Parables of a 21st-Century Shepherd and Other Farm Stories - Dale Hetherington - Bog

In Genesis 46, Jacob calls God his shepherd as he blesses Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim. In the beloved Psalm 23, David sings about what it means that the Lord is his shepherd. In Isaiah 40, God promises to come to His people and tend to them like a shepherd. In John 10, Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd. In Hebrews 13, He is called the Great Shepherd. In 1 Peter 5, He is the Chief Shepherd. This is only a sample of places in the Bible where God's relationship with His people is equated with that of a shepherd to His sheep.

I became a pastor shortly after we started raising sheep, and I began seeing similarities between being a pastor and a shepherd. This makes sense since pastor comes from the Greek word poimen, which means shepherd. Jesus taught in parables, earthly stories with a spiritual meaning. That's the idea behind this little book. I wrote stories about our dealings with our sheep that illustrate similarities I saw between my relationship with my sheep and my relationship with the people I shepherded in the church. I hope that these stories will entertain you and also give you insight as well. For pastors, maybe it will even help you in your ministry. Being aware of this has helped me in mine.