When we think of shepherds in a church context, we often think of pastors. However, shepherds so much more than that. Shepherds are any individual who takes the responsibility on themselves to regard the spiritual wellbeing of others over themselves. Our society has heaped a level of celebrity onto the image of a shepherd, but that diverges greatly from the humble role of a shepherd we see championed by Christ. What does it truly mean to be a "poimen"?

We always say that salvation doesn't come from works, but does that mean our works don't matter at all? Not according to James. Our works are often the proof of our inner convictions and devotion and is signifies what we are willing to do or sacrifice in the name of our God. Fortunately, God equips us with the skills needed to serve him. These skills often come in the form of what we call "spiritual gifts". They are God's empowerment of the Holy Spirit through us and can reveal a lot about what God has in store for our lives.

The Bible is a big, complicated book. Though not inaccessible, we benefit from taking a deeper look at the scriptures to see what the authors originally intended. This isn't about reinventing or innovating on the Bible; it's about working to connect our modern language and way of thinking with that of a people and culture 2000-3000 years old. When we start looking at how the authors wrote and the context of their work, we sometimes are shocked to see far deeper meanings behind some of our most common Sunday school stories.

What does it mean to "commit" to God? What do we have to do? How do we have to act? What are the requirements for us to commit to God and does that imply that God has requirements for us before we can attain grace? What we find, as we look at examples of people who were saved by grace, is something that looks very different from what we'd call "commitment". It's different from committing to a charity or a social club. Instead, it's about an opportunity to BE COMMITTED to something bigger than ourselves.