Every so often in my 47 years, I have had brushes with the famous and the infamous. So here's a brief tour. (Please note: there is virtually no spiritual content on this post. No Methodism, no church leadership, no nothing. Just fame dropping.)I shook George...
About 15 years ago now, I was in a room in which someone said, "I like Jesus, but he's not my Savior."Who said that? A United Methodist pastor. This person said that and believed that . . . and was still ordained by our denomination.Or a pastor friend of mine was...
Romans 8:20-21 makes a rather remarkable claim: For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of one who subjected it, (THAT MEANS GOD IS THE ONE CAUSING FRUSTRATION) in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its...
I recently heard a church consultant say that "younger generations of church go-ers want mission they do, not mission they send to."Which is a way of saying that people want the hands-on experience of making a difference more than they want to send money to overseas...
The venues are ready.The people are expectant.The Spirit is waiting.First Serve launches tomorrow morning.It's a focused, simple way of mobilizing large numbers of people from the Good Shepherd community to be involved in meaningful ministry throughout the Charlotte...
As a staff, we've begun reading Sal Paolantonio's book How Football Explains America. It's a fascinating read, one that explores how football is so much more than just one game among many within the American psyche.Football instead is an expression of our 19th Century...
Maybe it was the recent Romans class I led, with its close examination of chapters 9-11.Perhaps it was the growing influence of John Piper on evangelicalism.It could be a nostalgic reconnection with the first church I ever attended as a new follower of Jesus, some...
One of the great lines of the bible is when Jacob says to the angel/Lord in Genesis 32:26:I will not let go until you bless me.Whether you are in a place of spiritual leadership or in a position of spiritual "follower-ship," when was the last time you declared to God,...
As some of you know, we will soon be looking for someone to head up our Discipleship ministries at Good Shepherd. After five years on staff, James-Michael Smith will be leaving us at the end of April to prepare for and then pursue his PhD.But I'll blog more on that...
Words have power.They can wound and cripple. They can heal and inspire. They can drive us to our knees or lift us off the ground.Wherever we find ourselves, wherever we are in our story, we have been shaped by the words spoken into our lives.You're no good. You are...