Scripture Reading — John 1:35-42Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon. . . . You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).— John 1:42“Buster,” “Scout,” “Ace,” and “Sunshine” are all great nicknames. Some nicknames are humorous, some are affectionate, and some reveal character

Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:1-6The Lord is my shepherd. . . .— Psalm 23:1When the psalm writer wrote this beautiful song, he may well have been thinking of the Lord’s guiding hand throughout the history of his people Israel.God had called the people’s forefathers, promising to be their God and to b

Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:6I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Forever is a long time. And most of us are not fans of waiting. Sometimes even TV ads between our favorite shows can seem unending.When we think about it, forever can seem intimidating or overwhelming. So it can

Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Most cultures have a word for that feeling we all get when we experience being home. It includes a sense of safety and warmth and even coz

Scripture Reading — Galatians 5:13-25The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.— Galatians 5:22-23My mother used to advise me and my sisters to leave a place better than we found it.What might that look like for followers

Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:1-3, 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Looking again at Psalm 23, we can see that the Lord our shepherd is not like a cowboy chasing us to move us along or dragging us alon

Scripture Reading — John 14:15-31“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”— John 14:18One of the hardest things for the disciples to grasp was how Jesus could continue to shepherd them after he returned to be with the Father. So Jesus prepared them ahead of time for that transition. He