I'll admit it: a few years ago I used to have a crush on Granger Community Church.Fortunately, I've gotten over the crush as Will Mancini  and others helped me see the folly of trying to be Church Copycat when it's much better to be Church Unique.But back to...

A few weeks ago, I shared a post on reading the bible as a library that was both well-received and widely distributed.But that particular post did not arrive out of thin air.  Throughout the years, I have been exposed to a number of books which have shaped and...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A couple of years ago, I read John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules.  In it, Irving's narrator describes one of the main characters, Dr. Wilbur Larch, as someone "who occupied his emotions with a task."I found that to be a profound thought, so I wrote it...

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. ...

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...