One of our relatively new volunteer leaders got a job in another state recently, and moved there with his family. It happens a lot.
Then on Wednesday, I got this series of messages from him:
Hey Talbot hope all is well! We have been here for a couple months and explored a few churches but we haven’t as of yet found somewhere we would like to go regularly bugt nothing compares to Good Shepherd.
Would you happen to have any affiliates of churches in he area you would recommend us to try ?Hope all is well and many blessing to you and our Good Shepherd family this holiday season!!
So far, so good. It’s all nice, kind of flattering, with a special kind of appeal for someone as competitive as I am.
Then this:
It was so hard leaving our Good Shepherd Family, my life is eternally changed with the way God used the Good Shepherd body and members to bring me back to the Christ … my marriage was in shambles, I had completely lost my way, from my first day standing in your service to getting baptized in the Hell Or High Water series, being reborn for Christ , To then my wife which i was separated from over a year seeing the man I had become mended our marriage and we are better than ever and anchor our marriage and all decisions through Christ . My faith and Good Shepherd family influenced me to be a better Husband, father, Boss and most importantly servant to our lord and savior . Thank you Good Shepherd for changing mine and my families life .The past 3 years with Good Shepherd is something I will always keep with me ! God bless Good Shepherd.
OK. It’s worth it. Reading that and the sleepless nights, the small frustrations, the lingering fears that there is a “Better Shepherd” out there … I read this, and it’s worth it.