One Sunday a few weeks ago, one of my best preacher friends was in the worship crowd at Good Shepherd. He had recently retired but had not yet moved to the city that will be his home in retirement. So I badgered him into attending Good Shepherd before the move. Now know this:  most of Read the full article…

I recently read David Hepworth’s Never A Dull Moment, a book that confirmed what I’d long felt but never articulated:  1971 was the greatest year in the history of recorded music.     Hepworth goes through that seminal year month by month, artist by artist, and release by release.  In a year featuring albums like Read the full article…

What do William Shatner, Chester Karras, and the Old Testament figure of Jephthah have in common? Yesterday’s sermon spills those beans. Drawing from chapters 10 and 11 of Judges, the “Deja Vu All Over Again” sermon landed at this bottom line:   God doesn’t want to negotiate.  He wants to liberate.   (Speaking of Judges Read the full article…

Pastoral leaders are supposed to help people navigate change. It’s part of the territory. Sometimes I do it well. Other times I don’t. But someone said something a awhile back that has stuck with me: People don’t fear change. They fear what they’ll lose in change. How true. When you change a church’s structure, some Read the full article…

A new friend at Good Shepherd put their first time guest note on their refrigerator. And then snapped a photo of it to share with friends. All held up, of course, by a Good Shepherd refrigerator magnet.