Catman!
“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” --Sigmund Freud “In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this.” --Terry Pratchet “As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.” --Ellen Perry Berkeley ...
Keep ReadingVenn Diagrams
I love Venn diagrams. The visual representation of all logical relations between a finite collection of different sets is just the coolest. Don’t you think?...
One Step Toward Our 2030 Vision
As we enter a new year of “inviting all people to grow into a Christ-centered life in God’s family” Good Shepherd staff members have brainstormed three key areas vital to living out that mission....
Mine!
Every year at this time, the Weekly is filled to the brim with various opportunities in the life of our church. By my count, there are 23 opportunities this week alone! A recent member of the Good Shepherd family recently e-mailed me to share of the fun...
Start With Why
Next Saturday, August 25th, our elders are meeting for a bi-annual retreat day. We do so every January and August, and they have become two of my absolute favorite days of the entire year, not only because we have a lot of fun together, but also because I learn so much from each one of the leaders on the team....
A Day at CBS
Last week we welcomed over 220 kids for VBS. This week, our Middle and High School students are on Catalina at Campus by the Sea for a week of summer camp. Different settings, to be sure, but the same goal....
2
VBS Week
VBS week is like no other week on campus. It’s not even close. All week, over 220 Pre-K through 5th graders have been making crafts, engaging in science experiments, playing games, watching skits and singing. And singing. Then, a little more singing...
Thank You!
When we discovered Jen was pregnant with our first child we were still in Princeton, NJ, entering the last year of our seminary adventure. It was the summer of 2000. In the fall of that year we traveled back home to southern California. We celebrated Jen’s birthday...
3
Rivalries
The Red Sox and the Yankees. Tom and Jerry. UCLA and USC. Batman and the Joker. Coke and Pepsi. The Hatfields and the McCoys. Classic rivalries are all around us. Here's one you may have never thought of: 9am Classic and 10:45am Modern...
Resident Aliens
Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willamon’s book Resident Aliens opens with these words: Sometime between 1960 and 1980, an old, inadequately conceived world ended, and a fresh, new world began. We do not mean to be overly dramatic....
Counter Culture
In 1926, the United States Supreme Court made a well-intentioned ruling that affects our everyday lives - perhaps for the worst. The justices ruled that the town of Euclid, Ohio could bar the development of land which had been slated for an industrial-use...
The Wave
For the next two weeks the world will turn its attention to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Fans around the world will tune in to cheer on their country. Despite concerns about the Zika virus and subpar housing conditions...
Keep Reading
2
Thursday Night at the Greek
On Thursday night, my wife Cassie and I attended a concert at the Greek Theater. The band isn't her favorite musical act, but I had been looking forward to this show since I got tickets back in December. With work commitments and a busy family life, it had...
Keep ReadingLet the Little Children Come To Me...
Last month, I attended the first of three two-week intensives required for my Doctorate in Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. One of the first assignments was a paper chronicling my faith journey, especially as it related to leaders in churches I attended...
Keep ReadingPokémon Go and the Christian Life
I'd heard about it. I'd read about it. I'd seen it on the news. And then I saw it in action. Kids on my street were playing Pokémon Go, a new video game that allows players to "travel between the real world and the virtual world" finding and catching "more than...
Keep Reading
2
Hey, Big Head!
Growing up, most aspects of life came pretty easily to me. I aced my classwork, starred in sports, made others laugh and—as a bonus—the girls didn’t think I was too ugly, either. It was a recipe for disaster. Boy, did I get a big head. My head was so big...
Keep ReadingMonkey Business
Last Sunday, June 26th, we encountered the mid-point of Esther. At long last, after countless coincidences and ironies, we saw the tables turn, not because of Mordecai’s bold faith, nor Esther’s victory in the king’s contest for a new queen. No, as you may recall...
Keep Reading
1
The Unbusy Pastor
One of the books that I read early on in my ministry that continues to inform me today is The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson. While Peterson wrote the book with pastors in mind I believe it has a lot to say for clergy and laity alike. One of the convicting...
Keep Reading
3
5 Dumb Things Christians Say
The events in Orlando last weekend left me saddened, weary and a bit angry, too. It is so difficult to understand or make sense of something so evil. After those tragic events Christianity Today published an article by Karl Vaters titled, “5 Dumb Things Christians...
Keep Reading
2
Campus Flood Update
I want to first thank everyone for their patience during the recent construction delays related to the flood in our Narthex. We were able to move the process along with the insurance company and the new carpeting has been ordered. We will not have firm...
Keep Reading