A lot of us spend a lot of our time managing our crises. We careen from one emergency to another, constantly caught up in relational turmoil, financial hardship, and even spiritual despair. But what if there was another way? What if a living...
Here's our little family when our children were little people -- in the year of our Lord 1992. The scene is Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church in Monroe, NC. Note the pulpit, the banner, and the ever-present "scoreboard" -- the display board listing the...
Not MY Book. This is OUR Book. This is me (obviously) holding our church's booklet, "Preventology: A 31 Guide To Crisis Prevention." The people of the church wrote it in support of the new series that launches this coming Sunday, "Preventology." Thirty-one...
I am blessed. That might be an odd first sentence for a post with the title “Addiction Reflection” but it’s true. It’s true because people trust me with some of the most serious areas of their lives. That’s quite an honor. And the thing that keeps coming into my...
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...