Welcome! The Loving Shepherd retreat theme provides a special opportunity to discuss the ways that God wants to serve as the shepherd in our lives.
You’ll find narrative, scriptures, discussion questions, and more in this retreat theme post.
THE LOVING SHEPHERD NARRATIVE:
The perception of a shepherd is so peaceful… a tall, striking man wearing a flowing brown robe and holding a wooden staff in his hand while he overlooks a flock of sheep gently roaming over a beautiful hillside.
The reality of a shepherd’s work, though, is much more intense than that scene depicts.
The shepherd has to tend to all situations that may arise in his flock such as illness, injuries, predators, etc. And, that beautiful hillside isn’t always beautiful.
There are treacherous and rocky areas along the way just as there are pitfalls that occur as we travel through life.
The analogy between a shepherd tending over sheep and our Lord tending over us is noticeably similar. Just as the shepherd comes to love his sheep and to know them individually as he takes care of their needs, God does the same for us.
THE LOVING SHEPHERD SCRIPTURES:
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Psalm 95:6-7 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
The Loving Shepherd Upgrade Bundle
Buy the The Loving Shepherd retreat theme bundle. The bundle includes step-by-step directions, an opening prayer, a theme-specific speaker’s outline, scriptures, table talk cards, small group discussion questions, individual reflection questions, and more:
THE LOVING SHEPHERD ICEBREAKERS:
The Envelope Please
In The Envelope Please, cut out strips of paper and give 10 strips to each person. Have them write 10 facts about themselves on each strip and then place all strips in a large envelope.
One by one, pull a strip from the envelope and read the fact to the group. The group should try to guess who the fact belongs to.
One Sentence Tell Me About
Go around the group asking each person to answer a specific question (prepare a list of questions ahead of time, such as: Tell me about your family, Tell me about where you were born, etc.) using one sentence. Ask as many questions as you can with the time you have allotted for this activity.
You can even use these Get to Know You Questions for a variation of the game.
THE LOVING SHEPHERD RETREAT GAMES/ACTIVITIES:
Prayers are Powerful:
Praying for others is an important part of God’s shepherding plan. This Powerful Prayer Activity is a special way for the ladies to feel closer to one another throughout this retreat.
Get in Order:
Divide the women into two even teams. Give instructions that you’ll be yelling out random information such as shoe size, height, number of children, etc.
As soon as you yell out the information, the women need to line up in the right chronological order.
The team that lines up correctly the fastest wins.
20 Purposeful Activity Ideas:
In the post, 20 Purposeful Activity Ideas Shared by Women’s Ministry Leaders, you’ll find a wonderful variety of ideas for activities to use at your retreat. Enjoy glancing through the article and choosing the ones that you feel will work best with your theme.
THE LOVING SHEPHERD SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What comes to your mind when you see a picture of a shepherd tending his flock?
- What do you think is the reality of what the shepherd has to do and to face to make sure his flock is safe and secure?
- How do you compare the job of a shepherd of sheep to the job of a shepherd of people?
THE LOVING SHEPHERD CRAFTS:
Color Coded Bible Bookmark
Provide a variety of colors of ribbons and beads to create a pretty bookmark.
You can use this tutorial as a starting point and then have the ladies use their creativity to make their own unique version.
Faithful Frames and Prayer Plaques
Turn frames into inspirational chalkboards and share meaningful messages, favorite bible scriptures, etc. with Faithful Frames and Prayer Plaques.
THE LOVING SHEPHERD SONG SUGGESTIONS:
The Lord’s My Shepherd–by Stuart Townsend (listen to it on YouTube HERE)
You Never Let Go–by Matt Redman (listen to it on YouTube HERE)
Shepherd–by Amanda Cook (listen to it on YouTube HERE)
THE LOVING SHEPHERD PRIZE IDEAS:
The Lord is My Shepherd Traveler Tumbler
Bookmarks with Various Scriptures
The Lord is My Shepherd Decoration
THE LOVING SHEPHERD CLOSING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us here to get closer to you. Taking this opportunity with this group of ladies to reinforce that you are our loving shepherd is a gift. Please help us to take the gift we have been given here and share it with others as we each go to our respective homes and lives. We don’t always express our gratitude to you but we are so very thankful that you care enough for us to tend to us as the shepherd tends his flock. Amen.
The Loving Shepherd Upgrade Bundle
Buy the The Loving Shepherd retreat theme bundle. The bundle includes step-by-step directions, an opening prayer, a theme-specific speaker’s outline, scriptures, table talk cards, small group discussion questions, individual reflection questions, and more:
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