Shepherd Of The Desert Podcast

Labor Day Weekend always invites us to consider our callings in life for which we Labor.  This weekend Pastor Scott shares an optimistic and encouraging message to keep us in the game as we labor for those we love and the life we live.

This week in worship we finish up our August series: By Faith. Hebrews 13 guides our reflection on what it means to live a life characterized by our faith - a life that is founded not on unstable things in this life, but the confidence of the Kingdom of God. When that is our foundation, we live lives filled with words, works and praise that look different to the outside world. Yet, these very things open the door for more people to encounter the faith we hold dear.

FAITH KNOWS ITS FATHER   We’ve walked through Hebrews 11 together, leaning on the examples of the faithful who came before us. Sometimes, though, the distance between us and God remains. We feel lost, we feel uncared for, like shooting in the dark. Yet in Jesus God meets us here, in real life, in person, in powerful ways.

This August we started looking into the final chapters of what may be the final book written in the New Testament—historically speaking that is.  The book of Hebrews, according to many scholars, was written long after the days of Jesus walking on water and earth—some 60 years later.  Times of great testing were settling on the early church.  Faith was more important than ever.  Saying “no” to the world and “yes” to the kingdom became indispensable.  This weekend Pastor Scott catch us up to the faith that moves mountains each and every day as with the writer of Hebrews we remember the heroes of faith in ages past.

Do you struggle with believing in a truth you can’t see? Is it hard to trust God’s word in a world that seems so contradictory against it? August is a chance to surface those struggles and difficulties. On Sunday we take our first steps in a month long study of faith. Come to church these next four weeks as we read through and appreciate the book of Hebrews!

What does generosity really mean?  As we wrap up the Here We Grow sermon series, Pastor John brings us the message from Cancun, Mexico ....

Have you ever felt like God isn't listening to your prayers? Or maybe just that prayers are a nice exercise but they don't do anything? This week we dig into a lesson Jesus gives to his own disciples about prayer. To sum it all up, "keep praying, and pray boldly!" Join us in digital worship as we consider what it means to keep prayer at the forefront of our minds!

This weekend we dig into what it means to have once been alienated and hostile toward God in our sin, yet out of His love for us we are rescued and reconciled, made new and set free in Him! 

Jesus tells us throughout the Gospels to "love our neighbors." Most of the time, it is easy for us to picture who our neighbors are and even to obey Jesus' command toward those people! But sometimes we get tricked into restricting the definition of "neighbor" far more than Jesus ever would have wanted - so we turn back to a familiar story with an important lesson: our neighbor is the one who shows us mercy. To be a neighbor is to show mercy, to look outward, to serve without judgment or division. Let's grow together this week with a look at the Good Samaritan! 

This weekend marks our annual celebration of freedom and independence as a nation! While pondering and remembering the great gift of national freedom we have is important, as Christians we cling to the more powerful reality that true freedom comes only from God. Come to church this weekend as we dig into spiritual freedom, and discover the joy of Jesus and his earning of our freedom as God’s children.

What does being a Christian cost you? In this week's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus explains that those who follow Him are to proclaim His kingdom and do so without hesitation or excuse! On the one hand, the cost for you to be a Christian is everything for it means giving up your self-reliance. However, the cost for you to be a Christian is also free of charge because Jesus selflessly died for you. As a Christian, you have comfort knowing that your price has already been paid by Jesus.

This week we kick off our summer series “Here We Grow!” while we celebrate Trinity Sunday! We worship a God who shows us to Himself as a creating Father, a redeeming Son, and a working Holy Spirit, calling us to faith! Though we struggle to grasp this fully, we know that true wisdom comes as a gift from God and not a product of our own efforts or achievements. Let’s dig into a posture of growth this summer 

This Sunday we continue our summer series "Here We Grow!". There’s nothing better than “A Father’s Love." Let's take a moment and reflect on our Heavenly Father's love for us. As dads, we remember our own spiritual growth, receiving the love of Jesus and now extending His love to our children and grandchildren.

Life brings us to places where we feel isolated, misunderstood, and confused. All this is a result of our own brokenness - yet God in His wisdom and mercy meets us even in those place, and uses us there for his incredible purpose! Come to church this week to hear about how God has put you in a special and specific place, and meets you there for the furthering of his kingdom! Life brings us to places where we feel isolated, misunderstood, and confused. All this is a result of our own brokenness - yet God in His wisdom and mercy meets us even in those place, and uses us there for his incredible purpose! Come to church this week to hear about how God has put you in a special and specific place, and meets you there for the furthering of his kingdom!

This last weekend of the Easter season sees Shepherd celebrating the Ascension of Jesus Christ, the 40 day triumph of a Son's return to His heavenly Father.  Leaving his beloved church behind, Christ works behind the curtain of history leading, guiding and establishing the Gospel of mercy and grace and forgiveness for sinners.  Get ready for a great celebration of Jesus rising (again).

This week in worship we encounter a seemingly trivial story of a person coming to faith, and a home being opened to missionaries. When we look deeper, we see the Spirit of God opening a heart to hear the Truth of God's love, causing a whole family to change course for the Gospel. Since Easter, we've been studying the real-life impact of Jesus' resurrection on our daily lives. Come to church this week to hear how ordinary people (like you and me!) are called to extraordinary purpose because of the Sunday that changes everything!

Last week we learned how the Easter story transforms us into people no longer keeping ourselves as our number one priority. This week, we encounter a challenging story - God opening the gates to a relationship with Him for people outside His Jewish covenant! This story teaches us a lesson in not only putting our selfishness aside but taking hold of an attitude that focuses on others first! Our prayer is to join in the words of Peter who said, “Who was I to stand in God’s way?”

Happy Mother's Day from Shepherd! As we spend some special time this weekend celebrating and thanking God for our mothers and our motherly figures in life, worship with us! Paul writes to the Ephesians at the end of Acts, "it is better to give than to receive." Mothers are certainly examples of living out this generous lifestyle, and we all are called to embrace the Word of Grace from God, helping others, and giving more than we are receiving. See you in church!

This week we celebrate Baptism as a church! Baptism is one of God's powerful gifts to His children - its commanded, beneficial, and lifelong! Through Baptism, God calls us His own, he washes us clean from our sins, and we put on the perfection of Jesus! God works through the water of Baptism and the Word he speaks so that all who are baptized are welcomed into His Kingdom - the Church!

Easter comes with consequences. Doubting Thomas believes. Persecuted disciples stand strong. Eternal hope is a revelation to behold and hope for. These are our themes for worship these weeks at Shepherd.