As some of you know, I spent several days last week in Lake Junaluska for the meeting of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference.  This yearly gathering (I guess why it's called the Annual Conference) gathers together 2500 pastors and lay people from the...

We upgrade our phones, our computers, our cars, our homes, and even our memories.But what if all those upgrades are merely shadows of the real upgrade?The kind of upgrade that warms our worship, focuses our faith, and matures our minds.That kind of upgrade is embedded...

June 21st marks the first official day of summer and as such gives me pause to consider a preacher's ambiguous relationship with that season.On the one hand, I love summer:  the weather is hot, the water is cool, and shoes are optional.On the other hand, I hate...

There are so many things I can't do.For example, not long ago I had an excellent idea for how to conclude an upcoming worship gathering.  The problem was that I had very little idea of how to take that idea from conception to implementation.So did that make me an...

Early next month, I will begin my 23rd year of full-time ministry in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Whew.From 1990-1999, I served at Mt. Carmel & Midway Churches just outside of Monroe and since 1999 I've been here at Good...

During yesterday's sermon, I told the people of Good Shepherd about something we had considered in recent years regarding the flags of the world."Wouldn't it be cool," we thought, "if we could place on the Worship Center platform a flag for each of the different...

When one person makes a mess, it's often someone else's job to clean it up.If you were with us last week, you know King Ahaz spread near-fatal toxins throughout the kingdom of Judah.It's up to his son Hezekiah to bring in the HazMat crew and restore the land.We'll see...

625 kids.125 volunteers.1 church getting Zapped.It's all Vacation Bible Experience 2012.We've gathered for music led by the BigHouse Band . . .  . . . Science skits led by Mr. Charles and Mr. Alfred . . .Teaching Time led by Chris Thayer . . .. . . Small...

Back in 2010, I had a post called Better Church Vs. Better Life that has been on my mind this week.  So I think it's time to re-visit it, as it's a subject about which I need continual reminders.Here it is:Better Church vs. Better Life This may be wishful...

In honor of the NBA Finals that begins tonight, I'm devoting today's Top Five to pro basketball.I was actually an enthusiastic fan until the seventh grade.  Not coincidentally, that was also the time I stopped playing basketball so I could devote more time...