I am a second-career person who felt called by God to ordained ministry for a number of years before following the path to ordination. I was always active in the congregations to which I belonged and served as a lay person in almost every possible capacity within the church, as I worked and raised a family for many years before finally going to the seminary, which gives me a wonderful understanding of the challenges facing those in the congregation.
In June, 2004 I graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and was called to St. Paul as its pastor where I began serving on September 1, 2004. I love being a pastor! I especially enjoy leading worship, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. My husband, Vernon, and I feel blessed to be in Louisville—and are enjoying exploring the city. Both of us lost spouses, met, and married while we were at the seminary. He has lived in many different cities throughout the United States, while I have spent the majority of my adult life in Michigan, but have also lived in Indiana and Ohio.
I love sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Jesus embodied God’s amazing love and through his death and resurrection we have been reconciled to God and have the gift of eternal life (defined as life lived in the unending presence of God now and in the life to come).
Following are three of my favorite passages of Scripture. They summarize my beliefs about the awesome God whom we, as Christians, love and serve. They also remind us of the responsibility with which we are entrusted and the joy we share as beloved children of God who partners in God’s mission of blessing and healing the world.
In Isaiah 43, verses 1-3, the prophet writes:
“But now says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”
We have God’s assurance that God will always be with us in every circumstance of our lives.
In Romans 8:38-39 we read:
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God is love and promises that regardless of what comes our way in this life, nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from God’s love.
John 3:16 states,
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.
God loves us and redeemed us for the sake of the world, not just for ourselves and so we strive to be ambassadors for Christ in our daily lives.
God’s richest blessings on your journey,
Pastor Shirley