Discipling Life

In Ezekiel 34 , the “bad shepherds” are the leaders of Israel, especially kings, officials, and likely religious authorities, who were entrusted with the care of God’s people but instead used their position for their own benefit. Rather than protecting the vulnerable, binding up the injured, or seeking the lost, these leaders exploited the flock for their own gain, “feeding themselves” while leaving the people defenseless and scattered. They completely ignored the weightier matters of justice and mercy that God requires of those entrusted with leadership. It is so easy to see the modern parallels. People running for offices of leadership often make promises they won’t keep. Elected officials seem to be more interested in holding onto power than serving those in their care. This passage begins with God’s promise to do what failing shepherds would not do. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (v. 16...

There are some days when gratitude comes easily. It’s a nice day. Things are going well. We feel safe and secure. But there are also days when giving thanks feels harder, when burdens weigh heavily and joy seems distant. And yet, in both kinds of moments, we hear this invitation from the psalmist: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing” (vv. 1-2). [see  Psalm 100 ] The psalm calls everyone, not just the joyful or the put-together, but all the earth, to enter God’s presence with praise. Even when joy feels distant, grace goes before us, stirring our hearts and inviting us to respond. The psalm continues, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). This is the language of belonging. Here we are grounded in identity. We belong to God before we achieve anything or prove ourselves worthy. The psalmist continues, ...

There are moments when life feels noisy and crowded with competing voices. Advice comes from every direction (friends, media, fears, expectations) and it can be hard to know which voice to trust. We may find ourselves asking quietly, “Who is really leading me?” There are voices in this world that promise a way in, but lead only to taking and breaking. Jesus calls them thieves and bandits. They tend to be loud, persuasive voices. They offer shortcuts that cost us more than they give. But the shepherd’s voice is different. It is steady. It is patient. It calls us not to performance or pretense, but to relationship. And the gate he opens leads not to a cage, but to pasture. He leads us to spaciousness, to nourishment, and to life as it was meant to be. In John 10:1-10 , Jesus offers a simple but powerful image: “The sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… and the sheep follow him because they know his voice” (vv. 3-4). This is not a distant or imperso...

There are moments when doing the right thing feels costly. You try to act with integrity, to respond with patience, to choose kindness, and still, you are misunderstood, overlooked, or even treated unfairly. In those moments, it can feel easier to give in, to defend yourself sharply, or to simply stop trying. 1 Peter 2:19-25 The writer of 1 Peter speaks into that tension with honesty and hope: “For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly” (v. 19). This is not a call to seek out suffering or to accept harm without wisdom. Rather, it is an invitation to remain rooted in God’s grace even when life feels unfair. It is about living faithfully before God, trusting that he sees and honors what others may not. The heart of this passage points us to Christ himself: “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly” (v. 23). Jesus shows us what it...

My early years were in Ferguson Valley in central Pennsylvania and attending the Spring Run Church of the Brethren. We had worship first, followed by Sunday School. During the worship service we would all fill up a couple of pews. Grandma and Grandpap, my parents and siblings, Uncle Gary and his family and Aunt Rhoda and her family. Yes, about eight cousins all together. After worship, most of us would go to Sunday School, but my Grandma would go home to finish cooking the Sunday Dinner. (Dinner is the midday meal and supper is the evening meal.) After Sunday School the rest of us would make our way to my grandparents’ home and we would all cram together around the table for dinner. Grandma would often have roast beef and/or fried chicken and/or ham, etc. Uncle Gary always made sure he got one of the breasts. Personally, I went for a thigh. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes were a weekly highlight for me. Now, we had even larger gatherings at her house for Thanksgiving and Christma...

It’s not easy to look at someone through a new lens. Our first impressions, disappointments, and disagreements often cling to our view of another person. But God invites us to see differently. God calls us to look not through the lens of the past but through the mercy of Christ. Paul writes, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view” (v. 16). In Christ, the way we see others, ourselves, and the world begins to change. ( 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ) Paul’s words reach to the heart of the gospel: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (v. 17). New creation is not a distant hope, it is a present reality breaking into our lives through grace. God’s reconciling love does more than forgive; it renews and transforms. This is prevenient and justifying grace in motion. God comes toward us before we are even aware, inviting us to be made whole, and setting us right in relationship with hi...