cvshepherd

Just a quick post for today. :) I thought I would explain what "cvshepherd" means. It stands for Cedar Valley Shepherd. Cedar Valley is the area I live in which is comprised of Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Waverly and a handful of smaller communities. Shepherd is what I believe I am called to do. Whenever I talk about who God has made me to be, this is the word I will probably use. I shy away from "Pastor" because that word, in recent years, has taken on a meaning akin to Corporate CEO. It brings to mind administration rather than shaping and maturing the lives of believers. Here is a story to tell you more of what I mean.

I was in Tanzania for a two-week ambassadors program in 2000. While we were driving we had to stop because a flock of sheep were crossing the road. A man was following after them waving a stick over his head and yelling (I assume profanity, but it was in Swahili). I asked the driver, "Why is the shepherd yelling at the sheep? Is that the only way to get them to move?" He looked at me and laughed. I wondered if he understood my question or if I really was that ignorant. After his laughter subsided, the said to me, "Shepherds lead from the front - that man is the butcher!" Then he started laughing again.

That image has stuck with me. Shepherd lead from the front, the sheep follow. Shepherds go into a place first to scout it out, to make sure it is safe and a good place for the sheep to find food, water and rest. The shepherd is the first line of defense - any thing in front finds him first. Shepherds don't put the sheep in front to protect themselves. Read about David and his shepherding adventures. He fought bears and lions. He was willing to die for the stupid things!

Now, I don't want to imply that I have some exalted and glorified view of who I am called to be. But here is the deal: I will never ask my sheep to go somewhere I am unwilling to go into first. I wont ask them to do something I haven't. I want to be the guinea pig so that they can benefit from my mistakes. But more than anything, I want to speak from experience. I want to say "This can happen. This is real." Not everyone is called to this, I understand that. But I want to lay this on the table so that you all know where I am coming from as I continue to write and share my experiences. Thank you for bearing with me this far.