Heaven Has Blue Carpet by Sharon Niedzinski
If you've ever thought you couldn't do something because you were unqualified, Sharon Niedzinski provides a modern day example of chasing a dream despite having no qualifications. While she was in the middle of raising a family in the land of Michigan suburbia, she and her husband purchased a farm when their real estate agent from several years past called them up out of the blue one day with a farm for sale. She had dreamed of living on a farm and raising sheep when this opportunity presented itself.
They sold their home packed up the kids and moved out to the farm. Niedzinski then proceeded to order a flock of white sheep to "decorate" the hillside. Knowing virtually nothing about shepherding, she quickly began reading up in the library, magazines, and asking questions to anyone who would listen to her. Over a number of years, she became an accomplished shepherd but not without some very humorous moments and tough labor involved.
The book is really a metaphor of mankind as sheep as portrayed so frequently in the Bible. The Master shepherd teaches her many lessons through the behavior of her sheep and how many times we act so similarly to sheep. She got an up close understanding of the examples throughout the Bible referencing sheep. The book was well crafted to incorporate timely scripture passages as she learns various lessons during her journey as a shepherd.
Also, incorporated in the book were sheep metaphors. The Good Grain section discusses points to absorb related to God's promises. The Shearing Shed is where we learn through difficult circumstances or God's "shearing" of us. Chew On This provides insights or topics to think about and discuss.
The only slightly annoying thing I found was Niedzinksi referring to her husband as "Honey" throughout the book and never by his actual first name. The reader gets used to it after a while but can be a little grating at first.
This book would be good to read as either an individual or as a part of a Bible study. There are plenty of discussion topics and scriptures to study in gaining perspective on life and the Bible's view of mankind as sheep. The humorous elements as well as the various pieces of wisdom shared based on the author's years as a shepherd will be enjoyable to anyone wanting a better understanding of sheep and how their actions parallel our own.
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