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The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 (NIV)

I T WAS NOT AN IMPOSING structure nor was it attractive in any way but over a hundred children in the village saw it as their only hope of getting an education, or a semblance of it. They flocked to it every morning, with excitement in their eyes and nobody cared that it was only a single room with a leaking roof. Only two things mattered to them; first, the warm and loving embrace of their teacher whom they affectionately called Baba and, secondly, the daily adventure of listening to him draw them into a fascinating world of knowledge.

Baba loved the children in his class very much and every morning he would wait for them at the door of his classroom when they arrived at school. One by one, with a big warm smile he would carry each of them in his arms and whisper softly in their ears “I’m glad you came”.

They would smile back at Baba and hug him tightly. He had to literally tear them away from his neck. He would do the same after school, sometimes giving them a carefully folded piece of paper on which he would write wonderful things about his students such as “you’re the best”. These small notes were

 

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CHAPTER 7

THE JOURNEY

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Genesis 11:31 (NIV)

T HE TRAIN WOVE ITS WAY noisily through the countryside as usual, heading southwards with every carriage full and bursting at the seams. People hung on the doors, some sat on the rooftop. With every stop, passengers had to literally push their way through a thick wall of humans to disembark. On this particular journey, there were two young men aboard whose destinies were about to change forever. Mussa and Josh had been friends since their early years at school and over the years had become more like blood brothers. They were both ambitious young men who saw the world as a place to be conquered and money to be made. They had however recently been laid off from an oil drilling operation that was folding up. Each of them received an additional month’s pay and that was all they got.

It wasn’t much but they decided to make the most of it and that is how their journey began. A month earlier, the two friends had gotten together to plan

 
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CHAPTER 6

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 (NIV)

I T WAS NOT AN IMPOSING structure nor was it attractive in any way but over a hundred children in the village saw it as their only hope of getting an education, or a semblance of it. They flocked to it every morning, with excitement in their eyes and nobody cared that it was only a single room with a leaking roof. Only two things mattered to them; first, the warm and loving embrace of their teacher whom they affectionately called Baba and, secondly, the daily adventure of listening to him draw them into a fascinating world of knowledge. Baba loved the children in his class very much and every morning he would wait for them at the door of his classroom when they arrived at school. One by one, with a big warm smile he would carry each of them in his arms and whisper softly in their ears “I’m glad you came”.

They would smile back at Baba and hug him tightly. He had to literally tear them away from his neck. He would do the same after school, sometimes giving them a carefully folded piece of paper on which he would write wonderful things about his students such as “you’re the best”. These small notes were

 
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CHAPTER 5

THE MASTERPIECE

Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord." Colossians 4:17 (NIV)

A PAINTER LIVED WITH HIS SON in the city where he made a living out of selling his paintings on the sidewalk. He was little known and his paintings did not sell for much. He and his son barely made much to cover their living expenses but he had a passion for his work. He would wake up early before the sun rose and sit outside waiting for the first glimpse of the sun to paint his favorite scene. He would gaze at the rising sun from his window as it pushed gracefully over the horizon. With a thankful heart he would paint the scene of a glorious awakening of the majestic sun bathing the earth with a warm glow. He had a reason for such gratitude. Several years ago, he fell from a scaffold whilst painting the side of a tall building and badly injured his back. He was kept in a hospital bed for several months, unable to move about.

He longed to peep outside the building to catch a glimpse of nature, like the rain falling, the sun rising, a flower blossoming, a butterfly, bee or bird flying. He couldn’t. He wondered to himself how easy it was to take lots of things around us for granted. He promised himself that if he had the opportunity to

 
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CHAPTER 4

THE RAVEN AND THE DOVE

"When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!
Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. Genesis 8:11 (NIV)

U P IN THE HILLS OVERLOOKING beautiful fields and pristine clear streams of water, two birds had made their home in the safety of the trees and rocks. They were born and raised by their parents amongst the rich vegetation and didn’t have a care in the world. Food was abundant and there were really no dangerous predators to hunt them down. They struck a friendship which was quite unusual, given their very different natures. The dove was known to be caring, gentle and trustworthy but the raven was just the opposite. The bird community in the hills couldn’t understand how such an odd pair got along, but they did. Well, apparently.

The dove would often patiently listen to her friend the raven as she went on and on, complaining about how bad everything was, how dumb humans were because they couldn’t fly. Worst of all, the raven would devise a clever plan for outwitting everyone else for food and proudly present her plan to the dove. The dove would always patiently

 
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CHAPTER 3

WHO ARE YOU LORD?

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. Acts 9:5 (NIV)

F OR TWO HUNDRED YEARS THE war between the two mighty kingdoms of Ussa and Hagona had been going on with no end in sight. The plains, hills and valleys surrounding these kingdoms were soaked with the blood of men, women and children and yet there was no end in sight. The battles raged from one generation to the next and the children of each generation were told to win at all cost. Children were plucked out of their families at a tender age and sent to warrior camps where they were schooled in the art of war. A war culture had taken over these societies and no one was willing to farm anymore because the enemy will devastate the crops. Famine was now imminent and hopelessness was rife among the people. Yet stubbornness and pride continued to have the upper hand.

Had any sensible peacemakers been born yet? Everyone pondered over this question, yet no one dared to ask. Tarala the warrior, king of Ussa was now old and his pressing objective was to get his sons ready to lead his kingdom to victory, albeit an elusive one. He had seven sons and trained them in combat and statecraft relentlessly from sunrise to sunset every day. Tarala noticed however,

 
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CHAPTER 2

THE CLAY JAR

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2 Cor. 4:7 (NIV)

T HE HOUSE STOOD ATOP A hill, the most magnificent edifice in the whole town. At night, it’s lights could be seen for miles in such perfect array. Every object in that house was priceless, carefully chosen and flawless. The servants were dressed immaculately and the lawns were well manicured. Even the dogs were so neatly groomed, everything about that house was just perfect. It belonged to a very wealthy merchant who travelled the world and brought in artifacts and exotic plants from different parts of the world. Most of the townsfolk longed to visit him but only few influential, rich and powerful people had access to the merchant and to his exquisite home. One day he threw a dinner party at his mansion and invited all his friends. After dining and dancing, the guests asked the merchant to show them his priceless collection of art and other decorative pieces. .

They were awed by the beautiful array of masterpieces of pottery, paintings and other rare artifacts. Each object had a history and he relished telling the story associated with every item to his guests. There was one very odd clay jar sitting on a gold-plated stand

 
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CHAPTER 1

THE WIND

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8. (NIV)

A MAN HAD THREE HORSES WHOM he named Beauty, Joy and Princess. They lived with him on his farm and he loved his horses very muc. He was very kind to his horses and took good care of them, feeding them with the best hay and grooming them frequently. He often came to the stables to check on his horses and would speak to them in a very gentle, loving way and pat them on the head, calling them by their individual names. The horses were so fond of their master and often jostled with each other to get his undivided attention but he loved them all equally. Whenever they heard his footsteps approaching the stable, they would start jumping around with excitement and rub their heads on his back when he entered the stable.

When they were alone, the horses told each other stories about how he treated them with such kindness every time he rode them out on his trips to town. He would often show them off to his friends, boasting about how good his horses were and how he had so much affection for them.

 
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