That's a loaded question, isn't it? Is it ever appropriate for a preacher -- regardless of his or her level of experience -- to preach sermons that have for all practical purposes been prepared by someone else? It's not only a loaded question, it's a relevant one....
This week, I received a note and photo from a Good Shepherd friend who is also a new mom. Here's the photo: The note said, "Thanks to Good Shepherd for the Bible stories book! I love reading these to our daughter!" Because inviting all people into a...
As we dig into a series called "Wait For It ..." how could I post on anything else? Carly Simon said it this way: "Anticipation . . . it's making me late, it's keeping me waiting." And some things in life are more full of anticipation than others. Some days and some...
Yesterday's message ... Began with a Paul Harvey-esque moment about the origin of the phrase "waiting for the other shoe to drop"; Explained that biblical prophets are not so much future predictors as hope givers (and, occasionally, judgment declarers); Landed at the...
The name of our Christmas series has worked just like I wanted it to. I tell folks that the name is ... Wait For It ... and then they wait. As if the title is coming. And then, of course, I say, "No, that's it. Wait For It!" Advent is a season of patience, longing,...
This week, I received a newsletter from a campus ministry. The newsletter contained this brief narrative: For almost two years now I (campus minister) have mentored a junior ... named Stephen. I have written about him in past newsletters as we have formed a close...
I'm pretty sure of most of these thoughts below. In other words, I think that I think the following . . . I don't like sweet potatoes. But I love sweet potato fries and sweet potato chips. Do I need therapy? When clergy post opinions on celebrity deaths, they are...
None of these folks would ever have their own Top Five Tuesday in this particular space. Perhaps they would in yours. And that's the fun of the lists. So all of the artists below have a few songs I like, maybe one or two that I love, and then the rest I greet with a...
How can I do a typical Monday morning Sermon Rewind when my Sunday remarks were anything but typical? First, they were more of a "meditation" than a sermon. Second, I talked to think the meditation rather than thought to talk it. Meaning, while I knew what I was...
It will be interactive and inspiring. It will be participatory and passionate. It will be educational and edifying. It will be the Body of Christ better understanding the body of Christ. Thank-A-Thon. Sunday. 8:30, 10, 11:30 at Good Shepherd Moss Campus. 9, 10:30 at...