In reading through the letters of Paul and Peter, I continue to be surprised by his emphasis on one of the least glamorous aspects of the Christian life: self-control.For example . . . " ... so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (I...
On two different occasions last week, I shared with people here how I prepare sermons.I'd never done that even once before, and yet here I was giving detailed explanations two times in three days to folks in the process of growing their own preaching skills.I talked...
I love reading and I love sports.So combine the two and VOILA! Sports books. I read them whenever I can.So here are my Top Five Sports Books of all time:5. Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. One of the first "behind the scenes" look at modern pro sports, this one is...
Julie and I spent the latter part of last week in Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate our daughter Taylor's graduation from Vanderbilt University.Taylor earned a degree as an English & History major as well as Communications Studies minor. She did it all with an...
So we've had the rudest tweet.And then the first tweet.This Sunday, it's time for the unlikeliest tweet.To what kind of person does Jesus beckon, "Come, follow me"?Surely someone who's got it all figured out, right? Or at least someone with a good reputation in the...
I typically think of Grace (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) as that which saves us. We don't deserve to spend eternity in heaven, but because of grace, God sees Jesus when he looks at us instead of seeing our sin, and welcomes us into his kingdom.So far, so good.Yet...
Enough of theological reflection, leadership development, church advancement, and even musings on the much deserved demise of a terrorist mastermind.How about some good old fashioned rock & roll?Along with Led Zeppelin and the Eagles, the Rolling Stones were the...
Here are a couple of pictures of a dedication service back in June of 2001 when Canaan Eident's parents presented her to God:Nice suit!Now: why would I show you ten year old pictures of an infant celebration?Because yesterday, Canaan was baptized as a believer into...
We didn't begin the JesusTweets series with the first tweet.We instead began it with the "Rudest Tweet." Why? Because I couldn't wait to preach on "let the dead bury their own dead." And now I can't wait to preach on the "The First Tweet."I think you'll see that we're...
Many of you were involved in the miracle known as What Child Is This. That's where in lieu of a "traditional" Christmas celebration, the people of Good Shepherd gave $207,000 to the International Justice Mission and its ministry of freedom for sexual slaves and bonded...