#YesMan — The Church’s Answer For Self-Deception

Over the last couple of years, I've changed my approach designing sermons about group life from "ought to" to "have to."When connecting with a small group or Christian community is an "ought to,"  the sermon focuses (ineffectively, for the most part) on your...

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#Trending, Week Two — #YesMan

We've all seen them.Yes Men.Those people -- and they can be Yes Women as well -- who traipse around the work place, agreeing with every idea, suggestion, or thought the boss has.Yet on Sunday as we move to Week Two of Trending, we're going to discover something very...

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Some Things I Think That I Think

I'm pretty sure of most of these thoughts below.In other words, I think that I think the following . . .I don't like sweet potatoes.  But I love sweet potato fries and sweet potato chips.  Do I need therapy?When clergy post opinions on celebrity deaths, they...

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What Keeps Me Going This Week

These are just a few of the more than 1,000 Trending Prayer Pledge cards we received on Sunday:Knowing that all those people are following their periods of high activity with periods of rest at their Master's feet fills me with encouragement, peacefulness, and, most...

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Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Good Shepherd Sermon Bumpers

This is a Top Five list I can do about something at Good Shepherd because I actually have very little to do with it.Sermon bumpers.You know, the one-minute (or so) video that tells the story of the current series in a compelling way while also allowing me to roll my...

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Trending Launch — #HidingPlace

In the world of social media in general and Twitter in particular, there are few more coveted places to be than Trending.If you, your company, your product, or your hashtag are currently trending, it means a lot of people are talking about you at the same time. ...

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When To Use A Period Rather Than A Comma

Moms and dads, grandmoms and granddads:Praise your children with a period and not a comma.Here's what I mean:  your affirmation and encouragement needs to be without qualification, free of compromise, and, most importantly, not serve as a prelude to...

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