Much of my early preparation for yesterday's message happened while on a student mission trip earlier this summer. So I didn't have my books or my study aids. Instead, all I had was Genesis 2 & 3, a pen & paper, and some early morning quiet time. I think that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPk3fIYwPBw&feature=youtu.be Nooks & Crannies In thinking of the defining moments for families, we typically zero in on the big events: weddings, funerals, anniversaries, vacations, and holidays. But what if families &...
One of my friends who is quite open with me about his journey out of addiction and into recovery told me of a phrase the recovery community uses: The Spiritual By-Pass What is that? It’s the desire on the part of many addicts to receive ONE prayer, ONE pill, or ONE...
One of my family's favorite songs is Red Dirt Road by Brooks & Dunn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5orDjk7-24 It is a song that, in the best of country tradition, you see as much as you hear. More to the point, it speaks to origins, nostalgia, and home. In...
With Stan Wawrinka's stunning US Open victory over Novak Djokovic in Sunday's U.S. Open final, the one-handed backhand made a glorious return to prominence. For the uninitiated, most players today hit their backhands with two hands, which is generally more effective...
Yep, I'm headed here, to Lake Wylie Elementary School: I will be working with a fourth grader every Monday during the school year on improving his reading skills. Like I told our church, I can't repair home, but I can help with reading. I am one of about...
What?! A Sunday that's not part of a series at Good Shepherd? A stand-alone, independent Sunday worship gathering? Yep, that's right. Wake Up Call is complete and Nooks & Crannies starts on Sept. 18, so this Sunday, Sept. 11, is all about a youthful expression of...
In addition to thinking about The Curse Of Knowledge recently (see yesterday's post), I've also been thinking about the dichotomy between the strategic and the spiritual. Some churches -- indeed, some organizations -- are so wrapped up in strategy that they seldom if...
I've been thinking a lot about The Curse Of Knowledge recently. Just what is The Curse Of Knowledge? This: once you know something, you forget what it's like not to know it. The applications in church life are almost endless: Once you know the Apostle's Creed, you...
In lieu of a Top Five Tuesday (or Sermon Rewind Monday), I give you Sunday's Sing Spiritually worship gathering from Good Shepherd. Sing Spiritually was the culmination of Wake Up Call and was noteworthy for a number of reasons: Instead of a sermon, we had a guided...