Chapel Blog
The Pursuit of More
We are people who generally want more. Time. Money. Influence. Power. In Genesis, we see Adam and Eve created in the image of God. They are like God, made by God, and have the breath of God in them. They are given the power to create and responsibility to steward creation…
A Nautical Wedding in Seaside
Everything is bigger in Texas. And when Houston natives Evan Harrell and David Holland decided to tie the knot near the Harrell family’s vacation home in Seaside, Florida, they brought that bigger-is-better mind-set to the festivities. Welcoming nearly four hundred guests to one of the largest weddings ever hosted in Seaside…
New From The Tower Vol 37
News from the Tower – 37
Explore this Tower to find out all we have planned for the Lenten season, access all the resources (including this years Lent Guide), get service times for Holy Week and make sure you have the times for our new service schedule and new Communion time. Read below or click to download.
Race Weekend Update
Hello friends,
As you’ve probably heard by now, due to the incoming weather, Seaside made the call to cancel the half marathon this weekend. (You can read the official message they sent at the bottom of this email.)
I know. Deep breaths.
While we won’t be lining up at the starting line tomorrow, we will still be gathering for worship at 10 a.m. as usual. The roads should be open like normal, and the shuttles are still scheduled to run as planned.
Obviously, everyone would have loved to run tomorrow… well… most of you. But the priority is keeping people safe, and that’s something we can all get behind.
The silver lining? There is now hardly any excuse not to join us for worship. That said, if you were already planning to worship online, that option is still there for you and you should definitely still do that!
Race Weekend
About six years ago I was in Israel at the Jordan River on the day the Coptic Church (Egyptian Christians) celebrates the baptism of Jesus. When we pulled up, there were thousands of Egyptian followers of Jesus lining the river. Singing. Drums. Formal attire. Dancing into the water. It was loud, joyful, and absolutely beautiful. They were celebrating and remembering Jesus’ baptism while baptizing people from their own community into the family of God.
It was a party.
I had been to the Jordan River years before. That time, it was calm and quiet, peaceful, and serene. Peaceful. Serene.
Two very different experiences at the same place.
News From The Tower VOL 36
Explore this Tower to hear about our Christmas Eve service, get details about the second service on Sunday mornings beginning in February.
Highs and Lows
Our kids wrapped up their Christmas break today, so we spent part of the day reflecting on the highs.
And there were a lot of highs.
Slow mornings and fun-filled evenings.
Time with friends and loved ones.
Sunsets on the beach and really great movie nights.
Meaningful family Christmas traditions and a few new ones.
An unbelievable Christmas Eve service with more than 3,000 of our closest friends.
A simple, beautiful Christmas morning.
Great food, an amazing trip with family, jumping into crystal-clear waters, swimming in natural pools, and hiking in the forest.
It was a great break.
But there were also lows.
Honestly, ours really was great, but as followers of Jesus in this body of Christ, we rejoice with those who rejoice and we also mourn with those who mourn. We don’t do life or faith alone.
People who call The Chapel home said goodbye to family and loved ones far too soon.
Too many people are sick and struggling.
Too many people are hurting.
Too many people I know and love are feeling lost and alone.
Too many trips to the doctor and the pharmacy.
And personally speaking…we had sickness that made us miss our first Sunday of the new year. As a fun bonus, one of our kids got both an inner and outer ear infection. He’s really an overachiever.
Awesome, right?!
A New Year
Happy New Year from The Chapel!
As we wrap up celebrating Christmas and turn the page to a new year, there are probably lots of hopes and dreams you’re carrying into 2026. The reality is…some of those things will pan out. And lots won’t.
I hope to run the Seaside Half Marathon.
Right now, that’s already looking a bit iffy.
I hope to see some new National Parks.
Currently, there are zero trips planned.
I hope to read more.
But my reading has decreased over the past few weeks, which makes it hard to believe I’m suddenly going to flip a switch tonight.
Yesterday I was talking with one of my sons and he said, “I’m gonna give up smoking for the New Year!”
One of us responded, “I’m proud of you buddy, that’s really hard to do.”
He’s in middle school.
News from The Tower – 35
News from the Tower – 35
Explore this Tower to hear about our Christmas Eve service, get details about a second service on Sunday mornings, and find out how to opt into our spiritual plan for the New Year.
Glint of Light
The other day, my teen and preteen boys got into a scuffle… you know… like brothers often do. And one of them hit the other in the face.
The one who got hit winced and said,
“Ah! You hit me in the eye. I saw a glint of light.”
Now, obviously, I’m against violence. I hate when my kids scuffle. I do not think attacking one another is a helpful solution, whether in words or actions.
But do you know what I was proud of in that moment?
My son used the phrase “glint of light.”
When is the last time you used the word glint? Probably not recently… and definitely not as your first response to an injury.
But do you know why he said that word?
Because it’s one of his vocab words right now. He’s been studying it, so much so that it’s steeped into his life and flowed out of him naturally.
Peace
In the silly Christmas movie Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, we get a modern riff on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It’s a ridiculous and funny adaptation set to music and dancing. It’s PG-13, so I am by no means suggesting you sit down with the whole family to watch it, but there are some really clever and lovely moments.
Another Christmas Movie
This is the season of Advent. I know for most of us, we just think of it as Christmas, but Advent is a season of waiting, a season of preparation, where our hearts and minds lean into the need for our coming King. We anticipate His arrival just as our ancient brothers and sisters did 2,000 years ago.
And yes, this season means all the extra things: desserts, hot cocoa, calories, Christmas gatherings, presents, debt, Mariah Carey, and more… but also the onslaught of terrible Christmas movies.
I know some of you love these things… specifically my wife… but I cannot stand them. They are so bad.
The Pursuit of More
We are people who generally want more. Time. Money. Influence. Power. In Genesis, we see Adam and Eve created in the image of God. They are like God, made by God, and have the breath of God in them. They are given the power to create and responsibility to steward creation…
A Nautical Wedding in Seaside
Everything is bigger in Texas. And when Houston natives Evan Harrell and David Holland decided to tie the knot near the Harrell family’s vacation home in Seaside, Florida, they brought that bigger-is-better mind-set to the festivities. Welcoming nearly four hundred guests to one of the largest weddings ever hosted in Seaside…
New From The Tower Vol 37
News from the Tower – 37
Explore this Tower to find out all we have planned for the Lenten season, access all the resources (including this years Lent Guide), get service times for Holy Week and make sure you have the times for our new service schedule and new Communion time. Read below or click to download.
Race Weekend Update
Hello friends,
As you’ve probably heard by now, due to the incoming weather, Seaside made the call to cancel the half marathon this weekend. (You can read the official message they sent at the bottom of this email.)
I know. Deep breaths.
While we won’t be lining up at the starting line tomorrow, we will still be gathering for worship at 10 a.m. as usual. The roads should be open like normal, and the shuttles are still scheduled to run as planned.
Obviously, everyone would have loved to run tomorrow… well… most of you. But the priority is keeping people safe, and that’s something we can all get behind.
The silver lining? There is now hardly any excuse not to join us for worship. That said, if you were already planning to worship online, that option is still there for you and you should definitely still do that!
Race Weekend
About six years ago I was in Israel at the Jordan River on the day the Coptic Church (Egyptian Christians) celebrates the baptism of Jesus. When we pulled up, there were thousands of Egyptian followers of Jesus lining the river. Singing. Drums. Formal attire. Dancing into the water. It was loud, joyful, and absolutely beautiful. They were celebrating and remembering Jesus’ baptism while baptizing people from their own community into the family of God.
It was a party.
I had been to the Jordan River years before. That time, it was calm and quiet, peaceful, and serene. Peaceful. Serene.
Two very different experiences at the same place.
News From The Tower VOL 36
Explore this Tower to hear about our Christmas Eve service, get details about the second service on Sunday mornings beginning in February.
Highs and Lows
Our kids wrapped up their Christmas break today, so we spent part of the day reflecting on the highs.
And there were a lot of highs.
Slow mornings and fun-filled evenings.
Time with friends and loved ones.
Sunsets on the beach and really great movie nights.
Meaningful family Christmas traditions and a few new ones.
An unbelievable Christmas Eve service with more than 3,000 of our closest friends.
A simple, beautiful Christmas morning.
Great food, an amazing trip with family, jumping into crystal-clear waters, swimming in natural pools, and hiking in the forest.
It was a great break.
But there were also lows.
Honestly, ours really was great, but as followers of Jesus in this body of Christ, we rejoice with those who rejoice and we also mourn with those who mourn. We don’t do life or faith alone.
People who call The Chapel home said goodbye to family and loved ones far too soon.
Too many people are sick and struggling.
Too many people are hurting.
Too many people I know and love are feeling lost and alone.
Too many trips to the doctor and the pharmacy.
And personally speaking…we had sickness that made us miss our first Sunday of the new year. As a fun bonus, one of our kids got both an inner and outer ear infection. He’s really an overachiever.
Awesome, right?!
A New Year
Happy New Year from The Chapel!
As we wrap up celebrating Christmas and turn the page to a new year, there are probably lots of hopes and dreams you’re carrying into 2026. The reality is…some of those things will pan out. And lots won’t.
I hope to run the Seaside Half Marathon.
Right now, that’s already looking a bit iffy.
I hope to see some new National Parks.
Currently, there are zero trips planned.
I hope to read more.
But my reading has decreased over the past few weeks, which makes it hard to believe I’m suddenly going to flip a switch tonight.
Yesterday I was talking with one of my sons and he said, “I’m gonna give up smoking for the New Year!”
One of us responded, “I’m proud of you buddy, that’s really hard to do.”
He’s in middle school.
News from The Tower – 35
News from the Tower – 35
Explore this Tower to hear about our Christmas Eve service, get details about a second service on Sunday mornings, and find out how to opt into our spiritual plan for the New Year.
Glint of Light
The other day, my teen and preteen boys got into a scuffle… you know… like brothers often do. And one of them hit the other in the face.
The one who got hit winced and said,
“Ah! You hit me in the eye. I saw a glint of light.”
Now, obviously, I’m against violence. I hate when my kids scuffle. I do not think attacking one another is a helpful solution, whether in words or actions.
But do you know what I was proud of in that moment?
My son used the phrase “glint of light.”
When is the last time you used the word glint? Probably not recently… and definitely not as your first response to an injury.
But do you know why he said that word?
Because it’s one of his vocab words right now. He’s been studying it, so much so that it’s steeped into his life and flowed out of him naturally.
Peace
In the silly Christmas movie Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, we get a modern riff on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It’s a ridiculous and funny adaptation set to music and dancing. It’s PG-13, so I am by no means suggesting you sit down with the whole family to watch it, but there are some really clever and lovely moments.
Another Christmas Movie
This is the season of Advent. I know for most of us, we just think of it as Christmas, but Advent is a season of waiting, a season of preparation, where our hearts and minds lean into the need for our coming King. We anticipate His arrival just as our ancient brothers and sisters did 2,000 years ago.
And yes, this season means all the extra things: desserts, hot cocoa, calories, Christmas gatherings, presents, debt, Mariah Carey, and more… but also the onslaught of terrible Christmas movies.
I know some of you love these things… specifically my wife… but I cannot stand them. They are so bad.