Yesterday's message .... Hinged on the Lord as "hurler" and Satan as "hurlee" in Revelation 12;Suggested that many times when we claim "the devil made me do it" it is actually avoiding responsibility for things we got into all by ourselves;Landed at a bottom line that...
One of my best preacher friends is starting a new ministry position this week. Claude Kayler, who served as the founding pastor of Good Shepherd from 1991 - 1999, was recently named the Chief Ministry Officer of the Intentional Growth Center in Lake Junaluska, North...
Here I am with Joseph Fulk, the pastor of Good Hope United Methodist Church near Lexington, North Carolina. That church invited me to start their revival series this past Sunday night, so after launching the Brave series here in Charlotte, I journeyed up I-85 and...
Self-awareness prevents self-destruction. And a lack of self-awareness hastens it. I believe that self-awareness contains an essential understanding of how you come across to others -- and it can be a thin line indeed between being appealing and annoying. So here are...
Yesterday's message ... Opened the Brave series, a series that is itself based on the book of Revelation;Explained that the genre of Revelation is more Virtual Reality Tour than it is Crystal Ball Study;Contrasted John's use of "was, is, is to come" and "Alpha and...
Brave One thing is certain: we live in uncertain times. On the inside, our nation is sharply divided along political, religious, and ideological lines. On the outside, wars and rumors of wars form the drumbeat of the nightly news. Outrage is the currency...
One day awhile back, I took one of our staffers along for a pastoral visit with a family in the early stages of grief. As some of you know, it's the kind of work that I find challening but invigorating. On the drive back to the church, my Good Shepherd colleague and I...
Chip Hooper and Gary Plock were All-American college tennis players at the Universities of Arkansas and Texas back in the 1970s. I had heard of both, knew neither, but was aware they were really good players. Through the miracle of social media Gary has befriended me....
They really do never get old. Easter Sundays, that is. I suppose this is my 29th of them in full time ministry. I doubt any one of them has been THE BEST EVER, but without the sum of them, I'm sure my soul would have starved. This Easter, these five moments stick with...
This weekend's Easter message ... Followed believer baptisms at all the Sunday celebrations at Moss; Admitted to "starting dumb" and "ending strong"; Focus on Thomas in and beyond Scripture; Led to this bottom line: Jesus erases your doubts to release your potential....