We've been playing this "sermon bumper" each week during the Defining Moments series:Well, as part of our Divine Appointment, you'll see more than the trailer.The short film is poignant, provocative, and compelling in its presentation of the life-altering power of the...

I'm reading When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss' massive biography of Vince Lombardi.Early in Lombardi's coaching career (and therefore, early in the book!), he got a job at Cathedral High School, a small Catholic institution in northern New Jersey.The...

Not long ago, I was involved in cyber-communication with a new Methodist friend, and we were discussing the same-sex conundrum within the United Methodist Church.  My friend (who knows about this post, by the way) and I align on most  issues, but I...

Defining Moments Prayer & Fasting Instructions – Tuesday, January 21, 2014As you may know, we are asking the people of Good Shepherd to fast from food products on Tuesday, January 21.We are counting on this time of shared sacrifice and shared prayer to unleash the...

We had a houseguest last night:  Claude Kayler, Good Shepherd's founding pastor.  He was in Charlotte on Sunday evening before catching a Monday flight to Israel.Claude gave birth to the church in 1991 and led it until 1999.  Today, he is the...

Third Sundays are almost always the best around here.Why?That's when the raucous Good Shepherd worship choir leads our singing.  I love their energy, their precision, even their black shirts and blue jeans.Here's what it looked like in September:...

I spent a couple of hours on Wednesday going through some resumes & cover letters we received after posting a notice online about a job opening at Good Shepherd.While I have gone through this process several times over the last 15 years, yesterday's experience was...

A friend and I have been trying to read Paul's letter to the Colossians every morning for the last couple of weeks.  Since the New Testament epistles were designed to be heard/read/experienced in one sitting, we thought we'd give it try that way.It proves to be...

This past Sunday evening, I led Good Shepherd's first Next Steps group of 2014.We bill Next Steps as an "exploring membership" group at our church, and we devote about eight hours over four weeks to plumbing the depths of what it means to be a Christian, a United...

We played this piece to open worship on Sunday:That video with those images will be the welcoming centerpiece of our Good Shepherd web site upgrade that we'll unveil over the next month or so.In the meantime, it sure makes me glad to be part of this remarkable...