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Thanks for checking out Good Shepherd's web site. Whether you've never visited our church and are just scoping us out or are a life-long Good Shepherd member, I hope you find this website as welcoming as our congregation is. Good Shepherd is a growing congregation seeking to follow God's lead. We're a people on a mission, and I hope you'll partner with us in bringing the love of Jesus to our community and our world. If I can ever be of assistance to you in any way, please email me at hauptben@hotmail.com. Below is my monthly newsletter article. Blessings! Pastor Ben Haupt |  |
Fellow Students of the Bible,
What a year it’s been making our way through Scripture! We’re almost at the two-third’s mark, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how you all have dug deeply into the Scriptures. After listening to sermons, attending a small group study, or doing your daily reading countless people have relayed new insights, a-ha moments, and times when God spoke directly to your current situation through the timeless books of the Old Testament. It has particularly been a joy for me to preach consistently and solely from the Old Testament. Having stuck almost solely to New Testament texts for sermons thus far in my preaching career, I have really enjoyed the challenge of sticking with the Old Testament texts which of course preach Jesus and Him Crucified albeit in a more hidden manner than the New. The best thing about our Year Thru the Bible thus far has been making the journey with others. Whether you’ve listened to the sermons, attended a small group, stuck with the daily readings, or done a little bit of all the above, I’ve enjoyed making my first journey cover-to-cover with someone besides myself, namely you!
I do also realize that their have been plenty of challenges in making our way through the Old Testament. The reading is not always a page-turner, and there are often references to people, places, customs, and events which we westerners know nothing about. I know this both from personal experience with wrestling with the Old Testament text and from listening to you. Several people have asked me engaging and sometimes difficult questions. Never before have I had conversations about Leviticus, Song of Solomon, or an obscure reference in a well-known book. Sometimes I knew the answer or was able to find it. Other times I was completely stumped and felt inadequate to the task of opening up the Old Testament to the congregation. I know that some have equally been overwhelmed with the first 39 books of the Bible and for that reason have given up on the prospect of studying through and reading these books.
St. Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” As we leave behind the Old Testament at the end of September, let’s press on toward the New Testament with more vigor and a renewed passion for the Word of God. If you’ve kept up with the readings, great! But if you haven’t, consider starting again with the New Testament at the beginning of October. If you didn’t join a small group for the Old Testament, maybe this Fall is the time for you to jump in and make a new start. On Sunday mornings, there will be two small groups meeting in Shepherd’s Shed, one led by Pam Jovaag and the other led by Doug Haupt and Ken and Bonnie Jackson and others on a rotating basis. I’ll also be handing out the New Testament on CD-ROM in MP3 format which can be used with your computer, iPod, or in your car if it is newer and can play MP3’s on CD. These will be free and will be handed out to every member who is interested on the weekends of Sept. 26th and Oct. 3rd.
The Lord Jesus has given us such a gift in the New Testament. May it continue to be our pillar and support in the coming days!
In the Name of Jesus, Pastor Ben