How do shepherds call their sheep

Why all the sheep facts? So you can be the life of the next party, of course. And just as a shepherd will search and search for any sheep that finds itself somehow separated from the flock until he finds it, so Jesus does likewise — He pursues the lost people of the world, calling to them in the voice they recognize.

See Luke for more! A key idea to understand here is that sheep respond to a voice and a word they recognize. When they hear the voice and words they know, they respond in trust. Do you see where the metaphor is going? Just like sheep, we need to listen to our Shepherd in a voice we know and a language we understand. And while you—who can read this blog in English—likely have very easy access to an English Bible, there are millions of people around the world who have no access to the words of Jesus.

Many have had little access to education and thus cannot read. For generations, they have only communicated orally. Life revolves around the spoken word.

These are oral peoples. Fortunately, there is hope for them. Faith Comes By Hearing is actively providing new audio recordings of Bible translations granted to us by our partners and making them available around the world. We share in the misery of bad weather, bad sheep and bad circumstance. But we end each day with a shared appreciation for a job well done.

Pets are wonderful. My dogs have been responsible for my livelihood, my contentment in farming and for my joy to have them at my side day and night. Livestock farming involves killing animals. Whether we ship them off to an auction, a slaughter house, or we do it ourselves, ultimately the objective is to turn the animals into dollars to sustain a family and the farm.

Sometimes, an animal needs to be euthanatized for humane reasons. And humanity hurts. Knowing you are doing the right thing may take the sting out, but it still hurts. Sometimes, in spite of your efforts to save a mother or a baby during lambing, the shepherd loses.

It hurts. And the harder you try to save the life, the more it hurts. To make enough money to provide for a family to make a farm sustainable requires that a shepherd kill a lot of lambs. But for each lamb killed, there is a ewe who lives to produce again. For every lamb killed, we keep a farmhand employed to care for their family. For every lamb killed we preserve a piece of American farmland that is disappearing at an alarming rate.

My job is to kill lambs for food — with many benefits for the animals and our farm. Although I take my animals to a slaughter house to be processed to sell to chefs along the East Coast, I always kill one myself each year for food. It is never easy for me, but it reminds me what my job is. It helps remind me of the value of each lamb and sheep on the farm, and their death is never taken lightly. Our lamb is Animal Welfare Approved which means even our slaughterhouse is audited to ensure that the life of every animal is treated humanely until its last breath.

It is with honor we kill our animals to feed and nourish. I knew then that the life of those lambs would be honored that night by the artistry of Chef Lenn and that guest — and that was a great honor to me, a humble shepherd. Not all lamb tastes the same. Much like apples and tomatoes, each variety has different virtues and flavor. Lamb is no different.

Some breeds of sheep have long fine staple wool that spinners adore, others have course wool better suited for rugs, some are of large frame and are used to add size to hybrid lambs. Some are mild in flavor and some have a fat that remind many of old mutton. We use two breeds of sheep to create a lamb with a rich lamb meat flavor with a fat so sweet you want to suck on it like bacon. We have learned that happy sheep are the tastiest sheep. We oversees our pastures with three types of high sugar grasses, and red and white clover to give our grass-fed lambs enough sugar to create a delicious fat.

But most importantly, animals that get to graze ample rich pastures, have crystal clear spring or well water and can live in peace of predators or the stress of wondering where the next meal comes from will be the happiest and the tastiest. One of the joys of the farm is entertaining visitors on the farm.

We show them our sheep, the wonder of our border collies and our livestock guardian dogs, the story of our heritage chickens and turkeys, and the pride of the work of the humblest of all professions — shepherding. But a trip to our farm is not complete without breaking bread. Many times a year, we put a whole lamb on a spit on the farm. More often we cook a lamb on a spit at food festivals or special events at restaurants. From starting the fire to dinner it takes some 8 hours.

During these eight hours, the whole lamb is the focal point of the party. It is where people are drawn to the spectacle and where tales of farming and old family traditions are often told. Often it will remind people of old family stories of how Grandpa would roast a whole hog or lamb.

Many times it is the first time they have seen a whole animal prepared for a meal. But always, it creates a conversation about the value of farming, the beauty of simple cooking, and the fun of sharing a meal with family and friends. There is no better way to start a conversation about the joy and value of farming than with a lamb on spit. There is no better way to celebrate the life of a shepherd than sharing a lamb cooked on a spit. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Thank you for such a wonderful insight into good shepherds and their sheep. Thanks for what you do. I can tell it keeps you alive, and maybe some of as well! Jerry Sisemore. Well written. I teach CCD and was looking for characteristics of a lamb and a shepherd to use for information while reading the Gospel of Mark goats and lambs. Thus, the sheep never left again due to the caring shepherd. Reminds us that suffering does bring us closer to God.

Thank you for all you do! I was reading today in Isaiah And all of the sudden I was on this site. We are farmers as well. But do not have sheep. This is truly inspirational. May God bless and keep you in the palm of his hand. Jesus watch over you until the day of His return. A farmer in Alabama. Thanks for great insights and facts about sheparding and sheep. Love it. Thanks for the great read and nourishing people with your lambs. I am so happy to read this article because I am a sheep of Christ Jesus who is my loving Shepherd.

I learnt the virtues of Shepherd are awesome. Your article makes me to see again that nothing ever worth living for than to love God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our might. A loving article from a loving shepherd Rogers.

Thanks indeed. Great, informative article. I appreciate hearing about how much you value and care for both the task of shepherding and each individual sheep. I learned a lot. I enjoyed reading this so very much. Thank you for loving sheep and your dogs. I think that when one humanely and compassionately raises animals.. This article took me back to my high school years in Virginia and to participating in a feast of a roasted pig on Bali.

Craig Rogers, thanks very much for the pleasure. Makes me want to come over from Ohio for a visit. May have occasion to visit this website again. Thanks to all … Read more ». The Million Gardens Movement doesn't just help you grow a garden, we're also bringing gardens to kids across the country — and you can help.