Saint Patrick ~ As A Shepherd !

 

"Patrick, however, was not an active believer ( at time of capture). According to the Confession of St. Patrick, at the age of just sixteen Patrick was captured by a group of Irish pirates.^[35] The raiders brought Patrick to Ireland where he was enslaved and held captive for six years. Patrick writes in The Confession^[35] that the time he spent in captivity was critical to his spiritual development. He explains that the Lord had mercy on his youth and ignorance, and afforded him the opportunity to be forgiven of his sins and converted to Christianity. While in captivity, Saint Patrick worked as a shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God through prayer eventually leading him to convert to Christianity." Wikepedia

 

^[35]

" For you were continually straying like sheep , but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." I Peter 2:25 (photo of Gudrid and her new lamb )

What does a good shepherd do ? "I am the good shepherd ; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:14  Who is the "good shepherd" referred to here in the book of John in the Bible ? It is Jesus. Saint Patrick proclaimed Jesus as his Savior and Shepherd, and in turn Saint Patrick, of Roman birth in Great Britain, slave of the Irish, converted by Christ and returning to Ireland after escaping back to his home , became a humble shepherd of those who turned to Jesus in the land of his former captors .

There are many stories, myths, and miracles attributed to Patrick, but all history, stories, and tales end up bringing it down to this ~ Patrick was a man of deep faith , saved by Jesus Christ.

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you ! May you know the Shepherd of Saint Patrick.

Shepherds & Sheep ( Wee Little Ones Too )

 I have been very busy making and shipping Wee Little Sheep *. Often , while making the little sheep I place them around my little shepherd boy. This little flock seemed to be gathered around him as if they love him and my little shepherd seems sad to see them go.

 Now I know neither the little sheep or the little shepherd are living beings, but for some reason this gathering seemed very real and the little flock was packaged and sent off to new homes throughout the U.S. shortly after I snapped the pictures. Sometimes I am surprised by the emotions inanimate objects evoke and this makes me glad I am making more sheep for my shepherd. Hmm... I think I need to get outside with my real flock and my real shepherd.

 Yes, I do have a real shepherd, and her name is Whimsy. She is my German Shepherd puppy, now 5 months old. Yes indeed, I am allowing her to help me with my sheep and after the holidays intend to take her to sheep herding training. I think she is a natural, but since I have never before had a herding dog , what would I know ?

Whimsy follows me into the sheep pens as I feed and tend my sheep. Here she is facing down a more aggressive ewe lamb in my lamb pen. Thus far, Whimsy has behaved herself quite well, and when she gets too excited I call her away from the sheep or command her to "SIT!" and she obeys. She is sleeping by my feet as I write this post. She & I are becoming very good friends and I hope she will be a companion to my husband & I for many years, and a good sheep dog too. ( The reddish blob in the picture is our Vizsla who is more interested in the alfalfa pellets that dropped from the feed bucket )

"Shepherd :to tend as a shepherd; to gather, guard, herd, lead, or drive sheep, as a shepherd. " Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

 

"Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arms He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. " Isaiah 40:11

 

"I am the good shepherd ; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." John 10:14,15

Lamb AND Shepherd ?

Our little bottle baby lamb was put outside to romp for awhile, but she did not want to be too far away from us. We're her mama you know, and lambs have at least the sense to know they need their mamas."Baaaaaaaa -(where are you ?)" Oh joy, to kick up her heels and run and run and run, jump and run, then zig-zag, jump and run again! Leapin' lambs,an exuberant expression of the sheer joy of life.

Gotta check out everything, maybe just a little nibble ?

The Bible has numerous scriptures referring to Jesus as "The Lamb of God"."Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." John 1:29 "...and he looked upon Jesus as he walked and said,"behold the Lamb of God !". John 1 34 ~If you have been around lambs for even a little while you know they are defenseless. They rely on their mothers who are also defenseless. Lambs and their mamas need a shepherd to care for and protect them. The Bible calls us sheep and Jesus is our Shepherd. ~"Know that the Lord Himself is God ; It is He who has made us and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100 :3 ~ Our Shepherd is also a Lamb. The Shepherd who became as a Lamb, sacrificed for our redemption. "...knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers , but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." I Peter 1:18, 19

A Sheep's View

I was tending my sheep and glanced at our front porch from the sheep pen. The picture above is the view my sheep have of our home. From this view our sheep see our comings and goings, but only from this view. The sheep do not see the rest of our acreage, nor what goes on inside our home. As much and as often as my sheep see me, they could not possibly fathom my life or thoughts beyond the care I give them. They know my voice and react to my voice as no other human voice moves them, yet as sheep, they are unable to be concerned about anything beyond themselves and the sheep pen. My sheep would not know how to behave in our home, or comprehend the every day aspects of my life, the life of their shepherdess. I realized then how very much this reflects my life as a sheep of God's pasture. God has given me His Word, and His Holy Spirit that I may know Him and learn His ways. His voice calls me and the more familiar I am with His voice, the less likely I am to succumb to the false teachings and promises of voices imitating Him to deceive and devour me, yet I am as unable to even begin to fully comprehend or appreciate the majesty, the Holiness, the sovereignty of God as a sheep is to comprehend me. As stupid as my sheep may seem, they do know I am their shepherdess and protector, and I will do with them as I see fit.I decide which sheep stay , which are sold, which are culled. My sheep really do not have a say in the matter because I know what is better for them than they do. My sheep are precious sheep to me, but they are just sheep. To give my sheep free reign over themselves would be a death sentence for them and show me to be an uncaring shepherdess. Hmm, could this be my answer to the many times I have asked God, "Why God...?"

"As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God" declares the Lord God." Ezekiel 34:31 "Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?" Job 11:7 "But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God;Who does great and unsearchable things." Job 5 8,9 "Oh the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable are His ways!For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." Romans 11 : 33-36

Delilah Has A Little Lamb

I am so happy with my newest lamb, she is sooooo cute! I am so thankful for her too. Last year Delilah's lamb died. I believe it was my fault, I should have been home. I had noticed her showing all the signs of lambing but as usual we had obligations away from home and in spite of my reservations , I went away for the day and came home to find a beautiful, full term lamb, dead on the ground with Delilah guarding it. She had not cleaned the birth sac off from around the lamb's face. Had I been home I could have easily done this and also made sure the lungs were clear of fluid, and the little lamb would most likely have lived. This was one of those times I got frustrated with so many aspects of my life conflicting with one another. Friends and family are important, but to me, my flocks are too. I cannot do a good job shepherding my sheep if I take them no more seriously than a casual hobby...to drop it when it is inconvenient and then pick it back up when I FEEL like it and it fits into my busy schedule. The little lambs are the fruition of months of planning, waiting, feeding and caring for the ewes when they are pregnant...joy when the lambs are born and then the new year of watching the lambs grow and deciding which lambs I might keep. Lambing time comes for a brief time every year, what kind of a shepherdess am I if I take this too casually , and what does this say about my stewardship of the flocks God has blessed me with? I am thankful and comforted my Shepherd, THE Shepherd, is not at all conflicted about His care for me and you ; "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom. He will gently lead the nursing ewes." Isaiah 40:11

And look, my husband made fudge this weekend, it is delicious! Don't you just want to reach into the screen and help yourself to a piece of this?A very nice weekend, a new lamb , lots of yummy food to eat while we watched the Super Bowl, and fudge!

Spotted Lambs With Horns !

~Here are three related Jacob Sheep lambs. The ewe ( girl) lamb is in the middle. She has 5 horns. She was born in February of this year and her mother is the sister of the big lamb's mother. Both the mother of the ewe lamb and the big ram ( boy) lamb are sisters we bought in Oregon from Bide-a-Wee Jacobs. This is quite a size difference, and the biggest lamb is one month younger than his sister .Just look at the horns of this ewe (girl) lamb. She has 3 horns on the left side of her head, and 2 horns on the right side of her head. You can see the horns a little more clearly here. I haven't decided on a name for her yet, I would like to name her something that brings to mind her unique horn set, yet a name that is still nice. Any ideas ? (click onto picture for close-up of horns)

~~~This is a ram lamb who is a twin. (below) He and his sister were born late this spring. They were born a month after all the other lambs. Being a twin and a late born lamb makes him a bit smaller than all the other lambs except his sister who is smaller. He is sprouting 5 horns ! Click on the picture and I think you can spot his 5th horn on the right between the 2 larger horns. He will most likely not keep the 5th horn because as the middle and side horn get rapidly larger they will squeeze out and fuse with the 5th horn. ~~~I am so enthralled with my sheep. I love to watch them as I drink my morning coffee. I speculate on their horn sets as they grow and think about their wool and the many things I can create with the wool. I watch my sheep and know my sheep. I know them well enough to tell if they are not feeling well. I can tell when they are distressed, when they are happy, when they are ill. I think about ways to make my sheep more productive and which sheep are detrimental to the well-being of the whole flock. ~~~I am very interested in this little ram lamb ( below) . He is everything I love and admire in a ram. I am hoping he does not damage his horns, that in his eagerness to be a ram he does not get himself in trouble, mortal trouble , with his half brother, Goth. I marvel at the ability these animals have to run full force into hard structures and not damage themselves, but cause damage to the walls and trees and barriers they ram.~~~ ~~~What can I say ? I really love my sheep. I do not want to not have sheep. Having sheep I love has opened up worlds of new interests and activities. The more I learn about my sheep through owning them, observing them, and caring enough to learn more about them, the more I realize I need to know. I can keep on learning til I die! I will be happy learning and caring for them til I die , and hope God grants me the health and circumstance to do this . ~~~I have been privileged over the years to listen to a local shepherd talk about his flocks and sheep. This gentleman had some serious health issues and last year had to sell off or butcher his remaining sheep. This man knows and has forgotten more about sheep and shepherding than I can ever hope to know. One thing I DO know, this man is not long for this earth because when you have listened to him you will know that his inability to care for his beloved flock has caused him to have no reason to linger here . ~~~Each of us has something or someone we hold so very dear. To lose that very special part of us that causes us to wake each day with eagerness and hope and excitement must be the deepest loss, the kind of loss that feels like a part of us has been hacked off and we cannot go on...I feel that to lose any of my family, my ability to keep my sheep, or to be a vital part of my family and close friends would seem as a type of death. Thankfully, THE SHEPHERD, tends this old ewe (me) and He knows what is best for me. So, I guess I need not fret or worry. And so far I am fine and dandy and looking forward to many more years of tending stubborn sheep who give me a whole lot of reasons to get up and go in the morning! Like ; mending fences, feeding, spinning their wool, mending fences, feeding, making rugs out of their wool, mending fences feeding, etc.,

~~~"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them , and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish ; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand." John 10:27,28 ~~~

Spot of Trouble for Goth

~~~Goth , with his foot hung up in his lower horn.~~~

Look at this...oh how the mighty have fallen, well...not fallen, just hobbled. This is how I found Goth yesterday. Front right foot hung up in his front lower horn. He was able to stand up and sort of do a jumping walk. He was NOT happy though. He was not as interested in his morning alfalfa and instead of eating eagerly, he nibbled and lay down again. I was hoping that the alfalfa would some how magically inspire him to disentangle himself, since I was alone at the time, Hubby being off to town for errands. No such luck. When he lay down instead of eating I knew I would have to try to help him by myself.


Why I thought being thus handicapped would make it easy for me to help Goth I do not know. The stinker ran away ! I mean he RAN! On three legs ! When I tried to grab his horns he swung his head. You need to know, Goth has inflicted some impressive bruises on me by just swinging his head while I have been holding his horns. I tried several times to help him, he was not appreciative and continued to run and swing his head. I figured if he could run, then he could wait until I had help.

My Hubby finally came home and together we cornered Goth, while Goth swung his head I grabbed a horn and held on. Hubby disentangled Goth . Goths' leg was swollen and he limped around for awhile , but was just fine and dandy a few hours later.

After more than 15 years of keeping sheep I know they need a shepherd. I have pulled these wooly critters out of trouble that borders on the ridiculous. How these sheep get into the predicaments they do is a marvel. No one could think up the trouble they get into and the creative ways we have had to help them out. They most definitely do not want our help even after hours of being stuck in weird places, endangered by coyotes. They try to flee from shearing and vaccinations and worming. About the only thing they WANT to come to me for are treats. I can tell they are interested in me, but just for watching and probably they are watching me just in case I provide more food.

How like people. God, please let me do what I want, when I want to, without consequences. God, please do not discipline me, or get in the way of my 'fun'. Like sheep I want my own way without the fuss and bother of thinking about my heavenly Father, my heavenly Shepherd who only wants the very best for His sheep and sometimes His care and mercy seems harsh and painful. However, like the earthly shepherd and his sheep..this is needful for a healthy sheep.

From ' Moody's Anecdotes' pp.70-71 "Dr. Andrew Bonar told me how in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander into the rocks and get into places they couldn't get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they can't jump back again, and the shepherd hears them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass. The shepherd will wait until they are so faint they cannot stand, and then they will put a rope around him, and he will go over and pull that sheep up out of the jaws of death. "Why don't they go down there when the sheep first gets there ?" I asked. " Ah!" He said, "they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did!" And that is the way with men; they won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything. If you are a wanderer I tell you that the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself and are willing to let Him save you His own way. "

"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each has turned to his own way.But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth." Isaiah 53: 6,7

Spot On Cedar Pond

This begins a new venture into writing about and posting observations, reflections, and events occurring on our own little two and a half acres hobby farm we have named Cedar Pond. We keep Jacob sheep, chickens, doves, ducks, a few too many dogs and cats, two little wethered Pygmy goats.....and we combine the challenge of keeping all these critters well and healthy AND in attractive (somewhat) pens while keeping the critters OUT of our vegetable, herb and flower gardens, and away from the fruit and berries in our orchard ! Needless to say, this is often challenging, sometimes frustrating, but we have a great time and love what we are doing. Our sheep produce wool with which I spin and weave yarn and make rugs and saddlepads. I love my sheep and spend a great deal of time just watching them. After more than 15 years of keeping sheep I have begun to understand the many Biblical references referring to us mere mortals as 'sheep'......and even more so the many mercies and kindnesses of The Shepherd who cares for us even in our ignorance of His ways and workings. Enough musings, now off to spin more wool ! "Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100:3