How many songs, how many movies, how many books and stories deal with love? As each of us survey the landscapes of our lives, how much of the topography features love? As we age and feel loneliness creep in, how much of our mind and heart is occupied by love and its aches? The whole […]

I once saw a sheep farmer pull his truck up to a sheep pen. As soon as they saw the truck, they ran to the trough. The appearance of the shepherd meant that they were to be fed. And he fed them. What if the farmer decided to mend the fence instead? Not only would […]

“The Lord is my shepherd.” Probably all of us know this opening from Psalm 23. In it is carried the hopeful promise that the Lord is for me, and not just with me. A shepherd sees himself as existing for his sheep, laying down his own preferences for another and making sure the sheep are […]

Jeremiah writes in the context of God’s people being under bad shepherds. Biblically speaking, the root of the word shepherd is related to ruling: to shepherd is to rule. Though God here is speaking of bad kings, the principles are soundly applied to pastors as well. A shepherd’s job is to care for his sheep […]

God promises to provide for his people. Faithless and wandering we may be; faithful, certain, and true he is. Like sheep with our heads down, we wander mindlessly to the next tuft of grass. Our moving away from the Shepherd so often lacks signposts or great fanfare. We may or may not look up to […]

Shepherds of the Lord’s flock are marked by their humility, prompting Peter to plead that each of us clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. Strangely, shepherds of the Lord’s flock are at the same time themselves sheep: as we are led by the Good Shepherd, from that leading we humbly lead others. Where are […]

We can be excused from thinking that our ears are the only ears that we have. What if we stretched a metaphor to say that the new hearts that we receive from hearing the gospel have ears? That our new hearts hear the words from Romans 12, and – well – take those words to […]

Paul speaks to the pastors of the Ephesian church before he heads to Jerusalem, and they don’t expect to see him again (20:38). Be deliberate about your pastoring, he tells them. What does it mean to pastor? God’s plan for the church is to have pastors (sometimes called elders, other times overseers, but used interchangeably) […]

Where do you go when you need something certain? When life throws the curve ball and puts you off-balance, where do go? At its worst, we all have things that leave us groping in the dark for something – anything – that is sure, certain, familiar. Where do you go, and to whom do you […]

As we behold the way God communicates with us – his speaking and our hearing – we are struck by his strength, power, and authority. He creates and sustains all things, willing things into being by his words. And as he speaks his word of gospel, he speaks life, restoration, reconciliation and all else besides. […]