When you read a book of the Bible verse by verse (or attend a Bible study where this is done), you will encounter sections of Scripture that most Christians never hear.  One of my favorites is the very short account where the archangel Michael, a commander of God’s angel army, confronted another powerful angel, the Devil, over the body of Moses.  God had buried Moses in a secret location in Moab (Deuteronomy 34:1-8).  God reveals the confrontation between...

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   Am I going to heaven?  Some Christians mistakenly look inward for the answer.  Have I really given my life to God?  Have I done enough for God?  Is God on the throne of my heart?    Instead of asking, “Is my faith strong enough,” we should ask, “What did Jesus do for me?”  Jesus paid for our sins in full.  God says he forgave ALL of our sins while we were still dead in sin and incapable of doing any good works...

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   Isn’t it amazing?  The Creator of the universe became human, so that He could take away your sins, by dying on the cross (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, John 1:14, John 1:29, 1 Peter 3:18).     Our Creator God is the only self-sustaining being.  God needs nothing (Psalm 50:9-13, Acts 17:24-25).  Yet God humbled Himself by becoming human and dying for us! (Philippians 2:7-8).   God defines Himself as love.  In 1 John 4:8-10 God reveals,...

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   Who is a model of Christian faith?  Some today might answer Billy Graham or Mother Teresa.  The Bible commends the faith of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Rahab (Hebrews 11:1-39).     Jesus was asked a similar question by his disciples.  Jesus said that little children are the example of Christian faith.  We should trust Jesus like a little child does.  In Matthew 18:1-4 we read,  “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,...

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   My job, my health, politics, weather, lots to worry about.  God gives us eternal life as a gift, and he cares for us here on earth too.  God asks us to trust Him in all things.     Jesus was speaking to his followers (and to us too) when he said,  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than...

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  It’s always great to hear new songs.  They introduce us to new rhythms, and help us look at things in new ways.  But old songs can be great too.  There’s something comfortable about old songs.  In today’s fast changing world, old songs can be something that doesn’t change.   This applies to Christian music too.  While God encourages us to “Sing to the Lord a new song,” some of our favorites have been popular for many...

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   The Sweet 16 is upon us.  Is your team still alive?  If rankings ruled, then only 1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds would be in the Sweet 16.  How come 6 teams seeded at 5, 8, 10, 11, and 12 made it this far?  It’s hard to pick the March Madness winner.  Upsets happen all the time.       In the biggest conflict of all time, upsets appear to happen, but they never really do.  The most powerful created being thought he could...

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   Spring officially starts in a few days, but today felt like it already arrived.  The temperature was 63 F.  Some robins have already returned and most of the snow has melted.  Spring is a wonderful season as trees and flowers burst forth with renewed life.    That’s what Easter is all about too, renewed life.  On Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead.  Because Jesus rose, we, as His followers, will also be raised from the dead (see 1...

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   March Madness, sea turtles (nesting in Florida), Cesar Chavez Day, Mardi Gras, swallows to return to Capistrano, the beginning of spring, St. Patrick’s Day.     March is also time for spiritual contemplation.  Today, March 9, is Ash Wednesday.  This is the start of Lent, the 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays).     During Lent we are encouraged to examine our lives in light of God’s Word.  We study Jesus at...

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   What are the most viewed posts on Good Shepherd’s Facebook page? In the last 3 months, our posts were viewed 48,413 times. Even though we regularly post about events, and have a weekly blog, the most viewed by far are the Bible passages we post. It’s great that our fans and guests prefer reading God’s Word.    The number of views for select recent FB posts: 1,680 for 2Timothy 1:7; 1,273 for 1John 4:9; 1,250 for John 3:16; 1,094 for Parent’s Day...

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