No Fear

That is my youngest son Cecil Chase there by the horse. He has been around them since he was born and on their back by 18 months old. He will walk out into the pasture and grab them by the halter and start leading them around. We are thankful that we have well behaved horses and attempt to dissuade him from doing this because he has so little fear of them. It is not that we want him to be afraid of them but we want him to have a respect for them because of what they can do to him.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

When we refuse to put Christ in His proper place in our hearts and lives we risk putting ourselves into harms way. It is hard for us here in the states to understand what it is like to have an ultimate authority in our lives so we tend to not esteem those in authority over us especially when it comes to God. We have become so focused on our own rights that we forget that we were bought and paid for by the precious blood of the lamb.

The reverential fear is basically esteeming the sacrifice that was made on our behalf causing us to ensure that whatever we do we do to honor and glorify Him. We do not dare act or behave in a manner that would be displeasing to our Lord and King regardless of whether or not anyone can see us doing these things. The reason being is because we belong to the King; we are His property. Since we were bought and paid for He saw it fitting to make us heirs with Christ thus making us not mere subjects but royalty. You see if we were to esteem this position that we were given then it would cause us to act a little differently. Perhaps it would cause us to love others a little bit more after all they do not have what we have and even if they are part of the family it should cause us to love them all the more.

Tertullian in his 2nd century defense of Christianity wrote about how Christian love attracted pagan notice. In it he states; “What makes us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness: ‘Only look,’ they say, ‘look at how they love one another.’ (Apology 59)

You can rest assured that this is probably no longer the case in most churches or of most Christians and it has to break the heart of Christ. We are no longer the loving people we once were and in fact we are so wrapped up in self and the wants of the world that we are no different than Chase there walking out into the field among those horses without any fear. It is true that he might not get hurt but sooner or later something will happen. Something could spook the horse at the wrong moment and and he could get trampled or worse; killed.

God could allow you to go through your little escapade with the world and apart from loosing His blessings nothing else major seems to happen but consider all those who you affect with your little adventure. It could be your kids or another family member; it could be your neighbor or coworker. The one thing that you can be assured of is that it is going to affect someone. Someone will turn their back on God because of you; because of your lack of reverential fear of an Almighty God and your lack of gratitude for the blood that was shed on Calvary's tree.

You see even if Chase does not get hurt out there what do you think would happen to another kid who has never been around horses and sees him doing what he does and decides to try it himself? Think about it.

Little Things

We often over look the little things in life, especially when we are young but the older we get the more important these things become; well in my case I find it to be true.

It amazes me the little details that I now remember of my youth that no one else in my family remembers, like my youngest brother getting up early and making a whole batch of pancakes just for himself or the behavior of a certain horse. To them these things were not that important so they have over the years simply put them out of their mind. Of course they all remember the major things like someone putting a garden snake in my sister's bed but no one has ever claimed responsibility for that one. I know that I didn't do it so it had to be one of my younger brothers.

There are times however that I wonder if these things really happened or were they simply a dream but the moment all the pieces begin coming together I realize that they really did happen. My life up until I graduated from high school consisted of the old farm house and big red barn along with the horses in the field. While there were other activities such as fishing and hunting most of our childhood revolved around those horses. Mom often complained that they came before we did and in most cases she was right but the truth was that they were what defined us. It was how people knew who we were and the only ways that I got dates as I got older. You see growing up we weren't allowed to go on a real date. It either consisted of getting together at youth group or some church activity unless they came over to ride horses. By the time I was old enough to drive any date that I might have had consisted of my little sister in the back seat and again it was only to her house and our final destination then back to her place. On the rare occasion that I found myself alone with a girl I understood why my parents were so strict with me.

You see they knew just as I did that God was calling me to do something for Him. They put up a protective barrier in order to keep me from being swayed in the wrong direction but what they didn't realize was that there was much in their own lives as well as those who we hung around with that Satan would use to defeat me. I didn't fully understand the relationship with Christ and there were little examples of one who had the proper relationship for me to follow; which was why God was trying to show me through the training technique that I was beginning to develop back then. The other issue was one of pride. I was just then growing into myself and at the time there was a popular actor that I looked like so Satan had an easy time in distracting me from God's plan for my life but the thought of embarrassing my parents or disappointing them kept me from a lot worse decisions.

Today I live with the past regrets. I cannot look at my horses without feeling the pain of a life wasted that could have glorified Him. I think about the influence that I was on others and the people I caused to turn from Him and I cry out for His forgiveness. I am often reminded of the movie the Mummy with Brendan Frazier and the scene on the river boat when it catches fire. Brendan's nemesis; Benny, hollers out "Hey O'Connell; it looks like we got all the horses to which he replies; hey Benny, it looks like your on the wrong side of the river. It is no different than the children of Israel who decided that they wanted their inheritance to be on the other side of the Jordan river. We have all gotten to a place where we feel more comfortable on the wrong side because it is looks better or it is easier; we have all the horses but the problem is that just like with the children of Israel the blessing is on the other side of the river. Their inheritance was in the land of Canaan just like ours is in servitude to Christ. Yes we can serve Him in a normal job but in most cases the truth is that we don't do it. Yes we can serve Him as a Sunday School teacher but the truth is that most of us simply use an already prepared lesson plan. True we can serve Him at home but the truth is that our children recognize our lack of obedience to Him and it is what Satan uses to dissuade them from serving Christ. We have all the horses; the cars, the nice home, the good job, the perfect spouse but all these things that appear to be blessings are nothing compared to what we are giving up by being in obedience to Him.

I gave up a lot. I have lost marriages; and yes I said marriages because I have been married three times. The two divorces were not my choosing but the women were. I have lost children because my older kids are not walking with God. I pray that the decisions they made when they were young were true conversions but all I can do is pray. I have two children that I rarely get to see because of their mother and her refusal to allow me in their lives. I have lost homes, vehicles, fortunes, respect,and the ability to find a job. Unable to pay the high child support every month has cost me my drivers license and time in jail even though I pay what I can afford.It has cost me the respect of others because even though I have tried to get my support lowered it has been denied time and time again which makes others look at me in judgment. Even though I was a CEO I cannot find a job making better money because I never finished college and do not have a degree although I could do most jobs I am unemployable in a higher paying position; but the greatest loss is that of service because of my choices I am unable to serve Him as a Pastor. I can preach and do other things but even these are limited by my background.

My dear friends I implore you to turn from the things that you are doing and turn to Him. Allow Him to direct your paths and guide you in the way that He would have you to go. Do not worry about money or things because they will pass away. He has promised to provide these things for us and we are so busy trying to help Him that we are ignoring Him. We have fallen for the devil's lies that God helps those who help themselves and have lost the power that He intended for us. We have become so focused on ourselves that we have allowed others to fall into a pit of despair and then we wonder what ever happened to revival.

My dream has long been to have a youth camp and to work with not only the youth but their parents as well. Because of the things that God has gifted me with I want to be able to use the horses to show and share a relationship with Christ hopefully changing the lives of those who go through the program; not because of anything that I do but what He does. I want to be able to share the love of Christ above mere words and I pray that we can receive the prayers of our friends and loved ones.

A Wild Imagination

The fog was slowly lifting bringing into view the outline of the swamp. A gentle breeze pushed the reeds from side to side as if there were someone walking through them. The only sound that you could hear was the soft rustle of them as the bumped into each other adding to the eeriness of the swamp. A deep noise began to rise from this hidden wetland and as it loudened we realized that it was nothing more than a bullfrog making his presence known to the rest of the creatures that resided there. We were outcasts here. We didn’t belong and the rest of the inhabitants of the swamp knew it. Someone had invaded their inner sanctum and they were not happy about it. All around us the sounds came, first from one side and then the other, back and forth revealing that their conversation must have been about us.

As the fog began to thin a large shape began to rise up out of the water. It seemed to have grown from out of nothing and was increasing in size with every breath that we took. We slowly made our way to a better vantage point that was hopefully out of its line of vision but we had yet to determine where the head would be.

Another noise. This one seemed to come from this creature that was rising from the swamp and as we looked intently in its direction, steam began to rise up from it. Had it moved closer? Surely the steam was coming from its head but wait; it appeared to be coming from both sides of it. Was it possible that its head was wrapped along beside it or was it still under the water and simply moving its head from side to side on a long neck?

Perhaps we should have waited until day break before venturing out into this forbidden swamp; for as the fog lifted the darkness began to swell casting shadows all around us causing fear to well up inside of us that whoever or whatever might be in there was probably surrounding us at that very instant. We looked up at the sky. Surely the moon would push its way through the clouds soon and provide the light that we needed for the assurance of our safety.

We were not in the woods but an open field that had long been over grown with brush, but that was enough to provide cover for whatever was lurking near the swamp. A noise broke through the silence of the moment and as we looked up we realized that something was making its way toward us from our flank. We cowered lower into the grass but didn’t want to lose sight of what was in the water either, for we were certain now that it had moved even closer.

Angrily we chided ourselves for not bringing any light with us to search out these things that were making their way toward us. The noise on the land now doubled as another figure slowly came into view, and another and another.

Suddenly behind us we began to hear noises. We were trapped. We could not go forward for the swamp and now our retreat was impeded by whatever it was that was making its way to our direction. The other side was being blocked by whatever was in the water. Why did we believe that we could be successful on this mission?

We huddled closer together as if that would prevent each of us from being torn up by whatever was approaching but the closeness provided some comfort. We would all go together and we would go down fighting for our lives. We looked at each other and with confidence decided that we needed to take a stand and just as we began to rise up from the thick brush the moon pushed its way thoroughly through the thick clouds that had hidden it all this time and as the voice began to leave our mouths we realized that our feared enemies were nothing more than the horses eating around the swamp and a giant rock partially covered by reeds.

Isn’t it funny how easily we can let our imaginations get away from us? We were just kids then but even now we allow ourselves to be taken into a situation that ends up getting away from us. The problem is that we also have a tendency to focus on what we can see and touch, allowing ourselves to be used by Satan. You see when he convinces us that we don’t need to do more than we are doing he is using us. If he can convince us to simply sit in the pews or that teaching Sunday school is enough, he is keeping us from doing the things that God would have us to do.

Now don’t get me wrong because teaching Sunday school is an important job but the job goes beyond Sunday morning. How many of you who teach Sunday school has gone out and visited your kids throughout the week? How many of you have visited with their parents or had a cookout at your house? D.L. Moody went out and built his Sunday school class. He didn’t sit back and let it grow on its own.

In some cases we need to let our imagination get away from us. We need to envision what it’s going to be like when our neighbor dies, not knowing the Lord or our paperboy gets hit by a car and dies without knowing Jesus, or the homeless person on the corner who not only needs to know Jesus but also needs a hot meal and a place to sleep.

Imagine if you would the difference it would make just in your neighborhood if you began loving people as Christ does. Yes they need to hear the gospel but they need physical things as well and we have sat back too long listening to Satan convince us that we don’t have to do more. We have listened to these charlatans who have allowed Satan to cloud their thinking telling us that all they need is Jesus and everything will change for them.

Yes! They do need Jesus but they need a job too. Yes, they need Jesus but they need some food also. Yes, they need Jesus but they need to see the love that He has for them and that comes through you. They have heard it all before, Jesus loves them and the truth is yes He does and He has sent you to love them too. You may be saying that they will just go out and spend whatever money I give them on drugs or alcohol and the truth is they just might but how about giving them something to eat and a few bucks. When they ask why, tell them how Jesus loves them and so do you but don’t withhold from them just because you’re afraid they will spend your dollar wrongly. It is on their head if they do but yours if you don’t. We never know how the Holy Spirit has been working on someone and it might be at that precise moment that the Holy Spirit gets through to them.

I have known of people who have actually paid prostitutes to listen to them share the gospel, while others will simply hand them a tract and keep going. Guess which one has the most success in sharing the gospel? They have witnessed women leaving the profession because of the love and respect that they have shown them because it reveals the love of Christ that goes beyond mere words.

I have heard of people who stand outside of bars and provide rides to those who are coming out, sharing the gospel with them on the way home and you know what? The craziest thing happens. People actually get saved. The truth is that yes you do get some who are not going to listen and you do get some who are going to take advantage of the situation but the fact remains that it is simply up to us to be obedient and the results are up to the Holy Spirit so we need to quit making excuses for why we don’t do more than we do.

Look at Jesus’ ministry;

He healed ten lepers, only one thanked Him

He fed 5,000 and people followed Him for more. Many of these same people shouted out crucify Him.

He died on the cross while people stood beneath it ridiculing him and yet He stayed there and accepted our punishment. The thief next to Him recognized who He was and as He gave up the ghost a lone Roman guard looked at Him and said surely this was the Son of God.

In the year 286 AD an entire legion (6,666 men in all) being all Christians refused to obey the orders of emperor Maximian to assist in ridding Gaul of all Christians, this so greatly enraged Maximian that he ordered the legion to be decimated, that is, every tenth man to be selected from the rest, and put to the sword. This bloody order having been put in execution, those who remained alive were still inflexible, when a second decimation took place, and every tenth man of those living was put to death. This second severity made no more impression than the first had done; the soldiers preserved their fortitude and their principles, but by the advice of their officers they drew up a loyal remonstrance to the emperor. This, it might have been presumed, would have softened the emperor, but it had a contrary effect: for, enraged at their perseverance and unanimity, he commanded that the whole legion should be put to death, which was accordingly executed by the other troops, who cut them to pieces with their swords, September 22, 286.

Relationship Deception

Over the winter we had received a new Appaloosa mare for my step-daughter. When we first went to look at her she immediately gave me her head so when we brought her home I wasn't too concerned about finishing her out with the cold weather setting in. Since the weather has been warming up I have begun to work with her a little bit and found some issues that I didn't realize when we got her. As long as she is in the barn or away from the other horses I have no problems with her. She acknowledges my authority and willing seeks to please me but the moment she is placed in the field; she has no desire to accommodate me at all.

I can brush all the other horses in the field and they will each come to me to get their turn except her. The moment that I approach her she turns and walks the other direction. If enticed she will allow me or anyone else to mess with her but it is not done out of a desire to please.

This is an easy fix and will be addressed soon but the thing that really got me about it was the similarities to us as Christians when we are away from church or when we do not have a solid relationship with Christ. It is so easy to simply go along with the flow of things and while the crowd may have a tolerance for Christians we do not want them to know that we are because we are worried about the backlash or ridicule for our beliefs.

The other thing that struck me was how she managed to fool me into believing that I would have no problems with her. Typically when a horse gives me their head like that and willingly submit to my authority it is a full submission; I do not have a problem with them even when they are with other horses. When looking at it in the realm of believers it is probably no different than Judas with the disciples. None of them had any clue as to his motives and betrayal even after Jesus made the comment that one of them would betray Him. Rest assured that our churches are filled with people just like this mare. The outward appearances and behaviors work to convince us that they are of us but in reality they are not and while God knows the condition of the heart it is difficult for us to know it because they will even produce works that will convince us that they are His. However the one thing that they will lack is the ability to truly lead someone to Christ.

When we look at Simon the Sorcerer we see this in that while we are told that he believed and worked with Philip, when he saw the people receive the Holy Spirit when the apostles laid hands upon them he asked to buy this ability. In Peter's rebuke of him we do not see any repentance on Simon's behalf instead we see him asking Peter to pray that it would not happen. Since there is no record of him after this period we have to wait until we are in heaven to find out whether he was truly saved or not, because not even baptism is evidence of true salvation.

As I begin to work with her I will look for signs that will reveal a true desire to please me. I will look to see if she is repentant in her behaviors much in the same way that we looked for that in Simon. If she refuses then I will probably not keep her but the chances of that are slim because I can see in her eyes that she has the desire. I have the hope that she will come to the place where she will place her trust in me.

As we look at scripture we can see the desire of God and are told that it is His desire that none shall perish but we are also told that there comes a time where He turns us over to our own destruction. It is our pride that keeps us from falling to our knees before Him; completely surrendered to Him and there will come a time when we all will stand before Him and at that time every knee shall bow and every tongue confess but it will be too late then because our decision will have been made. So while I wait for her to come to that point so He too waits for us ready to reconcile us to Himself.

Relationship

I talk a lot about relationships; especially the one with a horse and how it compares to the relationship that God desires to have with us. In my new book I review the relationship with the horse and show how it correlates with the one that God desires with us. I have also put together several messages on the subject to be ready for speaking engagements should they come.

We have begun sending out flyers to different camps and such to line up some speaking engagements in preparation for the release of the book. In putting these together I did an intense study on the book of Genesis and the relationship that Adam had with God and His creation.

The truth is that we get a glimpse of the relationship with the life of Christ. Throughout His ministry He continually speaks of doing the will of the Father. The way that He treated people and the compassion that He had is enough to show us the desire of God in regards to a relationship with Him and how that relationship affects the one that we have with others.

As I took a walk through the creation story yet again I was amazed at how much stood out to me during this trip. With the help of Matthew Henry's commentary I looked closely at each of the verses and compared them with what Henry had to say. While the verses are straight forward there are things that we can tell by what is transpiring at the time. During creation God gave names to all that He created but yet He gave Adam the honor of naming the animals. This provides us with a glimpse of the relationship that God had with man before sin entered into the world. It pictures a loving father who gives his son the honor of naming a family pet. The closeness of the two is ultimately shown because after all Adam was His creation as well. He is maintaining that the heavens; which include the entire universe is His, He has named it all including the earth, and gives the name to the sea, but that which is on the earth He turns over the responsibility of to Adam.

As I read this I several thoughts came to mind. I thought of when dad first taught me how to mow the lawn and the excitement that I had as he turned over that chore to me. I also thought of our first hunting trip together and how both of these were pivotal points in my life because it became a time that dad was not just dad; he was also a friend. There was still that hierarchy there and he was still the authority figure but at the same time he was now a friend that I could talk to and share things with. As he slowly turned over more and more responsibilities to me it revealed his faith and trust in me and I was bound and determined to not let him down.

I am certain that Adam felt the same way here and I am also certain that he took extra care in naming the animals. He was given the responsibility of tending the garden and I am sure that he lovingly attended to all his duties; not because he had to but because he wanted to please his Creator and father. Yes, I am sure that the relationship that they had was exactly what God had intended for us for all times. We are told in Genesis chapter 9 as Noah leaves the ark that God re-establishes our covenant with the animals but this time it is based upon the fear of us and not the love that was evident in the garden.

In Genesis 5 however we see the relationship with a man that must have been reminiscent of the one that God had with Adam at creation. Not 6 generations later we find a man named Enoch who had such a relationship with God that God took him. He did not die but was translated up to heaven. We find the message that he preached in the book of Jude. It would not be long before God would destroy the earth with the flood because of the wickedness of man but in Enoch we learn that he walked with God. Adam was 622 years old when he was born and would die 57 years before God would translate Enoch but he must of impacted the life of Enoch with his tales of the Garden of Eden and how he walked with God then.

As I read all of this I considered how it was that God revealed the relationship that He desired through the horse. In order to work with the horse it must first be willing to place itself under my authority; it must submit to me and that is the same thing that God asks each of us. We must be willing to forsake all and follow Him. Christ goes on to say that he who does not forsake all is not worthy of Him, but just like I don't immediately give up on a stubborn horse, He does not and has not given up on us. He knew that many would reject Him but He still sacrificed His life for them. He knew that only one leper would return and thank Him but He still healed all ten and He knew that the multitudes who He fed would follow Him simply because He provided them with food but He still had compassion on them.

In the book of Acts we read the condition of the early church and the reputation that they had; not simply within the church but with all men. I am sure that when Peter told the lame man to rise up and walk he had absolute confidence in the church coming along side of this man and ensuring that he would be able to make a living. They knew the needs of the people within the church because they went house to house daily. I am also certain that we do not have a relationship with Christ if we do not have the same love for others. If we are more concerned about our own well being than that of others I firmly believe that we are in disobedience to God. It is no different than me expecting the horse that I am working with to anticipate my desires. If they do not respond I keep repeating the lesson until they do.

The only difference between them and us is that 9 times out of ten they will get it right and we can go on to the next lesson or receive a treat. We on the other hand can't seem to grasp the idea.

Establishing Dominance

It is difficult to write a blog every day when your internet is in the barn. Of course I had a heater in the barn office but I took it out to put it on my front porch to start my plants, so it gets a little cold out there. My brother-in-law is using the upstairs loft of the office as a room so there is heat there but it doesn’t drift down.

As parents it is becoming more difficult to establish dominance over our kids. Even when you think that you have a good position of authority over them; they come home from school and tell you what their rights are and what you can or cannot do. With my older two all I had to do was to give them a dirty look when they were young and they would settle down. With my middle two is was the change of tone in my voice and with my youngest one it doesn’t matter what I do he still tries to rule the roost. Since we are a blended family he has two siblings that live with us who were to his mother’s ex-husband. The older of the two is autistic and the other has some learning issues as well so when he sees them not getting into trouble for things then he thinks that he can do them as well. I have tried to instill in my wife that they should all have the same consequences for poor behavior regardless of their disabilities because at 5 years old Chase doesn’t fully understand that they have problems. It’s a little humorous because I told my wife that she wouldn’t let her horses get away with as much as she lets her kids get away with. Over the years I have developed a pretty solid way of establishing my dominance over the horse without breaking the horse’s spirit. In the majority of the horses that I have dealt with it has worked as planned; while in the ones that have not accepted my position immediately I was able to eventually establish it. In those cases I was able to glean from the experience different ways to deal with the different personalities of the horse. I have since created a personality profile for horses to be able to better understand how to work with each of them.

I begin to work towards establishing dominance the moment I begin my introduction. Having watched horses when they have been introduced into a new herd I studied how they interacted with each other and how they decided whether to accept or reject the new horse. This decision was based upon the new horse’s personality and their willingness to accept the authority of the lead horse. If the lead horse accepted it then the others would as well although in some cases they would have to work out the pecking order as to who the next in charge would be.

The ease of the establishment of the dominance over the horse depends on where the horse is in regards to that pecking order. The more docile the horse or the lower on the rung it is the easier it is to establish dominance. The one thing that I found is that when I put the lead horse under my authority in the presence of the others it is easier to gain their trust and acceptance.

Again my objective is to not break their spirit but to develop in them a desire to want to please me, obeying my commands not out of necessity but because of the desire to please. They were after all created for this and it wasn’t until after the flood that God put the fear of us in them so what we are attempting to accomplish is inherently created in them and we are simply working towards re-establishing that initial bond that was between us at creation.

Since I have watched the horses react to each other I use the same method that they do in establish dominance over them; I then turn my back to them and walk away. If they follow me then I know that I have made that connection but if they don’t I return to them and go through the process again, until they do. Now just because they followed doesn’t mean that the dominance is automatically established. There is still more work to be done but each process of the development of the relationship puts us that much closer to the complete dominance over the horse.

The horse is following Cheryl without a lead while Chase is learning to rein.

The same is true in our relationship with Jesus Christ. He wants dominance over our lives not because He wants rule over us as a tyrant but because as our Creator He knows what is best for us much in the same way we know what is best for our children. When I was four or five we were over at Grandma and Grandpa Tillia's. As we walked up to the barn dad saw me looking at the fence so he said don’t touch it. It will bite you. As he continued to walk to the barn I stayed there looking at the fence. He knew that I wasn’t following him and he also knew that I was going to touch the fence. He could have grabbed my arm and led me away from the fence but he also knew that I had to experience the result of it myself. He was establishing dominance over me by allowing me to experience the pain that was sure to follow so that I would learn that when he said not to do something that there was a pretty good reason to listen; basically because he was right about the outcome.

As I stood there looking at it I can still remember thinking; how is this thing going to bite me, it has no teeth. As I reached out to grab it I was a little hesitant because dad had told me not to, so I looked around to see if anyone was going to stop me and when I didn’t see anyone I grabbed a hold of it and within seconds I was up in the air and headed to the house screaming. The funny thing was that my boots were still there by the fence standing straight up.

When we trust Jesus to be our Savior we are surrendering to Him, or at least we should be. I have a hard time believing that if we do not submit to Him at that time that we have actually accomplished anything. I have seen people go forward, claim to have trusted Jesus and continue living in the same manner that they had always lived and then I have seen people like my brother-in-law who after he trusted Christ there was a complete turn-around in his life. Jesus told Nicodemus that “you must be born again”. It was not going back into his mother’s womb but becoming like a child whose complete dependence for their survival is on their parent. They place all their trust and faith in that parent but unlike a parent who can make mistakes, He never does. Jesus said; “he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me”. If we are not willing to forsake all that we have and are then have we really accepted Him as our Savior or are we merely going through the motion of thinking we have insurance from Hell? The truth is that if there is no evidence of fruit there should be doubt as to the realness of your relationship with Him.

The evidence that I know I have dominance over my child is that they obey me, not out of fear but out of love. It is the same evidence that I have when I have established dominance over my horse. It obeys me not because it has to but because it wants to. These relationships develop over time to the point where I simply have to change the tone of my voice or place a hand on them and they will immediately cease their bad behavior. One problem is that it takes much longer to get to that point with a child than it does with a horse.

Why? The answer is simple because we are born of Adam. We are born in sin and with the free will to sin. The horse is not. It was created to glorify God and to provide us with enjoyment and while the fear of us was placed in it after the flood it will accept us in the position that God gave us. We on the other hand have the propensity to sin; even after we turn our lives over to Christ we will sin but we shouldn’t run towards it. As our relationship develops with Him, the Holy Spirit will lay upon our hearts things that are displeasing to Him. This is a whole other topic because there are many who think certain ways but the truth is found in God’s word and I won’t get into it now. Perhaps at a later time as we look into some of the other aspects of the relationship development.

The Introduction

Do you remember the day that you accepted Jesus as your Savior? I do; I was twelve years old and our pastor was preaching one October evening and I realized that I needed Him. I had thought I had gotten saved when I was 5 years old but that night I fully understood that the sins that I was committing was against God and not man. For those who have grown up in the church we have been introduced to Jesus from the time we were old enough to understand John 3:16; however our knowledge of Him is somewhat blurred by the lives of those we are around the most. For many youth growing up in the church this directly affects their perspective of Christ and their decision later in life to either follow Him or go their own way. Some of us are still susceptible to the leading of the Holy Spirit and return to the fold while others fight it continually until they reach a point where God says, no more and takes them home. Then there are those who never really accepted Him as Savior. They might not wander from the flock but they do not belong to Him. They can say and do all the right things but their heart is far from Him. In many cases they might actually believe that they are saved but the evidence is clear based upon their works that they are not. Jesus said that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. It might appear to be good but the truth is that it was grown on false pretenses. In the story of the rich young ruler, Jesus knew the heart of the young man and showed it to the disciples; however when you look at the story of Nicodemus, you can see the condition of his heart in his willingness to surrender. How can we know what the difference was between them? The answer lies in the introduction. In the case of the rich young ruler, he was not going to Christ to find out the truth but to assure himself that his way was enough while Nicodemus recognized who Christ was and who he was not before Him. Many of us would have had this rich young ruler down the aisle and in the baptismal pool before the end of service never stopping to insure that his introduction to Christ was right. He would have been serving in our church under false pretenses; never having been fully redeemed. As I begin to work with any horse, I always want to insure that I have made the right introduction. I do not want any false pretenses to be delivered because my goal is to have it fully submit to my authority. 1 John 5:14, and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. How do we know that it is in His will? Because we have developed a close relationship with Him according to the way that He has designed for us, we have the proper image of Him and have fully surrendered to Him that it is no longer us but Christ through us. This is what I want with the horse and when I am working with a youth, it is what I am conveying to them. Any other way is simply going to give me a horse that is compliant not because it wants to but because it has to or simply because it is expected of them. If I have done my job correctly then the horse has the confidence in me to lead and protect it. It knows that I am going to not only provide for its well-being but that my love for it extends beyond all that it has experienced before. Although domesticated the horse still has many of its wild attributes that God created them with but now (if done correctly) will relinquish all those behaviors and willingly surrender themselves to me. Think of David, hiding in the cave from Saul, only to have Saul come and rest in the cave; Daniel and the lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace; each of them did things that was against logic and reason but their trust was in God and not man. Logic would tell us to kill Saul because he was trying to kill us, bow or pray to the king or his image because failure to obey would result in our death and yet each of them did what was against their nature. Not because God made them but because their love for Him was such that they could do nothing less and like Esther going before the king; was willing to say, “if I perish, I perish”. These were not relationships built on the wrong methods but right relationships with their God and just as we see relationships with God that were based on the wrong things we will also see them when it comes to working with horses and youth. I can get a horse to do what I want it without going through the whole process but again I am not going to have a horse that will respond in the way that I want it to respond. I want it to anticipate my commands because we have that deep relationship, based on love and mutual trust. The mutual trust between God and us is that we are seen through the blood of Jesus. Not that we cannot sin but when we do we have that covering that allows us to be seen through Him. There are times where it might take me several attempts to introduce myself to the horse while at other times it is accomplished the first time, just as there are some among us who are more susceptible to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We might never have gone through that time where we allowed the world to influence us. We were saved when we were young and upon reaching adulthood went on to serve Him. However; there are those of us who are still fighting God for lordship over our lives.

New Insights

New Insights After 43 years with horses I can honestly say that I still do not know them. The same can be said about our relationship with Jesus Christ because no matter how many times I might read a passage each time I do I find something new in it. Of course the truth is that just like developing a relationship with the horse you also have to develop the one that really matters; the one you have with Christ. I can go to church every time the doors are opened and listen to the preacher but unless I actually take the time every day to cultivate that relationship it is going to go nowhere fast. It is the same thing when you are working with a horse. You can’t just do it once a week or even three times a week; it has to be done every day or the horse will never learn the lesson that you are trying to teach it. In many cases even if you did spend every day with it for a month and then started skipping days or weeks or months, the horse will revert back to its old behavior. The same goes for the quality of the lesson. If all I do is get the horse to ride and nothing else I am going to have a horse that will probably just follow the other horses. I will have to fight to get it to turn the way I want it to and stop when I want it to stop. This is not the type of horse that I want so I invest time into it on a continual basis. I don’t want to have to fight it to get its obedience so I instruct it to the point that the slightest prompt will cause it to react appropriately. However this can still not be accomplished in a positive manner if the horse is doing it grudgingly, so I develop a relationship with it. I introduce myself to the horse by letting it get used to my scent, my voice and my touch. I then establish dominance over it; placing myself in the position of the leader, I strengthen the bond with the horse by the time I spend with it and finally I develop the relationship by continuing in that time. I cultivate the relationship with love and trust and in return the horse is obedient, not because it has to be but because it wants to be. I am not talking about the mushy baby talk love but one that is mature and heart felt. I reward my horses with the palm of my hand and rebuke with the back of it. They come to long for the palm and when they do misbehave all I do is lay the back of my hand against them and they will settle down. I instill trust in them because I do not hesitate when I am working with them. Everything is done with purpose to develop the trust that as their leader I need to have. In turn their love is not only because of the time I spend with them but also in the assurance that I will protect them and care for them. Imagine a relationship with Christ that was built in this way? We know that it is His desire because we see it in the investment with the disciples. Even though He went back to His place by the Father, He provided them and us with another comforter; the Holy Spirit. But just like I cannot get the response from the horse without investing my time into them, He cannot get a response out of us if we refuse to invest our time in Him. In my book “Developing your Camp Horse Program” we go through each step of the relationship process, hopefully providing you with a clear enough picture so that it can be taught to the staff who are working with the horses and the campers however it is not just for youth camps. Any equine facility or horse lover can use the program to share Jesus with others. The importance of it is that it forces you to take a second look at the relationship that you, yourself have with Christ. It also pushes you to become a better horseman; not just someone who knows how to ride a horse. While for most people and the camp youth the relationship with the horse is sometimes brief the relationship with Jesus will last an eternity.

Updates

Well the time has come that I get back into writing on this blog. It has been over a year and a lot has happened in that time. I have just finished writing a book called "Developing Your Camp Horse Program" "A Complete Guide to Using Your Camp Horse Program to further the Kingdom" In It I discuss how we can use the relationship with the horse to demonstrate the relationship that God desires with each of us. I also review my training and teaching techniques with the horses and how I convert that to spiritual truths when I am working with youth. I decided to write the book after speaking to the National Director of a camp ministry. We had been discussing the use of horses in the ministry and I mentioned to him what we have been doing which peaked his interest in the program. As I went through each of the processes he realized how most camps are failing to fully utilize their horse programs in reaching the youth for Christ. The main thing that I stressed to him was that not only does the program touch the youth but it also affects the lives of the staff and once the kids go home it affects those closest to them. In the process of developing a relationship with Christ it changes their outlook on their own behaviors oftentimes resulting in positive behavioral changes in their lives. In using the program the youth are placed in positions of authority of the horse thereby developing servant leadership skills which generates leaders in our youths; because they are placed in this position of authority they are in turn understanding how their behavior affects those in positions of authority over them. Since they are experiencing the good with the bad with their horse, they begin to realize the consequences of their own choices; not only in actions but in relationship decisions. Since we have instituted this training into all of our riding lessons we have recognized a tremendous difference in the behaviors and attitudes of our students in regards to their interaction with their parents. The most amazing changes came from our therapeutic riding classes in which we not only deal with special needs children but those with behavioral development issues. Not only did we see a remarkable increase in their confidence levels but they began to interact better with other students. When we take out trail rides with youth groups we perform the initial introduction to the horse and allow them to generate a bond before we go out on the trail. As we ride we allow them to experience the different behaviors the horses might have and upon arriving back at the barn we will have a lesson time after the horses are unsaddled and I will share different relationship experiences and how God used that relationship with the horse to teach me. Because they have just experienced the horse and its attitude, realized a bond with the horse they grasp the lesson that we are sharing better than if we had simply just talked about it. In most cases I have heard that the youth retained the lesson longer than their normal lessons and while they might not have been able to quote the all the verses that I used they remembered them. We are praying that through this that God will open the doors for me to be able to go out and share with others; not only through the book but speaking engagements and clinics. This is not to be for me but to glorify God in the talents that He gave me. As this blog changes to incorporate this I hope that we can get it out to more people.