Shepherding.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a large sporting competition, that runs for a whole week and watched many (AFL) Australian Football games.

AFL is quite a dangerous sport, where body contact is huge and players are expected to hip-n-sholder the competition, and also cope of few back.
There is a maneuver in AFL called Shepherding - you shepherd a fellow player when he gets low to the ground to pick up the ball, or when your team player is doing some serious business with the ball.

Why shepherd? It protects your fellow team player, it enables him time, safe space to do what he needs to do - for the greater good of the team. There is always the opposition that wishes to tackle, steal, and injury you. They do not want your team players to touch the ball, have any play, and definitely not score any goals. They will try and steal the ball away from you... through distraction, injury, intimidation, fear, noises, or a punch in head.

It sounds rough but there was something beautiful seeing the players protecting one another and all playing as a team... they knew when their team member was vulnerable or about to touch the ball and they would run towards their player to surround him.... protecting him. Either surrounding him so no opposition could touch him or by physically bumping into the opposition to wipe them out so they could not interfere.

Should we be "shepherding" for our fellow Christians? When we know a brother or sister is struggling, under attack, or about to do a good maneuver for God - could we surround them in prayer, protection, and encouragement. All in together, as a team.

Put your boots on and do some shepherding this week. Let us play - and fight like we want to win!

Blessings,

Akita.
13-7-09

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John 10 v 12-15

"The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.
So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.
Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good sheperd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me
and I know he Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep."

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Akita Olsen

Bunbury Vineyard Church.
PO Box 1475, Bunbury,
WA 6231, Australia.
www.bunburyvineyard.org.au

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