Last night, my men's LifeGroup concluded its study on Invitation To The Psalms by looking at Psalm 150, the rousing hallelujah that brings the Psalter itself to a close.Here's the ancient text of Psalm 150:Praise the Lord.[a]Praise God in his...

There is a world of difference between following your dream and following the dream.This Sunday, you find out what that difference is and why it matters in your life.And you know why I love third Sundays each month? (And this Sunday is a third Sunday.)Because we...

So I'll use the post title for my opening sentence:  my mother met Doris Kearns Goodwin yesterday.I suppose on the one hand, that's not so remarkable.Doris Kearns Goodwin is a decorated presidential historian and has published massive biographies of Abraham...

One of the most oft-repeated phrases in evangelicalism is "Christ-likeness."  As in, "the goal of discipleship is to grow us in Christ-likeness."Or: "we mature in faith as we become more Christ-like."Or even at a memorial service:  "she (or he) was one of...

The year 2013 has been one of the heaviest for funerals & memorial services that I've ever had.Including a recent burst of them.With that in mind, below I am re-printing & slightly editing a post from a few years ago regarding our approach to the ministry...

In the middle of a weekend full of guest speaking, Room In The Inn, funeral leading and funeral preparing, and our first annual Latino ministry celebration, there was a sermon to preach.One I felt good about in preparation.And so, predictably, I grew more despondent...

Week 2 of Wildest Dreams is one of my favorites:  The Dream Police.It's a fresh look at an ancient story, and I think some things emerge out of that story that will be helpful to a lot of Good Shepherd-ites. To prepare, check out Matthew 2:1-15 and see if you can...

I recently ran across a web site that seemed to be right up my alley:  Seminaries That Change The World.On first glance it combines two of the things I love most:  1) making lists (Top Five Tuesday - hello!) and 2) theological education.So I dove into the...

We've all had it: relational pain.Angry words.  Intentional oversight.  Passive aggression.  Triumphant emails.  Ended friendships.  Whether you are naturally wired to pursue confrontation or avoid it, the end result is the same  -- a...

Note: if, musically speaking, you are a product of the digital age only, this post will have very little meaning for you. You are used to hearing songs as individual selections rather than as part of the albums on which they are conceived.On the other hand, if you...