5 Minutes with Jesus is a daily devotional series for people in the midst of real life, whether facing anxiety, grief, questions of purpose, or simply needing encouragement and connection. Hosted by Sheila Walsh, each five-minute episode offers Biblical truth, honest reflections on faith and emotions, and closes with a moment of prayer.
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| Sheila Walsh: Christ The Good Shepherd | 5 Minutes with Jesus | December 15, 2025
- Yes. we all will walk through difficult, dark valleys.
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- Hard situations in life.
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- And perhaps you're there, right now.
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- But david says we will not allow fear
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- To overtake us because we're not alone.
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- Never. not for a moment.
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- The shepherd is with us.
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- I was sitting at my desk
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- Being interviewed on a drivetime radio show.
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- The host
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- Asked me to tell his listeners
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- Something they might not know about me.
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- See the overwhelming amount
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- Of information available on social media these days.
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- I wasn't quite sure what to add until i looked down at my desk.
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- I have a jar of candy canes on my desk at christmas.
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- He asked. nope. all year round.
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- I love candy canes.
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- I love the way they look and i love the way they taste.
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- But as far as candy canes go, i'm with buddy the elf.
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- We elves tried to stick to the four main food
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- Groups candy, candy canes, candy corns, and sirup.
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- Some ways, candy canes remind me of one of my fellow
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- Choir members when i was a teenager.
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- I'll call them walter.
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- A choir had five parts soprano,
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- Alto, tenor, bass, and walter.
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- He sang with gusto and conviction, and as i was
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- The youngest member, usually fell to me to sit beside walter.
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- I didn't mind at all, because i knew walter's secrets.
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- Every sunday, without fail.
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- When our pastor got up to preach, walter would whisper.
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- Here he comes. it's time for a mint.
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- Then he would rustle
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- In his jacket pocket
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- Before producing
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- The red and white delicacies, and he'd pass one to me.
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- I wonder if walter knew.
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- But candy canes.
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- Interestingly, it's believed that the very first candy cane
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- Was produced in 1670 by a choir master in cologne, germany.
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- The cologne cathedral was producing a living nativity
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- That year,
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- And the choirmaster
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- Was concerned
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- That it would be a challenge
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- To keep the children in the choir quite
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- When they saw all the animals in activity.
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- Playing like candy sticks were popular in europe at that time.
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- But the choirmaster was convinced
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- That it might be viewed as disrespectful
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- To pass up candy in church just to keep children quiet.
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- So he came up with a much better idea.
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- He persuaded a local candy maker to bend the tops of the sticks
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- To resemble a shepherd's crook, ultimately pointing to jesus
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- The good shepherd, which seemed a more reverent offering.
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- Each time i pick up a candy cane,
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- I'm reminded of one of my favorite psalms.
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- Psalm 23 is often referred to as the shepherd.
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- Psalm is such a beautiful picture
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- Of the type of shepherd you would see in israel.
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- And it points ultimately to christ, our good shepherd.
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- I'd love to share it with you.
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- The lord is my shepherd.
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- I have all that i need.
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- He lets me rest in green meadows.
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- He leads me beside peaceful streams.
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- He renews my strength.
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- He guides me along right paths.
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- Bringing honor to his name.
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- Even when i walk through the darkest valley.
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- I will not be afraid.
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- For you are close beside me.
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- Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
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- You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
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- You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
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- My cup overflows with blessings.
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- Surely your goodness and unfailing love
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- Will pursue me all the days of my life.
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- And i will live in the house of the lord forever.
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- I've studied a
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- Lot about what is typical of shepherds in israel.
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- Each shepherd in israel carries a rod and a staff to protect
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- And comfort the sheep.
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- To the sheep they represent care and security.
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- If one wanders off by itself, the shepherd
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- Will use their staff to bring it back to the flock.
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- And as each sheep passes into the pen at night,
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- The shepherd will often use their rod to partnership's wool
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- To make sure it isn't hurt.
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- Because injuries are hard to detect through heavy wool.
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- If needed, a shepherd will anoint the sheep's head
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- With oil to bring healing and keep annoying pests away.
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- Then the shepherd will lie down across the entrance to the pen.
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- The message is clear
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- If you want to get to my sheep, you'll have to come through me.
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- When we apply the images for
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- This psalm to our lives of powerful, yes,
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- We all will walk through difficult dark valleys,
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- Hard situations in life.
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- And perhaps you're there right now.
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- But david says we will not allow fear
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- To overtake us because we're not alone.
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- Never. not for a moment.
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- The shepherd is with us in scotland.
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- The shepherd walks behind their flock.
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- You'll never see that in israel.
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- In israel,
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- A shepherd always goes ahead and looks for potential danger.
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- With the sheepdogs coming up behind.
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- Did you know that the two sheep dogs
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- Are also mentioned in psalm 23?
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- It's called goodness and mercy.
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- You and i will be dogged by goodness and mercy
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- And the love of god until that day when we're finally home.
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- Jesus,
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- Let's pray.
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- Lord, you are the good shepherd, the good shepherd
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- Who lays down his life for his sheep.
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- Lord, i want to thank you that you walk beside us
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- Every day, but you never leave us alone.
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- You're always watching over us.
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- Thank you for the chair.
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- Thank you that you go ahead of us, and you come behind us.
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- And your goodness and your mercy.
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- Chase us for the rest of our days.
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- In jesus name, amen.
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