As a preacher, I want my sermons to matter. What do I mean by that? This: I want the messages I prepare and deliver actually to intersect with the lives of the people who show up week after week (or, in the 21st century, every other week!) to hear them. After all,...
As has been our tradition for the last eleven years, I spent Friday morning tooling around the Wachovia , Quail Hollow, Wells Fargo PGA tournament with both my wife Julie and my father-in-law Ted. Walking around Quail Hollow is a yearly exercise in seeing how the...
It's incredible how close this video dream is to becoming three dimensional reality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LJiypZal2g That's why we are so excited about the "Sneak Peek" of our new Living Room space that will be part of our morning celebration on May...
A couple of weeks ago, my message "Shining Light" had this bottom line: God never shows up. But sometimes he shows off. Well, with this weekend's First Serve, we want to give you an opportunity to allow God to do just that. Through you. First Serve is our...
I was so blessed to begin today in Hebrews 12: 18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further...
Oh Lord, I admit it. I have books of sermon illustrations. And sometimes I use them. Not as much as in the old days, mind you, but I still pull them out. And every once in awhile, I'll locate just the right anecdote or analogy to bring a message to life. There. I...
This message incorporated many of my favorite things about being a preacher. Such as . . . A slight poke at Left Behind teaching; A reliance on the wisdom of Epic Of Eden by Sandy Richter; A pointed word at how human narcissism extends even to our picture of heaven;...
I love the last line of the Apostles’ Creed: [. . . I believe] in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. While the Creed may not have the same level of authority as inspired Scripture, it nevertheless represents the best of the collective wisdom...
While certain other Charlotte-area United Methodist churches and activities have been in the news recently, this piece on our Zoar Road Campus was in today's Charlotte Observer: Church expansion lands in housing boom In 2014, leaders at Good Shepherd...
We've all been there. Sitting in a small group Bible Study -- whether a Sunday School class, home-based fellowship group, or even a high-intensity accountability group -- and it is falling flat. The curriculum doesn't connect, the people aren't engaged, and you, as...