This week 63 of our middle & high school students, along with adult volunteers, are headed to Mt. Union, Pennsylvania for Creation Fest 2010.Think Woodstock for Jesus.They'll have four days of camping, concerts, seminars, and community.Our BigHouse ministry has...
As our church prepares for a desperately sad funeral on Wednesday, I thought I'd offer some different kind of reflections for this "Top Five Tuesday."What are some things you simply shouldn't say to families or individuals going through grief?Because the reality is...
Colossians 4:12 says this:Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.What an interesting phrase: wrestling in prayer.We...
. . . and leave it on.And while you're at it, bring some of your best questions about the text of the bible with you.You'll see how those two elements -- your cell phone and your questions -- mesh together as we wind up the Text Message series with an experience...
If you've heard any of the messages in Text Message, you know I'm big on reading the bible out loud. That's how most of the books in the bible are designed to be experienced: audibly and in community.Unfortunately, we read most of them silently and in...
Does a great series make a great church?I've been wondering that recently.We put a lot of work into the different Sunday series. We lay it out for titles that pop, visuals that capture, music that moves, and, hopefully, messages that connect.Some of the ones I feel...
I have never been to Wimbledon. Something about sitting in a cold rain in early July doesn't appeal to me.And for the last 20 years, I haven't been able to watch a men's final as those matches are played when I'm working. Sunday morning.Nevertheless, like any tennis...
Since 2006, Rich Tuttle has served as our Pastor of Congregational Care. In that time, he has demonstrated a rare gift for helping people navigate the most difficult seasons of life: grief, sickness, and family strife. He excels at what people in the ministry call a...
What a goal for a series of messages: that people would READ THE BIBLE.This week we get intensely practical on what that looks like.And then we'll bring some surprises as far as what happens when you actually read it. It's not what you'd expect.I'm so glad we've done...
I truly enjoy teaching First Step, our membership exploration class at Good Shepherd.It allows me to get to know a group of 20-25 people who are new to the church in an informal, conversational setting.It gives me a forum to lay out what I believe are the essentials...