Over the past several years I have corresponded and ordered from a wonderful Christian company in
Washington called Timberdoodle. They are an excellent resource for homeschoolers as well as for parents
and teachers who desire to impact the academic achievements of the young people in their lives. Their
products are fabulous and they go the extra mile with customer service. They even have included some
special educational tools for children on the autism spectrum. If you are a creative educator and you
Just the other day they sent me a one page newsletter that literally blessed my socks off. I asked and
they granted me permission to reprint the article here. I know that it will bless you too.
TM
Easter 2009
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Dear Friends,
Many months ago in our Sunday school class, a question arose:
What are the duties of a shepherd? Most of the adults quickly
flipped to favorite passages concerning shepherds; a slapdash
discussion ensued both as to why the shepherd does what he does,
as well as to the application of each of the shepherd's duties in our
lives today.
Both because we have previously owned sheep and because the discussion
seemed to be heading down a somewhat predictable path, my mind ambled
merrily away on its own. But instead of wandering toward thoughts of lunch
and my Sunday afternoon novel, that day my mind stayed somewhat on topic
as I considered what the ultimate duty of a shepherd is. Why does he work so
hard to feed, water, shelter, and protect? In many cases, his goal is not merely
to keep the sheep safe and contented; it is to prepare them to die.
We do our church and families a disservice when we end the discussion of a
shepherd's duties at his kindly provisions, with no mention of this additional
objective. Much of what the shepherd does is in the end focused on a sheep
being fully prepared to die. How much richer will our experience be, in those
moments that we feel called by God to shepherd another, if we see beyond
the temporal need for protection or nourishment and seize each occasion as
an opportunity to prepare that child or adult for death, for eternity. If each
moment of every day were considered in terms of how it is preparing us
for eternity, instead of what fleeting pleasure it will allow us, would we use
our time differently?
Jesus is not only our Good Shepherd; He was also the sacrificial Lamb. He knew,
like we will never know, how to live in such a way that when death came He was
wholly ready. This week, as we prepare to celebrate the wonder of what He did for
us, we also look forward to the day when we will be united with the One who has
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July 2008
Shanae McLorin is a powerful young voice from the city of Bay Point, California USA who I believe will greatly
impact this generation. Most importantly she loves the Lord and is called according to His purpose. A year ago I
told her to jot down a few reflections of her experiences walking with the Lord on her college campus as well as
at her place of work. Here's an excerpt from her diary.
The Diary of a New Believer
Dear God,
I gave a testimony in church two Sundays ago, which I feel was a testimony in itself, because I am finally
freeing myself in my church atmosphere. That day I was told by a member of the church, someone’s mother,
that I was an inspiration, that I gave her hope for her own children. Last week, Pastor Hayes spoke about how
your Christian walk should be an inspiration to others, and when I was told that my life was an inspiration it
felt really good. When I heard the message it all clicked; I aspire to be great in my Christian walk, learning about
God is very fun for me. At one point in my life I didn’t really care to know anymore than I already knew about God
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As you open yourself up with your spiritual eye, you learn that you have a
responsibility to inspire other people’s lives, while showing them how far you have come and where you are going.
When you give your life to Christ, the fear of people knowing who you were in the past kind of ceases to exist
because you know that it is your past and that God sees you at your most accomplished state. So, you learn how
to love you like God loves and sees you; remember, this is what you have to do in order to increase God’s kingdom.
I always say that everyone has a story, but if you never let anyone read your book, you could never save the life that
would have looked to your story for hope.
A pastor preached a message during our Pastor’s appreciation ceremony, basically stating that sheep are supposed to
birth sheep. You are not supposed to hold back all of the goodness of God and keep it for yourself. You are to
inspire someone else’s life and let them in on the secret, which I can say really isn’t a secret at all. He put it all in a
book for reference; whether or not we use it is where the secrets lie. See, if people would take themselves out of the
world and turn to God’s word, they wouldn’t have to look for their experience in a pill form, or any other form for that
matter. If they knew how good it feels to be free from some of your issues while allowing God to peel away the rest,
I am absolutely positive that they would try to bottle it up and sell it. Giving your life to God was never supposed to be
a hard task, but when you are in the world it becomes just that, hard because you are fighting to hold on to things that
are not good for you. I am here to say that nothing in the world can do you like God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit can.
I was told by Pastor Jean that you should never have to tell anyone that you are a Christian because for some
reason you automatically relate to the other Christians in the world. It's like you share this unseen bond that ties you
together, even though you never met that person a day in your life, and you just know. As you get older in your walk,
people will notice the difference, but wouldn’t be able to put a finger on it and all you can really say is, “Try Jesus.”
It feels good when someone tells you that you are a Christian and that there is something about you, but they just don’t
know what it is.
I am still making mistakes, although I feel like God doesn’t make any; I am not perfect in any shape, form or fashion,
but I strive to find my perfection in God’s word. I hope that my diary will help inspire you, so that you will go out and
inspire others for the increase of God’s Kingdom. I hope you will give birth to as many sheep as possible. I am proud
to be an inspiration, so that I can bring people closer to God, and saying this for the world to know allows me to know
how far I have come. Try Jesus.
Peace and God Bless,
Shanae McLorin, the New Believer
***********************All Rights Reserved Soul Shaping Publications San Leandro, California 94577***************************************************************
After reading these articles I suspect you are thinking like I am, that there are other great voices who also love the
them a platform too.