You know it when you hear it.A voice that calls a sporting event, reports the news, speaks over an advertisement, or proclaims the gospel -- and does so with the kind of depth and resonance that makes you want to hear it again and again and again.Usually that kind of...

We started worship yesterday (September 8) with a look back at what God had done when the church "went home" the previous Sunday.After a montage like that people were in a mood to sing to the Lord and then to listen to his word. Then, as the service concluded 60...

This weekend marks the return of our First Serve outreach.Good Shepherd ServeTeams will fan throughout our community and engage in works of mercy, justice, love, and helps.You can find your place to serve here. We believe that serving in love is vital evidence of a...

On a recent workday, a Methodist-preacher-colleague and I were having a conversation about church structure.  Committees, boards, budgets, and the like.Hardly riveting stuff, to be sure.Yet some enlightenment emerged.Here's why:  both of us realized that we...

. . . for getting it just right.  Again.Here's Inland, the latest single from the album of the same name:Don't be surprised if you hear this one at church sometime in the near future.

Given that this is US Open time of year, last week's Charlotte Observer ran a story about the rather unusual -- OK, bizarre -- routines, habits, and superstitions that pro tennis players bring to their games.For example, Andre Agassi went commando in his first match...

For the second time ever, I'm using this space to remind not to come to church on Sunday.The church is going home.  Again.It's the ultimate in multi-site worship -- every household in our church will host its own worship experience with parents, step-parents, and...

I'm spending several days this week up in Keystone, Colorado (elevation 9,200 feet), at the annual gathering of what we in Methodism called The Leading Edge:  the pastors of the 100 highest attended churches in the denomination.(Of those 100 churches, Good...

By now many of you have read or at least heard of Toxic Charity, Robert Lupton's tour de force on how churches and charities actually hurt the ones they most desire to help.You can read up on the book and the movement it is inspiring here.Well, a pair of highly...

It's U.S. Open time of year, which, if you like tennis, is probably the best time of them all.And having played/watched/followed tennis as long as I have, few things have altered the development of the game as much as changes in technology.  Rackets in...