Love Handles Some of us have them. Some of us hold them. Some of us want to get rid of them. They’re love handles. But they’re actually more than a part of our mid-section. They’re the source of a question: do you have a handle on love? Romantic love? Family...
A Second Look At Biblical Leadership
I've got to confess something this morning. No, it's not that. Lord knows, there's enough folks already caught up in that these days. No my confession is this: when people talk about leadership and bible and church in the same sentence, I usually respond with an eye...
When Theology Becomes Doxology
A number of people at Good Shepherd for whom I have the greatest respect share a common characteristic: they have an exalted view of Christ. In academic terms, they have a high "Christology" -- doctrine of Christ. For example, one of my Good Shepherd friends will...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Benefits Of Choosing Bold Over Cool
A few years ago, I repented of my attempts to be cool. At that time, I'd led Good Shepherd to have a "church crush" on a large congregation in the northern part of the US, and so for a season we tried to mimic much of what that church did. And that church was cool....
The Weekend Ahead
Seven worship gatherings. Multiple baptisms. One Savior. Here's what's ahead: Good Friday Service -- 7 p.m. tonight in the Moss Road Worship Center. We'll sing. We'll pray. Wayne Hobson will preach. We'll celebrate the Lord's Supper on the day that embodies what the...
How A Sermon Outline Is Different From A Legal Brief
Not long ago, in the middle of a conversation about how to design sermons, an attorney friend of mine chimed in with the oft-repeated mantra: Tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them. We learned that pattern in writing middle...
The Most Powerful Sermon Outlines … Aren’t Sermon Outlines
We preachers often find ourselves in the midst of a quest for sermon outlines. Many of us think if we can just find the right outline, the right scaffolding from which to build the rest of the message, then everything else will fall in place. In fact, as Easter...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five (Or Six) Favorite Books On Preaching
Well, with Easter Sunday approaching, preaching is on the minds of a lot of us, well, preachers. And through my years in seminary and then full time ministry, a number of books have shaped my understanding of what it means to preach. Namely: what is the purpose of a...
Finished Business, Week 4 — The “It Is Finished” Sermon Rewind
This message required a bit of biblical dexterity. Because when Jesus says in John 19:30 "It is finished," what is completed has its origins in Leviticus 16 (see in sermon below). HOWEVER, during the 10:00 worship service on Sunday, I had neglected to place my marker...
Guest Devotion Written By Paul Leeland
Each morning during Finished Business, the people of Good Shepherd have opened their email inboxes and discovered a daily Scripture, Reflection, and Prayer delivered to them. The written material comes from the our Finished Business Devotion Guides, still available...