From the Pastors Desk - January 03, 2020
I remember the first time I was allowed to stay up to welcome the New Year. Some of the details are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember the night. On the afternoon of December 31,when my mom put my toddler brother down for a nap, I napped too. That evening my parents had ten friends over (three card tables of four for bridge). I sat on the sofa and read a book. If my mother needed to have some of the table snacks refilled, she’d call me and I’d replenish the onion dip or potato chips. It was agreed that somewhere around 11pm the cards would stop and Johnny Carson would come on TV. and watch the ball drop in Times Square.
We are about to start another new year. I can be fairly certain that I will be asleep by the time the people in Times Square will celebrate. I don’t know how many of you make New Year’s resolutions. I know that some people take them very seriously and reform an aspect of their lives. Others make them and they are out the window by February. I’m not asking any of you to make resolutions or to avoid them, but I would like to share my New Year’s wish with you. It will be 2020. It is going to be a difficult year. It will be totally dominated by what I am sure will be some very vicious politics. It is my wish for the people of Good Shepherd that, while we can expect nastiness to swirl around us, we can remain above it.
One of the things I have appreciated about Good Shepherd is the kindness and civility with which we treat each other. Do we agree on everything? No. We’ve had disagreements at Council, within the congregation, but the respect and the willingness to listen to each other is one of the things I love about Good Shepherd. Believe me, not all congregations are like Good Shepherd. I wish that that will continue. I also wish that in your other worlds: jobs, family, neighborhoods, social circles, etc. that you can be the same way you are at church. In this coming year, we are going to need as many respectful, kind and civil people as we can find. We can be the light that our world is going to need. We need a lot of Good Shepherds for 2020. I wish all of you a good new year!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 11/24/24
Welcome Dr. Maira Liliestedt!!!
From the Pastors Desk - 11/24/24
Odds & Ends
From the Pastors Desk - 11/03/24
Thanks Be To God for ALL of You!!
From the Pastors Desk - 09/30/24
Serving Others
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A Busy Month!
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Where Did Everyone Go?
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Small Can Be Mighty!
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Dandelions!
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Keep It Short!
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When “Thank You” Seems Insignificant
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Searching for an Organist/Choir Director
From the Pastors Desk - 02/29/24
Always Living in the Future
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Thank You!
From the Pastors Desk - 01/07/24
“We are doing the best we can!”
Notes from the Choir Loft - 11/26/23
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve Worship
From the Pastors Desk - 11/26/23
A Toast to Ed!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 10/31/23
All Saints Sunday, November 5th & Christ the King Sunday, November 26th
From the Pastors Desk - 10/31/23
November Already!!!???
From the Pastors Desk - 10/31/23
November Already!!!???
Notes from the Choir Loft - 10/01/23
Reformation Sunday, October 29th Combined service with Zion United Church of Christ
From the Pastors Desk - 10/01/23
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God!
From the Pastors Desk - 08/31/23
God’s Amazing Creation
From the Pastors Desk - 07/26/23
Oh, for a Thousand Thanks to Give!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/27/23
Lutheridge Bound…
From the Pastors Desk - 06/27/23
Fifth Sunday Combined Worship
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/02/23
Trinity Sunday
From the Pastors Desk - 06/02/23
Happy Father’s Day!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 04/30/23
Organ Concert and Space Dedication
From the Pastors Desk - 04/30/23
Random Thank Yous!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 04/03/23
Holy Week Schedule
From the Pastors Desk - 04/03/23
Worship Opportunities with Zion
From the Pastors Desk - 02/25/23
The Future of the Church
Notes from the Choir Loft - 02/01/23
Ash Wednesday and Additional Lenten Worship and Bible Study…
From the Pastors Desk - 02/01/23
Care and Concern Committee
Notes from the Choir Loft - 01/01/23
January Sundays and Inclement Weather
From the Pastors Desk - 01/01/23
An Interview!
From the Pastors Desk - 11/28/22
Working Together
Notes from the Choir Loft - 10/31/22
November/December Upcoming Events
From the Pastors Desk - 10/31/22
Thanksgiving!
From the Pastors Desk - 10/02/22
Future Possibilities
From the Pastors Desk - 09/02/22
Thanks Plus More
Notes from the Choir Loft - 07/31/22
Upcoming Events…
From the Pastors Desk - 07/31/22
Odds & Ends
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/30/22
This month I will be attending Music Week at Lutheridge
From the Pastors Desk - 06/30/22
Dream Big!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/30/22
This month I will be attending Music Week at Lutheridge
From the Pastors Desk - 06/30/22
Dream Big!
From the Pastors Desk - 05/29/22
Waiting!
From the Pastors Desk - 05/04/22
Thankful for Others
From the Pastors Desk - 04/10/22
The Sure and Certain Hope of Easter
Notes from the Choir Loft - 02/27/22
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area
From the Pastors Desk - 02/27/22
Spring IS Coming…Really!
Notes from the Choir Loft - 01/30/22
Look Up
From the Pastors Desk - 01/30/22
Chilly Musings
Notes from the Choir Loft - 01/07/22
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From the Pastors Desk - 01/07/22
Let’s Get Back to Normal Living Again… Maybe????
From the Pastors Desk - 12/19/21
Christmas Time… Again, Already??!!
From the Pastors Desk - 11/07/21
Always Living in the Future
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november Voice 2021
Notes from the Choir Loft - 03/31/21
The Easter season starts out with dwelling on the resurrection appearances,
Notes from the Choir Loft - 03/31/21
The Easter season starts out with dwelling on the resurrection appearances, and then moves back in the gospels to Jesus’ farewell speeches while simultaneously moving forward in the book of Acts as th
Notes from the Choir Loft - 03/02/21
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Notes from the Choir Loft - 01/31/21
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Notes from the Choir Loft - 01/03/21
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Notes from the Choir Loft - 11/01/20
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From the Pastors Desk - 11/01/20
Are you familiar with the term Minnesota Nice?
Notes from the Choir Loft - 10/01/20
Music in church has taken on a different tone since the pandemic started.
From the Pastors Desk - 10/01/20
The Northeastern Ohio Synod held its Synod Assembly online
Notes from the Choir Loft - 09/05/20
As the Sanctuary Worship Team looks at the guidelines we will use in October for sanctuary worship, I thought I would share a little about our musical options for the fall and winter.
From the Pastors Desk - 09/05/20
A global pandemic. Civil unrest. A society divided. A church struggling to find its place.
Notes from the Choir Loft - 08/01/20
What Do We Do This Fall?
From the Pastors Desk - 08/01/20
Do you watch the TV show Jeopardy?
From the Pastors Desk - 07/04/20
At Good Shepherd we are fortunate to have a large parking lot
From the Pastors Desk - 07/04/20
At Good Shepherd we are fortunate to have a large parking lot
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/06/20
On Singing Together1
From the Pastors Desk - 06/06/20
One of my favorite church holidays is Pentecost
Notes from the Choir Loft - 06/06/20
On Singing Together
From the Pastors Desk - 06/06/20
One of my favorite church holid
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Coming Festival Days
From the Pastors Desk - 05/01/20
Many years ago, when I was in the Metro DC synod
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As I type this article (I decided not to use the one I’ve been working
Notes from the Choir Loft - 03/03/20
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From the Pastors Desk - 03/03/20
When I was in the 3rd and 4th grade our across
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Organ Dedication
From the Pastors Desk - 01/30/20
During the season of Epiphany the
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Music Fund
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Stewardship
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Organist Notes
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New Hymns, New Organ
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Found faithful in little, with much, with all
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How Singing impacts your well-being
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Introducing Junior Church