New Beginnings

I've never done a blog before! But not being a total Luddite, I'm willing to give it a try!



I named this blog "The Sheep Dog" because of a question I was asked a few years ago. I am the pastor of a church named Good Shepherd. One of my members asked one day, "If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, what is the pastor of Good Shepherd called?" Answer: The Sheep Dog!



I love dogs -- always have. Right now, I'm owned by a lab-oid of unknown parentage I call a BBD -- Big Black Dog. I have since discovered there is an entire website devoted to Big Black Dogs -- apparently nobody wants to adopt them.



Anyway, I think it's pretty cool to be considered a sheep dog. Because sheep dogs get to help The Shepherd -- and that's a great thing!



One of the wonderful things about dogs is how they are able to communicate with us. They learn to understand what we're asking of them, even though we do it in ways that are initially incomprehensible to dogs. We use words, they use smells. We learn to interpret some of their body language, they read ours perfectly. I laugh at the way my dog cocks his head listening to me when I'm speaking utter gibberish -- at least in terms of his limited vocabulary. But let me pick up the leash and he knows exactly what's going to happen.



I'm sure dogs get very frustrated when we don't understand what they want from us. My dog has a way of letting me know his food bowl is empty by pawing at me til I get it. Sometimes I just can't figure out what he wants, and he finally gives up and lays his head in my lap as if to say, "It's okay if you don't understand. I love you anyway."



Dogs have a lot to teach us. I've lived and travelled in other countries where people don't speak English. For the most part, I haven't been able to speak their language well enough to really communicate verbally. But I've marveled at how we can communicate if we work at it -- through gestures and drawings, patiently trying to figure out the other person's meaning. A lot of that communication comes through carefully observing what the other person is doing while she or he speaks. One thing I know doesn't work -- speaking loudly in English! And I've also learned that if the only words you know in someone else's language are "Please" and "Thank you", people will generally be delighted and will do all they can to help.



I suspect there's a sermon in this somewhere.



Peace,

Sheepdog Joye