Picture of Ben Van Arragon

Ben Van Arragon

Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Devotionals

Voice of the Shepherd

Read: John 10:1-10 The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (v. 4) Throughout the Old Testament, God referred to his people’s human leaders as “shepherds.” On some occasions

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Devotionals

The Shepherd’s Delight

Read: Luke 15:1-7 Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (v. 6) When my children were younger, we had a pet hamster. This hamster was

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Devotionals

Harassed and Helpless

Read: Micah 5:1-4; Matthew 9:35-38 He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD. (Micah 5:4) As a 12-year-old I made my first solo train trip.

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Devotionals

Bad Shepherds

Read: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! (v. 1) Sheep are physically vulnerable. They have few natural defenses against parasites and

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Devotionals

Like Sheep

Read: Isaiah 53:1-6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. (v. 6) In his memoir A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson encounters

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Devotionals

The Tender Shepherd

Read: Isaiah 40:1-11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms. (v. 11) One of my earliest memories is of my mother

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Devotionals

In the Presence of My Enemies

Read: Psalm 23 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (v. 5) In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller observes

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Devotionals

Rod and Staff

Read: Psalm 23 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (v. 4) In his book A Shepherd Looks at

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Devotionals

Don’t Shepherd Us!

Read: 1 Kings 22:1-18 There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD . . . but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning

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