With the surreality of our current situation which led to Livestream worship only, here's what we did: We recorded two welcomes -- one from April Portrais, our communications director, and one from me. Then we pointed to a sermon originally preached in the summer of...
Preachers: you don't want to walk people through a sermon outline. You want to take them on a sermon adventure. Crafting such an adventure requires tension, uncertainty, and intimacy. It also requires avoiding a couple of very common sermon killers. Let’s make sure...
Last year, I spent three days in Orlando, Florida, at a gathering for pastors. It was three days of worship, education, information, encouragement, and fellowship. I talked with quite a few pastors during that event, but my conversation with good friend (and new...
In the photo below you will see our just-returned India 2020 mission team. From left are PR Misra (Indian host whose brother JR is a long time GSUMCer), James-Michael Smith, Brooke Presley, Linda Land, Anju Misra (PR's wife), Doug Berryhill, and Chris Thayer. Why did...
Yesterday's message ... Began with an anecdote from my father's early years in Akron, Ohio; Depended on the building block of "when it's your time at the judgment seat, no one will ask you what SOMEONE ELSE did with Jesus"; Used "Checkpoint Charlie" at the former...
Good Shepherd Church has been involved in the battle against human trafficking, and in particular what we called the rape-for-profit industry, since 2007. Motivated by what we had heard at a recent conference, we organized a single, stand alone Sunday called Not For...
On November 21, 1980, more than 350 million people around the world to watch the season premiere of the prime time TV soap opera, Dallas. Why the extraordinary global audience? People wanted to know who shot J.R. The previous season of Dallas ended in March of 1980...
As some of you know, I spent Monday through Friday of last week in and around Austin, Texas. While there, I was able to spend a few days with my mother (more on that below) and lead a Simplify The Message workshop (more on that below as well). All the while, I was...
Yesterday's message ... Dealt with the oldest dilemma in the Christian faith (or any faith): theodicy. How can God be both all powreful and all good and yet evil still exist in the world?; Drew from Genesis 50:20 and, in a brief detour, Job 2:13; Concluded by...