I love Max Lucado. I think he is a fabulous writer and encourager. I was reading this morning an excerpt from his book Traveling Light. He is talking about being a sheep. The Bible compares us to sheep in Isaiah 53:6. That is not flattering. Sheep are dumb. And sheep are defenseless. They have no fangs or claws and are unable to outrun anything. To be compared to sheep is just not very flattering. Some may argue that it is unfair to be compared to sheep. However, we too have difficulty controlling our moods and being at peace with everyone. We have fears and faults and have never made a mistake. He ends the excerpt by saying that since we can’t keep it all together, maybe we need a shepherd.
That is where you come in. I can’t thank you enough for your continued commitment. I recognize that it is a big job and you are handling many people who try to wander away. At the same time, you are seeing some tremendous transformation in your groups. I hope that you enjoy some down time this summer. We intentionally designed the summer schedule for you to rest and gain a fresh focus as we resume our normal schedule in August. We have four more times to meet (three for Wednesday night crowds). Let’s finish strong and continue as shepherds to challenge our sheep to follow the great shepherd. Thanks again for your hard work!! Each of you are making a tremendous difference.