This is a Top Five list I can do about something at Good Shepherd because I actually have very little to do with it.Sermon bumpers.You know, the one-minute (or so) video that tells the story of the current series in a compelling way while also allowing me to roll my...

A couple of years ago, I read John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules.  In it, Irving's narrator describes one of the main characters, Dr. Wilbur Larch, as someone "who occupied his emotions with a task."I found that to be a profound thought, so I wrote it...

In the world of social media in general and Twitter in particular, there are few more coveted places to be than Trending.If you, your company, your product, or your hashtag are currently trending, it means a lot of people are talking about you at the same time. ...

Moms and dads, grandmoms and granddads:Praise your children with a period and not a comma.Here's what I mean:  your affirmation and encouragement needs to be without qualification, free of compromise, and, most importantly, not serve as a prelude to...

One night not too long ago, I was at the local YMCA.There were also three young men working out near me who looked to be about 19, 16, and 12. This kind of thing happens all the time, and in that particular setting I don't usually initiate conversation with people I...

There is one kind of news story that I don't ever want to be in as a pastor.You've seen the headlines, you've seen the falls, you know the stories.So to prevent sexual or relational immorality in the pastorate, I've found it helpful to live by certain...

I'm going to miss Lost And Found.I think it's been one of our strongest series ever, combining extraordinarily good music with the kind of bible-study-snuck-into-a-sermon with which people resonate.In the way Lost And Found told Elijah's story, it was really a drama...

Ah, the dreaded Trust Fall.If you've ever been on any kind of youth retreat -- especially during the 80s and 90s -- you've probably taken part in one.Trust is difficult to earn yet easy to lose.  Hard to give and simple to take back.Yet when our lives are...

Here's a collection of some things I've seen, some other things I've learned, and some things that have simply happened in my life over the last couple of months.1.  I just started using the Calendar feature on Outlook.  That means that only in the summer of...

When we think of Paul authoring his New Testament epistles -- whether it's the theological tour de force of Romans or the personal plea of Philemon -- we typically envision him in this posture:Alone with his thoughts and his God, pen in hand, parchments on desk, and,...