Recognizing Our Shepherd and Our Faith as Christ's Sheep

[Lanolin]

An interesting book I read about a shepherd in NZ. It's called The Sheep Stell, Memoirs of a shepherd by Janet White.

And yes, the shepherd is female. There are such things as female shepherds!
My friend who I got the wool from looks after sheep too on her own.

 

[CPerkins]

What NZ is best known for though, is a country with millions of sheep, which outnumber the people. 26.2 million sheep!

With that many sheep, there are probably a great number of people tending sheep. I understand that Australia has a lot of sheep as well though the sheep there might not out number there population.

cp

 

[Lanolin]

Unfortunately, there aren't that many people tending them. Mostly in the South Island and some of those sheep stations are huge. They mostly use barbed wire and dogs. It's like a concentration camp for sheep I reckon. :-(

Some of the abattoirs are no better.
I'd rather they did homekill. More humane.

I've been to an abbattoir and witnessed animals being killed. It turned me vegetarian for several years.

the ones kept for wool they have shearing gangs go round the country during shearing season and there's a competition called 'The Golden Shears'. People used to think only men could do the job but now it's open to ladies and they've been beating the men!

I might see if I can find the doco to watch it.

Film review: Compelling New Zealand documentary 'She Shears' celebrates skill and competitive spirit of female shearers

A must-see New Zealand documentary follows five female sheep shearers on their journey to the Gold Shears. Review: Emma Rawson, Film stills Rebecca McMillan Sheep shearing is bloody hard yacka. Adult sheep weigh in at approximately 65 kg and they kick and struggle to escape the shearer’s comb...

thisnzlife.co.nz

 

[Lanolin]

If I had some grazing land I would keep a few sheep and look after them for sure. I wouldn't need to mow any lawn! At present our suburban plot is only enough for a cat and a chicken.

 

[bobinfaith]

I read that one, it was very interesting.
Well it was Gold Mountain (Gum Sarn) because of the California goldrush. There WAS literally gold in the mountains. After that they built the railways too. Chinese people can be quite literal in their language.

The Chinese did come to NZ too when they had a gold rush in Otago. But by then there was hardly any gold left and had to pick over the traces. And they got treated pretty badly. The europeans really didn't like the the chinese. But then they didn't really like anybody different from themselves. Hundreds of years later the NZ govt apologised for their harsh treatment.

NZ doesn't have a special name in chinese, it's just a transliteration. But the Brits did nickname NZ 'Godzone'. The Maoris called it Aotearoa 'land of the long white cloud' . 70% of Chinese live in Auckland these days.

What NZ is best known for though, is a country with millions of sheep, which outnumber the people. 26.2 million sheep!

Hi Lanolin,

Interesting post and history regarding the Gum Sarn - California gold rush of 1849, thus 49er.

I had no idea New Zealand is known for it's millions of sheep - 26.2 million! The United States has roughly a little over 5 million sheep.

 

[Lanolin]

I found this..don't know how accurate it is though...

China has the most sheep...! https://top5ofanything.com/list/d4d1ef5e/Countries-With-the-Most-Sheep

 

[Lanolin]

Ok NZ is number 6....

 

[bobinfaith]

Ok NZ is number 6....

Give or take a few million. lol!

By the way, I know people enjoy eating lamb but Hazel and I don't eat lamb. But we love beef and seafood.

I always get sheep, lambs, ewes, mixed up, except for rams which are only male.

 

[bobinfaith]

Hazel just told me that people like sheep in New Zealand better than the US because they don't smell as much.

According to her friends who eat sheep. This doesn't sink in with me. Did the sheep from NZ get imported here for food? I don't know.

 

[Lanolin]

lambs are young sheep
Ewes are female, rams are male

NZ used to export a lot of wool to England, they would make carpets etc and then when refrigeration was invented we were exporting the meat. When England joined the EU and industry turned to artificial fibres, we lost a lot of that market.

Other things we use from sheep - sheepskins to make slippers and boots, in Australia they call them 'Ug boots' - short for 'ugly boots!'
Lanolin! Of course. Which is the grease/oil from the wool. Great moisturiser.
Sheep pellets. Gardeners use them. I'll let you guess what those are!

Roast Lamb was a traditional Sunday dinner. Its nice with sprigs of rosemary and garlic, mint sauce, peas and roast potatoes. Shepherd's pie is basically mince and mashed potato on top.
Crumbed lamb chops are a favourite of mine. Lambs are used in kebabs, in middle eastern cuisine.

Mutton is sheep meat. It doesn't taste as good as lamb.
Apparently you can drink sheep's milk, but I've never had it. Here the dairy is cows milk.
Jewish people use the rams horns to make shofars - the instrument that they blow as their trumpet.

 

[CPerkins]

lambs are young sheep
Ewes are female, rams are male

NZ used to export a lot of wool to England, they would make carpets etc and then when refrigeration was invented we were exporting the meat. When England joined the EU and industry turned to artificial fibres, we lost a lot of that market.

Other things we use from sheep - sheepskins to make slippers and boots, in Australia they call them 'Ug boots' - short for 'ugly boots!'
Lanolin! Of course. Which is the grease/oil from the wool. Great moisturiser.
Sheep pellets. Gardeners use them. I'll let you guess what those are!

Roast Lamb was a traditional Sunday dinner. Its nice with sprigs of rosemary and garlic, mint sauce, peas and roast potatoes. Shepherd's pie is basically mince and mashed potato on top.
Crumbed lamb chops are a favourite of mine. Lambs are used in kebabs, in middle eastern cuisine.

Mutton is sheep meat. It doesn't taste as good as lamb.
Apparently you can drink sheep's milk, but I've never had it. Here the dairy is cows milk.
Jewish people use the rams horns to make shofars - the instrument that they blow as their trumpet.

They sell Ug boots here in the USA probably other countries as well. Several years ago my wife bought a pair.

My wife and I love to eat lamb though it is quite expensive in the grocery store. I've never tried mutton but if it's anything like older goat meat. I'll pass.
I grew up with young goat (a kid) meat which we usually butchered at about one year of age. That was some of the best meat I've ever had.

cp

 

[bobinfaith]

They sell Ug boots here in the USA probably other countries as well. Several years ago my wife bought a pair.

My wife and I love to eat lamb though it is quite expensive in the grocery store. I've never tried mutton but if it's anything like older goat meat. I'll pass.
I grew up with young goat (a kid) meat which we usually butchered at about one year of age. That was some of the best meat I've ever had.

cp

Hey Chuck;

Hazel and I are open to eat lamb as long as it's mixed with vegetables, bread. I only heard of mutton but is that a form of lamb as well?

 

[CPerkins]

Hey Chuck;

Hazel and I are open to eat lamb as long as it's mixed with vegetables, bread. I only heard of mutton but is that a form of lamb as well?

Mutton is sheep meat of an adult sheep. lamb is to mutton as veal is to beef.

cp

 

[Major]

We are told that Christ's sheep hear his voice and Christ know each of them by name (John 10:3,27).

I think it's worthwhile to consider more closely what it means that Christ is our shepherd and we his sheep. A good shepherd stays with his sheep watching for any signs of danger. Shepherd is always there at the birth of a lamb to help in anyway that proves necessary. A shepherd moves his flock as necessary to insure they have adequate and safe vegetation to graze on. Sheep trust

I've been around goats and other farm animals, but not sheep. There are probably many other aspects of this interaction between a shepherd and his sheep that we can learn from. I found this article

How to be a shepherd sheep can trust • Biblical Recorder (brnow.org)

Well CP, being an old country boy from Alabama, the Great Promised land I can tell you why the Scriptures use Sheep to show us the examples or lesson we need to learn.

They maybe the Dumbest animals on the face of the earth........except maybe for humans.

If a line of sheep walked toward a cliff, they would all follow the one in front of them to their death, one by one!

 

[CPerkins]

Well CP, being an old country boy from Alabama, the Great Promised land I can tell you why the Scriptures use Sheep to show us the examples or lesson we need to learn.

They maybe the Dumbest animals on the face of the earth........except maybe for humans.

If a line of sheep walked toward a cliff, they would all follow the one in front of them to their death, one by one!

That sounds a lot like turkeys. They are one of the dumbest birds that I'm aware of. They cannot be penned with chickens because they tend to eat the droppings of chickens which often cause disease in them.

Being a country boy myself , you learn a lot about the animals you raise, their habits and the the things to avoid when handling them. Personally I have never raised sheep so I don't have the knowledge of their peculiar habits other than what I learn from others.

cp

 

[Lanolin]

You might know the phrase 'mutton dressed as lamb' meaning, someone older trying to pass for someone much younger.

 

[Major]

That sounds a lot like turkeys. They are one of the dumbest birds that I'm aware of. They cannot be penned with chickens because they tend to eat the droppings of chickens which often cause disease in them.

Being a country boy myself , you learn a lot about the animals you raise, their habits and the the things to avoid when handling them. Personally I have never raised sheep so I don't have the knowledge of their peculiar habits other than what I learn from others.

cp

To find the definition of dumb in the dictionary........when you loo it up there will be the picture of a sheep!

Yep.....that turkey would ride on the back of the sheep right off that cliff!

 

[CPerkins]

You might know the phrase 'mutton dressed as lamb' meaning, someone older trying to pass for someone much younger.

I've personally never heard the phrase, but may use it in the future. Is this commonly said in New Zealand?

cp

 

[Lanolin]

Goats and sheep have very different personalities and you can't have them together. The goats will bully the sheep. Goats get into everything and are very independent. They eat weeds, sheep only eat grass. Kids are young goats.

I have never had kid or goat meat, its not something that's sold here. Goats will thrive on rocky mountains and poor soil, but Sheep need richer, gentler pastures.

 

[Lanolin]

I've personally never heard the phrase, but may use it in the future. Is this commonly said in New Zealand?

cp

usually said when older women are trying to dress in clothes meant for teenagers lol.