LoveDare Is Coming

This Sunday launches LoveDare, a new series based on the book of the same name. This series will address relationships, romance, and, yes, marriage. Check it out:



Why this series at this time? Because we're serious about addressing the marriage crisis in our community. We believe this one will help.

We're also combining the LoveDare series with a special Pathfinder Couples' Launch. So small groups of couples will meet throughout the series to discuss the Sunday messages, the LoveDare book, and how it all applies in their lives. To sign for the March 4 launch, click here.

LoveDare starts with "Matters Of The Heart" this Sunday at 8:00, 10:00, and 11:30.

Some Things I Like

Random reflections on things I really appreciate about life:

• Lime Tostitos. Once I eat the first one I can NOT stop.
• Colin Cowherd. ESPN Radio host each day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. He makes mid-day driving a treat, not a chore. Smart, witty, insightful. I would like to preach like Colin Cowherd does radio.
• The beauty of a one-handed backhand, like Stefan Edberg, Justine Henin, and Arthur Ashe used to hit and like Roger Federer hits now.
• When we sing Marvelous Light or Sing To The King in church.
• Reading something my daughter writes for her college newspaper.
• Asbury Seminary.
• The four short letters of Paul that follow 2 Corinthians: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. How can you remember the order? Go Eat Pop Corn (G,E,P,C). Each brief epistle packs theological punch.
• Really good church web sites. Like this one or this one.
• How tired I feel after one of our Healing Services.
• The first meal after a fast.
• A good serve-and-volley point, like the ones that John Newcombe or Patrick Rafter used to put together. In other words, like no one puts together anymore.
• Emailing with friends I have barely seen in 25 years.
• The Closer TV show with Kyra Sedgwick.
• Chick Fil-A.
• Watching my son transform his body by lifting weights and playing football.
• Our 25th wedding anniversary trip -- we haven't taken it yet but I know it will be good.

Happy?

Here's something I teach on with regularity: God is not concerned with your happiness. He's concerned with your obedience.

That's not an easy truth. It's not a pleasant truth.

But it is a "true" truth.

And it comes with a promise: any time we pursue happiness as a goal, whenever we "just want to be happy," then happiness will be elusive. The more we pursue it, the farther away it becomes.

But when we pursue godliness, a make-the-devil-mad kind of spirituality, then happiness happens. It is a by-product of a life lived for God. It's a result.

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:33: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."

Words to live by.

Why We Do What We Do (And Tongues, Revisited)

Last week, I received this email from someone in the church:

I experienced something on Monday, while fasting, that I wanted to share with you. I'm not sure where to start, so I'll just say it. On Monday afternoon, I closed my eyes and prayed aloud that the Lord would loosen my tongue so that I could pray to him those things on my heart that I didn't know how to pray. Almost immediately, I began praying out loud in a language that I didn't understand. It lasted less than a minute and I felt a sensation, like a tingling, in my hands and arms as they were outstretched. It took me by surprise, and I almost didn't believe it had actually happened. I continued to pray out loud, in English, and then, once more, asked for my tongue to be loosened and my heart opened to receive whatever the Lord would deliver. I prayed to be emptied of me and filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, right away, I began to pray aloud in what sounded to my ears like a foreign language. This time, it lasted for several minutes and I felt like my heart was laid open and cleared out. The range of emotions I went through while in this prayer was amazing...joy, fear, mourning, pleading, anger, peace. I laughed and cried. It was all there. I couldn't believe it. The Sunday that you preached on speaking and praying in tongues, I wanted to go up to the altar to pray to receive this gift, but didn't. Was I embarrassed? Felt I wasn't worthy? I don't know. I have had a desire for this gift, but never proclaimed it out loud the way I did all alone and out loud on Monday afternoon. And God met me there...He heard my prayer. Hallelujah!
I wanted to share this with you to let you know how much I appreciate your courage in preaching on the power of the Holy Spirit. I long for more of Him and less of me in my life and over the past few weeks have really felt His presence more poignantly than I have in a long time. To have been open enough to receive this gift of a prayer language is huge and I just praise God.

So why did we devote an entire Sunday to teaching on the gift of praying in tongues? Why did I even say something so bold (or reckless) as "what Paul wanted for the Corinthian church, I want for you" -- that you would all pray in tongues? Why did we have a church-wide fast last Monday?

So the movement of the Holy Spirit would happen in people's lives just like this.

That's why we do what we do.

As It Is In Heaven

So what happens in heaven?

Mitch Albom wrote about Five People You Meet In Heaven.

Belinda Carlisle let us know that she believes Heaven Is A Place On Earth.

Led Zeppelin sang, a bit more memorably than Ms. Carlisle, about the stairway to get there.

And Jesus, of course, invites us to pray for the kingdom to come on earth "as it is in heaven."

So what happens in heaven?

To catch a glimpse, come to Sunday's conclusion of Without Limit. 8:30. 10. 11:30.

Favorite Preachers

Here are my top five favorite preachers. Like ever.

I limit the list to those I've heard and seen in person and those whose messages have moved and shaped me as a Christian in addition to forming me as a preacher. In almost every case, these speakers have the ability to say things in a way that makes me kick myself: "why didn't I think of it that way!"

5. Howard Olds. In our first year at Asbury Seminary, Julie and I attended Trinity Hill UMC in Lexington, KY, and sat under Howard's preaching. He is still the best week-in, week-out preacher I've ever heard. He had a magnificent voice and slightly irreverent humor. Howard finished his ministy at Brentwood UMC in Nashville where he battled against cancer for the last several years. He died, too young, in the summer of 2008.

4. Tony Evans. Promise Keepers. Atlanta. 1995. He brought down the Georgia Dome -- and the 68,000 men in it -- with a clarion call to multi-racial ministry. Some of what has happened at Good Shepherd is the result of that sermon on that day. Funny, biblical, passionate.

3. Erwin McManus. Erwin McManus is the founding pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. He is also brilliant, slightly ADD, and very funny. He has designed a ministry that maximizes the arts to reach those disaffected with religion in general and Christianity in particular.

2. Chuck Swindoll. When I was pastoring in Monroe, I soaked up both his books and his radio ministry. His way of breaking down a passage and a subject influenced me for many years. And his voice . . . man, it's like God himself is speaking to you with kindness and fire all rolled together.

1. Andy Stanley. No contest. He's always speaking right to me. How does he do it? Because I'm sure he speaks directly to the 20,000 people who hear him at Atlanta's North Point Church each week as well. He gives fresh insights into familiar passages, applies those insights into life's hilarity and tragedy, and distills it all into the brilliance of the one-point sermon. All while sitting down. How'd he get so smart?

With most of these proclaimers, a Google search will also yield a YouTube link. Well worth it in each case.

Former Doubles Partner Makes Good

The guy to the right is Craig Kardon.

In 1979, he and I won the Texas State Doubles Championship for Boys 18 and under. We never did that well outside of Texas, but we were still a pretty good team.

He went on to play for the University of Texas, and far surpassed me as a player. He played on the pro tour from 1984-1988.

Anyway, just last week, Ana Ivanovic hired Craig as her coach. Uh, she's the one on the left.

She's also the defending French Open champion and was briefly ranked #1 in the world in 2008.

Craig is one of those genuinely nice guys, so I'm really glad for his success.

Perception Vs. Reality

This past Sunday, Eric & Karen Bromby did this sketch for us.

Inspired by The Skit Guys, this piece came just before the sermon. Just before the sermon.



It was hard to preach after being shredded like that, but it was worth it.

Prayer & Fasting

We're having a church-wide fast today.

I'm part of it. After all, it was my idea.

Jesus tells his followers to keep their fasting private in Matthew 6:16-18. Yet this day is one of those rare occasions when in the spirit of solidarity, we'll encourage each other and even go public with our fasting.

Fasting has been a regular part of my routine with God for about 15 years now. I generally fast one day a week -- and try not to tell anyone about it as it is happening. It can be hard. But, literally, "at the end of the day" the fast makes me feel lighter, cleaner, and refreshed.

And food tastes awfully good when you break the fast.

The idea behind a corporate fast is this: if you have an entire group of people telling God, "Lord, you are more important to me than food!" and that same group of people prays for the same things at the same time . . . well, God moves.

So we're looking for his sovereign move in our church, in our marriages, in our own souls.

You can find out more about the fast here.

Reflections On Praying In Tongues

As you can tell from the message last Sunday as well as this week's posts, I have wanted to devote considerable time and energy to the subject of praying in tongues.

So for today I want to share some concluding reflections on the subject:

• The best resource on the topic is Craig Keener's Gift And Giver: The Holy Spirit For Today. This volume has a blend of autobiography and scholarship that makes for a compelling read.
• A second resource is Jack Hayford's The Beauty Of Spiritual Language. Hayford is a pastor, songwriter, and author from California whose approach to ministry and spirituality has influenced me greatly through the years. In addition to leading the Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California to an unprecendented season of growth, he also wrote the early contemporary Christian standard, Majesty -- #176 in your Methodist hymnal!
• Great biblical passages on the subject include Acts 2, Acts 10, Acts 19:1-7, and I Corinthians 12-14. Note that the I Corinthian section has the "love" chapter -- #13 -- sandwiched in the middle of the discussions of spiritual gifts. That serves as a reminder that spiritual gifts -- especially the gift of tongues -- need to be used in a context of love, not superiority.
• I believe that God wants to give the gift of tongues to many people who do not realize it or accept it.
• Having said that, Scripture is also clear that the gift is not for everyone (I Corinthians 12:27-31).
• Part of the miracle of tongues includes the ability to hear and understand when someone else is praying in tongues. We see that reality in Acts 2. I have limited experience in that particular expression of the gift, and much more in the private prayer language to which I Corinthians 14:4 refers.
• A generation ago, the issue of praying in tongues was extremely divisive in churches. Much has changed -- and for the better. Good Shepherd is one of many, many churches today in which tongues is a unifier, not a divider -- even if there are many in the church who don't have this particular gift. We are blessed to be part of what some call the "Third Wave" of churches -- congregations that have expressive worship, enthusiastic praise, and allow room for the gifts to operate while not requiring them as a sign of spiritual maturity.

When You Run Out Of Words

There are times when needs are so great or burdens are so heavy that I don't know what to pray for or even how to pray. It's as if the prayer issue is beyond my ability to articulate.

Another way of saying it: I've run out of words.

Which is the reality to which Romans 8:26 points:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

That's a remarkable claim. Paul is telling us that when we run out of words the Spirit runs in and prays through us. Sometimes with audible groans. Sometimes in our native language. And sometimes, I believe, in tongues.

It's why a prayer language is such a treasure, not to be ignored or taken lightly. Because the Spirit of God is literally praying through the pray-er. If that's the case, it's no wonder that Romans 8:27 finishes the thought in this way: "the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Do you want to make sure your prayers are always in alignment with God's will? Ask the Spirit to pray through you.

That's more Prayer in Hi-Def.

Spirit To Spirit Communication

"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit." I Corinthians 14:2

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful." I Corinthians 14:14


Aren't those words odd? That there is a way of praying in which your mind is not fully operational?

Welcome to praying in tongues.

This is the heart of the appeal that tongues has for me -- an opportunity for my spirit to communicate with God's spirit in ways that transcend my mind. That probably sounds like a strange approach to prayer.

And it is.

But it's Biblical.

I am so glad that I pray for people, situations, and events that are beyond my own understanding. And I am equally glad that all around the world people are praying in the Spirit -- and they are praying for me and for us. I count tongues as a rare privilege to approach the throne of the One who himself is above and beyond the best that I can think.

That's spirit to spirit communication.

Without limit.

Unexpected Subject

So yesterday we tackled one of those subjects that churches like us usually avoid: praying in tongues.

I tried to "de-weird" something that is inherently, well, weird.

As part of the message, I told of my own journey from skepticism about tongues to pursuing it to actually receiving it to how I pray in tongues as part of the ministry at Good Shepherd.

But I believe the best part of the whole service was the spoken testimony collage at the end. Because we have many people at Good Shepherd who do pray in tongues as part of their prayer life, we made a recording of what the gift means to them. Then Chris Macedo put art and music behind it all.

Here's what it looked like:



If that doesn't "de-weird" it, nothing will.

Even better, it made many, many people at the church desire this expression of the Holy Spirit for themselves.

Prayer In Hi-Def

I got HDTV for Christmas.

Once you get that kind of picture quality, it's hard to go back.

So I won't.

Hi-Def TV is just so clear, sharp, and vivid.

What if prayer could be like that? Instead of something you do because you are supposed to, what if prayer could be the most vivid experience of God possible?

Prayer In Hi-Def. It's Week Two of our Holy Spirit series, Without Limit.

Sunday. 8:30. 10:00. 11:30.

Personal Identity

Yesterday was the church's identity. Today is personal.

For me, they are closely aligned. Too closely.

See, I generally define my self by my accomplishments. Whether through tennis, academics, or church, I am what I've done.

The bible calls that . . . works righteousness.

You might call it a tad bit unhealthy.

But the bible comes along with an entirely different answer. I am part of a "royal priesthood" (I Peter 2:9) not because of what I have done but because of who Jesus declares me to be. And who he declares me to be is not subject to the whims of accomplishment or the tenuousness of church momentum. I just am. By his gift.

The bible calls that . . . salvation by grace.

I'll take it.

Congregational Identity

In church land, there is a fine line between learning from other churches and copying them shamelessly.

Honestly, we sometimes cross that line.

There are a number of churches around the country that we follow quite closely. You can see their links under the Churches We Learn From heading on the left side of this blog. If it wasn't for what we've learned from those churches and leaders, we wouldn't be where we are as a congregation.

Learning from feels good. Copying shamelessly feels, well, cheesy.

So maybe we're learning instead to forge our own identity. Take the best of what we are learning from some other places, yet filter it through those things that make Good Shepherd uniquely Good Shepherd.

Without Limit approaches that. It adds an admittedly charismatic flavor to what is in most ways a modern, culturally sensitive congregation. I'd be surprised if any of the churches on the blog's "list" would tackle in worship the subject we'll look at in depth on Sunday: praying in tongues.

But Without Limit feels like a good fit. Like we're crafting something new, something tailored to who we are in this part of town at this time.

Who knows? Maybe some other churches and leaders will learn from us. Or copy us shamelessly.

When Tennis Stars Cry . . .

. . . I usually do, too.


This is Roger Federer in tears after losing to Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open this past Sunday.

I'm so glad I didn't see it live.

I work on Sunday mornings. And Sunday mornings in the U.S. are Sunday nights in Australia.

Federer losing put a downer on what was otherwise a good day (see yesterday's post).

If he'd won, he would have tied Pete Sampras' all-time record of fourteen Grand Slam titles. Better yet, Rod Laver would have handed him the trophy. Many people consider Laver the greatest player ever, even though his peak was back in the late 1960s. He's one of my childhood heroes -- so much so that his picture is on the wall of my office.

But none of that happened to Federer. Instead he lost to Nadal. Again.

I lost to Brad Stoffel 15 times in a row when I was a kid. And I usually cried afterwards as well.

But match #16 was a different story.

I hope Federer's different story is coming soon.

Without Limit Launch

We launched Without Limit yesterday.

The crowds were large, the music was good, and my message was a bit more "raw" than usual.

In fact, I had toyed with the idea of delivering a message totally off the cuff -- no preparation at all. But I had concern that I would simply repeat myself trying to find something interesting to say.

So I prepared my words for yesterday, but with much less precision than usual. There were also parts of it that were more "in your face" than usual as well.

But anyway, two series could hardly be more different than the two that have started 2009: Top Secret and Without Limit. Top Secret delved into relationships, psychology, and healing while Without Limit will be much more theological and congregational.

There is a method behind that arrangement, however, as I usually try to alternate series that are horizontal with those that are vertical. In other words, some series have to do primarily with relationships and ambitions here on planet earth (horizontal), while others deal much more specifically with our relationship with God (vertical). Those distinctions are not cast in stone, but they help me to think through what we are doing.

So what kind of series will follow Without Limit in four weeks? I'll let you know soon, but can you predict its direction?