Yesterday's message ... BEGAN "old school": we stood and read the Scripture (or, if I was going super UMC collared and liturgical, "the lection") out loud and together; Repeatedly connected the Mark 5 story of the Gerasene demoniac with the Mark 4 story of the calming...
Our journey through Bragging Rights has taken us from What We Were Like to What Happened, all in order to prepare us for What We Are Like Now. That's this coming Sunday, April 22, and it's a message I can't wait to give. Part of my excitement stems from the fact that...
On Wednesday evening, the Young Adult (18-28) LifeGroup that meets in our house explored three of the worst stories in Scripture. Using Sandy Richter's Ruth study from the Epic Of Eden, the group learned about these wretched events: The incestuous origins of the...
Mark 4:35-41 contains this fabulous little story whose meaning is wrapped up in its subtle choice of words: 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he...
My signature accomplishment in high school was being awarded Third Most Innocent in the senior superlatives edition of our campus newspaper. Here's the proof: Anyway, five moments during a recent Eagles concert showed me just how accurate that "award" was. ...
(No sermon rewind today as Ron Dozier preached at Good Shepherd yesterday.) I have had seasons where I’ve had somewhere I wanted to go, some things I wanted to do, and at every turn (not that I was seeking it out!) – someone or something stands in opposition. And the...
Here I am at 11 losing -- badly -- to Boyd Bryan in the quarterfinals of the 1973 Texas Sectionals for Boys' 12-and-under. I'd estimate the score was 6-1, 6-2, maybe 6-2, 6-3. Boyd never missed and when I was 11 I had already started serve-and-volleying, and I...
At Good Shepherd, we talk all the time about inviting all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. But what exactly is a living relationship with Jesus Christ? What does it look like? Early on, we narrowed it down to seven "marks" or "measures." Here's...
You've heard of the five stages of grief? Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance? Or on a lighter note, the Five Love Languages? Acts Of Service, Words Of Affirmation, Gifts, Quality Time, and physical touch? So those cinco-centric lists got me...
Yesterday's message ... Began with an unusual (for me) exploration of how Julie and I met; Continued with an examination of ways in which we are under surveillance; Dug into Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 26-31 Borrowed its title from the AA...