Today is Holy Saturday. It’s that time of waiting for us between the dark events of Good Friday, and the trumpet rejoicing of Easter morning. I never payed much attention to this day. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday of Holy Week all get a special worship services, unique events...
For those of you who might not be familiar with Shepherd’s Purse, below is a brief description of our purpose and mission at Good Shepherd. This in-reach fund started in April 2008 to provide confidential assistance for members and regular attendees of Good Shepherd in the event of...
I believe for the fifth year in a row, the Portland International Airport (PDX) has been ranked the best airport in the country. I whole heartedly agree. It’s my personal favorite, as well. I especially love the little lights in the parking garage that show where open spots are, their...
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” [Psalm 118:24] What did you do Saturday? It was an extra day. Leap Day. Inserted at the end of February every fourth year. That makes it special. My brother-in-law was born on that day in...
I thought I’d take time to reflect on that crucial element of Christian worship: the sermon. In a sermon recently I recalled that we were taught in the seminary that there should be one hour’s preparation for every minute of preaching. Boy, did that get some some responses!...
For the last 12 years, Good Shepherd has been supporting Mission India, lately its Adult Literacy Program, which teaches mostly Indian women how to read and write. Recently, we received a report on how one life was affected. I thought I should share it with you to show how our money is...
Few routine activities in life require as much diplomacy, patience, grace, and deliberate silence as taking care of a shared check at a restaurant with a large group of friends. If handled right, it’s a transaction no one thinks twice about; if not, even the best of meals winds up...
It’s July. I’m in Florida. Outside it’s 95° with an equivalent number registering the humidity. I’m sitting in my sister-in-law’s air-conditioned condo working on a Newsletter article for the next month. Which means I’m easily distracted. They have a...
“One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Neil Armstrong spoke those words on July 20, 1969, when he became the first person to walk on the moon. As I write this, there’s a lot of hoopla remembering that event 50 years ago. I was barely a teenager, but I...
Criticism. We’ve all had to deal with it at one time or another. Sometimes it’s unjust; or worse, said about us and we’re not even aware of it. However, that’s less likely than we tend to think. Most of us are pretty good at sensing criticism—even where it’s...