ShepherdLeader.com

Shepherding is not simply a job- it's a calling of the heart. Otherwise, what would attract a person to become a shepherd? The work environment constantly presents grave risks, the weather is seldom cooperative, the professional perks are virtually nonexistent, some cultures consider shepherds "...

As a young boy I considered becoming a pig farmer. My local Cooperative Extension Service supported my desire by giving me a pig to raise for one year, provided I surrender it for auction at the annual county fair. I don't remember much about that short-lived profession except for the fact that pigs...

Is the pastoral ministry a destination or a journey? If we're primarily seeking a prominent ministry assignment or ecclesiastical leadership position, longing to be senior pastor of First Church of the Green Acres or president of our denomination, we'll potentially miss God's faithful Presence and P...

I grew up drinking well water. I never gave it much thought how the water flowed out of the faucets in our house. I only knew it had something to do with the pump house in our back yard where my dad spent more time working on the well pump than Ralphie's dad in the movie, A Christmas Story, did fixi...

It's no great secret that the American church is in a long season of spiritual draught. People aren't flocking to churches to find answers to life's problems, to hear a fresh word from God, or to satisfy the deep longings of their souls. So many people quench their thirst temporarily through sports,...

I remember my personal calling to the Gospel ministry like it was yesterday. As a young fourteen-year-old, the Holy Spirit convicted me to walk the aisle of my church and make a public declaration of the Lord calling me as a pastor. Five years later, as a college freshman, I had a vivid dream reaffi...

"Good people are good to their animals." (Prov. 12:10, The Message) That's what my grandmother always told us growing up. She'd say, "You can tell a man's heart by the way he treats dumb animals." The same thing applies to those called to shepherd God's people. The Bible says tha...

Almighty and Sovereign God orchestrates our seasons in the wilderness primarily to instill trust in Him alone. The wilderness takes away everything else- our physical comforts, people, and our "security blankets". We have nothing left, except our relationship with the Lord. He promises nev...