The Significance of Shepherds and Sheep in the Bible

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The Significance of Shepherds and Sheep in the Bible By Margaret Feinberg (Bible Gateway Blog) Before my in-depth study, shepherds and sheep were merely token characters in a handful of biblical stories—part of the landscape, the lifestyle. Like the animal figurines in my family's Christmas crèche, they could be pushed to the back to make room for more central characters. But as I dug deeper, I began to realize that sheep are integral to the stories of God. The early church even embraced the shepherd as one of its primary images.... Continue Reading What's in a Name? By Chris Norton (Bible Gateway Blog) Unless you've legally changed your name, you've probably had no choice in the name people call you. I always think it's fun to sit with a pregnant woman and discuss possible names for her baby. Whether the names are inspired by a story or a family member, we intuitively know there is power in declaring and speaking destiny through the naming of a person. I love discovering the meaning of my friends' names, but sometimes ... Continue Reading Four Guidelines to Help You Keep a Strong Relationship with Your Adult Children By Jim Burns (Bible Gateway Blog) I know there is a time to speak up and a time to keep my mouth shut," said a friend of mine. "I just haven't figured out what to do when." Maybe you can relate. Knowing what to say and what not to say is one of the major challenges most of us face in transitioning to an adult relationship with a son or daughter.... Continue Reading Who Needs God? By Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott (Bible Gateway Blog) In The City of God, Augustine expressed a universal human feeling when he said, "O Lord, thou hast made us for thyself, and we are restless until we find our rest in thee." Without an authentic relationship with God, we are left empty and detached. There is in all of us, at the very center of our lives, an aching, a burning in the heart that is deep and insatiable. Most often we try to quench that yearning with ... Continue Reading   - Want more? Subscribe to one or more of the following devotional email newsletters published jointly by Bible Gateway and Zondervan: Boundaries (weekly) Investigating Faith with Lee Strobel (weekly) The Daniel Plan (weekly) The Daniel Prayer (a 5-day devotional journey) The Seven Money Types (a 9-day Bible study) Care Instructions for a Life Worth Living with John Ortberg (weekly) Want a free eBook? Sign up for the Zondervan Books Weekly email newsletter and receive the PDF eBook You Are Called: 31 Days of Readings and Reflections by Christine Caine, taken from Christine's devotional Living Life Undaunted. Learn More Here - Follow along for more!  This email was sent to mucomacamucomaca.muco@blogger.com by Bible Gateway, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. For information regarding our privacy policy, click here. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact us. Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions — Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication -