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Day 14 And the sheep recognize his voce and come to him, and he calls his own sheep by name. (John 10.3) (p100) A difficult morning. Much going on in my life to wonder if God will take care of me. Do I have enough faith to believe? Then, I started to see that I don’t need to do anything. I just ne...

The sheepdog is a reminder that the motive behind our daily circling is to keep the flock together. If we become cynical nags, then perhaps our critics are right: we just bark too much. (p149) If I do not spend time praying for the sheep, I will turn into a cynic, and I will start to nag them. Prayi...

Day 30
Good shepherds lead their flocks on right paths. (p201)

I tried to lead my Sunday School class down the Disciple Bible study path. They wouldn’t go. They wouldn’t come to class, and when they did come they hadn’t done the reading. I misread them.

...a rhythm of restoration and rejuvenation...(p93)

I am tired of being tired. I don’t know how to rest. My prayer is, “Lord, show me how to rest.�

Don’t come home without them. (p81)

I am amazed and saddened by how self-absorbed I am in the role of pastor. I keep thinking it’s about me. It’s about the sheep! I am to take care of them. Help them. Pastoring is a big responsibility.

O, Lord. Help me!

It seems that we need to pray, read, and reflect more, not less, because these actions can so easily become meaningless and rote rituals. We have to keep digging because we know where the water is. It’s just sometimes deeper than we wish. (p51) Not only are we digging for water for the sheep, but ...

God fully intends to use the shepherd image to shape the identity of his ministers. (p35) I don’t think I had ever thought of myself as a shepherd. When I did think about my calling, I only thought about being a good preacher. Lately, I’ve noticed the difference my pastoral identity makes in how...