On Throwback Thursdays, I often dig up old tennis photos, and those photos usually feature my backhand or my serve. Those were my two best shots. And then I found this one. A forehand at last: The photo was taken during a practice session on the day before...
When Church Enables
I've had a sense through the years that churches in general and this church in particular need to take more care to avoid enabling unhealthy behaviors. With the best of intentions, we can reinforce behaviors and patterns in people that do much more harm than good. For...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five “Advice Cliches” That Really Aren’t Very Helpful
Many times, WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS, we offer advice that is actually counter-productive. We lean on tried and true cliches to encourage people facing life's dilemmas, and if they follow OUR ADVICE / THE WORLD'S CLICHES disaster is likely to be the result. Here...
“It Runs In The Family, Week 4” — The “Deep Pockets” Sermon Rewind
Yesterday's message ... Was delivered TWICE -- once to our live outdoor service at 8:30 and then via livestream at 10 a.m.; Speaking of the "live" service, during the preaching of it the connection of "genealogy" and "generosity" came to me, spur of the moment, so I...
“It Runs In The Family,” Week 4 — “Deep Pockets”
God has been very good to us during the "It Runs In The Family" series. I have sensed that many of you have begun to live its truths and principles inside your homes. This Sunday the series winds up with "Deep Pockets," a look at what we want to run in our families...
Preaching & The Sacred Act Of Noticing
I am moved by the self-awareness of poet and memoirist Patricia Lockwood. Here’s how she words it in the best-selling Priestdaddy: I consider myself on an anthropological mission, much like Margaret Mead. I have discovered that this makes almost anything bearable – it...
A Bit Of Creekside Reading
Last week, one of Julie's friends took a hike in the North Carolina mountains and decided to bring some reading material with her. I approve of the choice. In fact, she told Julie that this reading in this locale clarified faith for her in a way nothing had before....
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Things To Know About Our Upcoming Outdoor Service
This Sunday, August 16, 2020, we start a new chapter in the middle of this surreal season at Good Shepherd: a simplified outdoor worship service at the Moss Campus at 8:30 a.m. Wha-what? Yep. We are committing to the next seven Sundays at least -- August 16 through...
“It Runs In The Family,” Week 3 — The “I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up” Sermon Rewind
Yesterday's message ... Borrowed the phrase "lawn mowering" I recently learned from a friend; Began with Proverbs 24:16 and included James 1:2-4; Brought the bottom line home with "the dominant narrative of my adolescence"; Led to this bottom line: You can't be a...
“It Runs In The Family,” Week 3 — “I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up!”
If you have ever watched the right channel at the right time of day you have no doubt seen this commercial. And if you've cared for an elderly loved one, you've lived its reality. But what about those "falls" that plague people regardless of age? The falls that are...