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...
The Light At The Beginning Of The Tunnel, Week 4 — The “Shining Light” Sermon Rewind
This was a bottom line first. And a sermon that found it second. I know, I know . . . that's not the way it's supposed to go. Yet a couple of months ago, I was sitting in the back of the room at a meeting regarding the future of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (pretty...
The Light At The Beginning Of The Tunnel, Week 4 — “Shining Light”
So does the sermon title of "Shining Light" mean we're going to pull this tune out? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCN893hzueQ No, not likely. But it does mean we're having one of my favorite bottom lines EVER, as well as some concrete next steps for...
#TBT – A Scissor Kick Serve
For a variety of reasons, I haven't stepped on a court to play tennis since 2008. (Those reasons include not wanting to re-injure my back, not interfering with going to the Y, and, most of all, not wanting to be confronted with the reality of what age & disuse...
History Makers
These folks are from our Zoar Campus Next Step Group: Yes, four weeks into to our second site, Campus Pastor Chris Thayer is leading a new member group on Tuesday nights. Our Moss Road Campus hosts its own Next Step Group starting tonight. You can still sign up...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Ways Churches Find God’s Solutions In A World Of Problems
Anyone can point out problems. It takes people of faith, tenacity, and camaraderie to pinpoint solutions. And that's just what churches around our city and across this nation are doing in the face of some of the world's most intractable problems. So, in a tribute to...
The Light At The Beginning Of The Tunnel, Week 3 — The “Spotlight” Sermon Rewind
This message could have been called World Light. Or Strobe Light. Or Real Light. It also could have been subtitled: How to ensure you're never elected to public office or denominational hierarchy. To see what I mean, read below. It's a message in which the WHEN...
#TBT – When We Were Partying Like It Was 1999 . . .
. . . because it was. This photo was taken for a Good Shepherd Church Pictorial Directory shortly after we moved to Charlotte and I started at Good Shepherd in the summer of 1999. Julie and I are now empty nesters. Our daughter Taylor, 26, works in corporate...
Part Of A “Shadow Of A Doubt” Bible Study At Another Church . . .
On Monday night, I headed up to Mooresville, NC (just north of Charlotte) to take part in a LifeGroup meeting connected to West United Methodist Church. Why would I drive an hour to sit in on a bible study associated with another church? Because the group's curriculum...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Bible Studies For Small Groups
I have been leading small group Bible studies for years now. And I've done it in enough places & with enough people that I know: even the best of groups need good curricula. I currently lead two Bible studies -- or, what we call LifeGroups at Good Shepherd. ...