And this love must be sturdy. USA Today did a front-page story two days before Christmas on today’s shepherd. The article described how hundreds of Peruvian shepherds are brought to America each year. These are some seriously rough dudes. They know how to fight off a mountain lion to rescue a sheep, and they castrate a lamb the old-fashioned way—with their teeth. Fortunately, pastors are spared such delicate tasks, but the love they display often demands a similar toughness.
