Me on Dad's Chief 1968

The picture you see is me on my father’s appaloosa in 1968. His name was Chief. I always ‘bragged’ about him to my wife and one day, about 5 years ago, she bought me my own. I promptly gave him the name of Chief.  Appaloosas seem to have gotten a bad rap, but I have a different opinion.  Some may think they are stubborn but I think they are just smarter than the other horses and are just analyzing the situation. From day one I forgave him in advance for all of his bad attitudes and habits. It’s not his fault he was born with spots. I have to remind myself that when he does act badly it is more my fault than his. There are some days I want to feed him to the wolves and he probably wants to do the same with me. But he has been forgiven and I live with his little quirks and love him even the more for it.

God has forgiven us 2000 years ago on a cross on Mt. Calvary. It was finished once and for all for all humanity.  When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior we are accepting that free gift of forgiveness for our sins past, present, and future. If and when we transgress God’s commands and teachings we need to confess those faults and get back in line with Him. He has already forgiven us long ago and we do not need to ask for forgiveness again. In fact, He has forgiven everyone in the world. It is tragic that so many will never accept that free gift that not only brings eternal life, but also gives us peace and security knowing that our sins have been forgiven.

My horse isn’t perfect, but I love him all the same. We get along just fine because I aint perfect either. We have both been forgiven for different reasons. God loves me so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross for me to wipe out permanently the punishment for sin.  Chief is a different matter. He was a free gift from my wife and I guess I’m just a softy for horses with spots.

1John 2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world … 12  I am writing to you, little children, that your sins have been forgiven because of his name.

What about your neighbor’s horses? I am sure we would treat them just like we would want them to treat ours. Maybe not as many treats, but we certainly wouldn’t let them starve or go without water.  Our horses are special members of the family and we all expect them to be treated just as we are treated.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

’nuff said. Happy Valentine’s Day

Snicker plays SCDOT

Boy, this year sure has gone by fast.  I know — it is not even February, but it seems like I have done a years worth of stuff in just one month.  Rides, meetings, work, projects, shopping, family and church activities, not to mention the GOP primaries. I am always thinking that I need to slow down, but the world certainly does not wait on me. The world around us does not operate on our schedule and we all do what needs to get done to keep things going around the farm, keep food on the table, and a roof over our heads.  Through it all, we need to keep the main thing the main thing and take time to ackowledge God and His blessings.

What did your horse do today? If he is like mine, he ate, slept, grazed, played, slept, rolled, grazed, ate, and on and on and on.  What a life — for a horse. I wonder if he had time to get everything done he wanted to do today.

I have found that God gives all of us the time we need to get the things done that God wants us to do. Those are the things that are important to God. Many of the things we do can wait, or are not that important at all. When I look back at the past month and try to figure out what I did for God versus for myself or the world, the list is pretty short. I really need to work on that.

God speaking to Jeremiah concerning the days after the 70 years of exile in Babylon says; “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11)

God has a plan for all of us. Consider all that you do as for the Lord and let Him direct your paths.  He has given us all the time we need.

Gideon

Wonderful weather today – even for January in South Carolina.  Rode my BLM mustang – Gideon.  Got him several years ago at a BLM auction in Sumter when he was just a year old. Margie led most of the way through the woods with her trusty steed Snicker. Gideon led a little bit, but he prefers to follow for now. That was interesting to see. When you make him take the lead, he is a lot more cautious.  Just like us, I suppose they prefer that someone else leads from time to time. They don’t have to take any risks and still get to enjoy the ride and see the pretty scenery.  Got to make him earn his keep, I suppose.

Clyde

Also, rode one of our mules – Clyde – around the paddock a few times. Got to make him earn his keep, too, and get him use to the saddle. He’s a litte green and needs a lot of riding. We, also, put his panniers over the saddle, loaded them with the feed bags from the truck, and made him carry them back to the barn. Why should I break my back — it’s his food anyway.

Take a look at our ride schedule on the right. As you can see, we plan to stay busy this year. But these are more than rides — they are opportunities for the Lord to use us to reach others for the Kingdom of God. We pray that God will use us (and our horses) each and every time we hit the trails in some way that we can’t even imagine.

Watched God work in many ways this weekend. We all believe there was divine intervention in the upgrade of the electrical system over the summer.  Nobody would ever have thought that it could be done, but with God all things are possible. Apart from a couple of trailers (mine included) that needed to be rewired on the spot and one ‘bad’ CFL light bulb, the electrical system worked great and everyone stayed cozy and warm.

With Grandson in tow behind my wife’s horse we hit the trails to enjoy God’s creation.  The trails were beautiful and we had lots of fun putting out treasures for others to find.

Saturday’s ride was well attended and everyone had fun trying to find treasures given Bible verses as clues.

Saturday evening’s events brought us all together for food, fellowship, and music from Julian Brown. We also had a silent auction and a live auction to raise funds for our group for the year ahead.

Sunday morning found us once again around the fire for Cowboy Church. A message from Acts reminding us some things that still need to be included in our churches today: 1) fellowship, 2) prayer, 3) breaking of bread, 4) teaching of God’s Word, and 5) sharing what God has already blessed us with.

After that, some had to pack up and leave. Still others stayed around and hit the trails one last time.  We had a great ride and met many new friends. Already making plans for next year.