In commemoration of the death this past weekend of Steely Dan's Walter Becker, here is a reprise of a 2014 post involving my five favorite Steely Dan songs. Interestingly, my original post drew a strong reaction from my mom -- she'd never heard of Steely Dan but could...
Where Apples Fall “Well, THAT apple sure didn’t fall from the tree!” It’s one of the most common ways of describing the incredible influence that parents have on their children. Influence that parents wield knowingly and unknowingly, to great impact and to lasting...
That book that I now love but used to hate? Judges. As in, a book in the library that is the bible. For years, my only familiarity with the book of Judges was the fact that Lyle Lovett once made an album called JoshuaJudgesRuth, which I thought was a clever name for...
Many of you know Gideon from the name that is on the cover of your hotel bible, as well as the organization that put it there. I suspect that fewer of you know, however, that the Gideon on the inside of your bible is actually much more interesting than the one on the...
In honor of this year's US Open, which began yesterday and runs through September 10, I want to devote this space to something quite near to the heart of every serious tennis player: the art of throwing (or simply abusing) a tennis racket. Yes, it's an art. With...
Sunday's message . . . Shifted the focus from hell to high water; Dealt with a weird section from I Peter 3, a section that has influenced some weird sects as well as two different versions of the Apostles' Creed; Pointed out the irony in Peter's claim that the waters...
It's almost here. After three weeks of hell, a focus on the high water part. I promise you that it will be unlike any other Sunday we've ever had at Good Shepherd. The water has been warmed, the towels are ready, and the Holy Spirit has already shown up. Now he's just...
This story was in a recent edition of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Insider It was a kind of classroom that Heidi Phillips hadn't seen before. There were no walls or ceilings. School ended at noon. Dogs roamed the classroom. If it rained, the room got wet....
In the book of Judges, the story of Deborah (Judges 4 & 5) breaks one stereotype after another: Deborah is a woman in ancient times who leads, ill-equipped Israel somehow vanquishes iron-clad Canaan, and the mighty Canaanite commander Sisera proves himself to be...
On the day after #Eclipse2017, how could I do any except pay brief tribute to a band with a song called Sisters Of The Moon? For the sake of clarity: when Fleetwood Mac had its peak popularity with its Rumours album, I was hesitant to like it very much for fear it...