Fairharbour is stuck in eternal summer and is terrorized by the paranoid Fenestration.

The plot of the book surrounds Jaime and Esther’s attempts to communicate with each other and unravel the mystery of what happened to split Fairharbour in two. And it’s the way they communicate that I want to write about a little bit. See, Jaime and Esther are both tinkerers who learned how to make things from their uncle, Pawel. They communicate with each other by creating new, interesting things that recall their shared childhood, slipping these to each other at places where the two Fairharbours bleed into one an-other (in other words, Jaime finds places not covered with snow and puts his object there, knowing Esther will find it, while Esther finds little patches of snow and places her creations there, knowing Jaime will find them). Their creativity, their connection, and their hope of reuniting keeps them going and does, eventually, help them figure out what happened to Fairharbour all those years ago.

What I appreciate the most about this story is the connection the authors make between creativity and hope. When we create something for someone else, we draw on our knowledge of them and we make something that we believe will bring them joy. We make something that reminds them that they are loved. And I would argue love and joy naturally lead one to hope. As Christians, isn’t our hope tied up in the idea that God loves us deeply? Is our hope not defined by the joy God gives to each of us? To be able to build connections with other people is to create com-munity and a sense that we can do great, wonderful things. If we will place God in the center of it all, we will find that creating and connecting with others connects us more fully to God.

So, over the next few weeks, I would challenge you all to create something for someone you love. Maybe it’s a craft. Maybe it’s a meal or a special dish. Maybe it’s creating a day where the two of you spend time with each other doing something you love. Regardless, think about them and their joy, and create something that sparks it.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

P. S. There is a review on the cover of City of All Seasons that calls it, “Deeply different, strange, and fascinating…” Rarely has a review so quickly encapsulated a book. City is deeply atmospheric and moody, with just enough plot to call itself a novel.

Brothers and sisters,

For the last two summers, our church has held a summer program for children that we’ve called Super Saturday Adventures. Each of the last two summers, children from our church and the wider Durham com-munity have come and spent a Saturday morning once a month with us. They’ve learned about God’s love for them. They’ve learned about people in the Bible who did wonderful things for God. They’ve heard parables from Jesus that told them they are beloved. This year, we’re planning to do that again!

Earlier this week, a group of about fifteen church members met to discuss how we wanted to reach out to these kids this summer. So, our Super Saturday Adventures will be on June 28th, July 12th, and July 26th from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Our theme is, “Creatures of the Bible: The Untold Stories”. Basically, we’ll be teaching the children about God’s love for them by using stories that have animals in them. The first Saturday, we’re going to talk about Creation and all the wonderful species of animals God made. That second Saturday, we’ll be talking about Jonah and the Whale and what it means to listen to God. The final Sunday, we’ll talk about the various animals that played a part in the Christmas Story and what the birth of Jesus means for us all.

I’m excited for this. The people that met last night are excited for this. Super Saturday Adventures have been hits with the children and their parents and I’m looking forward to seeing all of them again this summer. To do this, though, we’ll need lots of help! Starting this Sunday, there will be a volunteer sign-up sheet in the vestibule. I would encourage you all to look over the kind of help we need, consider where you may feel God leading you to help, and sign up. We’ll need people in specific stations, but we’ll also need folks who can just be “floaters” who go wherever they’re needed that morning.

Super Saturday Adventures are wonderful events, truly. The kids love them. The volunteers love them. The parents love them. I’m looking forward to hosting these again. As we’ve done the last two years, the main message we’re looking to send to these kids is simple: God loves them and we love them, too.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been in the process of picking up an old habit, an old hobby of mine. The fact that I’m picking it back up actually crept into a few of my sermons lately. A few weeks ago, I talked about making choices and used the example of whether or not to dedicate eight weeks to a class. Well, a month or so ago, I signed up for a seven-week class available in north Raleigh. And last week, it very obviously creeped into my sermon, considering I talked about a specific strategy I used to use while playing it. I’ve signed up for my first formal tennis lessons since high school!

And let me tell you, since signing up, my nights have been filled with anticipation. The class doesn’t start till July (that’s how far out you have to book things now!), but I’ve been going through all my old tennis equipment to see what’s still usable. I’ve still got my three racquets from high school, though all three need to be restrung. My old tennis dampeners have dried out and are basically useless now. And the overgrips on my racquets literally crumble in my hands when I spin the racquet. But that’s the fun thing about this — as I’m searching for things to update my racquets and gear, I’m reminiscing on all the fun I had while playing tennis. I’m remembering the friends I made, the great matches I played, and the feeling of pushing myself to reach new goals. It’s fantastic!

I tell you all that because I think there is a lot of joy that can come from picking up old hobbies and remembering that God experiences joy with us as well. In other words, as I reflect on who I was when I was playing tennis before and how much tennis helped shape me as a person, I have this sense that God remembers that version of me, too. God remembers that version of me and remembers the joy of those times. Stepping back into tennis reminds me of God’s presence with me throughout my life. It reminds me of how much God has loved me from an early age—not because I am special, but because God is. Stepping back into tennis reminds me of who I am and reminds me of the joy of God.

So, take some time over the next few days or weeks and think about some of your old habits, your old hobbies. See if there are any you’d like to pick back up. Remember the love and joy God had for you then and remind yourself that God loves and rejoices with you now! If you used to love hiking, ride over to a state park and go hiking one day. If you used to be a movie buff, pull out one of your old favorites, make some popcorn, and watch it. If you loved knitting or crocheting, take this article as a sign to give it another go. But always remember, God loved you then and God loves you now.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

P. S. When I played tennis in high school, I loved fun colors and patterns for my gear. So, while my main racquet is black, it will have a neon green overgrip. My shoes have lots of bright blue on them and my new dampener is in the shape of a to-go cup of coffee. Because if you’re doing something for fun, why not have some fun, right?

Brothers and sisters,

We are at a unique time of year. Spring has fully sprung as flowers are blooming and sunny days are becoming more common. The temperatures right now mean that spending time outside grows increasingly tempting. We’ve had a few hot days that remind us that summer is coming, but for the most part the world is opening up and inviting us to take time to relax and enjoy ourselves.

At the same time, students at colleges and high schools across America are having to stay indoors and pore over notes and books and articles as they prepare for final exams and write final papers. I was reminded of that this week as I prepare for the fantasy book club I’m in.

You’ll remember a couple months ago when I wrote about Water Moon that I’ve been attending a book club in Chapel Hill once a month. Well, most of the people in the book club are undergraduate students and back in March they were already dreading the end of the semester. Several of them have multiple exams within a day or two of each other. A few have final papers to write in the midst of those exams. Our book choice this month was purpose-fully short so they wouldn’t be stressed.

In addition to the universities, though, high schoolers all across the country are preparing for AP exams. I would imagine you all know this already, but AP stands for “advanced placement” and are college level courses taught at high schools. If the students can pass these ex-ams, they get college credit when they go off to school. Needless to say, there’s a lot of pressure placed on these kids.

So, as good neighbors, I want us all to take time over the next few weeks to pray for these students. Pray for them as they study, that their studying would be effective. Pray that they would get good nights of sleep the day before their exams. Pray for nutritious breakfasts that al-low them to focus on their tests and not on their stomachs. Pray for calm nerves, that they would be able to show all that they have learned over the last semester or the last year. For those writing final papers, pray that they would be able to communicate their thoughts effectively. For those running final experiments, pray that they are able to run them efficiently and analyze the results correctly. Pray that all these students would have a sense of accomplishment regardless of the final results.

We can be good neighbors to these students even if they don’t know that we’re praying for them. God has made each and every one of them and given them talents. Let us pray that they can learn to use those talents for the good of God’s kingdom!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Next week is Holy Week. Starting on Sunday the 13th, we will make our annual pilgrimage through the final week of Jesus’ life. It is a week in which we will celebrate his arrival, consider his service, contemplate his death, and celebrate his resurrection. Holy Week tends to be a rollercoaster of emotion, but it is a re-minder to all of us of the wondrous love of God in Christ and his commitment to all of us. So, let me give you a quick rundown of what these services will look like.

First, on Sunday, April 13th, we will celebrate Palm Sunday during morning worship! This service is one of joy and celebration as we remember Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Our children will wave palms as we all join in song to praise our God and remember the promise of eternal life he brings.

Then, on Wednesday, April 16th, we will have our annual Service of Handwashing. That service begins at 6:30 PM and will be in our sanctuary. This service will be focused more on those last few moments Jesus had with his twelve disciples during the Last Supper. It is a service that is focused on service and calls us all to humility. We will take time that evening to wash each other’s hands as tangible signs of our love for one an-other and our commitment to serve God together.

Next, on Friday, April 18th, we will have our Good Friday Service. It will begin at 7:00 PM in our sanctuary. This is a service that leans into the difficulty of that first Good Friday. We remember the crucifixion. We remember the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf. As part of that, the Good Friday service ends in darkness and silence as we contemplate the gravity of what has happened—the light of the world has been snuffed out. It is always a powerful service; be sure not to skip out on it!

While it’s not a worship service, do remember that on Saturday, April 19th, starting at 10 AM, we will have our annual Easter Egg Hunt and Crafting Fair. All children are invited to come and participate, so be sure to invite kids, grandkids, neighbors — whoever! If you’d like to volunteer, we’d love to have you and will be more than happy to find work for you!

Finally, on Sunday, April 20th, we will celebrate Easter. We will celebrate the resur-rection of our Lord and the defeat of both sin and death! That morning we will have a time of fellowship before Sunday School starting at 9:15 AM. More details on that are printed in this newsletter. But this Sunday morning will be one of exuberant, joyous celebration! We look forward to seeing all of you that Sunday!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,
The last few weeks I have been on a journey. Not a literal, physical one — at least not yet. The journey has been interesting. I’ll be honest, my feelings have been hurt a couple times along the way, though I was warned ahead of time that would happen. But there’s been one line from this journey that has stuck with me and prompt-ed me to write this article. With that, let’s talk about my journey so far. Let’s talk about interior design.

You weren’t expecting that one, were you? Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking around my apartment and trying to figure out how to make it feel homier, feel cozier, feel even a little stylish. I am a fairly stereotypical guy in that I have pictures and art and stuff like that—they just aren’t up on my wall yet. But I don’t know where to put stuff, how to arrange things, how to pick colors, etc. And that sense of not knowing has caused some creative paralysis. I’m not sure what to do, so I don’t do anything.

Enter Caroline. Caroline is an interior designer with a YouTube channel dedicated to helping people with the design of their homes. She did not go to design school, but she has turned her interest in interior design into a consulting business. She was a theatre major and it definitely shows! For the camera, she puts on a playfully judgy persona that is both aggressive and funny. As I alluded to earlier, she starts a lot of her videos by saying, “Listen. I’m going to hurt your feelings. Stay with me. I only want what’s best for you.” By the end of the video you feel like you’ve had a good talk with a close friend.

One of the things that I appreciate about Caroline’s videos is that she does not speak only in broad sweeping terms, she gets down to the nitty gritty of how to make de-sign changes. She appreciates bold choices, but advocates for making bold choices wisely (an oxymoron, I know, but she makes it make sense). But one thing that she says over and over in her videos stuck with me. When talking about designing a space, she constantly reminds her viewers, “Creativity requires failure. A lot of it. You tried the couch here and it didn’t work. Great! So, move it. That art didn’t look as good as you thought. Good thing you saved your receipt! Embrace those failures cause that’s how you find your voice.”

On its own, that line, “Creativity requires failure,” feels empowering to me. To be remind-ed by someone who knows what they’re doing (Caroline’s designs are always beautiful) that they failed a lot along their own journey is a reminder to us all that doing anything well takes time. It takes time not only in the sense of slowing down to make sure you’re doing good work, but also in the sense of allowing ourselves to fail, to learn from our failures, and to try again.

In a Christian sense, it is a reminder that all of us are going to fail when we try to live faithful lives. We will inevitably sin again. We will be short with a loved one when we needed to be patient. We will allow jealousy to cloud our judgment when we should have been happy for some-one else. We will give in to anger and hatred toward someone we don’t like when we should have looked for common ground built on mercy. Learning to be Christian requires humility. A lot of it. But God recognizes that. Embrace the grace God offers cause that’s how you learn to do better next time.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

For this week’s Illuminator, I want to highlight a story I heard the other day of someone going way above and beyond to be kind to another person. While I don’t know the religious affiliations of anyone involved in this story, the thought and dedication to another person is something we Christians ought to emulate.

In Pocatello, Idaho, there was only one video rental store still in business, a place called Video Stop. Run by its owner, David Kraning, the store had been there for years. Kraning had actually taken over the business from his father years ago, but his profits had taken a huge tumble due to the rise of streaming services like Netflix. Within the last year or so, Kraning finally came to the difficult decision that he needed to close the store. Video Stop closed on February 1st this year. He was losing money on it and had been for a while, but there was a reason he’d kept it open even when it wasn’t turning a profit.

Christina Cavanaugh is the Video Stop’s most loyal customer. She also has Down syndrome and is mostly non-verbal. As part of her weekly routine, Christina and her mother, Toni, would come to the video store three times per week and that has been going on for the last fifteen years. Christina loves Disney movies, especially Mulan and Hercules, and it brings her a sense of order and security to have these excursions to the video store. She also gets to work on life skills while she’s there—picking what she wants, interacting with cashiers, presenting cash, and thanking the cashier. It’s an important part of her life.

When Kraning realized he needed to close the store, he said that he was upset not just because of the death of the business, but he was worried about how it would affect Christina. Routines are extremely important for folks struggling with disorders like Down syndrome. As it happens, Kraning also owns the convenience store next door. So, as February 1st approached, Kraning cleared out a corner of his convenience store and set up shelves from Video Stop. He then stocked them with about 200 videos—50 Disney movies for Christina and his next 150 top rentals. His employees christened the display, “Christina’s Corner.”

One day, when Toni came to the convenience store, Kraning showed her Christina’s Corner and Toni said she burst into tears, barely able to thank him. “David is such a humble person, and he’s usually very quiet. I had no idea he’d been worrying about how closing the shop would affect Christina. I thought, ‘My gosh—he’s been losing money, but he came up with a plan just for my daughter?’ Who knew this guy’s heart was so big?” Regarding all this, Kraning said, “It felt good to know that Toni could continue to bring Christina in. I wanted to do something nice for them both. I knew there had probably been some struggles over the years.”

May we all look out for our neighbors the way he looked out for Christina.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Within the last couple of months, I’ve joined two book clubs over in Chapel Hill. One of them is less traditional; it’s a Silent Book Club. Basically, a bunch of people come to a local bookstore, we all read different books separately for an hour, then we come together for about 30 minutes of discussion where we introduce ourselves, our book, and something interesting about it. Essentially, once a month, everyone in the Silent Book Club gets a list of recommendations from other readers!

The other book club I’m part of is set up in a more traditional way. We have a book that we read each month. Then, we come together at a different local bookstore, drink coffee, and talk about the book we read. This club, in particular, is a fantasy book club, meaning we read fantasy books. Last month’s book was about a scientist who studies faeries (highly recommend!) and this month’s was about a pawn shop in a different dimension (medium recommend). I want to talk briefly about the core question this month’s book, Water Moon, asks — how do our choices affect our character?

Let me give you the quickest summary of Water Moon’s premise. Hana, the main character, lives with her father in a pawn shop in a different dimension. At their pawn shop, Hana’s father buys people’s choices; that is, he buys any sense of guilt or uncertainty that their choices have burdened them with. On the morning when Hana was meant to take over the pawn shop from her father, she awakens to find the shop ran-sacked, her father missing, one of the choices they’d bought stolen, and a strange man named Kei standing there asking her to make a choice rather than seeking to pawn one of his own. From there Hana and Kei set off on a journey across her world to find her father, locate the missing choice, and set things right.

As I mentioned earlier, the novel asks the question, “How do our choices affect our character?” Throughout the story, Hana and Kei must choose certain actions, face the consequences, and reckon with what that means for their identities. As a Christian, it brought to mind the way our Christian identities are formed. Often, particularly as Baptists, we think about one choice that a person makes — the choice to come down the aisle, profess our faith in Christ, and be baptized. But to be a Christian is to spend our lives making choices. When someone is hurting, we must choose whether or not we will help them. When we are faced with anger or aggression, we must choose how we will respond. When we are facing injustice ourselves or are made aware of injustice elsewhere, we must choose what we will do. All these choices have the possibility to make us into better Christians. Will we regularly choose the path of Jesus, even though it is hard? Or will we take the path of least resistance. There is an old saying that gets misattributed to Aristotle that says, “We are what we repeatedly do … therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” I largely agree with that, though I’ll amend it for a Christian context, “We are what we repeatedly do…therefore to be Christ-like is not an act, but a habit.” May we get in the habit of acting faithfully, becoming more like Jesus each day.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,
Valentine’s Day is this week. In previous years, I’ve taken this Illuminator article to reflect on love or tell a story about Valentinus, the saint the holiday is named after. But today, I want to keep it simple because, at its core, love is simple. Love is caring about another human being. Love is believing that another person deserves to be treated well, with dignity and respect. Our ability to love others comes from God and we Christians are called to love others.

So, rather than fill up a page with random thoughts I have about love or funny things I found on the internet, I’m just going to give you some suggestions of things you can do to remind others they are loved:

• Go to dinner with someone special to you and pick up the tab.
• Call a friend or family member and check in. Be sure to tell them, “I love you.”
• I’ve said this one a lot, but it’s always true—go out of your way to thank a service worker today.
• Consider making a donation to a charity that works with folks in need (any organization that works with refugees could use help right now).
• Treat yourself (remember that Jesus taught we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves; so, show yourself some love)!
• Spend some time with God—it’s never a bad idea to ponder the love of God.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

It’s that time of year again. Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching! When I watch stuff on YouTube, I’m getting ads that say, “See the full version February 9th during the Super Bowl!” So, understand, that means I’m getting a commercial that advertises an upcoming commercial! And, of course, the matchup for the Big Game has been set—a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Kansas City Chiefs with the Chiefs chasing three Super Bowl wins in a row, a feat never accomplished in NFL history.

However, earlier that day, our church will be pursuing its own kind of repeat. On Sunday, February 9th, immediately following worship, we will be hosting our second consecutive Souper Bowl of Caring luncheon! Kathryn and others in our church have been planning this event for a while now and it sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful time! We’ve already got lots of different kinds of soups coming—chilis, chowders, and even a vegetarian option! We’ve got sandwiches coming, too, as well as a variety of desserts. All this will be happening in our Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited—if you come to worship, if you don’t come to worship, if you brought something, if you didn’t bring something, family, friends—again, everyone!

We are not charging anything for lunch, but we will be accepting monetary donations (cash, check, or card) and all donations will be split between two organizations we’ve partnered with in the past: Urban Ministries of Durham and Baptists on Mission. Just in case you’re not familiar with what all they’re doing, let me tell you a little bit about each one.

Urban Ministries has a mission statement on their website that reads, “Urban Ministries of Durham connects with the community to end homelessness and fight poverty by offering food, shelter and a future to neighbors in need.” The list of ways they help our community is impressive. They provide shelter. They have a clothing closet. They have a food pantry. They provide three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to folks in need. And, having gone with volunteers to deliver food for our ACC Tournament Food Drive (more details on that in the weeks to come), I can honestly tell you that they do connect with the people they serve. They are a wonderful resource for our neighbors in need and a great partner in ministry.

Baptists on Mission continues to do good, long, difficult work in the western part of our state. Hurricane Helene may have hit four months ago, but the recovery effort is still ongoing. There are still folks out in western North Carolina who are without the basics—water, shelter, electricity. Volunteers have poured in from all over the state, but the geography of the mountains makes it such that everything is just a little bit more difficult than you’d think. That being said, Baptists on Mission is committed to staying and helping the people for as long as it takes. So, it makes sense to do what we can to continue to support their efforts.

So, on February 9th, come eat soup, sandwiches, and desserts. Fellowship with your brothers and sisters here at Hope Valley. And consider making a donation to help our neighbors here in Durham and in western North Carolina! Also, go Eagles!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben