In the past few years our church family has commissioned six families into full time pastoral ministry. I've had the conversation often now: "How do I know if I'm to be a pastor? What should I expect to see in my 'calling'? What do you do exactly as a pastor?" And finally, "What's it take anyway?" Someone once said that if you can do anything else besides pastoring do it - only when you know that God won't let you do anything else should you proceed! What's it take to proceed? I've traditionally answered that one needs a passion for God, and then the more time you are with/in Him the more you gain His compassionate heart for others outlined in Luke 15. These two ingredients have become checks for me: love for God and love for His people. The devotional offered a fresh spin I needed to remember: these are not just God's people but they are my flock as His under-shepherd. And the Ezekiel 34 passage cited reminds me that I have ownership in their care! So today I'm thinking the fuller answer is that it takes: love for God, and love for His people, the people He entrusts under my care - this makes the calling even bigger!