If you attended Good Shepherd on Sunday, you knew something was up with my voice.As in going, going, GONE!So Monday was laryngitis, doctors, Augmentin, and Prednisone. And being home alone.These don't happen very often, but what takeaways emerge from a sick day?Here...
An Invader In Diapers — The “Almost Killing Jesus” Sermon
This past Sunday was full of opportunities disguised as obstacles . . .I was losing my voice even though I didn't feel sick;At 8:30, I confused Chris Macedo with how I received new members, forcing him to audible a time for "turning and greeting." He...
Baby Invasion, Week 2 — Almost Killing Jesus
Isn't it true that most of us act differently when a baby arrives in ourlives?New moms weep.New dads weep harder. Grandmoms start cooing. Granddads start talking baby talk Aunts and uncles come bearing gifts. Friends who don't evenhave children of...
Throwback Thursday: A Six Year Old’s Birthday Party With Local Hero
Here I am at the party in celebration of my 6th birthday: November 14, 1967.I still remember that the party had a dinosaur theme. I think we even used paper plates and crayons to create our own dinosauric masterpieces.To my left is Michael Simpson and then...
Take It Up With God
To all those who complain that the lyrics in modern worship are overly repetitive -- and here's my favorite from that genre, Counting On God-- may I present to you Psalm 136. From the bible.1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.His love endures...
Top Five Realities Of Being A Lifelong SMU Football Fan
A lot of you know that because my father taught in the Law School at Southern Methodist University for 31 years AND because I grew up going to every home football game every year, I still have a quasi-irrational attachment to the SMU team. I didn't go there for...
“The In Utero Leap”: A Sermon Touching On Incarnation, Abortion, & Attention
Sermons prepared for and delivered on Holiday Weekends (and the Thanksgiving Weekend is one) are tricky things.You suspect attendance will be down (it was, slightly, but much higher than last year's Thanksgiving), you wonder if the energy level will be off, and...
Baby Invasion Begins With “The In Utero Leap”
I love this upcoming Christmas Series.I love the title: Baby Invasion.I love the premise: people act in strange ways when a baby invades their lives. Especially the baby whose name was Jesus.And I love the talk that I get to give this coming...
Scenes From A 99th Birthday Party
How often do you get to attend, much less host, a 99th birthday party?The answer is embedded into the question, isn't it?Here I am with my siblings surrounding my mother, Betty Davis, who turned 99 on Tuesday. We had a gathering with about 50 of her Austin-area...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Steps To Continual Improvement
Over the last several weeks, a young man has begun attending church with some friends and family.That's not all that unusual or extraordinary, with one difference: he grew up in this church, drifted away when he graduated college, and so is returning to worship...