While trying to help someone navigate some particularly difficult terrain in life this week, the following truth occurred to me:Provision follows obedience.The provision of God generally follows obedience to God.Usually, we want it to happen the other way around....
As we continue to navigate what we want Good Shepherd to do and be and how we want it to feel, the following distinction keeps roaming around in my head: Are our experiences therapeutic or theocentric? Now those are big sounding words but they actually communicate...
I always remember that November 2 is Brad Stoffel's birthday.Who is Brad Stoffel and why do I remember his birthday?Brad was my chief rival for the top ranking in Texas tennis between the ages of 12 and 16.And he beat me fifteen times in a row.Most of the time, his...
Back in June, I bought Julie two tickets for an October 30 Carrie Underwood concert. It was a nice birthday present.The plan was that she would be able to take a friend.Then that friend had her own change of plans.So I was the substitute.Me and Carrie Underwood? Not...
We feel that way in life, don't we?And, if we're honest, we feel that way in our faith. What had in an earlier season been both urgent and joyful now many times seems mundane and ritualized.Boring.Is there life after that kind of spiritual boredom? Is there hope for...
Church meetings are legendary, aren't they?And not in the way, say, Michael Jordan is legendary in basketball. Or Joe Montana in football. Or even Roger Federer in tennis.No, church meetings are legendary for the bloodshed -- real and imagined -- that they...
As a native of Dallas, I never thought I'd read "Texas Rangers" and "World Series" in the same sentence.But now I have.So I'll begin watching the World Series tonight with a bit more interest than usual.Not that I'm a consistent baseball fan or even a loyal Rangers...
I spent three days in Ohio last week at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church's Change The World Conference. I went as part of the Reynolds Leadership Program which sends 25 pastors from North Carolina to various training events four times per year.Ginghamsburg is a...
I recently added two exercises to what I do at the Y.The first is called the deadlift, which helps strengthen the lower back:The second is called the squat, which helps primarily with thighs:(The fact that I can do either is no small miracle, because when I first...
Farewell to Sacred Marriage, hello to Life After.It's our new series and I believe it will be both hard-hitting and soul-comforting.Here are the subjects we'll look at together:October 24: Life After JesusOctober 31: Life After BoredomNovember 7: Life After...