One day awhile back, I took one of our staffers along for a pastoral visit with a family in the early stages of grief. As some of you know, it's the kind of work that I find challening but invigorating. On the drive back to the church, my Good Shepherd colleague and I...
Chip Hooper and Gary Plock were All-American college tennis players at the Universities of Arkansas and Texas back in the 1970s. I had heard of both, knew neither, but was aware they were really good players. Through the miracle of social media Gary has befriended me....
They really do never get old. Easter Sundays, that is. I suppose this is my 29th of them in full time ministry. I doubt any one of them has been THE BEST EVER, but without the sum of them, I'm sure my soul would have starved. This Easter, these five moments stick with...
This weekend's Easter message ... Followed believer baptisms at all the Sunday celebrations at Moss; Admitted to "starting dumb" and "ending strong"; Focus on Thomas in and beyond Scripture; Led to this bottom line: Jesus erases your doubts to release your potential....
Bill Simmons, who is a Boston-bred, internet-based author and columnist, has written the definitive history of the NBA with his The Book Of Basketball. In this, the quickest 800 page read of my life, Simmons is in turn unfiltered, poignant, statistical, profane,...
A lot of you know that the Enneagram personality inventory has become quite a phenomenon in recent years, especially among emerging generations. So, after having people tell me that I'm a "Five" or a "One" over the last several months, I decided to take the plunge and...
We all have them. Teams we hope lose. Athletes we hope choke. People who, when they win, we just have to turn the TV off because we can't bear to watch the celebration. So here are five players and/or teams who have fit that bill for me at different times in my life....
The message for Palm Sunday ... Recognized that King Jesus' Coronation actually took place on the cross -- it's just that mockers and scoffers didn't realize it;Developed the pattern of the "testing" of Jesus while he was on the cross -- "if you're the Savior, save...
Several years ago, I attended a worship event where I was surrounded by an eclectic group of 20s and 30s. On several occasions that evening, the primary speaker referred to "our Savior." It's not a novel description of Jesus to be sure, but it nevertheless impacted me...
Yesterday, I met with a man from Good Shepherd in advance of his baptism we will celebrate on Easter Sunday. And as part of his preparation, we looked at Romans 6:3-5: 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his...