Think of all the things that get our double takes: Beautiful people. Sunsets on the beach. Sunrise on the beach. Mist rising from the mountains. The colors in a kaleidoscope. A city skyline at night. Beautiful people. And James throws in this line early in his...

I have recently realized that much of my bible reading is in order to prove a point.  If I am in a religious or political or cultural debate with someone, for example, then I'll just pull out my Scriptures, point out the relevant verses, and voila!  Point proven....

It's not too much of an exaggeration to say I cut my ministry teeth on hospital visitation. Whether it was Clinical Pastoral Education in seminary or a heavy dose of the "ministry of presence" during my time at Mt. Carmel UMC in Monroe and even now to a team of people...

Yesterday we closed the Escape From Average series with what we call internally a "movement" service. Rather than a straightforward music set followed by preaching, we had a service flow built around some different worship elements. We interspersed music and prayer...

If a Sunday goes well, we do less talking ABOUT the Scripture and more experiencing OF it. In fact, that's one of the more urgent points in the forthcoming book, Simplify The Message, Multiply The Impact. (See how I did that?) It releases on Feb. 4, 2020. Anyway, as...

Mark 4:35 – 5:41.  A perfectly designed and built section where faith and art meet.  Remember: chapters and verses were not original to Mark or any other book. The first story of Jesus in the boat with the storm sets up the question of questions:  “Who...

I came across this story recently from a Good Shepherd mom regarding her eight year old daughter named Addy who is a student in our Summer Camp. An amazing bedtime conversation with my 8 year old: A: Mom, do you know that today is my spiritual birthday? Well, it was...

In the fall of 2018, we solicited the help of some outside experts -- ok, call them what they are, consultants from Artistry Labs -- to try to help us reach our potential as a congregation. Their most painful yet much needed feedback was this: "you feel more...

Yesterday's message ... Drilled down into ONE verse -- Matthew 9:9;Started with a Wheel Of Fortune moment;Grew eerily quiet in two places ... I suspect you can figure them out;Concluded with an exercise involving writing a new story and receiving a new pen!;Led to...

I like this Sunday's message. A lot. The audience participation. The bible excavation. The Scriptural appreciation. And maybe most of all the personal application you'll be able to take from it. It's called Past Life, and it's Sunday at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 at Moss...