We have a pasture in our front yard that we put in not long after we moved. I had a vision of fluffy white sheep that would follow us around baaing softly. We got our first lamb, a Tunis sheep that we named Pesakh (Hebrew for Passover).
Little did we know it was the beginning of a long, heart-breaking road. The problems began with our first batch of sheep that we got to keep him company. We had a few red lambs, and a few sets of twins that caused great excitement at our house.
The mama's were great, and we never had to do a thing except oooh and aaah and take pictures of their first wobbly steps. Time moved on and Pesakh died after a battle with another ram. Babies were born and then disappeared in the night. One mama labored for three days with high blood pressure and had to be put down. The final straw was a baby that got kicked by our donkey (another story) and then would not eat. As Nate milked the mama and I rubbed the baby's throat to coax it to suckle, tears ran down my cheeks and I said, "No more. I can't handle the hardships." I felt extremely guilty when babies died, and the fear in the sheep's eyes with high blood pressure when I would peek in on her still haunts me. I didn't know when we brought home Pesakh that farm animals would cause such great heartache.
I have been searching my heart for a quick and easy blog post, but I have not had any flashes of brilliance. There are many references for sheep and shepherds in just the New Testament alone, and I was not sure where to go with this.
There have been many nights of chasing wandering sheep and I have felt the power of Luke 15:4...
searching for one lost sheep.
There have been wild dogs in the fence and I felt the power of John 10:12...
wolf scattering the sheep.
I have watched the sheep come running at meal time and felt the power of John 10:4...
my sheep know my voice.
I have watched Nate running wildly around the field with a shepherd's hook when it was time to shear and have felt the power of Matthew 9:36....
sheep scattered abroad as if they have no shepherd.
I have braved the cold and creature infested barn to gather grain and I have felt the power of John 21:16...
feed my sheep.
And I have shed tears when babies died and felt the power of John 10:11...
a good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.
I have been putting off a blog about sheep, because I knew it was not going to be an easy one. This weekend I got my answer.
Friday night, we received our new book for our bible study,
One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven. And Sunday, we were urged to pray for an open door to share the gospel with someone. I began to doubt.... Oh no, Lord. Not me. Not this. I'm unequipped and unsure. I fumble and stutter when asked questions about my faith. I can write it but can I say it? I nervously read the first chapter in the book and slammed it down quickly. Outreach is great... for someone else. Show me your pictures of mission trips and I will cry along with you.
But don't. ask. me. to. do. this.
But in my research I found this....
Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 10:6-7
There are three reasons that I have "ignored" this verse until now.
1. Jesus is preaching to the disciples, not me.
2. I can't preach, I am a woman.
3. I can't go to another country, I am called to be a mom and wife here in the USA.
And Satan loves to remind me of this.
Yet the Bible reveals a little more....
1. In the same speech as Matthew 10, given by Jesus, he says "
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." I have always considered this to apply in my life so how can I pick and choose which verses are for only the disciples, and which ones include me?
2. My blog is Minister Grace. Do I think that I am
A minister? No. Have I been called
TO minister? Absolutely. We all have.
...
not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God: who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit... 2 Cor. 3:5-6
3. Are there lost sheep in the USA? Are there lost sheep in Virginia? Are there lost sheep at our elementary schools? Are there lost sheep in our families?
..
.if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not... 2 Cor.4:3-4
So, I am ready. I desire for the Lord to use me, in some small way, to reach out to the lost. One soul or ten. I cannot save someone. Only He can. But He can steady my hands, give me words, grant me the ability, and increase my strength to be able to be used as a vessel in reaching out to someone. I don't know who, what, when, where, or why, but I do know Him. And He's all I need.
We sold all of our sheep to a woman in Floyd that had a large flock of Tunis and they fit right in. Our pasture was empty for a little bit until we were approached by a woman that trains sheepdogs. So she leases the field for sheep so she can come and practice with her dog.
We feel like we get the better end of the deal, we get to watch her out the window, taking care of them, feeding them, fixing fences, and herding them at night. I have absolutely no idea how you train the dogs. All I know is that she says, Come Down, Lie Down, and whistles a lot. I have a video to share with you on herding sheep. Nate likes to tease her about putting on a show this winter....
And the celebrity never asked.
New Again - Lee Ann Womack
I thank God for those who saw the beauty within our Airstream and will make the old, new again. People like Lee Ann Womack, her sister Jenny, and daughter Aubrey.
Bad news.... Not a big fan of Uncle Nate's sugars.
Good news.... She enjoyed her cake.
Bad news.... She is teething.
Bad news.... That is not wool that you can see.
Good news.... The smell wasn't too bad....
Bad news.... Nate's outfit was.
Bad news.... She's a girl.
Good news.... He has stopped screaming and double doses of Benadryl helped.
She loved the multi-colored vest that her son, Boden, made. But he charged a lot of money for something that awesome.
Then Will said, "Sorry, Mom, there are no more vests here, but maybe Dad would like this sweater made from the wool of a ram?" And she thought, "Forget Dad. I could wash that thing in hot water then dry it so it will shrink, and then I'll cut off the sleeves...."
Adam just rolled his eyes and said, "Thank goodness for Good Will."
Little did we know it was the beginning of a long, heart-breaking road. The problems began with our first batch of sheep that we got to keep him company. We had a few red lambs, and a few sets of twins that caused great excitement at our house.
The mama's were great, and we never had to do a thing except oooh and aaah and take pictures of their first wobbly steps. Time moved on and Pesakh died after a battle with another ram. Babies were born and then disappeared in the night. One mama labored for three days with high blood pressure and had to be put down. The final straw was a baby that got kicked by our donkey (another story) and then would not eat. As Nate milked the mama and I rubbed the baby's throat to coax it to suckle, tears ran down my cheeks and I said, "No more. I can't handle the hardships." I felt extremely guilty when babies died, and the fear in the sheep's eyes with high blood pressure when I would peek in on her still haunts me. I didn't know when we brought home Pesakh that farm animals would cause such great heartache.
I have been searching my heart for a quick and easy blog post, but I have not had any flashes of brilliance. There are many references for sheep and shepherds in just the New Testament alone, and I was not sure where to go with this. 
We feel like we get the better end of the deal, we get to watch her out the window, taking care of them, feeding them, fixing fences, and herding them at night. I have absolutely no idea how you train the dogs. All I know is that she says, Come Down, Lie Down, and whistles a lot. I have a video to share with you on herding sheep. Nate likes to tease her about putting on a show this winter....
If interested in buying some cards.... contact me at jonib98@aim.com and tell me how many you want, which theme, and your address and I will pop them into the mail. All joking aside, I would love to help this family out... so let's rally, bloggers, and show 'em what we're made of! (Little too much football around here...) Feel free to "grab" a picture and add it to your blog page linking it to this post...
