Carly Simon said it this way: "Anticipation . . . it's making me late, it's keeping me waiting." And some things in life are more full of anticipation than others. Some days and some events are so full of excitement and promise that waiting for them to arrive really...
Mad People Disease, Week 1 – The “You CANNOT Be Serious” Sermon Rewind
There was much to anticipate as we opened up Mad People Disease. I title a like, a promo video I love, a topic that hits close to home, and a series of messages that have felt very good in preparation. And then for this week, I landed at a bottom line that wasn't the...
Why “Mad People Disease” Might Be My Favorite Series Ever
1. I like the title. 2. It's an important subject. 3. Drumroll please . . . it for sure has my favorite promo video of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9qupwemqNA Sunday. 8:30. 10. 11:30. Who will you invite?
What An Asbury Graduate Learns From A Candler Professor
A few years ago, I bought The Collected Sermons Of Fred B. Craddock. Craddock, who died earlier this year, was a long-time professor of preaching at Emory University's Candler School Of Theology. So, coming from a graduate of Asbury Seminary, this post is almost like...
Words That Are Still True When Your Kids Are 26 And 23. Maybe More Than Ever.
In her memoir Lots Of Candles, Plenty Of Cake, Anna Quindlen offers these reflections on marriage, longevity, and parenting: If a marriage is to endure over time, it has to be because both people within it have tacitly acknowledged something that young lovers might...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Highlights From A U.S. Open Weekend
I missed church on Sunday. But I had a really good reason to do so. Julie and I spent this weekend in Queens, New York, taking in two full days of the US Open tennis tournament. With all the travelling Julie does for her job, both flights and accomodations were...
An Ad For A Trilogy
This ad came in an e-blast from Christianity Today magazine: The opening line makes me sound kind of like preaching's Stephen King, but I kinda like it.
How Much Horsepower Is In The Gospel?
Romans 1:16-17 is a clarion call for New Testament Christians. It also sets the agenda for the rest of the letter: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the...
Top Five Tuesday — The Top Contemporary Christian Songs Of The Past Five Decades
I'm going to be a bit arbitrary here: "contemporary Christian" music really started in the 1970s. That's when churches and their leaders first discovered that if they could communicate gospel truths in the (relatively) new medium of pop/rock music, they could reach...
“Generations” Sermon Rewind . . . Sort Of
I had a sermon yesterday. It was even pretty good. But it did not compare with the video that closed it. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqPlKB7B9zY Leaving your mark isn't about what you accomplish; it's about who you influence.