Jon Katz is an author well-known for his books and articles about dogs. They are his passion. Many say his works have transformed their relationships with their dogs—to the better. One of his books, The Dogs of Bedlam Farm, tells of a year he lived on a farm in upstate New York. His idea was to borrow some sheep and teach his border collies to herd them.
He discovered so much more.
The first lesson he learned was that what he was really doing was “trying to become a better human” through his interactions with his dogs. He reasoned that his dogs would be better behaved if he were.
There is one outcome, though, I’m sure Jon Katz did not expect. Through many trials and tribulations that first year—struggling with the farm’s ever-crumbling infrastructure, agonizing through a harsh winter lambing season, fighting off predators, searching for sheep that wandered away, and dealing with their constant needs of food, warmth, shelter, and protection—Jon Katz emerged a shepherd.
When I read scriptures like this week’s Psalm 23, I now have a real understanding of what it means for the Lord to be “my shepherd.” I now understand why “He makes me to lie down in green pastures,” and why “He leads me beside still waters.” I know what is intended when Jesus says “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.”
Jon Katz has given me that understanding.
I know he never intended his book to be a primer on shepherding. But unintended consequences are a big part of the personal journey he describes, so I think he will forgive me for ending up where I did.
Embracing shepherding responsibilities can be trying. At times, for the good of his sheep, Katz had to act in heartbreaking ways. There were times when joy suffused every action. I suspect it is exactly this way for those who shepherd us in this life, as well as for our “great shepherd.”
Jon Katz learned how to lead his sheep. And why. God already knows both. And if we allow it, He will lead us to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
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Goodreads page for “The Dogs of Bedlam Farm”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65060.The_Dogs_of_Bedlam_Farm
Bedlam Farm website:
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Join us March 20th when we resume DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet Friday morning at 8:00 on Zoom* and in person at Our Breakfast Place.
Sheep must be checked at the door.
Blessings,
Steve
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=l&d=28
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_FourthSundayinLent.pdf
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Psalm 23
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Fourth Sunday in Lent (March 15, 2026)
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