Familial Research and Development

Today I wondered: "Is this how it felt for Him days and millennia after He cast out 1/3 of His children? Does He still recall the sweet interactions He had with them? Does His heart still ache?" What lead to this musing? When I was a kid there were a few things that happened that were very painful and difficult to bear. One of those things was how my parents disciplined us kids. Dad was volatile-to put it mildly. He took out his anger and frustrations on Mom a lot. As we two older kids aged, his anger started turning toward us. One day my big brother had gone out to play baseball in the street with the other kids. He hit that ball so hard it busted a car window. Oh man! You should have seen the kids scatter. Soon enough there was a conversation between dad and the car owner, a promise to pay for the damages and then a conversation (politely put) between dad and my big brother. Every pay day dad would make a payment on the repair bill on his way home from work. When...

Chapter 5 Very early in the morning the “ankle-biters” came. Well that’s what all the lambs called them. AND there were a lot of helpers with the farmer and the shepherd. The helpers brought their own helpers. So going up to the mountains with the flocks were dogs, helpers, four-wheelers and tall, huge horses. Up the road, up the canyon and to the pastures we all went! Along the road Dove saw different flowers. Some were yellow. Some were purple (these were on the alfalfa plants and tasted very sweet). Some were a very brilliant reddish orange on stalks. Very pretty indeed! Dove also saw purple flowers. They tasted like…. Well, nothing! Mimi told Dove that they turn pink later. Mimi even found a pretty pink flower. The leaf was soft and fuzzy. Dove noticed some few of the sheep tended to want to walk faster and others wandered off away from the flock. Silly sheepies! They could get lost. They could end up all alone. In the dark of night-this is not just a scary concep...

Chapter 4 Dove step was eating yellow flowers, his favorite, when he saw an all-black lamb. Then he noticed other black sheep. He walked over to the lamb, which was walking towards him. The black lamb said, “Hi, I’m Mimi. What’s your name?” “I’m Dove Step.” He replied. Why are you white?” said Mimi. “It’s normal. Why are you black?” questioned Dove Step. “It’s normal. I guess,” she answered. I guess some sheep are white while others are black.” But that won’t stop us from being friends.” Said Dove Step. He started tell her all about his adventures. Mimi listened intently. Mimi laughed and said, “You stole the farmers ladder, climbed and fell into a tree!! Oh that is rich!”  “Borrowed!” interjected Dove Step, “Borrowed the ladder. We returned it afterwards. After all we got it out.” They chatted for a few more minutes about the moon. Mimi said, “I learned in flock school about the sun, moon and stars. I’m surprised you didn’t know already.” “Oh,”...