Here's the rock in Caesarea Philippi in front of which Jesus uttered the words:You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not overcome it.So what's all that about? Peter, a rock, a cave. gates, or...
Thirty-five years ago this week -- June 16, 1979 -- I played the best tennis match of my life in winning the Texas State Championship for Boys' 18-and-under.I was 17 and was not favored to beat my 18-year-old opponent in the finals. But it was one of those rare...
Just this week, Good Shepherd's very own Amber Carter was named the Valedictorian of Renaissance School Of Olympic High. Amber has literally grown up in our church, preached for me last November, and this week is serving as a leader in our Vacation Bible...
In honor of the recent passing of Casey Kasem, today's Top Five Tuesday has a uniquely "keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars" feel about it: Top Five Long Distance Dedications.Except these LDDs have a twist -- they all take place within...
Early Sunday morning, I tweeted out these words:Discovering that the less Methodist a #umc church looks, the more Wesleyan it becomes.A number of my friends in the Twitterverse asked me to "explain" or "unpack" or "elaborate" . . . none of which are you really able to...
Oh, c'mon Jesus. "Hate your father and mother"?!Why would you use such inflammatory language?And why would a church EVER choose to use such a reading as the basis of its message on Father's Day?And what in the world could any of this have to do with my living...
You're all familiar with how political cartoonists create caricatures of our presidents. Caricatures have a way of emphasizing the part and thereby obscuring the whole.For example, in the hands of political cartoonists, Richard Nixon became little more than a...
A friend and I have been reading the book of Ephesians together.For over a year.We go down a lot of rabbit trails during our time together, but when we zero in on Ephesians, the rewards are rich indeed.Spending that much time on that short a book, however, also raises...
Don't most of us go through a phase of wanting to be someone else when we grow up?Or at least just like someone else when we grow up.Sometimes they are called role models and other times they are inspirations.Whatever you call them, here are five different men who, at...
A couple of 22-year-old kids got married on a 100 degree day in a steaming gothic cathedral located in the center of a college campus in New Jersey.We didn't know anything about anything.Sometimes, we still don't.But every once in awhile, we do. Maybe...