The Shepherd's Blog

Here is the link to the original video explaining why these questions: https://fb.watch/EpRfgD9YyV/ ? Genesis 12: God Calls Abraham Factual Recall What did God tell Abram to do? What did God promise to make Abram? Where did Abram go first after leaving Haran? What did Abram build when he arrived in Canaan? What happened when there was a famine? What did Abram tell Sarai to say in Egypt? What did Pharaoh do to Abram because of Sarai? Simplified Abraham obeys God’s call to leav

5th century text, music: French melody from the 17th century, arranged by Vaughn Williams, 1905 and Brook Moes, 2025 for 3 violins and da spalla Christmas Carol: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” 1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; ponder nothing earthly minded, for, with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand. 2 King of kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth He stood, Lord of lords, in h

Epiphany: The Light That Appears and the World It Illuminates Epiphany is no mere holiday footnote, no decorative end to the Christmas twelve days. It is the manifestation of God in Christ to those who stood outside the covenant—Gentiles drawn by a star, kings bearing gifts that confess both royalty and sacrifice. The word itself, epiphaneia , rings with the weight of appearance, unveiling, the sudden breaking forth of what was hidden. On January 6 (or the Sunday nearest), th

Came across a cool Christmas Carol from 1609 that I had not heard before and therefore had to play. Music by Melchior Vulpius (1609) and Text by Robert Southwell (d.1596). 1 This little Babe so few days old Is come to rifle Satan's fold; All hell doth at His presence quake, Though He Himself for cold doth shake; For in this weak unarmed wise The gates of hell He will surprise. 2 With tears He fights and wins the field, His tiny breast stands for a shield; His battering shot

Here is the link to the original video explaining why these questions: https://fb.watch/EpRfgD9YyV/ ? Genesis 5: The Family Line of Adam Factual Recall How old was Adam when Seth was born? Who lived 365 years and then was taken by God? What does the chapter say about almost every person at the end? Who was the father of Noah? How many sons did Noah have? What are the names of Noah’s three sons? Simplified This chapter lists Adam’s descendants. Why do you think God keeps track

Introduction “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11) Back when I was a boy, I tore through the streets of Helena, Montana, on my Schwinn bike—banana seat gleaming, streamers whipping in the wind—my world a map of wonders. There was the little Christian school my folks founded and then poured their hearts into, the little frosty freeze drive in where my fun-loving Mom and Gr

The disconnect between whether we think we should forgive our neighbor or whether we think God should forgive us is often this: when it comes to our own actions, we tend to explain them away without much effort. With my own shortcomings for example, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the justifications I come up with aren’t as solid as I believe. On the other hand, when considering the wrongs others commit against me, it’s usually a fair guess that their actions might have more

Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well-spring of life." In beautiful Acadia National Park in Maine, there is a spectacular little ocean inlet carved naturally out of the rocks, which the waves roll into. At the end of this inlet, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the waves arrive, air and water are forced out with a sound like a clap of thunder. The water explodes at times as high as 40 feet. It is a powerful well. The bible speaks of the

When the children of Israel left Egypt for the promised land, God made them first meet him at Mt. Sinai. This was 50 days after Passover and as such really the first “Pentecost” as the Holy Spirit descended in fire and power on that mountain. The people of God trembled for fear on that day. 1500+ years later, on another and greater Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended again in fire and power, and the people of God trembled for Joy! Why did God first show them the terror of S

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is not some impersonal force a la Star Wars. He is the 3rd person of the Trinity. He is the Person who actively operates in and through our lives and binds all Christians together in an unbreakable unity. The Bible contains many descriptors of Him. As with the Names of Jesus in an earlier post, meditation on the Names of the Holy Spirit constitutes an incredible personal Bible study. Here are a few of Scripture’s descriptions. I invite you to reflec

The Bible contains around 200 names and titles for Christ. Everyone of them constitutes an amazing bible study in and of themselves. Here are a few of them with an invitation to reflect on them and see how they resonate with something you need to ponder about Jesus today. Chief Cornerstone: (Ephesians 2:20) – Jesus serves as the foundational stone of His church, uniting people from every background—Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints across time and place—into a single s

“My life is falling apart.” - Do you feel like this some times? Do you suffer the crippling effects of poor and ungodly communication? In the Book of John, Jesus tells us that He is the communication of the Father… and that the Spirit is the communication of the Father and the Son… and since He puts the Spirit in us and thereby makes us a unity with Him, we become part of the communication loop… John 14:8–11 (ESV) [8] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is e

I remember reading once in a letter of CS Lewis a comment to the effect of until Mary Magdalene broke her jar of perfume over the feet of Jesus, there was no precious smell in the room. He’s right. In fact, that jar might have been empty or even filled with some disgusting substance, but everyone knew it was perfume the instant it shattered. Notice this then: when Mary Magdalene broke her jar of perfume over the feet of Jesus, it was a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s breaking of

Communication is King—or Rather, the King is Communication We often talk about the culture war—but let’s call it what it is. What we’re really after is “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We’re talking about the coming of the Kingdom of God to earth. Because THAT is true culture. The Latin word “cultus” means worship. Culture will only be recaptured when we recapture the object of worship: the Trinity. The Trinity is to be our culture. The Trinity is the goal of t

“Feeling” brave and actually being courageous despite your feelings are two different things. The prime example is Jesus in Gethsemane. How much more does that help the weakness of mankind to realise that when God became a man, he incarnated as one who didnt posture as though no weakness ever assailed him…. As though his nerves were cold hard steel…As though he always “felt” brave. He lived in a way that even the weakest among us can grasp. Namely that the will of His Father

"To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God." —R.C. Sproul

The way we spend our free time (right down to the games we play) is something we should take seriously. Nothing in the universe is up for grabs without a fight. Every tiny bit of space and every fleeting moment belongs to God and is challenged by Satan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wutRWNXjAUU Not often your podcast guest draws a sword.  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jD8B1PYT1U You are about to hear perhaps the most dramatic story you will ever hear of one man's escape out of homosexuality and away from powerful Satanic forces in San Francisco. Forces which are literally trying to kill him and throw his body into the bay. But you will hear how he escapes from the sin within him and from the clutches of the great Enemy, into a new life in Christ… a life that includes a beautiful wife and children and a prof

https://www.youtube.com/live/qI7MTxHER6k This is the 2nd Sermon in the new Joshua series.