Cole and Tim at the British Open. Come rain (lots of it) or shine…they were there. As Cole put on his instagram, #thanksdad
One week ago today, July 20th, was quite a memorable experience for Tim and Cole. While we were in the area, the boys hopped on a plane and went to The British Open in Scotland. (I’m sure I posted more photos and share their experience later.). In the meantime, Holly and I went on a tour on The Ring of Kerry. This tour takes you around the beautiful landscape on the perimeter of County Kerry in western Ireland.
One of our stops was to Caitlins Bar and Accomodations in Kells, Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, Ireland, to observe a lesson in sheep herding.
Brenden and the herd that the dogs herded.
The farmer/sheep herder, Brenden, was quite the informative and humorous Irish gentleman. Here is some information I gathered about the sheep:
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The milk and wool, from the various breeds of sheep, will be used to make milk, cheese making, knitting sweaters, carpet
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“Most popular variety of the planet” is the Suffolk lamb.
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Brenden joked about how the Black Welsh sheep provides the milk for their famous Guinness drink.
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The Border Leicester sheep’s wool is soft enough for making sweaters, but they are more valuable for their lamb. Brenden also humored us and said, while pointing to their tall ears, that you can adjust their ears to receive better reception on your television.
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The Hampshire lamb is most known as the Easter lamb.
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The horned sheep are a New Zealand and Australian variety called Dorset.
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The Black lamb with horns is a Soay sheep. They date bate to the Vikings, and are not commercially popular.
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The more domestic breed of sheep is the Galway. They originated from Galway, Ireland. This variety is mainly used for meat. Again, Brenden joked about how this breed is “typical Irish…easily led.”
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Border Leicester
Soay sheep
Dorset from New Zealand and Australia.
The real stars of the show were the two Border Collies. Brenden taught us about how he trains the dogs and informed us as to how the commands and whistles are used. Each command and whistle tone is specific to each dog. When the dogs are closer, he will use the voice commands, and when they are further away, the whistle is the best method of instruction. (See the video for the demonstration of them herding the sheep down the hill.)
Learning about herding and observing this skill made me think of two things: 1) I wish our children were this obedient (I’m joking…or am I?) and 2) how our Good Shepherd doesn’t leave us behind.
Regarding my first thought, are we really that much different than our children, when if comes to being a child of God? We aren’t robots, we have free will, and that can lead us astray if we aren’t careful.
But…when we do…this leads to the second point, God doesn’t leave us behind.
(Watch the next video to hear why sheep are afraid of dogs:)
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While traveling the countryside, I noticed how sheep were scattered among the vast hills, mountains, and even roadside. When I questioned a farmer about herding his dispersed sheep, he mentioned how they search for all until they are ALL found.
Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change. Luke 15:3-7
I want to encourage you to stay close to our Heavenly Father. Be weary of straying from The Good Shepherd.
Notice in the above verse when it says, “heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change.”, that you must DECIDE to CHANGE. The choice is yours.
I can only speak from personal experience, and I want you to know that God’s path for my life is extraordinarily better than my plans. Choosing to follow Christ makes heaven a happy place.
After the sheep herding lesson, Holly and I enjoyed a piping hot cup of hot chocolate. Just as the cup of hot chocolate (yes, that’s what it was…not an Irish coffee…I know what some of you were thinking…but, I’m not a coffee drinker) was so delicious, I pray that you will taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8).
The Jacob. A double horned sheep from Britain.
One of the Border Collies focused on his herd.
I can’t escape this post without sharing a powerful song,”Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury. The chorus says:
And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
Watch video and listen the song AND the story behind the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xx0d3R2LoU
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
Sheepherding in New Zealand:
https://soakinguptheson.com/new/daily-journaling/shepherding/ (Another unforgettable trip!)
How “leaving the 99” is building a relationship:
https://soakinguptheson.com/new/daily-journaling/building-a-relationship/
#sheepherding #ireland #leavestheninetynine #recklesslove #britishopen #amazingtrip