During yesterday's message, I shared these insights on fatherhood from Cal Ripken, Jr.: Growing up “I love you” wasn’t’ spread around too much in our household. Not that it wasn’t meant. I could tell every time my dad told me he loved me without saying it. It’s just...
So far in Courageous, we've seen that . . . .Cowards have good intentions. The courageous take bold action.What you hide in order to have will haunt you.So what will it be this Sunday, April 29 as we dig into Courageous Legacy?I can't wait to tell you. But I will...
James 1:22 is one of the more familiar verses in Scripture. I love how the King James version translates it:But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.We get the "doers of the word" part -- most of us Methodist are more than...
The ministry in India didn't stop just because Chris Thayer, James-Michael Smith, and I came back home. In fact, you could say it's advancing better than ever. Our partners in the Love Your Neighbor Ministry, located in the territory where Christians have been...
I've been to some pretty nice sporting events in my time. I've been to the U.S. Open tennis tournament (of course). I've been to the Cotton Bowl. I've been to the Charlotte Coliseum and then when it became "out of date" at the tender age of 14, I went to Time Warner...
We showed this as a lead in to yesterday's sermon:: The piece was conceived, written, art-directed, and recorded by people from within the Good Shepherd community. It helped reinforce the message's main idea: What you hide in order to have will haunt you. I suspect...
Missional thinking is the latest "must do" in the world of the church.What is missional thinking? In simplest terms, it changes the way we measure success in the church -- moving away from "how many people attend and how much money do they give?" and moving towards...
While I was delivering a sermon a couple of weeks ago, I had a sudden flashback to what one of my seminary professors said in 1988:"A pastor one who cares for souls. Never lose sight of the fact that God has entrusted everlasting souls into your ministry."One who...
Here's my life in music as defined by what I had decided was "the greatest song ever" at the different ages in my life.1. When I was 6, it was "Ride My See Saw" by the Moody Blues. All my siblings were much older than I was; there was a great deal of hippie influence...
Years ago, when preparing for a series called "Christianity & The Religions Of The World," I had an interview with a local rabbi.Of all that he said, this comment has stuck with me the most through the years: "You Christians believe that faith starts at the church and...