Ann Patchett & The Art Of Sermonating

If you've been following this blog at all, you know that I'm an enormous fan of the fiction of Ann Patchett.  State Of Wonder and Bel Canto are two of the most beautiful and most engaging novels I've read in years.   In The Getaway Car, a little e-reader memoir...

read more

The Heart Of Pastoring

A Good Shepherd friend and I were emailing earlier this week, and our conversation drifted into the different personal styles of some of the pastors on our staff. Specifically, we were talking about how easy or difficult it is for those of us in pastoral work to tell...

read more

Connecting During Covid

  It's HARD to stay connected with the congregation and the community during the various Covid shutdowns.  It is especially challenging for our Family Ministries Team, those who minister to parents, children, and volunteers alike. That's why I was pleased to get...

read more

New Series Launch — “It Runs In The Family”

It Runs In The Family Just think of all the things that run in families. Just think of all the things that run in your family! Skin tone, hair texture, eye color, verbal tics, facial expression, walking styles, high blood pressure, good judgment, male pattern...

read more

When Sermon Design Meets Artistic Expression

Earlier this week, I had a Zoom meeting with a United Methodist colleague in which the topic of conversation was preaching. As part of the Simplify The Message ministry, some of my friends in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference invite me to give guidance to...

read more