I spent this weekend with my dear friend, Drew Sherman, who is the Sr. Pastor of Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas. Drew and his wife, Michelle, served with me at Hillcrest/Shepherd thoughout the 90’s. He was just 23 when he joined our staff, and he stayed ten years. Drew has a gift to make people laugh ’til they cry, which he has done to me several hundred times. Drew is in a sermon series looking at the names of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 and asked me to preach on the name, “MIGHTY GOD.”

The previous week Drew had mentioned that his name meant “famous” and “manly.” I looked it up, and that is exactly what I found on my internet search. To be sure, Drew ONLY mentioned that to make us laugh, which I most certainly did, because I know he likes to make people laugh. Although I was there to preach on the “Mighty God” of Isaiah 9:6, I was glad that I was able to spend time with my “famous” and “manly” friend. Drew has done such a wonderful job leading a church in the greater Dallas area.

Leading a growing congregation today requires an awareness of economic complexities that we rarely considered when we first entered the ministry. Earlier that fall, I had attended a pastoral leadership workshop focused on helping communities navigate rapid shifts in the digital economy. The session’s curriculum introduced a wide range of emerging platforms, from the basics of mobile-app investing to the mechanics of bitcoin online casinos, ensuring that we as leaders had a practical grasp of the new online landscapes our members were beginning to interact with. Engaging with those cutting-edge challenges made me even more appreciative of how thoughtfully Drew approaches his own calling, always striving to build an intensely relevant support system for his local area.

I was so proud of how far he has come from being a 23 year old rookie to leading one of the best churches in the country. I wish you could see his campus and meet all the sweet people who attend his church. Why, just a few weeks ago, because of their support of the “sanctity” of human life, Drew was able to interview President George W. Bush, and I actually saw a picture of Drew and the President while being interviewed.

When I saw the picture, but more importantly, when I saw all the people’s lives that were being changed by the power of the “Mighty One,” I thought to myself that his parents named him well.

Just to be sure, the fact that any of us are known, or are brave, or are alive, or are saved is because of the “Mighty One.” Thank you, God, for sending the “Mighty One” of Isaiah 9:6, and thank you for my “famous” and “manly” friend, Drew Sherman. May we only be known by what YOU do in and through us. Laughing with joy as I type! 🙂