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The Risk of Shepherding Well

Digging Deeper Questions

March 12, 2024

 She was an accidental shepherdess, you might say. Orphaned, kidnapped, held captive, and raped, this illiterate woman from modern-day Iran ultimately found herself Queen. The circumstances had not come from a Kate Middleton meets Prince William type of fairy tale, but by decree “to gather all the beautiful young virgins... in all the provinces of the Kingdom... to the harem” – 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. Favor and kindness rested upon her, and after a year of spa days and selected foods, the King rested the royal crown upon her head. On the surface it seems like a happy ending to much trauma. 


But Esther was a Jew. And as has been the case throughout history, a person of seeming authority wanted the Jews annihilated. The edict had been issued. A price was on their heads. 

More from Leadership

The Faith of a Shepherd

May 14, 2024

If you’re drawn to the life of David, the shepherd boy, warrior, king, and psalmist, you cannot ignore his response to Goliath’s challenge in the hills of Israel. David had obeyed Jesse and left his father’s sheep with a keeper to travel to the site of the latest Israelite-Philistine battle. Jesse had asked that David confirm the safety of his three eldest brothers and deliver food to them and their commanding officer. David had no idea that upon his arrival in the Valley of Elah he would encounter an army of cowards and an imposing giant.

The Love of a Shepherd

April 30, 2024

 We can too frequently neglect to consider the consequences of poor shepherding. The negative affect the state of a shepherd’s heart has on the ability to influence as God desires is regularly underestimated.  Scripture provides numerous examples of leaders whose behavior adversely affected those they influenced, most often because their hearts were not in line with the heart of the Father. Moses’ account of the happenings at the edge of the Promised Land is no exception. Although often overlooked, it is important to note the role the majority of the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel played in turning a 40-day journey into a 40-year wandering.  And there is a lesson for us in the backstory... 

The Lament of a Shepherd

April 23, 2024

Winter is an interesting time of year in the part of the hemisphere where I’m located. Dreary, dark, foggy days can go on seemingly forever, with the sun peeking through the clouds on only a rare occasion. Often, our lives feel similar. When we are mourning the loss of a loved one or lamenting a situation in our lives, all around us can seem dreary. David lamented on several occasions, as is evident throughout the psalms. One such time was after he was anointed king and was being unjustly accused by Saul. Saul’s obsessive paranoia caused him to rally his troops and relentlessly pursue David. Saul had become so compulsive that he put a hit on David’s life. He wanted the young man who had helped soothe his tortured soul through music, his own son-in-law, killed. We can only imagine how torturous this must have been for David.