For several years, I've been encouraging a preacher friend of mine to see the light, read Communicating For A Change, use the ME-WE-GOD-YOU-WE outline it describes, and preach a one-point sermon. But my friend is notoriously hard-headed and for years he resisted....
I've been doing this for more than a quarter-century now. I started in 1990. I've served only two appointments in that time (1990-1999 at Mt. Carmel-Midway in Monroe and 1999-present here at Good Shepherd), but I've seen more than a couple of changes in ministry. In...
Chiseled launched yesterday with a message that I felt good about because it .... Linked the start of Ephesians 2:1=10 (and you were dead) with its conclusion (you are his workmanship) by connecting impulse and impact; Led to a video conclusion involving a regular guy...
In 2017, we have had ... Creatures Of Habit The Path Of Most Resistance Finished Business Love Handles. I have felt good about each one, and your feedback throughout the year has only increased in appreciation. So just wait until we devote an entire series to calling...
A mish mash. A hodgepodge. A random sampling of thoughts, insights, and realizations; rarely connected but hopefully helpful: My life significantly improved when I changed to daily wear contact lenses. Yes, they are more expensive, but on the other hand I may never...
In early 2000, I signed my then-seven-year-old son Riley up for tennis lessons at the Charlotte Tennis Academy near SouthPark. The director was (and is) a very fine guy named Bill Schillings, whom I had known from his days on the Penn State tennis team. This was part...
A couple of weeks ago, I dedicated this space to my five favorite hard rock songs of all time. You can read that post here. But who am I to limit my musical exploration to power chords and incendiary riffs? What about the easier, softer side of rock? Soft rock? Since...
Yesterday's sermon was . . . . named after an ABBA song; drawn from a vertical "aside" towards the end of a horizontal chapter; centered on a real life "Bag O' Secrets" that I filled midway through and emptied at the conclusion; punctuated by this bottom line: Only...
More and more I observe with great sadness that the fundamental posture of the human species is "but I know better." It's true both in the larger culture and in the more intimate confines of the local church. It's true of those who have tried Christianity and found it...
Not long ago, I was meeting with a very nice young couple and beginning the process of pre-marital counseling. And during our initial conversation, the subject of the role faith would play in their marriage came up. As you would expect it would, given that I am a...