Front matter
A Word from a Loud Sheep
I’m not the guide. I’ve just wandered enough to know his voice when I hear it.
Let me be clear up front: I am not the shepherd. I’m a sheep, and a loud one. I talk a lot, I wander often, and I’ve found my way into most of the tired postures in this almanac more than once.
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isa 53:6). I’ve hidden from God when I was afraid. I’ve tried to run my life on good principles without him. I’ve treated him like a supplier, and I’ve worn myself out trying to be useful. Maybe you have too.
What I’ve learned is simple. The Shepherd keeps coming after the one that wandered off, and when he finds it, he carries it home on his shoulders, rejoicing (Luke 15:4–6).
So this almanac is me doing what loud sheep do best: making noise in his direction. If anything here helps, it’s because it points to him. Don’t follow me. Follow the voice (John 10:27).
What you’ll find here
Pages for the seasons of the church year and the calendar. A field guide to the terrain of life, its weather and its crossings. A few tools for the trail. Every page ends in the same place: with him.