Pastor's Note | Monday, February 18th

I am grateful for this faithful family known as Good Shepherd and for the fact that we are experiencing life as followers of Jesus together. Our call is to make disciples, that is, to help others connect with God through worship and personal devotion, to grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to demonstrate Christ-like love in serving others. The good news is that this is happening in the lives of children, students, young adults and adults of all ages.

We have also been called, in this case by the Presbytery of Los Ranchos, to a season of discernment in which we are to clarify our vision for ministry and to enter a discernment process regarding our denominational affiliation. This is a very important and future-shaping process and I am very enthused about this process. Please pray for this endeavor, asking our Lord for wisdom and clarity as we meet together, discuss together, and seek God’s guidance together. Also, please join me and others on Wednesday evening February 27th at 6pm in the Fireside Room, for prayer before our second Town Hall Meeting that begins at 6:30pm that evening. If you were unable to be at our first meeting, please contact our Curtis at to obtain access to a video of our meeting.

This week we also enter the Season of Lent, a time for deliberate reflection, evaluation, and renewed commitment to follow Jesus in every dimension of our lives. My prayer is that this will be a time of significant awareness of the presence of Jesus, of God’s profound love for you and me, and of the depth of the grace of our Lord Jesus. I am looking forward to our series Not A Fan that our Teaching Pastor, Curtis Bronzan, has identified for the focus of our preaching and teaching during this season. This emphasis will engage what it means to be a fully-committed follower of Jesus. As we look at how Jesus called people to follow him we will be challenged (read: “made aware of how we might be less than fully-committed”) to take his call seriously. May God speak to you, impress you with the love of Jesus, and shape you in this special season.

Pastor Jim