Good Shepherd Umc

We all pray some. Most surveys say that 90% of the world believes in prayer. We especially pray when something is going wrong. But wouldn't we like to pray...more? better? stronger?

We will consider what it means to grow older with God. Psalm 71:9 pleads Don’t cast me off in old age. Don’t abandon me when my strength is used up!

It’s good to have a support system in place, but we need to look further than that. Because history and experience teach us that no safety plan, no insurance policy, no security system can keep you absolutely safe in this life. You can follow all the safety rules, take every precaution, exercise and eat well, and things can still go wrong. Life has an if in the middle of it. So where is God in all of this?

Anyone who wants to know God—to walk closely with God—must ___ God. This week's O word is not a positive word these days. But how many of us have stopped to think that our avoidance of this O word may be keeping us from one of the great keys to the enjoyment of God and the transformation of our lives?

You know ABOUT God but do you really KNOW GOD? Do you know the 3 most important things about who God is and how they should influence our lives for God? Those 3 things will shape the kind of people we become, and the way we live our lives. What are those 3? Part 1 this week.

Today we consider No. 7 of the songs that sing to our souls this summer. Listen as Rev. Louise Cole leads.

We continue in our top 7 Hymns of the Faith. This week Davis Taylor leads in How Great Thou Art.

We continue through our Top 7 Hymns of the Faith. This week A mighty Fortress is Our God. Listen as Pastor Jeremy Leads

We are halfway in our countdown of the songs that sing to our souls this summer. Have you been building your list of what songs are left?

Join us as we continue in the 7 Top Hymns of the Faith. We’ve revealed Holy, Holy, Holy as No 2 and Amazing Grace as No. 1 which was probably no surprise. Now it gets harder. What number will be revealed next?

We continue in the 7 Top Hymns of the Faith. We’ve heard Holy,Holy,Holy and excited for what’s next on the list. Listen as Youth Minister Jared Dorton brings the message this week

Join us in June, July and into August as we do a countdown of the songs that sing to our souls. Every week we will reveal one Top 7 favorite hymn of all time. And almost every week a different preacher including Jared, Rick, Louise, Davis, and maybe others will be telling the story of that song and sharing why it is their favorite. Will it be yours?

Pentecost, fifty days following Passover, was the celebration of God’s law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Here we move from the promise of the Spirit as Advocate and Comforter that Jesus gave last week in John in his farewell, to the powerful birth of a Spirit-filled community that is about to be empowered to live its mission in the world.

This week it is about being SENT by a loving God. Our God is a sending God. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus notes that he has been “sent” by the Father just like he tells the disciples in John 14:24 part of our scripture this week. The Father (and the Son) send the Spirit (14:26). As a witness of the grace we’ve experienced through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we too are sent.

Jesus offers a new commandment to the disciples in his final hours as Judas leaves to betray him. He calls them back to the mission to love one another and be known as Jesus’ disciples. This “marking” is the way we are known and has direct connections with our baptism into Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

People gather around Jesus and demand that he tell them, plainly if he is the Messiah. The problem, of course, is that regardless of what Jesus says or does, the debate does not end. How would you answer that question? And how are you listening to God in your life?

This week we are focused on the story of the 3rd post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples including Peter, James, and John. But this is really Peter's moment and Follow Me. It is one of the most dramatic of the post-Resurrection appearances.

Love One Another and Be Kind!

Easter is more than just a day. It is a 50-day season that marks the new beginning for all of us and the ways we live into our “resurrection” reality, just as Jesus’ disciples had to do. How do believing, following, and listening, cross to form a way for fully devoted followers where resurrection is a daily reality?

How has Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, made a worthwhile difference in your life? What do you believe? The story of our resurrected hearts and new life every year begins early in the morning, just before dawn. BELIEVING is the one thing we can’t live without