It's that time of year in church land when Life Groups gear back up. They've taken the summer off (unless, of course, they haven't), they're busy re-assembling existing members and inviting new ones, and, critically, researching & selecting material to study. In...
Yep, they're out there. Things that as a preacher I am tempted to do but have to pray that the Lord will prevent me from ever doing. That's in that prayer Jesus prayed, isn't it? Here they are: the Top Five Things I Pray The Lord Stops Me Before I Ever Do Them. 1. ...
Sunday's sermon was less about the sermon and more about the Ministry Fair that followed it. I wanted to connect the church's "need" to fill ministry openings with Scripture's truth that ministry stems from the Holy Spirit's power. Really, I wanted the church to see...
One of Good Shepherd's core values is that we as a church are awake to the Holy Spirit. But are we? We sing songs about the Holy Spirit, we read Scriptures which reference him, and sometimes we even pray for his power. But are we really awake to the power of Jesus...
I typically think of Grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) as that which saves us. We don’t deserve to spend eternity in heaven, but because of grace, God sees Jesus when he looks at us instead of seeing our sin, and welcomes us into his kingdom. So far, so good....
I never, never, NEVER tell "what-happened-to-the-preacher-on-the-plane" stories. Just the fact that we're able to jet off to conferences & preaching engagements seems so . . . pretentious. And some of my clergy brethren and sistren (what did you want,...
Have you noticed it has been hot this summer in the Carolinas? This year's heat reminds me of my very first summer in Monroe, NC -- 1990, that was -- and of the times I'd look out my small office window and see red clay patches in the parsonage lawn. And when the heat...
When I was a little boy, we had some Arch Bible Books around our house. The one I remember most vividly was called Samson's Secret. What is interesting to me now as an adult and as a pastor is the enormous gap between the Samson of Samson's Secret and the Samson of...
Here's what's coming up over the next 72 hours: Tonght: 5 p.m. Wedding Rehearsal 6 p.m. Rehearsal Dinner Hosting 9 p.m. Sibling Reunioning Tomorrow: 3:00 Wedding Photos 5:00 Wedding 6:30ish Reception Why so involved in a wedding? Because our son Riley...
Last night, at Good Shepherd's Annual Soccer Clinic at the Twin Lakes neighborhood . . . . . . I spoke to a member of the GSUMC family from Romania . . . . . . who joined a team of Anglos, African-Americans, and Latinos in delivering a futbol clinic . . . . . . to...