It jumped and ran a short distance seemingly at its newfound freedom. You could almost hear it yell, “YIPPEEEEEEEEEE!”
And with that rebel yell—it leapt right back into the ditch. Willingly and—apparently—happily.
That's us!
![Anthropomorphic sheep in rugged jacket standing confidently beside bold Anden Ministries logo on a purple and white banner with the phrase ‘unexpected [lost] sheep’ and mission values: Elevate, Restore, Thrive.](https://andenministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Anden_HeroBanner.png)
Why all the Sheep?
Have you ever seen that video where a guy rescues a sheep from a drainage ditch? The sheep fights him—well, as much as a sheep can fight. It was more like dead weight, like a toddler mid-tantrum in the candy aisle. It looked like that sheep was content to be stuck in the ditch.
It took a lot of work by the man in the video but finally—Mission accomplished. Sheep saved. If you’re like me and everyone else, you smiled at the sheep’s reaction. The hero did his good deed for the day. Sheep rescued.
The sheep bolted away.
I’ve been that sheep more times than I’d like to admit—wayward, reckless, clueless, running from the very Shepherd who was calling me out.
I don't know exactly what expressions the Lord makes but if I had to guess, it would be a lot of eye rolling, furrowed brow (the expression I have while writing this). Probably with that look of fire—unhappy with me, anger burning.
Who knows? But it is enough for me to wonder what level of sheep I am. I don't know if sheep are ranked or not—but I do know that God's love is boundless. (Eph. 3:18–19; Rom. 8:38–39)
Jesus sees me as His—And I appreciate that grace that He extends to me. (John 10:27–28; Rom 8:16)
Thank you Jesus!
When Did We Become Sheep?
If you’ve ever been to Sunday School or small group at a church, you have probably heard followers of Jesus called sheep. It sounds like an insult and depending on your understanding—it isn’t the biggest compliment.
From the Old Testament forward, God kept calling His people sheep.Psalm 100:3“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture..”
Isaiah 53:6“We all, like sheep, have gone astray…”
Ezekiel 34:11“ the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
This isn’t a Bible study page—I’ve got a blog for that.
But here’s the punch: when Jesus told His parable about the lost sheep, He wasn’t starting from scratch. He was echoing what God the Father had already promised.
That makes His parable—already a hard-hitting punch—the heavyweight knockout.
Matthew 9:36“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
John 10:11“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Jesus is my Shepherd.
As a follower of Jesus—that is powerful!
Do you know why it’s powerful?
John 10:27“My sheep listen to (hear) my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
I heard about an experiment once. A man tried to debunk the theory that sheep will only follow instructions from their shepherd. He failed. Those sheep never moved until the shepherd called them.
John 10:3–5“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
God made us. We stray. The Shepherd still speaks—and the ones who tune in, follow. The disciples did that
Beware of False Prophets
Matthew 7:15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
John 10:10“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Wolves devour; the Shepherd gives life.
John 10:11“The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
When We Stop Listening
For most of us, it doesn’t happen in one dramatic moment. We don’t wake up and decide, “I’m done listening.”
We just stop paying attention. Slowly. Quietly. It builds. And one day—we’re no longer tuned to the Holy Spirit. We’ve started listening to a voice that isn’t our Shepherd.
Sometimes we convince ourselves we know better. We act like God’s on standby, and we’ll call Him if we need Him. We may not say it out loud (though sometimes we do), but our actions preach it clear: we know best.
Luke 15:14–16After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
That’s what happens when listening stops: we wander into lostness.
Sheep · Wolves
- Sheep wander → they need restoration.
- Wolves devour → they need to be resisted, exposed, stopped.
That’s why sheep are all over this site. It fits the imagery of each one of us in the Church—the flock. Sheep in need of a Shepherd. Sheep who need to tune our ears, our hearts, our spirit—so we are among the sheep who hear the Good Shepherd’s voice.
unExpected [lost] Sheep
The sheep all over this site represent us as the flock. This isn’t just graphics—it’s mission. But don't rely on us—Jesus covered this topic
Sheep · Wolves
- unExpected [lost] Sheep → the flock that strays.
- un[lost] → the Shepherd who restore.
The Lost Sheep.
Luke 15:3-7“ Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
The Lost Coin.
Luke 15:8-10“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Prodigal Son.
Luke 15:11-31“12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.”
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ”
“21 "The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
24 "...this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."
![un[lost] tile](https://andenministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/armored-sheep_andenministries_runwolf.png)
I know this story because I’ve lived it. I have been that sheep. And my prayer for Anden Ministries is simple: that nobody else ends up in the cliff, the pig pen, the rock bottom—because nobody belongs there.
But if you’ve already fallen or you’re standing on the edge? That’s why we’re here.
We’ll grab your hand on the cliff’s edge.
We’ll pull you out of the pig pen and hose you off.
We’ll help you build steps—Andens—that lift you from rock bottom and set your feet back in the Shepherd’s pasture.
Because that’s what grace does: it doesn’t just save—it restores.