Church family: Jesus calls us, His Church, to use God’s law lawfully (1 Timothy 1:8), especially for the unrighteous among us, not for those who have already been declared righteous in Christ. Understanding God’s epic love story of law and Gospel helps us apply it rightly and avoid the legalistic trap of misusing it. Otherwise, we either miss salvation altogether or make ourselves a legalist, putt...  Read More

Church family: Do you struggle with lying? Most of us don’t want to admit it, but if we are honest, every one of us battles with truthfulness in some way. Dishonesty is a manifestation of our sinful rebellion against God and desire to advance our own interests above others. This is our reality that Jesus came to change. Maybe we exaggerate a story, hide a mistake, or promise something we never fol...  Read More

Church family: Divorce can be one of life’s most painful experiences, often following years of hardship and deep emotional struggle for spouses and their children. As a pastor, I have seen how complex and heartbreaking it can be to discern when divorce is biblically justified. Even after careful study of Scripture and related writings, the answer is rarely simple.Last week, we began our discussion...  Read More

Church family: About 1 in 3 of our families at GCT have gone through the heartbreak of divorce. This isn't theory; it is our story. It's important to remember that divorce has significantly impacted the lives of many people in our church family. If you have been through divorce, please know or be reminded that you are loved fully. There are no scarlet letters here at GCT.As a pastor, few subjects ...  Read More

Church Family:  Despite the world's noise, welcome to the joyful 2026 New Year! Jesus Christ, head of our church, reminds us again that we are God's living household, a radiant pillar and buttress of truth, overflowing with His grace, mercy, and peace (1 Timothy 3:14-15; 1:2). He draws us together to love deeply from pure hearts and clear consciences, building one another up in sweet harmony—this ...  Read More

Church Family, As we welcome a brand-new year, my heart is full of excitement for what God is doing amongst us as GCT. In recent years, several men have come to me to discuss their calling from the Lord into some level of pastoral ministry. These conversations have led me and the elders to great conviction from the Lord to raise up these godly men to preach, teach, and shepherd God’s people in the...  Read More

Church Family: Christmas is the story of God’s joyful redeeming love in Christ Jesus—a love so beautiful that angels announce it, study it, and overflow with joy over it. From the fall to redemption, the angels saw humanity rebel against God, God promise a Savior, the Son of God humble Himself to become human, and then suffer and die, rise again, ascend in glory, and save sinners in a way that mak...  Read More

Church Family: Last night I witnessed my friend Paul Godridge fully experience the incredible Christmas gift in Jesus Christ. As Paul passed into eternal life, no wrath awaited him, no judgment did he face, and he had no reason to fear death! On the other side of Paul’s life on this earth is one thing and one thing only: a radiant, loving, and joyful God who has forgiven all Paul’s sins, welcoming...  Read More

Church Family: The greatest danger to our celebration of Christmas isn’t the culture “out there” but what happens in our own hearts—we grow bored with the most breathtaking story in history. As followers of Jesus, we must fight, spiritually and intentionally, to keep Christmas about what God meant it to be: the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s glory isn’t a decorative theme added to the story...  Read More

Church Family: Most weekdays before I hop on Highway 17, I pull up the “Hampstead Traffic” page on Facebook. It is rarely uplifting—not so much because of the traffic, but because the comments are a loud reminder that the native tongue of our sinful hearts is grumbling, complaining, and whining. Scrolling that page often exposes my own struggle and, at the same time, stirs a fresh resolve to grow ...  Read More

Acts 6:3 – “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”Church family, when you see the word deacon, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of the political power center in a church; this is the “board” that tells the pastor what to do and makes decisions behind closed doors that no one really knows about....  Read More

Church Family: Lust is the wild, restless craving for what’s not yours! Lust is wanting things that don’t belong to you. Lust means being dissatisfied with what you have and wanting more, letting that desire motivate you. Lust is wanting what you want because you want it and nobody and nothing else matters. In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus deepens our understanding of the seventh commandment by teaching ...  Read More

Church Family: When you are angry do you explode like a volcano, or do you simmer like water just under a boil? Maybe you become icy like an iceberg?Anger is more than just some internal feeling. Anger is an emotion that deeply affects your life and every relationship in your life. Anger can take over your entire body, your thoughts, your actions, and your words. Anger is an emotional power from t...  Read More

Church family: Every Christian struggles with the question, how does the Old Testament Law relate to my life? Are Christians still obligated to follow parts of the Old Testament Law, or is it completely irrelevant to them? As antinomianism (being against God’s Law) becomes more common today, it is increasingly vital to address these questions.Which of the 613 Old Testament Laws from God still appl...  Read More

Spiritual darkness! You see its effects everywhere and every day. The Bible speaks of spiritual darkness as a state of separation from God characterized by deception, moral blindness, often under the influence of demonic forces opposing God’s kingdom (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Darkness involves rejecting the truth and favoring evil deeds over light (John 3:19), leading to a hardened hear...  Read More

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