Shepherd's Heart 1/24/25

All in Now!

Even after worshiping at Good Shepherd for much of my adult life, I don’t truly, deeply
know many GShep congregants. I know faces—I’m good at remembering faces. But I’m lousy at connecting faces with names. That is until we share time and our lived experiences. That’s when the deep connections are made. I reveal this aspect of myself with you because when Pastor Tara Beth invited us, in May 2023, into “the living room of her mind” to cast a vision for Good Shepherd’s next season of ministry, my body, as it is inclined to do, vibrated with excitement. I saw the vision she saw: GShep people all in to “make disciples who make disciples who make disciples,” to welcome into our community people of all kinds and ages, generation after generation, long after I cease to walk this earth. Like at the entrances to Disney World, I saw lines of cars being directed into 1310’s parking lots--plural!--throngs of people—babies, children, teens and disenchanted Millennials—for crying out loud!—and old people, like me, all flowing into our bright and gleaming doors, all eager to hear God’s word and respond in song with joy to God’s unfailing promises!

Also like me, my body trembled with apprehension—aka fear. As Pastor Tara Beth continued visioning, she cast out a nine million dollar figure! My brain couldn’t compute that number! But more important, I trembled because my mind began to spin doubts that this dollar figure was attainable. Does GShep even have congregants who can see and believe this vision? Will GShep congregants be able to or want to make the sacrifices needed to see this vision to fruition? It’s just me, I said, trying to calm my fears because I’m doubting that I can make the sacrifices I will have to make. I’m the only one who’s trembling in fear. Everyone else is already all in!

To calm my fears, I meditated through my favorite book of the Bible, the Psalms, and turned the page to: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us—so that His ways may be known on earth, His salvation among all nations.” Psalm 67:1-2

And because of our unfailing God, The Way Maker and Promise Keeper, today’s Good Shepherd worshipers saw the vision and filled the coffers for the future of Good Shepherd ministries all over the world, in our local communities, and at 1310!

Our being all in is expansive. As we are continuing to welcome more and more people into our church, I reflect on the many, many times I’ve entered and exited the front doors of Good Shepherd; prayed, worshiped, and played in the Sanctuary, Worship Center, and Activity Center; and gathered for Bible studies and meetings in most of the spaces on the lower level. The summer of 2023, when I volunteered for VBS for the first time, I sat on the carpet in one of our pre-school rooms and played with five-year olds. What a great thrill! I think my hips would say something different. Last summer, during Eternal Impact, middle schoolers and I wandered the Good Shepherd grounds in search of cicada wings, flowers, and other natural ephemera to glue into our handmade nature journals. The last two years, on Sunday evenings, when Fusion, Fuel, and Ignite meet, I’ve loved watching our church building come alive with hundreds of children and teens—our future—worshiping and praising and learning about our God. This physical plant that we call Good Shepherd is sacred ground. All the people who come through our doors are sacred to God and sacred to each other.

When I reflect on the spaces and times that we all worship and praise our God; the gifts we all use to create programming that edifies our God; and the recent forums we all have participated in to collaborate on the best ways to ensure that God’s temple continues to be a place that is pleasing to God, I am confident that we all want to ensure that the sacredness of our people and our physical plant be protected. And, although we all trust and believe that God is our fortress and refuge, speaking as your Council Vice President, it is prudent of Council to secure the services of trained experts and volunteers so that our people and our physical plant continue to be safe and protected. As Moses prayed, we are all in “from ‘once upon a time’ to ‘kingdom come,’ You are God… teach us to live wisely and well, however, long our days… and may the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90

Linda Elaine | Council Vice President