Church Family: In July 1939, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young Lutheran theologian and pastor, left New York only one year after arriving for seminary training, only to return to the intensifying madness in his native Germany. The prospect of war was imminent. Before coming to the US, Bonhoeffer had been pursued and silenced by the Nazi regime for his opposition to its persecution of Jews. He had been ...  Read More

Church Family: I want to share with you a common story that highlights the difference between peace-faking and peace-making.Jack and Jill experience conflict and strife in their relationship, and they are both believers who desire to honor God in obedience to His command for them to be peacemakers. Jack and Jill, even in their conflict, seek peace that flows from righteousness and purity, as taugh...  Read More

Church Family: Have you ever seen the Washington Oak in Hampstead? The Washington Oak is a large live oak tree that is said to be the spot where George Washington rested and had lunch during his 1791 Southern Tour as he traveled between New Bern and Wilmington. If you have seen the Washington Oak it was most likely because you were looking for it. If you want to see it, I will give you a hint. It ...  Read More

Church Family: I was at McDonald’s yesterday meeting with a new brother in Christ. As I was clarifying the gospel to him, he was weeping tears of joy over the mercy of God shown to him. Yet, he did not know that he was weeping over God’s mercy since he did not have that word in his Christian vocabulary yet. In real time, I saw my friend get a firmer grasp on God's mercy and infinite goodness to hi...  Read More

Church Family: This newsletter is not to argue a political point but to expose a religious ideology that is anti-Christ. An ideology is a set of beliefs, values or principles that guide an individual, group, or society. Everyone has an ideology in the sense that everyone holds a system of beliefs, values, or assumptions that shape how they see the world and make decisions.      In our culture, you...  Read More

Church family: I find that as I get older and grow in sanctification there is less that makes me angry. Is it more age than sanctification? Or more sanctification than age? Hopefully the latter. There is, however, one action—whether by individuals, organizations, or movements— that really gets my anger raging. It is when others engage in an act of evil injustice to do someone else harm. There is a...  Read More

Church Family: Often when people move to the Hampstead area, they email us as a church to determine what kind of church we are. They read our website and say: I need some clarity on who these GCT people are. Many times, they want to know where we stand on certain doctrines or theology, and then there are times when they simply want to know if we will welcome them into our GCT church family and lov...  Read More

Church Family: One of my favorite parts of Scripture is when God asks direct, mic-drop questions. In Genesis 18:14, God asks: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Questions like these illuminate our limits, our dependence, and God’s limitless sovereignty. God uses them to focus our attention on His unmatched ability, to silence our pride, and to instill humility. He wants us to rely on His power and...  Read More

Church Family:Anxiety affects ten out of ten people in the world. Some struggle more than others. Anxiety can be a crushing reality that permeates all of life. From youth to old age, we can live lives that are endlessly anxious and troubled. We all know how persistent worries can consume our thoughts, and those who are highly anxious often exhaust themselves and become their own worst enemies. We ...  Read More

Church Family: Many of us have entered a church (GCT) with great expectations to find Christian community with those who are like us. We hope to commune with people with similar experiences, similar identities, and similar needs. We long to find community with people who get us. Does that sound a little familiar? If this is what you are seeking, did you know that this is not the level of community...  Read More

Church Family: Our actions and attitudes today often influence who we become tomorrow. If someone chooses to be mean today—whether by being unkind in their words or actions—that behavior can start to shape their character. Every day, we face moral choices, one decision at a time. Some decisions are made thoughtfully, others on the spot. We choose to forgive or resent. We decide whether to be hones...  Read More

Church Family: Late one steamy summer night back in 1997, I found myself taken to a sugar cane and rice plantation in upper Uttar Pradesh, India. My buddy and I were told by a high-caste (the caste system is a birth-based social and hierarchy order) Brahmin to get into his vehicle to be guests at his son’s wedding. He smiled, so we followed his directions. Having survived the two-hour trip into th...  Read More

Church Family: Has the thought of Jesus coming back changed anything you have done this past week? Has that truth stopped you from saying or doing something? Has that truth prompted you to say or do something? Has that truth changed your priorities? Has it disrupted your schedule? It is very easy to lose the eternal perspective that Jesus created this universe, and He is coming back to make it new...  Read More

Church Family: I have had several dogs in my life. Two of my dogs lived for fifteen years each, which means I enjoyed Snoopy and Salty for a total of thirty years. Those two dogs were like my best friends and had a great impact on my life. There is no doubt they both looked at me and thought, “Master Steve, you feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me— "You must be God!” Their humble, cari...  Read More

Church Family: I just finished reading Unbroken on the Fourth of July. It is the riveting story of Louis Zamperini, a B24 bombardier in World War II, and his near-daily escapes from death over two and half years (May 1943–August 1945). After he survived his B24 plane crashing into the Pacific Ocean after being shot down by Japanese Zeros, he endured 47 days adrift in shark-infested waters, survivi...  Read More

Church Family: I have a friend who gives a lot of money to Planned Parenthood and supports the culture of death, including George Soros’ “Open Society Foundations.” He mocks God–and me– in most of our conversations. He has millions of dollars, travels the globe, and lacks nothing materially. Biblically speaking, “he is an evil man who is prospering in his way” (Psalm 37:7). It is easy to look at s...  Read More

Church Family: I have a new grandson, the youngest of three. He is six days old as I write this. His name is Noah Reid Regier, and God created him with an extra chromosome, 46 +1, also known as Down Syndrome. He has some serious obstacles to overcome right now with his heart and lungs. I have been in his NICU room this week a few times with his parents, and I have watched computers that are attach...  Read More

The life of Job—the death of his children, the loss of his possessions and wealth, the disease that ravaged his body, and his wife’s evil counsel—is a life of suffering, but ultimately, it is a story of allegiance. Satan instigated the devastation, but ultimately, God allowed the spiritual warfare to reveal the loyalty of Job’s soul. Job faced a moral choice: whom will he serve?      The same spir...  Read More

In 1996, Stacey and I were in northern Cambodia. The country grappled with the devastation of Pol Pot’s regime, as the Khmer Rouge continued to ravage and kill the Khmer people. Even as we arrived to share the gospel and deliver vital medications within one remote village, the sound of explosions close by reverberated and the smell of burning permeated the air.As we began to share the gospel, ther...  Read More

Church Family: Consider a child who goes to her dad for help. She holds a sure conviction that her dad will give the help she needs, even if he is busy attending to important matters and does not respond immediately. Confident in her father’s love and care for her and knowing that her need will be seen, heard, and understood, she waits with eagerness. When her father finally breaks free from his d...  Read More

Over the past couple of weeks, a question from the Holy Spirit has resonated deeply within me, one that often surfaces when I feel discouraged or restless: “Steve, does your faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who has overcome the world, propel you to live differently than you would if you did not believe?”I love questions that aim at the heart. They get you to see what i...  Read More

Church Family,What could be more important than living or dying? If faced with the choice to live or to die, we would choose to live, obviously. And when it comes to that question, all the other "important" things in life that take up our time and energy and effort seem to pale in comparison. If you and I were faced with the choice of life or death RIGHT NOW, it wouldn't matter too much what kind ...  Read More

A mother’s work is a lifelong journey of nurturing, guiding, and loving her children through every stage of life. She meets her children's physical needs, feeding, clothing, and protecting them while nurturing emotional and spiritual growth. She teaches values, educates, models Christ-like character, and disciplines with grace. Through countless sacrifices, celebrations, and challenges, she shapes...  Read More

Church Family: The world has feelings for you. The world either loves you, or it hates you. Jesus said, “if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but if you are not of the world, the world will hate you” (John 15:19). Here, Jesus refers to the world system that is opposed to God. He speaks of human society that is hostile to God under the control of the evil one (John 12:31)....  Read More