Last week the Rolling Stones released an extraordinary song inspired by the Coronavirus Pandemic: Living In A Ghost Town. It's a little bit of "Miss You," a little more of "Shattered," and a little most of "Your Love Is Strong" all rolled into one. Check it out:...
Yesterday's message ... Launched a series inspired by Professor Joseph Okello of Asbury Seminary with whom I had a lively interaction about "points" preaching or "pointed" preaching back in October of 2019; Leaned heavily on the pacing of the early sections of Mark's...
“No problem.” We hear it from the lips of friends who assure us we’re not a bother. We hear it from the lips of customers who assure us they’ll wait. We hear it from the lips of vacationers who assure us the laid back lifestyle really is the best. We even say it to...
I received this photo in a group text with some college tennis friends this week. What memories! This is from the spring of 1982, my sophomore year in college. Why are our sweatsuits cream and blue? I have no idea -- the school colors are orange and black (tiger...
I received this from a Good Shepherd mom this week: Add this to your "Kids Say" file... One of my sons picked up a Kids Bible to, let's say, thump his brother over the head. I told him, "The Bible is not a weapon!" And he says, "No, it's a library." Of course I...
Here is just about the highest accolade I can give to Will Mancini, church consultant, author, and founder of Auxano: my wife Julie ALWAYS says she wants to meet him in person because after he brought his brand of coaching to Good Shepherd, I began to sleep so much...
Yesterday's message ... Showed how much more fun -- and meaningful -- it is to preach THE BIBLE rather than simply BIBLE VERSES; Had a sermon intro inspired by the method of Andrew Forrest; Had a heavy dose of material from both family of origin and my own nuclear...
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is one of the most portrayed characters in the history of fiction, film, and stage. Doyle’s four novels and fifty-six short stories involving Scotland Yard’s favorite sleuth have multiplied into hundreds of movies, television...
If you've read this space before, you know that I have made confessions like: I'm better at leading the congregation than I am at leading the staff; or I'm a disciplined person but not a very disciplined leader; or I'm better at dealing with one or with 2,000 than I...
Everyone misses human interaction, large gatherings, family ties, and, yes, live sports. But I've been pondering the less overt things that I miss ... and that I'm eager to start up again. Here they are: One. Blessing houses. Every Thursday for the past 20 years,...