It's Better When You're Here!

Over the last two weeks, we have been asking what truly defines us as the people called Shepherds. We began with Hope—an audacious, active hope in Jesus Christ that we are called to share with the world. Then last week, we turned to Light and asked what it means to be a lighthouse: a people who point others away from the darkness of sin and death and toward the life we find in Christ. And now, we...

Last week, as we began our Defined series, we talked about the hope we have in Jesus Christ—and how that hope is not something we simply hold onto for ourselves. It is something we actively share with the world. At Shepherds, we say: “With God’s help, we embrace and connect with all people and together experience the Love, Light, and Hope of Jesus Christ.” This week, we turn to the Light. Romans 6...

We are coming out of a series on evangelism, where we have talked about what it means to share good news in a world that desperately needs it. And now, we are turning the question inward. What defines us? At Shepherds, we say: “With God’s help, we embrace and connect with all people and together experience the Love, Light, and Hope of Jesus Christ.” That is our mission statement—but over the next...

This is our final week in this series on Evangelism , and I hope over these last few weeks we’ve learned a little more about what it actually means to be an evangelist—what it means to tell good news in a world that desperately needs some. But the truth remains: it can feel a little different when the invitation becomes specific. It is one thing to talk about Jesus. It is another thing to look som...

ast week, I shared with you the crazy vision I believe God has given us for Shepherds: a network of churches, never larger than 300 people, connected across neighborhoods by one common message—the Love, Light, and Hope of Jesus Christ. But if that vision is going to become reality, then we have to learn how to tell that story. Because we live in a world filled with doubt, pain, cynicism, and more...

Welcome to a brand-new series here at Shepherds: Evangelism. I think evangelism is having a bit of an identity crisis. On one side, we see people shouting on street corners or commandeering the attention of an entire airplane to spout Christian talking points—and calling it evangelism. On the other, we see Christians becoming so quiet about their faith that following Jesus starts to feel like some...

Today we come to the final week of our People of Prayer series—and this series has challenged me. Prayer takes the faith of our minds and hearts and brings it into our everyday lives. For some of us, it takes something we practice only on Sunday and turns it into something that disrupts our “normal.” In Matthew 6, Jesus reminds us that prayer is not simply something we say—it is a way of living th...

As we continue exploring the People of Prayer series, we must face an uncomfortable truth: sometimes it feels as though our prayers have fallen on deaf ears. Any series on prayer that ignores unanswered prayer misses a profound part of the human experience—the pain of asking without receiving, seeking without finding, and waiting without understanding. Yet in Luke 11, Jesus invites us to keep aski...

“Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.” Prayer is a mystical union between the Church and the Trinity. We pray to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, in the words Jesus taught us. Yet just because prayer is mystical does not mean it must remain mysterious. Jesus brings prayer back to three si...

Today we are wrapping up our Summer at the Movies series, and for this final week, we are stepping into the world of Zootopia. At first glance, Zootopia looks like a colorful city full of every kind of animal imaginable. Different species, different backgrounds, different instincts, different stories—all trying to live together in one place. But as the story unfolds, we begin to see that even in a...

The Summer at the Movies series continues this week, and we are stepping into one of the most iconic stories ever told on screen: Star Wars. At its heart, Star Wars is a story about light and darkness, good and evil, hope and redemption. And one of the most powerful moments comes when everyone else sees Darth Vader as a monster, but Luke Skywalker still sees something more. Everyone else sees judg...

Last week, we talked about our true identity and why it really matters. I said often that who you are—who you truly are—matters to God. This week, I want to zoom out a little. Because who we are does not only matter personally. It matters communally. It matters because we belong to one another. We need one another. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that the church is not simply a room full of i...

The Summer at the Movies sermon series has begun, and it is always one of my favorites. It gives us the chance to dive deeply into our faith while also giving us permission to laugh, wonder, and hold lightly some powerful lessons. Sometimes the stories that seem the most familiar can help us see the truth of the Gospel in a fresh way. This week, we are stepping into the world of Toy Story and aski...

It's my privilege to serve as the summer pastoral intern here at Shepherd's. This season has given me the opportunity to learn and grow alongside our incredible staff, and it has also given me the chance to spend a lot of time with Michael LaBlanc. When we hear the word *piety*, we often think about personal spiritual disciplines—prayer, reading Scripture, fasting, worship, and personal devotion....

It's Father's Day, a day when we celebrate not only our dads but also one of the many ways Scripture speaks about God—as Father. But here at Shepherds, it's also Pie + Tea Sunday. Why Pie + Tea? Well, because one Sunday I wanted to preach about piety, and "piety" sounds a little bit like "pie and tea." That's the honest answer. But there's a deeper reason too. At Shepherds, we aspire to be slightl...

This week, we're excited to share a message from our guest preacher, Reverend Emily Hotho. As we listen, we pray that God will encourage, challenge, and strengthen us through His Word. So wherever you're listening from, let's lean in together and hear what the Lord has for us today. Passage: John 10: 11-16 CEB

Thank you for joining us. Today, we answer questions submitted by members of our church and community—questions about God, Scripture, faith, life, and what it means to follow Jesus today. While the questions may come from different experiences and perspectives, our goal is always the same: to seek biblical truth, offer Christ-centered encouragement, and help one another grow in faith. So let's ope...

Last week we talked about silence, and honestly, I've never felt more countercultural. As followers of Jesus, we often live in a tension. We are called to love the people of this world deeply while also recognizing that the way things are is not the way God intended them to be. We celebrate what is good, beautiful, and true, while also naming the places where our culture pulls us away from the lif...

Last week, we unpacked prayer and explored what it means to pray—and why our prayers matter. This week, I want us to lean into another spiritual discipline: silence. Now honestly, when I told someone I was preaching on silence, I immediately regretted it. I think my exact words were, “Why did I say I would preach on silence?!” And without missing a beat, she said, “Ah yes… silence. The thing you l...

As Annual Conference gathers the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church here in Lakeland, we are invited into a powerful theme: awakening to grace. In the Methodist tradition, we believe God meets us through the means of grace—through prayer, worship, communion, Scripture, service, and community. These practices are not just habits; they are holy pathways that awaken us to the presence...

As we come to the close of our series, Like a Girl, it feels fitting that we also gather to celebrate Mother's Day. Every one of us has a mother, and today’s story centers on two women whose lives show us the beauty of shared love and shared strength. Together, they offer us a vision of what life can look like when community matters more than self-interest. Their story invites us into a way of liv...

In a world captivated by the image of the lone, heroic leader, the story of Deborah reminds us that the greatest callings in our lives are never meant to be carried alone. As Gretchen learned in the Marine Corps, and as we discover in our everyday lives, we always go farther when we go together. Today, I want to remind us all that each of us leads somewhere, and that the best outcomes are often wa...

As we begin a new series exploring the often-overlooked stories of women in the Bible, it feels important to say this: it shouldn’t have to be a series—but it does. Women have always been central to our faith. Their courage, leadership, and witness are woven throughout Scripture. And yet, too often, their stories have been minimized while louder voices have tried to define their place. If those vo...

Join Reverend Michael LeBlanc at our Chapel Campus as we celebrate a full year of worshiping together every Sunday in this wonderful location. Be part of this special milestone and experience the joy of community, reflection, and faith. Passage: John 20:19-31 CEB

Friends, Lent is over. As a church, we’ve spent this sacred season wrestling with deconstruction—what it means to gently, honestly take apart a faith that may have been handed to us in pieces that no longer fit, and to begin rebuilding something more durable, more vibrant, more expansive. Not a faith rooted in fear, but one grounded in truth. Not something brittle, but something alive. And today i...