God's Word in Action: Ask the Pastor BLOG
Welcome to this new resource! At the suggestion of God's Word in Action (GWIA) subscribers, we are expanding this resource to include the opportunity to ask questions of our Pastors regarding their sermons, weekly Bible lessons for Sunday or any other faith/Bible based topics.
To best facilitate the question and answer process and to best share the benefits of all questions and answers with anyone who subscribes, we have choosen an interactive tool called a "BLOG". Short for "web log", the BLOG format allows for you to view the sermon summary from each weekly edition of GWIA and ask questions and view answers.
How to Use the "GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG":
- Scroll down the page to find the GWIA edition you wish to ask a question about. Note that the newest week (date) appears on top.
- Click the comments link under the sermon summary to ask your question.
- A new "Post Comments" form is displayed below the edition you want to ask a question about. Note the other weeks are temporarily out of view.
- Type a name. Even though a name is required, "Anonymous" and "Guest" are perfectly acceptable if you wish to ask your question anonymously.
- Type your email address. Also required but will not be publically displayed.
- Skip the Website field as it is NOT required.
- Type your question in the Comments Box.
- Click the "Add Comments" button at the bottom to submit your question. Your question now appears below the related GWIA edition.
- Click the <<back to the blog link to return to the BLOG and close the Post Comments box.
- Questions are reviewed and answered by our Pastors which can take anywhere from an afternoon up to 2 days in the event of questions posted on Fridays or Saturdays.
How to View Your Answer:
- Return to the GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG by clicking the Question Button in one of your weekly GWIA emails -OR- by visiting the All Saints home page and clicking the "view the current edition" link in the subscription box.
- Scroll down to view the GWIA edition you asked a question about and click the "Comments" link.
- This displays all the questions and answers posted for this edition.
- Once you have completed your review, you can click the <<back to the blog link and return to the complete list of weekly editions. From here you may choose to view other questions and answers posted for other edition, etc.
Questions about or difficulities with the BLOG:
Contact Bobbie Tomasek at btomasek@allsaintsphoenix.org or Gina King at ginaking@allsaintsphoenix.org
April 16 Edition: The Gate to Life
Shepherds were known in biblical times as those who watched over flocks. It was a “dirty rotten job” because they could not be purified and do what other faithful people did to attend worship. They were, however, a trusted part of the community that kept an important resource safe from harm. Throughout the Bible, God and other leaders were recognized as shepherds – this is important because people understood that they stood between them and peril.
Jesus speaks of those we must be wary of. Some people were pretending to be shepherds, and in our world they still do. Today’s false shepherds might be more dangerous than those of Christ’s day because they take advantage of society’s greed. “The more we give them, the more God will give us.” These people live extravagantly and do not open their financial books. (As Lutherans, we have complete access to know what happens to the dollars we give.) These false shepherds suck the life out of a church.
The key is to know that as Christians, we are to be about bringing life to the world. We come to church to find out what God wants us to do and how to use our gifts. When led by false prophets, churches have grown isolated and afraid. Extremes have led to mass suicides. Jesus tells us that we are to be in the world, working to spread God’s love for all.
