As a preacher, I want my sermons to matter. What do I mean by that? This: I want the messages I prepare and deliver actually to intersect with the lives of the people who show up week after week (or, in the 21st century, every other week!) to hear them. After all, what's the point of a well-crafted and expertly delivered sermon that ultimately has nothing to do with the lives of people in the congregation or in the community? Maybe more specifically: what good does a sermon do if it impresses a seminary audience but fails to connect with the people you are called to serve? And in my 26+ years of full-time ministry, I have discovered a selection of topics that simply never get old.  Subjects for which there are always hungry and needy listeners.  Here are five: 1.Healing Regret.  And then preventing it.  This is how you know proclamation can never be separated from counseling.  And what comes into my office over and over again is this: the coulda woulda shouldas.  People filled with regret and shame for vows broken, drugs taken, and families ruined.  So preaching needs to acknowledge the regret in the lives in the room and give the emphatic declaration that God really is El Rophe -- the God who heals.  Along these lines, I've been developing many sermons recently that deal with regret prevention.  I know from both experience and observation that lining up your life with the counter-intuitive wisdom of Scripture leads to households that are free of regret and devoid of drama.  That's what the upcoming Preventology series is all about. 2.  Impacting Communities And Generations.  What a joy to realize that people really want their lives to count for something larger than themselves.  Good preaching taps into and then unleashes that deep-seated desire.  That's why some of the most memorable Good Shepherd series have led to what we call Radical Impact Projects -- those times when the church marshals its resources to make in indelible difference in the lives of the most vulnerable among us.  The most astonishing example was 2013's Home project, which you can read about here. 3. Addiction. I am forever grateful that part of my seminary preparation included becoming familiar with the Twelve Steps of Recovery.  Why?  Because barely a week goes by in this church without dealing with some form addiction -- drugs, porn, alcohol, gambling, cutting, and eating disorders.  Oftentimes, I will remind people in sermons that God's great act of grace in their lives was the night they spent in jail with a DUI, as that crisis started them on the road to recovery.  The series that became the book The Storm Before The Calm addresses these subjects in some depth. 4.  Households.  Oh, the drama that takes place behind closed doors in people's homes.  And you know what is interesting about the biblical library's treatment of home life?  There are almost no functional families described!  Whether it's Adam & Eve or Jacob & Esau or David & his progeny, the bible's "family hour" is full of deception, intrigue, and dysfunction.  Ancient family: meet modern family.  It's also why one of our church's core values is that faith starts at home. 5. Gospel History.  Guess what?  I Corinthians 15:1-8 is still the cornerstone:

 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b] and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. Paul "received" it -- he didn't dream it up -- and it is of "first importance."  So: our faith is based on history and not philosophy.  The man Jesus really lived, died, and returned to let his executioners know he was giving them another chance.  Reciting those universe-changing facts always fills me with holy adrenaline. And if this inheritance is the most important thing Paul passed on, it's the most important thing I can pass on as well.  Those decisive acts in divine history always touch human lives.  

As has been our tradition for the last eleven years, I spent Friday morning tooling around the Wachovia , Quail Hollow, Wells Fargo PGA tournament with both my wife Julie and my father-in-law Ted.  Walking around Quail Hollow is a yearly exercise in seeing how the other half lives. By other half, of course, I mean golf fans as opposed to tennis fans.   Some idle thoughts:

• A few years ago, the tournament had a no cell phone rule.  Then they got over-ruled by sheer numbers.  I must say, patrons are extraordinarily cooperative and don't abuse their cell phone rights.  If only malls, elevators, YMCAs were the same.
• Some golfers have fitness levels that wouldn’t really cut it on the pro tennis tour. Then there are others who definitely could.
• Watching golf live is so different from watching it on TV. When you watch it live, you can only pay attention to either one golfer or one hole at a time. It’s hard to get a grasp of the big picture; difficult to know who has momentum and inspiration. But when you watch it on TV, you see the whole story at once: you watch multiple holes, you can follow the hot hand, you can see who is struggling and/or choking, and you have the commentary to help make sense of it all.
• Then I realized: that (the difference between live golf and TV golf) is like the difference between being human and being God. We go through life focused on our small picture; God is engaged in it from the perspective of the Big Story.  Everything happens at once and God is able to keep track of it.

It's incredible how close this video dream is to becoming three dimensional reality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LJiypZal2g   That's why we are so excited about the "Sneak Peek" of our new Living Room space that will be part of our morning celebration on May 8. Throughout the morning, members of our leadership team will guide groups of people through the new space, giving you an up close & personal opportunity to see this marvelous new tool for inviting all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. As you might suspect, while the construction of the Living Room is near its completion, we still have much to do in order to finish and to furnish it.  So on Sunday, we'll show you the furnishings and equipment needed to make the space as appealing as possible for emerging generations. And we'll also provide opportunities to help the church turn its dreams into reality. See you Sunday at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 on our Moss Road campus (11:30 Latino service as well) and 10 and 11:30 on Zoar Road.    

A couple of weeks ago, my message "Shining Light" had this bottom line: God never shows up.  But sometimes he shows off. Well, with this weekend's First Serve, we want to give you an opportunity to allow God to do just that.  Through you.   First Serve is our community outreach ministry that puts hands and feet to our value of serving in love.  Over the span of the next three days, here are some of the ways God can show off through you:  

Serving Opportunities Include:On Thursday, May 5:

Lake Wylie Elementary Staff Appreciation Luncheon - Meet at Good Shepherd Church at 10:30 am Ambassador, Demetria Daniel This is a good fit for high school ages and up. 10 people needed. Volunteers will serve lunch to staff and teachers at Lake Wylie elementary school located around the corner from the Moss Road Campus on Erwin Road.  Come serve, meet and greet staff as we bless them as part of Teacher Appreciation week. We will also be providing notes of encouragement to be given out. _____________________________________

On Friday, May 6:

Dove's Nest - Meet at Good Shepherd Church at 10:00 am Background check required prior to serving. Please see pdf form attached to registration. Ambassador, Susan Trull This is a good fit for all ages.  15 volunteers needed. Charlotte Rescue Mission's "Dove's Nest" is an intensive 120-day program to help women deal with drug and alcohol addictions. Volunteers will prepare and serve lunch to the women in the program. Feel free to bring a dessert to share. ____________________________________

On Saturday, May 7:

Nursing Home Ministry Ambassadors, Tim and Melissa Hoffman This is a good fit for all ages. 20 people needed, including children. Do you have a heart for seniors? Our team of volunteers meets at the Nursing Home located at 2415 Sandy Porter Road, Charlotte, NC 28273 at 9:30 a.m. We bring smiles and encouragement to the residents. Bingo starts at 10:30! Bingo helpers are needed at each table to repeat the last number called, help residents read their cards, and to shout "Bingo!" New volunteers can buddy-up with experienced volunteers for an introduction to the facility and our ministry. ________________________________________ Samaritan's Feet Warehouse Ambassador: Ginenne Rife This is a good fit for ages 8 and up. 40 volunteers needed. Volunteers will unpack, organize, and process shoes that will be distributed all over the world.  Upon arrival at SF a short video and training session is provided to explain the details of processing the shoes. ________________________________________ Shoes of Hope Outreach Ambassador: Colman Pierzchala This is a good fit for middle schoolers and up.  50 volunteers needed. Partnered with Samaritan’s Feet and Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center we will be providing shoes for 200 refugees who have recently arrived in the city of Charlotte.  Volunteers can participate in various roles such as praying, washing feet, shoe store and runners who empty water and shuttle shoes to foot washers. There will be a short orientation for all volunteers. ________________________________________ Charlotte Rescue Mission Ambassador: Allan Barwick This is a good fit for all ages. 20 volunteers needed. We will prepare and serve lunch for 150 men enrolled in the Charlotte Rescue Mission recovery program. The centerpiece of this ministry is the time of visiting that comes after lunch is served. This is the time when the volunteers from Good Shepherd pick up a lunch plate, sit down at a table, and join the conversation. Please bring a dessert to share.   To sign up -- and to give God room to show off -- simply click here.

I was so blessed to begin today in Hebrews 12: ¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹ to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰ because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”^{[c] 21} The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”^{[d] 22} But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. I love the contrast there between the fear of Mt. Sinai and the joy of Mt. Zion. I love the imagery of joining with "thousands upon thousands" -- in other words, one of the few times the word "countless" really applies -- of souls worshipping our risen Lord and our returning King. And I love the notion that Jesus' sprinkled blood "speaks a better word."  I must confess: I had heard that line in Matt Redman's gorgeous version of "Nothing But The Blood" but I did not know until today that the line is a direct quote from Scripture. Here is Redman's tune.  Enjoy it with a reminder that we'll never be in a place where we don't have a desperate need for Jesus' blood applied to our lives.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeOmzEq-uC8