On occasion, I give phone calls to people I haven’t seen around church in awhile. My responses to their responses have me a bit conflicted. If they respond to my “hey, I’ve missed seeing you and want to make sure everything is OK” with “oh, sorry, I’ve just gotten out...

While most Methodist churches refrain from all kinds of clapping — either the rhythmic kind during a praise song or the appreciative kind during a sermon — Good Shepherd has always been one of the exceptions. We clap during most songs on most Sundays.  We even clapped...

Many of you are familiar with the word "liturgy."  In most minds, the word conjures up images of public worship services that are formal, reverent, and predictable. "Liturgical" churches worship through traditional/ancient music, recite creeds & prayers, and place...

  Here is a snapshot of where we are headed this weekend: Christmas Eve -- Saturday, December 24 Moss Road Campus Worship Gatherings 5:00 pm 6:30 pm 8:00 pm Note:  for the first time, we have Nursery Ministry at both 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Our 5:00 p.m. is the...

In the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, the title character has a dreaded and persistent opponent named Sanballat. And . . . we all have Sanballats in our lives.  Athletically, professionally, spiritually, and personally.  So how to deal with them?  Here are some...

I have been thinking about churches that have a publicly codified Statement Of Belief recently.  I even referred to one such statement on Sunday and had sent a link to ours to a new attender earlier in the week. So I want to devote this space today to explaining why...

I looked forward to the message all week. Now that's true most weeks, of course, but especially so for this past week.  Several staffers who had seen the message in advance told me they liked it, and, buoyed up as I am by words of affirmation, by Sunday I was ready to...

Here it is, our 2016 Christmas card:  

With apologies to my mother who taught me to read when I was four or five, and with all due respect to my undergraduate degree in English, I really did learn how to read in seminary. What I mean is that while at Asbury Seminary, I learned a method of close reading I...

I spent last Thursday and Friday in and around Montvale, New Jersey, a bucolic burg just minutes from the New York state line. Why? Because not only is Julie a preacher's wife, but I am a Vice-President's husband.  She is VP of sales for Pentax Medical USA with...