A couple of weeks ago, I dedicated this space to my five favorite hard rock songs of all time. You can read that post here. But who am I to limit my musical exploration to power chords and incendiary riffs? What about the easier, softer side of rock?  Soft rock? Since...

Yesterday's sermon was . . . . named after an ABBA song; drawn from a vertical "aside" towards the end of a horizontal chapter; centered on a real life "Bag O' Secrets" that I filled midway through and emptied at the conclusion; punctuated by this bottom line:  Only...

More and more I observe with great sadness that the fundamental posture of the human species is "but I know better." It's true both in the larger culture and in the more intimate confines of the local church. It's true of those who have tried Christianity and found it...

Not long ago, I was meeting with a very nice young couple and beginning the process of pre-marital counseling. And during our initial conversation, the subject of the role faith would play in their marriage came up.  As you would expect it would, given that I am a...

Books, music, and sports find their way into these Tuesday lists more often than movies. But I have to admit: every so often, a movie -- or, more accurately, a scene within a movie -- hits me in such a way that the floodgates open and the tears fall.  Sometimes the...

Many of you are familiar with the Romans Road, a collection of verses from that signature New Testament book designed to lead people on the “road” to salvation. It starts out with our Problem from Romans 3:23:       For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of...

Some of you know that I have been hosting a LifeGroup full of Under 25s this spring.  We've used Andy Stanley's Starting Point as a launching pad to talk about life, faith, grief, and hope. And a recurring question we've addressed is this:  what is God's plan for my...

So what's the difference between a hard rock song and a heavy metal song? I'm not really sure what are the technical distinctions; I just know that I enjoy much hard rock and dismiss virtually all heavy metal. So here are my five favorite almost head bangers ... songs...

Not long ago, I was speaking with a young woman in our church who has been following Jesus for a little less than two years.  In that time her worship has flourished, her demeanor has brightened, and her contentment has become contagious. In the course of our meeting,...

I got this note from someone on our staff: I just got a much-needed haircut at Great Clips. I enjoyed talking with (female name) as she worked on my hair. She moved here a week ago from Chicago. One thing led to another and I invited her to visit Good Shepherd this...