July 18th, 2016

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Refreshment

Monday, July 18th, 2016

Lesson #2 in the Trail Boss idea comes from Psalm 23:2:

“He leads me beside still waters.”

Although sheep thrive in dry, semi-arid country, they still require water.  The body of a sheep is composed of about 70% water on the average. It maintains body metabolism, and is necessary for proper organ function. If the supply of water drops off the animal’s tissue begins to dehydrate and can cause serious damage.

You can’t drive sheep like you drive cattle. The ’60s TV show Rawhide had a theme song which said, “Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ keep those doggies rollin’, Rawhide.” Funny. Seven years later they still hadn’t reached market. 🙂  If Mickey D’s had waited on those cattle we might be eating veggie burgers today. (Yeah…I know…bad).

You can’t drive sheep. Pastors need to learn this. I am sometimes asked why I don’t pound the pulpit more and scream and yell and send people to hell for doing or not doing such-and-such. The answer is easy. First, that old man died long time ago and I hope I never find him. Second, I remember something Charles Stanley once said,

Shepherds don’t beat sheep; they feed sheep.

Sheep trust the shepherd to lead them to cool, clear, clean water. If they drink from dirty, polluted water they end up sick, eaten alive with parasites.

You do see the connection do you not? 🙂

So ends lesson #2.

Again I am grateful to Phillip Keller’s book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 for a lot of this information.

TrailBoss

Monday, July 18th, 2016

In the settling of the west, the Trail Boss was responsible for getting the pioneers/settlers to their destination as safely as possible.  A good one knew the lay of the land, where there was water-pools, running and sometimes overflowing streams-Indians, other towns/settlements and how to deal with issues that arose.

Sunday, I used the idea of the western Trail Boss to describe what God does for us by using the first three verses of Psalm 23 (this coming Sunday is the last three). I’d like to suggest a book I used during my study: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. Keller was a rancher/shepherd and his work was invaluable to me in my study.

The Trail Boss Provides Rest- “he makes me lie down in green pastures”. Sheep have four requirements before they will lay down. Free of fear. Free of friction within the flock. Free of pests. Free of food (none in keeping with the “f” alliteration). 🙂

It was the shepherd’s responsibility to make this happen for his sheep. Keller talks about the danger of predators to sheep and how his ewes would drop their lambs due to dogs or other predators. He wrote about 9 of his ewes dying from fear of a cougar.

Jesus once said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

So ends the first lesson.