Today we gave out 20 new bicycles to some of our Indian pastor friends.Courtesy of the people of Good Shepherd, the new two-wheelers will be used by Indian preachers as they travel from village to village planting churches and discipling believers.One of the pastors I...
One of our hosts here in the city of Balasore -- a man who has spent some time in the United States -- explained to me the difference between waking up in the US and waking up in India."In America, you wake up to silence," he said. "In India, we wake up to noise."As I...
. . . of your Good Shepherd team in India today.James-Michael Smith and Chris Thayer had their opening teaching sessions today.After I gave the opening talk in which I spoke about Sunday sermons not as disconnected pieces but as parts of an integrated whole -- in...
I told you on Monday that our ministry time in India focuses on the northeastern state of Orissa.And then our plane landed here later that day and I found out the name of the state had been changed in recent months.What was Orissa is now Odisha.The two words sound...
Here's what James-Michael Smith, Chris Thayer, and I hope to accomplish in India as we serve the role of GSUMC's ambassadors:1. Learn from the faith of Indian pastors and leaders -- how does their faith in Christ thrive in the midst of marginalization at best and...
As you read this post, I am on an airplane with two of my good friends, James-Michael Smith (left) and Chris Thayer (right).We're heading to India.That's right, India.Why?Well, as some of you remember, four of us from Good Shepherd took an exploratory trip to India...
The Apostles Creed states that Jesus "ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."So when he ascended did he leave his followers powerless and alone?Not at all.Because we believe that after the ascension, Jesus sent his Holy Spirit...
As a kid, I was fascinated with how scoreboards worked ... their size, the amount of information they included, and even whether or not they had a digital clock or an old school time dial.So maybe it's no surprise that more times than I care to admit I see ministry...
I spent part of last Saturday morning listening to a man from Good Shepherd deliver a creative and engaging devotion to our BigHouse students and their guests from the Children's Attention Home in Rock Hill.As he began, I had a twinge of guilt. Should I be the one...
As many of you know, I spend a lot of time and energy getting Sunday morning messages ready. I also try to give my best creativity to the titles of those same sermons, as you never know when the right title will draw the person in who needs to hear it the most.Which...