Shepherd Thoughts Podcast

The friendship between Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 20) provides many good insights for good friendships today. Do you have any friends like Jonathan? Are you this kind of friend for anyone else? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider several marks of true friendship, the kind of friendship that all of us need to have in our lives.

Have you noticed a tendency in your heart to regress spiritually in one way or another? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider from 2 Chronicles some ways that the good kings of Israel failed at the end of their reigns. Let this study encourage you to finish strong for the Lord.

Do you know the origin of rainbows? Do you know what message they are supposed to convey? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering the first and last mention of rainbows in the Bible and be encouraged by their God-given purpose for today!

Before Joshua led Israel to victory at Jericho (when the walls fell down), he had a surprise encounter with the Commander of the Lord's Army (Josh 5:13-15). Why was this an important moment and how does it encourage our service for God today? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to find out!

The Old Testament book of Numbers gives noticeable attention to a man named Balaam, and he is mentioned elsewhere throughout the Bible. Who is this unusual man and why is he important to know about? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover important lessons today from this problematic person.

Scripture tells us about a successive line of places where God both has and will place his presence among people on the Earth. Yet most importantly, where does God dwell today and why is that important for us to know? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to trace the theme of God's dwelling place throughout the Bible.

Psalm 105 provides an overview (or a review) of major highlights from Israel’s history, previously recorded at length in the Pentateuch. It also teaches us how we should allow God's might works in the past and his promises for the future to influence the way we live out our faith in the present. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in considering how this song of Israel can influence your life today.

Since the NT speaks directly to believers today and since the OT speaks directly to Jewish people many years ago, is the OT now irrelevant and obsolete? The answer to this question is a resounding ‘no.’ But why? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider a variety of compelling reasons from the NT for why Christians today should study the OT.

Does the story of Gideon "putting out a fleece" provide us with a pattern for finding God's will and making difficult decision today? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering that really was going on when Gideon put out his fleece and how that should encourage us to know God even better.

What does the Bible say about the seasons? How should a Christian respond to Springtime each year? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider how to respond to Springtime and the seasons in a God-focused, God-dependent, uplifting way.

Some verses of Scripture tend to relax our minds and calm our hearts in an extra special way. The words of Jeremiah 29:11-13 are like this: “For I know the plans that I have planned for you,” says the LORD," etc. We easily interpret these soothing words to mean something like: “If I pray to God, then I will find the perfect spouse, discover my dream job, have a successful business, enjoy a happy and harmonious marriage, have a good career, and expect good health.” For many, these verses are a long and poetic way of saying, “God promises that everything’s going to work out really great for me,” or, “I’ve got a great life ahead.” Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover the background and meaning of these verses and to learn how to better apply these verses to our lives today.

Is retaliation wrong? Is it ever appropriate for a person to carry out acts of personal revenge or retribution against a person who has wronged him? Sometimes believers will quote verses like an "eye for an eye" to support personal acts of retribution or revenge, though other verses of Scripture seem to teach the opposite principle, assigning all retaliation to God. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering how we should understand these verses today.

Join Pastor Overmiller in examining the first misused Bible verse ever, then learn what this sobering example teaches us about the dangers of misusing Bible verses today.

“All things work together for good" (Rom 8:28). Is this a universal promise? Is it something you can say to any person, at any time, who is facing any kind of hardship? It is not. And is it a promise for good things in this life now? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover what the word all refers to in this important Bible promise and how it should encourage your outlook in life.

"What happened to the fish and sea creatures in the Great Flood? Since everything was destroyed, how did fish survive?" Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller "underwater" to discover what happened to fish when God covered the Earth with a flood.

How many times have you heard someone say this about the word all? “All means 'all' and that’s all that all means?” While this is true (the word all does mean “all”), the word all doesn’t always mean every possible thing all at once. One example of how we misuse this word occurs in Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." To what does "all things" refer? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering the bedrock principle for Christian living that this verse teaches (and what is doesn't teach).

When another believer slogs through a series of difficult circumstances, do you ever try to encourage him or her by quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13, at least in part? You might say, “Don’t worry, God never gives you more than you can handle!” Before you do this again, let me encourage you to consider whether or not this verse applies to the situation at hand. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in this short episode to discover what this verse does and doesn't teach.

Sometimes we lift right ideas from the wrong places in the Bible. One such example is how we use John 12:32, when Jesus said, "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself." While we may quote this as a call to worship or a promise for evangelism, it is neither. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover what this verse means and why it is important not misapply such a verse, even with good intentions and for a good cause.

"Blood is thicker than water” is a popular phrase, but it is not a Bible verse. But there is one passage of Scripture (among others) that we frequently misunderstand, Matthew 18:19-20, which says, “I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” Do these verses teach us universal principles about all kinds of prayer (as we often assume), or do they teach us something more specific? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover what Jesus is teaching about the difficult but important practice of church discipline.

What Jesus said to Mary Magdalene when she saw him at the empty tomb after his resurrection serves as a good reminder for us today as well, especially when we head into a new year. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in learning this important, forward-looking perspective from John 20:17.