The Beatles used to sing about Getting Better All The Time. Which is a daunting task when you think about it. But how do you know if you're getting better any of the time? This came home to me when, over the last several weeks, a young man has begun attending church...
“God With Us” Starts Sunday
Our Advent / Christmas series is called "God With Us" in 2019. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0SJut0Qbg&feature=youtu.be
PRE-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Memories
So here are some things I remember from Thanksgivings growing up and Thanksgivings grown up . . . My mom making pumpkin pie. (By the way, my mother turned 104 and if that’s not something to be thankful for, nothing is.)Eating cold pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Reflections From #GSDateNight 11.22.19
This past Friday night, Good Shepherd hosted a Date Night in which church staff and volunteers provided programming and care for 225 children, thereby enabling parents of those same kids to enjoy a Date Night. For the Date Night we provided a portrait photo .... ......
The Trust Factor, Week 4 — The “Double By-Pass” Sermon Rewind
Yesterday's message ... Began in Monroe, North Carolina, Tega Cay, SC, and the human heart;Borrowed liberally from the thinking and teaching of Alcoholics Anonymous;Included this a photo of my daughter, Taylor, at age 2 (see below);Landed at this bottom line: You'll...
“The Trust Factor,” Week 4 — “Double By-Pass”
We have been examining the diamond-like beauty of Proverbs 3:5-6 for three weeks now: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. This Sunday, the series wraps up...
If These Walls Could Talk
I continue to be amazed at the level at which people share with me in counseling. It is a high privilege that people trust me and the other pastors on our staff with so much. It is also a deep responsibility. What does that combination of high privilege and deep...
“Telling About” Vs. “Giving An Experience Of”
In my early years of ministry I came across a preaching book by John Mason Stapleton called Preaching In Demonstration Of The Spirit And Power. Not the catchiest title, but it does come straight from I Corinthians 2:4. Anyway, in that book, Stapleton goes to...
From “An Eye Roll” To A “To Die For”: The Top Five Benefits Of A Mission Statement
I have a confession: earlier in my ministerial career I treated any conversation about church mission statements with the dreaded eye roll. "Not again," I thought. "There goes someone pontificating about mission and vision, which if you ask me is just a...
The Trust Factor, Week 3 — The “In The Heat Of The Moment” Sermon Rewind
Yesterday's message ... Began with a "mini-point" that was a stepping stone to the major point. I think that's allowed under the Simplify The Message method; Pointed out that adrenaline may make you stronger but it does not make you smarter; Included a testimony from...