News & Updates

Think about your time in Middle and High School. What are the first things that come to mind? Is it baggy jeans, bleached-blonde hair, and beaded necklaces? Or is it neon colors, acid washed-jeans, and a perm? Maybe even bell-bottoms and platform shoes? Or was it listening to 90’s music on your brand-new, anti-skip “Disc-Man?” Or maybe 80’s music on the bright-yellow “Walk-Man” cassette player or even 70’s music on the 8-track… Or maybe your mind goes to the tension…

Sometimes you just have to celebrate. The endurance of anything for 30 years deserves a little party. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, “(There is) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” On Sunday, it’s time to celebrate 30 Years of Grace at Cumberland Community Church. We’ve taken a healthy look back at the rich heritage of CCC. We’ve considered the rich banquet table God has currently set for Cumberland. Our present…

I can talk vision all day long. I can see tremendous possibilities for the future of Cumberland and where God might be leading us. You should be a little weary of such bold language from your Pastor. Why? Because IF I only give you my vision, you and the church at Cumberland may be robbed of God’s greater vision encompassing immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine — according to His power at work within us, and for…

Aren’t feasts fun? This week, my son, Michael, planned a gourmet burger feast for the 50th birthday party of a friend. He planned, and schemed, and worked at having big, juicy, thick turkey burgers piled with lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, BBQ sauce, onion rings, pickles, bacon, and topped off with a toasted, buttered buns. Wow. It really was a feast! The best part went well beyond the eating. The people, laughter, friendships, gift giving, Blue Ridge cabin, and photographic moments captured…

Hanging in my closet is a really old varsity Letterman’s jacket . There’s a big, orange “W” and “Spartans” on the back. “Alan 78” is embroidered on the left chest area. White leather sleeves MAKE this jacket the absolute bomb. Still pinned to my jacket are gold tennis rackets and cross-country feet for the years I made the Spartan sports program proud! I donned that old musty jacket the other day and walked downstairs into the kitchen. Michael said, “What’s…

How much do my sins cost? Is that a strange question? The Bible says the wages of my sin is death (Romans 6;23a). The term “wages” reflects what a soldier was paid for combat duty. In the first century it was often broiled fish. Sometimes Roman soldiers also received salt as payment. However, fish was the preferred compensation. It sustained life and economics. Without fish in the first century, life was all but impossible. Fish would have been great pay…

Do you know who Caryn Johnson is? What about Eldrick Tont Woods? If those legal birth certificate titles don’t ring a bell, wait for it. I’ll tell you at the end of this email. With the right, recognizable name, we attach great value. Cases in point: Tommy Hilfiger. Ralph Lauren. Sofia Vergara. Levi Strauss. Michael Jordan. Martha Stewart. A savvy marketing campaign combined with name recognition equals higher price tags and greater profits. It really is amazing. A carpet friend…

“Where the rubber meets the road.” Have you heard that quirky phrase before? When you get in your car, pull it out of the garage from where it’s been sitting, and drive to your destination — THAT is where the rubber meets the road. Your tires are giving themselves to the unforgiving asphalt. Because the rubber is meeting, greeting, and heating the road up, your body will be carried to where it needs to be. This is where the rubber…

Another Republican brawl… uh, er… debate was held last night. Wow. I am stunned by how much our politics have turned into a reality TV show sporting record ratings. This past week, I voted for decency, life, values this country was founded on, and convictions beyond who I thought would win. My choice, after the results on Super Tuesday were in, all but suspended his campaign. (sigh) Last night I could only take one hour of the two-hour boxing match.…