A Different Way To Keep Score

As a kid, I was fascinated with how scoreboards worked ... their size, the amount of information they included, and even whether or not they had a digital clock or an old school time dial.So maybe it's no surprise that more times than I care to admit I see ministry...

read more

Competition, Comparison, Futility

From the ages of 8-18, I had one goal in life: to become the number one tennis player my age in the state of Texas.The good news is that it actually happened. After a string of second place finishes, I finally won it all when I was 17. I liked it well enough that I...

read more

Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Scriptures On Eternal Life

While it can be dangerous to attach too much importance to single verses of Scripture -- thereby yanking them out of context -- nevertheless there is something so powerful about certain sentences in the bible.Especially those that speak of eternal life.These are the...

read more

When A Sermon Is From The Bible . . . But Not Biblical

It is quite possible to preach a sermon that appears to be from the bible ... but is not at all biblical.How do you do that? By taking interesting, provocative, preachable verses, yanking them out of their immediate surroundings in the text, and preaching them that...

read more

The Next Series

We were going to show this particular video promo at the conclusion of Sunday's service.Except it didn't really fit the mood that developed at each of our gatherings. We concluded our worship time with an old fashioned altar call, and then sat back and watched as God...

read more

Pastor Or Agitator?

So what's the more profound role for a person in my role: pastor or agitator? If you say pastor, then you'll believe that the most effective leader of a local church will care for souls, pursue healing, and excel in the ministry of presence. If you say agitator, then...

read more

A Personal Relationship With . . .

. . . Jesus Christ.That's how most of us in the evangelical world have grown accustomed to completing that sentence. In many ways, that phrase has become synonymous with modern American evangelical Christianity.Yet I wonder if that notion of a living relationship with...

read more

Rivergate Concert Series — Saturday From 6-9 PM

In 2008 and 2009, the Good Shepherd band played a series of concerts at the Rivergate Shopping Center.Under the name of "Thrive Alive," here's what it looked like: Well, Rivergate has asked us to come back and we've said yes.So this Saturday, June 11 from 6-9 p.m.,...

read more

Guest Blogger — Amy Hutchinson, Theology Student

When I saw Talbot’s post contrasting seminaries and schools of theology/divinity schools, I had to jump on it. My name is Amy, and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and a proud member of Good Shepherd UMC. I...

read more

Top Five Tuesday — Top Five College Football Helmets

In honor of last night's BCS Title Game between Auburn and Oregon, and with a shout out to my previous post on favorite NFL helmets, here's a list of my Top Five College Football helmet designs.The list is completely subjective. And, as you'll see, thoroughly...

read more