Talbot Davis's Blog, page 97

Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Prettiest One Handed Backhands Ever In Men’s Tennis

With Stan Wawrinka’s stunning US Open victory over Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s U.S. Open final, the one-handed backhand made a glorious return to prominence. For the uninitiated, most players today hit their backhands with two hands, which is generally more effective but less aesthetic. Yet Wawrinka’s one hander is the best of both worlds: consistent, Read the full article...

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I Am Going To School Today

Yep, I’m headed here, to Lake Wylie Elementary School:     I will be working with a fourth grader every Monday during the school year on improving his reading skills. Like I told our church, I can’t repair home, but I can help with reading. I am one of about 40 Good Shepherd volunteers who Read the full article...

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MIssion: Possible

What?! A Sunday that’s not part of a series at Good Shepherd? A stand-alone, independent Sunday worship gathering? Yep, that’s right. Wake Up Call is complete and Nooks & Crannies starts on Sept. 18, so this Sunday, Sept. 11, is all about a youthful expression of the possibility of mission. It will be exuberant, joyful, Read the full article...

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Strategy Or Spirit?

In addition to thinking about The Curse Of Knowledge recently (see yesterday’s post), I’ve also been thinking about the dichotomy between the strategic and the spiritual. Some churches — indeed, some organizations — are so wrapped up in strategy that they seldom if ever consider the role of the Spirit.  These groups tend to devote Read the full article...

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The Curse Of Knowledge

I’ve been thinking a lot about The Curse Of Knowledge recently. Just what is The Curse Of Knowledge? This:  once you know something, you forget what it’s like not to know it. The applications in church life are almost endless: Once you know the Apostle’s Creed, you forget what it’s like not to know it. Read the full article...

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Wake Up Call, Week 5 — Sing Spiritually

In lieu of a Top Five Tuesday (or Sermon Rewind Monday), I give you Sunday’s Sing Spiritually worship gathering from Good Shepherd. Sing Spiritually was the culmination of Wake Up Call and was noteworthy for a number of reasons: Instead of a sermon, we had a guided experience of singing & teaching, scripted and filmed by Read the full article...

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Wake Up Call, Week 5 — Worship, Wesley, Wow

I love it when a series takes me by surprise. And Wake Up Call has done just that. People have resonated with the calls to ministry, the invitations to community, and the urging to awaken to the ongoing power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. And then it concludes Sunday by exploring and experiencing the Read the full article...

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A Better Way Of Saying “Big Church” . . .

  During a Next Step group, a woman made the most interesting observation about Good Shepherd:This is not a big church.  It’s a church where a lot of people belong. And I did what I always do in a situation like that:  exclaimed “that will preach!” and then wrote it down to keep for future use. Read the full article...

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Albert Outler Makes An Appearance In 2016

Reaching into my bookcase recently, I was startled to pull out these two gems that helped move me to United Methodist ministry.  I honestly thought I had loaned them out to someone who neglected to return them . . . but there they were, right where I had left them in my bookcase. Albert Outler Read the full article...

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Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Moments From Our “Take The Plunge” 2016

On Sunday evening, we celebrated the outdoor baptism of some of our favorite Good Shepherd people. We explained to the families, friends, and supporters that baptism is the entire Easter weekend in an instant:  dying with Christ, buried in death, and then, gloriously, united with him in resurrection.  Paul says it this way in Romans Read the full article...

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