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?...
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....
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...
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....
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....
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
It happens in movies all the time. Two characters are engaged in some surprising conversation or activity when a third character reacts incredulously. That third character can’t believe what they’re seeing or hearing. And in so doing, they model for us - the viewer...
Keep ReadingA juxtaposition is defined as "two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect." I’m sure there are a few in this weekend’s movie release, Rogue One, which continues the Star Wars franchise. There’s certainly one in this week’s...
Keep ReadingEvery four years, after a new president is elected, the chosen candidate gets to appoint their cabinet. This practice dates back to George Washington, America's first president, who elected five other people to serve alongside him and Vice President...
Keep ReadingIt’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go! And I suppose it's time. A few weeks ago, I lamented how quickly our society jumped from Halloween to Christmas, skipping right over Thanksgiving. I wrote: This year I noticed, more than...
Keep ReadingIt’s time for your Greek lesson! (I know what you’re thinking: “Don’t we get enough Greek in your sermons on Sundays!?” And, fair enough. Maybe so. But this one will be short. I promise.) Good Shepherd is a Presbyterian church. This describes not only our...
Keep ReadingApparently teaching through the Book of Acts is a dangerous thing for a preacher to do. Now I know. This fall we've been engaging this book of early church history, as we live into our mission, "Inviting all people to grow into a Christ-centered life in God's family."...
Keep ReadingA strange thing happened this week. No, it doesn’t have to do with the Presidential Election. And no, it isn’t the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time since 1908. Though that was fun (for them!). It has to do with Halloween - or, better yet,...
Keep ReadingLast week we engaged the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who, following his transformation, became the Apostle to the Gentiles, sharing the good news of God's love all over the world. In my message, I noted how God is the author of...
Keep ReadingIt’s fall (though the weather might not seem like it). If you don’t believe me, stop by Starbucks. You’ll see: Pumpkin Spiced Lattes are on the menu! The season’s change reminded me a powerful metaphor in the book Church Unique used by our Staff and Session...
Keep Reading"How's the running going, Curtis?" It was a simple question. And it deserved a simple answer. "Great!" I could've said, responding succinctly. Or, "Really well, actually, I'm running five days a week, three miles each day," if I wanted to give more details....
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