Unhappy Campers, Week 4 — Wildwood

One of my favorite of the classic Southern Gospel Camp Meetin' Songs is The Church In The Wildwood.  Here ya go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOeU28951g   This Sunday, we won't necessarily be that church in the wildwood, but we will explore a wild story from...

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The Social Solitude Of Preaching

Preaching is an intensely solitary activity. Preaching is a thoroughly social exercise. Which is it?  Solitary or social? Yes. My own process of preparation is wholly wrapped in solitude.  I study, I jot, I brainstorm, I fret, I pray, I get excited, I become...

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The Methodists Made A Video About US!

The Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (that's a mouthful, but that's where I have spent my professional life and that's the denominational entity of which Good Shepherd is a part) recently made and posted a video about our church. The...

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Unhappy Campers, Week 3 — Where The Wild Things Are

Many of you remember this book from childhood: The place where all those "wild things are" is a place you want to leave; an uncertainty you want to escape, a freedom you're willing to give up. Of course, Maurice Sendak had nothing on the children of Israel. They heard...

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Simply The Best …

Here are some "bests" I've encountered in my time on earth. Best tennis player I ever played with:  Rod Laver.  If you're a tennis player, you know it's virtually impossible to have a better answer than that one.  Laver, an Australian who won tennis' calendar year...

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Why Ambiguity Makes For Great Art And Terrible Leadership

Most critics will tell you that great novels and films involve more than a little ambiguity.  Characters are rounded, stories are open-ended, and the heroes and villains are indistinguishable, in large part because people are both at the same time. It's why in...

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TOP FIVE TUESDAY — Top Five Wimbledon Moments

Some thoughts I shared about Wimbledon in the space before . . . Top Five Tuesday: Top Five Wimbledon Moments   I have never been to Wimbledon. Something about sitting in a cold rain in early July doesn’t appeal to me. And for the last 24 years, I haven’t been...

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