Not long ago, I had a chance encounter and random conversation with a Charlottean Muslim of Pakistani descent. He knows what I do for a living, and was more than eager to talk about the bible and Islam -- all of it in a conversational and not confrontational...

So last night we had our monthly Healing Service at Good Shepherd. And in this particular season of our church's life -- reaching the culmination of our Beyond Capital Project -- it was tempting to call it off.  Or at least postpone it. But we didn't.  We had our...

The sermon on the Sunday BEFORE the "big give" day of a Capital Campaign is typically the most important one of the lot.  It's the final opportunity a preacher has before people write their checks and make their pledges to get the project underway. And yesterday was...

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]  Beyond Me:  A life that is all about getting what you want quickly becomes about hating what you have. Beyond Now: Your hands will either enforce order or enable progress, and we're choosing the latter. Beyond...

Part of the Beyond Movement is our Beyond Friday Feature. Written by Jill Wilson, who is part of the Good Shepherd family and is married to a guy named Russell Wilson ("but not THAT Russell Wilson" he is quick to say), today's is about my friend Patty Fitzpatrick....

Just some observations from the details of life: I hate when the word "countless" is used in speaking or writing.  Except for the size of the universe in light years, the number of stars in space, or the depth of the love of God, everything else can, technically, be...

Today I will be part of a team of United Methodist clergy interviewing candidates from the Charlotte area who are in the very early stages of the ordination process. And, in case you don't know, the ordination process in the UMC is lengthy.  And maze-like.  And a...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Every pastor has felt it, faced it, even succumbed to it:  discouragement. When thoughts go through your mind:  Why aren't I better?  Why isn't this working?  Is the God I claim to serve even real?  I've had it, my colleagues have...

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] It's a Methodist Discovery Place, an Art Gallery, a Road Trip, and a Peaceful Retreat all rolled up into one. What is it? It's the Beyond Experience At Zoar Road.... As we prepare to launch a Sunday morning worship...