So what's the difference between a hard rock song and a heavy metal song? I'm not really sure what are the technical distinctions; I just know that I enjoy much hard rock and dismiss virtually all heavy metal. So here are my five favorite almost head bangers ... songs...
Not long ago, I was speaking with a young woman in our church who has been following Jesus for a little less than two years. In that time her worship has flourished, her demeanor has brightened, and her contentment has become contagious. In the course of our meeting,...
I got this note from someone on our staff: I just got a much-needed haircut at Great Clips. I enjoyed talking with (female name) as she worked on my hair. She moved here a week ago from Chicago. One thing led to another and I invited her to visit Good Shepherd this...
The older I get, the more of an English major I become. Novels fill my time, shape my thinking, and inspire my sermons. And I feel privileged to be alive in these early years of the 21st Century, because this season is replete with fiction that is at the same time...
The sermon title came from a song I heard while watching the Super Bowl. The sermon text came from a biblical book and character I got to know well through the Crash Test Dummies series and book. The sermon bottom line is one I fervently believed based on both...
Here I am at 10 years old -- on my way to my first state ranking ever, #5 in Texas for Boys' 10-and-under -- practicing my serve in the driveway of our home in Dallas. I am serving towards our detached garage (I have noticed some subdivisions in Fort Mill, SC...
Tuesday ended up being a good night for me at Good Shepherd. And there are two reasons for that assertion -- one planned and one spontaneous. First as I walked to my car, I saw three young men in the Good Shepherd parking lot. As I drove near them, I noticed they...
We preachers spend a lot of time crafting the opening moments of our sermons. Or, if we don't, we should. Because it is in those moments that you either capture your listeners' attention or lose it. In the opening you either establish common ground with the...
Yesterday's message featured ... A stand-alone door on wheels that was an indispensable prop; A slight window into how United Methodist preachers behave around authority; A title from a Charlie Rich (or was it Charlie Pride?) country music song; One of my strongest...
One of the guys in my LifeGroup brought me this gift earlier this week. It's the perfect concept for a book and the perfect gift for this pastor.