271 Different Plants?

[clein]

I know that our number one food source is the Bible, but I think there’s a lot more that I need to learn. Our jobs are certainly as important as that of shepherding and shepherds need to know more than just where to find grass. Shepherds have got to know “a mosaic of micro-environments�. They have to know “soil, climate, land formation and plant communities.� They ought to know 271 different plants. Some you eat and some you avoid like the plague. That’s a lot to know.

I’m hoping that this DMin will help me learn at least 271 new things. I don’t just want more tools or techniques or better systems. I want to learn more about the plants upon which the sheep feed. Even more I want to know the soil, the climate and the land.

I think that happens best for me by staying connected and anchored in the Scriptures. Then I need to feed beyond that. I need to read Kotter on change and McNeal on the heart. I need to reflect on a case study or strategic planning process and meditate on thick descriptions of my culture. Somehow I think there is a connection between this DMin that’s consuming more time than I have and the feeding of the sheep. To be honest the more I see that connection the more convinced I am to hang in there. After all my job is as important as the job of shepherd of sheep.