Father, This morning I read where Your Son called Himself the Good Shepherd. As a matter of fact, He said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Using the phrase “I am” to describe Himself hearkens back to when You revealed Yourself to Moses as “I am” in Exodus 3. Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is You, Father, with skin on. Everything You are, Jesus manifested when He walked the earth. He called Himself the Good Shepherd. Not just a shepherd. But the Good Shepherd. Everything He does and everything He says and every single divine action He demonstrates is...

Father, I read this morning that Your Son said He came to give life. Abundant life. Life to the full. True life. Real life. Nothing pretend. Nothing empty. Nothing fake. This is a pretty intense and exclusive claim to make. If Your Son was correct in what He said than He and only He can grant real life. It isn’t found in anything or anyone else. I believe it is true. I know I don’t act like it all the time, but I really do believe it. Now. Would you be so kind to answer the following request while I...

West Franklin Family, You know the “Big Ten.” Not the inferior college athletic conference up North (grin). The Ten Commandments. That “Big Ten.” I am guessing many of you can name a few. Don’t use God’s name in cursed way. Don’t have sexual relations with anyone but your own spouse. Don’t steal anything. Don’t kill anybody. Think about this with me. What would happen to my career if I committed murder? What if your pastor killed someone? What if I was arrested for stealing money from the church? What would you think of me? Or, what if you learned I...

West Franklin Family, Cancelled.  If we’ve heard the word once, we’ve heard several million times since March. Remainder of the 2019-2020 school year – Cancelled. College basketball tournaments – Cancelled. College baseball season – Cancelled. Vacation Bible School – Cancelled. Prom – Cancelled. Graduation – Cancelled. Elective surgeries – Cancelled. Summer camps – Cancelled. My diet – Cancelled. Concerts – Cancelled. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Cancelled. (It’s true. It will not be live this year.) Weddings – Cancelled. West Franklin Family Gathering – Cancelled. So. Many. Things. Have. Been. Cancelled. This. Year. Add to this the reality that we...

“He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them.” (Mark 6:48, italics, mine) West Franklin Family, Has it ever bothered you that Mark adds the phrase, “(Jesus) was about to pass by them”? I mean, think about it. There’s a storm. It’s night. A man is walking on water (!). The disciples are, not only straining to keep a ship from tipping over, but are obviously panicked because, well, a man is walking on water. Did...

West Franklin Family, On September 23rd, 2001, the church I pastored was half as full as it had been the previous week. The week prior was September 16th, 2001 – when the church was literally packed to the gills – the Sunday after the horrific events that transpired on September 11th, 2001. I had been a pastor for a whopping 5 months. A true veteran at the whole pastor thing. Many will say that America “turned to the Lord” for a week or so, then everything went back to normal. What they mean is the Sunday after 9/11, churches were...