Books, music, and sports find their way into these Tuesday lists more often than movies. But I have to admit: every so often, a movie -- or, more accurately, a scene within a movie -- hits me in such a way that the floodgates open and the tears fall. Sometimes the...
Now THIS Is The Romans Road
Many of you are familiar with the Romans Road, a collection of verses from that signature New Testament book designed to lead people on the “road” to salvation. It starts out with our Problem from Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of...
God’s Plan … Or God’s Design
Some of you know that I have been hosting a LifeGroup full of Under 25s this spring. We've used Andy Stanley's Starting Point as a launching pad to talk about life, faith, grief, and hope. And a recurring question we've addressed is this: what is God's plan for my...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Hard Rock Songs
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...
How A New Believer Figured Out Romans 6 Before She Ever READ It
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,...
What Inviting All People Looks Like
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...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five (Favorite) 21st Century Novels
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...
Love Handles, Week 3 — The “Bad Romance” Sermon Rewind
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...
#TBT — Summer, 1971, at 3605 Rosedale, Dallas Texas
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...
A Good Night At Good Shepherd
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...