Here is our family in a snapshot taken on a recent beach vacation:There I am on the far left.To my left is our 24-year-old daughter Taylor who graduated from Vanderbilt in 2011 and now lives in Atlanta where she works as an Account Manager in a public relations...

If you were at Good Shepherd this past Sunday, you know what we launched our worship gathering with a terrific rendition of REM's Losing My Religion.How else could we possibly begin a service with the overall title of "Lost Religion"?You can watch those opening...

Yesterday's sermon was pretty special to me for two reasons:  1) I felt good about the bottom line, The gods you make will always let you down; the God who makes you will never let you go";  and 2) the action in the biblical story takes place on Mount...

As much as I enjoyed the opening of Lost And Found last week, I think I am going to like Episode Two even better this week.That's because you'll get to see what Terrell Owenshas to do with the prophet Elijahand a place called Mt. Carmel.To see how all that intersects...

No, I don't have a new job.Yes, I did get a one-day gig on Wednesday at Gordon-Conwell Seminary.Steve Klipowicz, a good friend and occasional workout partner of mine, is also a professor there.  So as he was preparing to teach a summer intensive class on pastoral...

This week, forty-seven of Good Shepherd's finest are serving in the mission field.Thirty-four students, staffers, and volunteers are in Moore, Oklahoma, site of the devastating 2013 tornado.  There they are helping Oklahomans rebuild their homes and restore their...

This photo was taken on my family's recent beach vacation:From the left, our 24-year-old daughter Taylor, me, our 21-year-old-son Riley, and then my wife Julie.  We took the trip to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary trip together.Yes, we took our kids on a...

I had a brief Facebook post on Sunday morning about how I love to start a new series.Especially when I believe the Word blends with the visuals and creates something both memorable and compelling.  All that is why I was genuinely excited about the start of Lost...

I hope it's OK that I get truly excited about series we do in July.You know, that month when a lot of churches take it easy and a lot of pastors can be found anywhere but in the pulpit.Last July, it was The Storm Before The Calm (available in e-book!).This year, it's...

Preaching is an intensely solitary activity.Preaching is a thoroughly social exercise.Which is it?  Solitary or social?Yes.My own process of preparation is wholly wrapped in solitude.  I study, I jot, I brainstorm, I fret, I pray, I get excited, I become...