No one ever said Steely Dan was a normal band.Two guys from New York.  Neither one a great singer.  A style that mixes jazz, pop, rock, and reggae.  Lyrics that are irreverent, elusive, and oh-so-70s.When I saw them at Blockbuster Arena; Verizon...

I have known for several years that on some level behavior precedes doubt.In other words, we don't arrive at our shadow of doubt by objective analysis of relevant facts; most of us instead begin to act a certain way and then circle back around and develop some doubts...

The sermon is NOT about creationism, evolution, or intergalactic science.It IS about a BIG BANG, however.The Big Bang of doubt.What is the origin of doubt?  Where does it come from and what keeps it going?When you answer that -- and we will on Sunday and I...

This February 27th, join us and other Freedom Fighters from around the world as we SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY. Draw a RED X on your hand. Tell your world that slavery still exists and YOU WON’T STAND FOR IT. Just use your influence any way you can to help us carry the...

Earlier this week, a Good Shepherd mom sent me this composition written by her eight-year-old daughter.The little girl has been playing guitar since the age of four and something at church prompted her to begin writing her own stuff.  The name of the song is "His...

Earlier this week, someone asked me if I'd grown up in Union County, North Carolina.  The person  assumed that since I served as a pastor there for nine years, then I must have been raised there as well.Well, no.Instead, I grew up in Dallas, Texas. Here's...

The sermon was a lot of fun yesterday.Now:  I didn't think it would be that much fun.But people laughed -- hard -- at some unexpected places, we had some visuals that enhanced the verbals, and the message dealt with an issue people truly needed to process: ...

Theophany.Hilarity.Patriarchy.Incredulity.Don't worry.  I won't preach all those big words this Sunday.  But they are all more-than-present in the story we'll look at from Genesis 18.The story is woven deeply into the fabric of our Judeo-Christian story and...

This may sound odd from a preacher who just led a church through a series called Defining Moments, but here goes:  some people need fewer "moments" and more "momentum."See, a lot of folks wait for, long for, yearn for God to change their lives in an...

Good Shepherd Church spent all of January of 2013 focused on the Radical Impact Project called The Home Campaign.For a solid month, we taught about healing our homes while simultaneously building momentum and passion around a home that heals.And by "home that heals"...