Good Shepherd Gardendale

The "Day of the Lord" is one of those moments in time that the Bible has been preparing for us from beginning to end. It is the day when all the climatic events of the Lord's Return take place. Paul urges us to be spiritually ready for this moment. Spiritual wakefulness, not fear. As "children of light" our assurance and hope is in Christ. Therefore, we want to be ready for...

Today is the celebration of All Saints Sunday and we remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone home to be with the Lord. And the joy we have as Christians is that we do not live without hope. We have a message of comfort for those that are grieving. Christ's resurrection guarantees ours. Today we focus on the return of Christ and our bodily resurrection not with speculation but...

Today we bring together our series on Thessalonians and the celebration of the Reformation. How can someone actually walk with God and please God? How can we have a relationship with God and not be worried about our life and is it pleasing to God? Today we are grateful for our opportunity to worship and celebrate the Lord. This is part 7 of our series, "Living With The End In Mind."

Last week we saw that Paul was anxious and worried and struggling, as he wondered if the tempter was going to wreck the church in Thessalonica or would he find out that they were doing alright or better thriving! Today we find out what happens, and in doing so we can ask ourselves the question, "how are we doing?" What would be the report given about Good Shepherd and our life together....

What happens when a congregation is experiencing spiritual warfare? What happens when they start to struggle because their pastor was forced out of town? Today we see how Paul's concern for their faith under affliction leads him to send Timothy for encouragement. Today's message explores how God uses trials to strengthen faith, not destroy it, and how He sends "encouragers" into...

Paul continues today in his encouragement to the church as he recalls his hard work and integrity. Paul says that the Word of God is "at work in you who believe." But what does that look like? How does the Word of God "work in you?" Today we discover that the Key to Living with the End in Mind is to learn how to daily "receive the Word of God". Today we see that faith...

Paul's ministry isn't about pleasing people but about faithfulness to God. Like a nursing mother, he cherishes the Thessalonians. Paul came to them after experiencing intense suffering and shame in Philippi, so that they too could experience the life transformation of the Gospel. In today's message we see the heart of a leader who cares deeply about his people. This is part 3 of our se...

There is something incredible about being "chosen." When a child walks into an animal shelter and picks out a cat or dog, that animal is excited and thrilled to be "chosen." When a student is selected for a special group or team, there is something special about being "chosen." When an orphan is "chosen" by an adoptive family to come and live with them, they...

Today we begin our brand new series "Living with the End in Mind". In this series we are going to be walking through the book of 1 Thessalonians together. This book was written by the Apostle Church to encourage them as a community of faith and to know what to expect as the end of time neared. Today we begin with Part 1 entitled a "A Church Worth Imitating".

Today we are honored to have the Rev. Tommy Lee from Messiah Lutheran Church in Prattville, AL with us today. Tommy and his wife Irene are both retired Military. They have lived in the Montgomery/Prattville area for 20+ years. They have two children and multiple grandchildren. Tommy is a recent graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis MO as part of their SMP (Specific Ministry Pastor) program. Pa...

Who is the greatest in the kingdom? How do we deal with temptations to sin? What do you do when you find yourself lost? How do we respond to conflict in the church? Jesus interacts with a series of questions about life in the kingdom and following Jesus. Taking up your cross and following Jesus means something inside of you needs to die so that you can actually live. May the Lord bless our time to...

Today we are blessed to have Rev. Eric Hollar with us today. Pastor Eric is the Executive Director of Shepherd's Heart Disaster Relief Ministry. Shepherd's Heart is one of our ministry partners and was birthed out of the ministry Good Shepherd by Rev. Ed Brashier, former associate pastor of GSLC and now Pastor Emeritus of GSLC.

Jesus comes to the area of Tyre and Sidon; places in the Bible with a rich history and conflicted past. There he meets a Canaanite woman. Canaanites were mortal enemies of God's people, that the Lord commanded they be removed from the land due to their idolatry. And now this woman comes desperate for help. She needs the LORD to save her daughter, and the Lord calls her a "dog" who ha...

The seas are often images of chaos and disruption in the Bible. In today's message we see Jesus on the water with his disciples. The disciples are filled with both fear and doubt. How does Jesus meet us in the midst of our fears and doubts to bring us peace in the storm. This is part 8 of our series, "The Way of Jesus".

There are some moments in the life of Jesus that you just never forget and that Jesus will never forget. Today we see what happens when Jesus loses a dear friend, family member, and partner in ministry. First, he spends time alone but then he finds time with others. We Jesus turn his grief into a moment of great compassion. This is part 7 of our series, "The Way of the Master". May the L...

Jesus loves to use parables to describe the kingdom of heaven. In today's message we will explore three ways to look at the Kingdom of God: Hidden Treasure, an Expensive Pearl and a Net. These three images allow us to see the beauty and value of God's kingdom which is here and now. They show us that we are God's treasured possession worth the most expensive sacrifice. That he will keep...

The enemy of God's people likes to come around like a thief in the night to steal, kill and destroy. What happens when you wake up and realize the enemy has been in your home, your church, and your life? How do you respond to the enemy and how do you ensure that the enemy's deception doesn't cause you to hurt others? This is Part 5 of our series, "The Way of Jesus".

There are four kinds of soil in this world. Which means there are four ways we can receive God's Word. What kind of soil are you right now? How are you hearing God's Word? Do you have the right soil to be fruitful? This is part 4 of our series "The Way of Jesus". May the Lord bless your life in Christ today as you are led by the Spirit of God!

We are honored to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ which allows us to honor the freedom we have in this Country. Today, Cody, one of our lay preaching students will be sharing today's message on "do you love God or do you love the world?" The world will tempt us in three ways to love it with our flesh, eyes, and pride, and all three end up unsatisfying. But Jesus shows us a di...

The way of Jesus can be challenging because it means dying to oneself. We die to our selfish ambitions. We die to our greed. We die to always being right. We actually have to lose our life so that we can find it. And that may mean walking away from people who can't support and encourage our journey with Christ. This is Part 3 of our series: The Way of Jesus.

Today we continue our series called the "Way of Jesus." In this series we are exploring the teachings of Jesus and how they impact our lives today. In today's message we are going to focus on "word of wisdom" when life is hard. Jesus gives His disciples some very practical wisdom for when life is hard as they are trying to live out their faith. These words of wisdom will be...

Today we begin our brand new Summer Series called The Way of Jesus. On multiple occasions we are encouraged to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and Life and we are to walk in His ways. This Summer we want to focus our attention on the miracles, ministry, and teachings of Jesus found in the book of Matthew. We are going to listen to Jesus, we are going to as...

Today we are honored to have Pastor George Murdaugh with us again. Pastor Murdaugh will be leading us in worship and the celebration of communion. With Pastor Murdaugh today we are excited to have Seminarian Nick Ford. Nick is studying for pastoral ministry with our sister church body the AALC (American Association of Lutheran Churches). May we give both a warm Good Shepherd welcome.

Today is a special day in the church. It's both Trinity Sunday and Confirmation Sunday. Trinity Sunday is a day we recognize the uniqueness of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Confirmation Sunday is a day where several of our teens are confessing their faith in that unique God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May the Lord Bless this day to His Glory.

One of the most profound changes that took place with the death and the resurrection of Jesus, is the sending of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God now lives within us as we are united in Christ. The Spirit of God is the guarantee of our salvation. As we celebrate Pentecost today, we are invited to think about, "What Does the Holy Spirit Really Do?" How do you see the Holy Spirit impact...