Ride for the Cross

Two weeks ago I wrote an article about William the 20 year old TB I have boarded. I got more responses from that article than any other I’ve written. However, I’d like to think that everyone who responded got the spiritual/Biblical connection and were not just responding to a sob story about a woman who abandoned her horse. I do try, and hope I am succeeding, to use an everyday happening to make a parallel to a Biblical concept or teaching. Well, the story about William continues and is playing out just about as I expected it would.

I am not a horse rescue organization and made a clear cut deal with Heidi to board her horse for a price that she said she could afford. On Feb. 10, I sent her a text message formatted as a board bill giving her the amount due on Feb. 14 and my mailing address. Since she was moving the day I picked William up on Jan. 14 I did not get her new mailing address. I figured a text would be sufficient. Heidi responded to my text almost immediately asking if she could bring the board check on Friday when she came to visit William. I responded saying “of course, looking forward to seeing you”. Well Friday has come and gone and Heidi has not been here with her board check for William. I realize that she did not state just which Friday or which month that Friday might be in but I took it for granted that she meant Friday the 17th since her bill was due on the 14th. She also did not call to let me know she was not going to be able to make it. Here it is Saturday evening and she is still a no-show and no call or text.

Matthew 5:37 “Simply let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

James 5:12 “Let your Yes be Yes and you No be No or you will be condemned.”

If you’re going to make a deal, let your character be known by showing your word is your word. That is just what God has done for us. He has proven over and over that what He has promised us He has delivered. We do not need to wonder if we are really saved. When He said He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be our savior He proved it by His actions. He doesn’t say you will be healed, He says you are healed. All of God’s blessings are waiting for us to claim them. He has already provided for all of our needs.

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

When we come to Christ and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior we do not have to worry about the possibility of Him not making good on His promise to deliver us from this wicked world. Eternal life begins when we accept Him, not some time in the future and we’re told that we are the temple of the living God so we don’t have to worry about Him not showing up or not paying the bill. It has already been paid and He lives in us.

Happy Trails,

Ride For The Cross

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” February 11, 2012, Lights Out!

Last night when I sat down at the computer to start today’s article the electricity went out and my computer shut down. So I made lemonade out of the situation. With nothing else to do in the dark, I lit a single candle and placed it on the kitchen counter sat down in my favorite chair and enjoyed some time meditating with God. Like I mentioned in last week’s article about William, solid relationships are built on individual commitment and quality time spent together. Life has a lot more to offer than superficial efforts to appear like we are in a relationship with God or others. God offers us the real deal and wants His best for each of us who will accept what He has to offer. It was refreshing for me to realize that in the darkest moment, with no man-made electricity, there He was waiting to spend time with me. God is light, even in what we consider darkness. He is always there for us when we’re ready to shut everything else down and go to Him.

1John 1:5 “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son purifies us from all sin.”

If we walk in His light, we will not only stop stumbling around in the dark but His light will bring us into fellowship with one another. That is something that hit home for me last week. I got a friend request on Facebook from a school teacher in Comfort, Texas. Valerie’s note to me said she remembered me from El Paso, Texas where her Dad and I were Border Patrol Agents. We used to meet at her parents house on a regular basis for Bible studies and continued our friendship after I left the Border Patrol until her Dad transferred and I moved back to California. Valerie said she still remembers getting big Jolly Roger hugs as a little girl. She is all grown up now, married with two little ones and is on fire for the Lord. I was smiling from ear to ear when I read that she considers her teaching job her ministry from God. Her Facebook page is filled with Scripture quotes and Bible teachings she has found to be of interest.

We never know how much impact our lives are having on others and who is watching. Valerie was raised by Godly parents who brought her up in the way she should go. But it was eye opening for me to read how much of an impact my life made on her. Enough that she asked for advice on how to deal with a difficult situation she is facing. Just walk in the light and let Him lead you. “Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you” James 4:7-8. I recently heard a teaching that the word resist could also be translated as ignore. Just like I ignored the darkness last night and choose to draw near to God ended up being one of the best evenings I’ve had in a long time.

I’m not going to wait for the electricity to go off again. I’m going to make it a priority to turn the lights out myself and spend time alone with God in the evenings listening to Him instead of searching for something else to occupy my time. If we’re going to Ride For The Cross, we need to know who we’re ridin for.

Happy Trails,

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” February 05, 2012 How Committed Are You?

A month ago I took on a 20 year old TB gelding to board for a woman going through a divorce and needed a place to keep William. We negotiated a price she could afford and I threw in hoof care to sweeten the deal for her. I hauled William home and she came to see his new corral and stall promising that she would come visit William once a week. She has not been to see William once during the month he has been boarded here nor has she called to check in on her horse. Out-of-sight-out-of-mind. She got William when he was eight after he was retired as a jumper. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that William was depressed, under weight, and starving for attention and company ie: neglected. He showed no desire to eat so I resorted to feeding my pasture horses across the fence from him. But not even that worked. He would slowly eat a little then quit when my horses left. I tried putting Sundance in the corral with him but he had such a weak personality that he wouldn’t or couldn’t stand his ground so I kept Sundance in the corral next to him and fed them on either side of the fence. That worked, William began eating and was soon putting on weight and his hair beginning to shine. I started spending short sessions with him when I fed and he has started coming around and looking forward to our short moments of fellowship.

It amazes me what some people call commitment. Heidi is only committed enough to William to see that he has a place to stay, she has no personal connection with him as she so strongly tried to convince me she had. Proverbs 12:10 “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel”. There certainly is more to caring for a horse than throwing him a flake of hay or sticking him at someone else’s place and forgetting about him. Heidi told me that the reason she was mixed up in a nasty divorce was that her husband wanted to spend more time with her than she was willing to commit to since she had her own agenda and didn’t have time to spend with him. I have no problem understanding that considering that she hasn’t even called to check on how her horse is doing much less come by to see if he is being cared for or spend some time with him.

We can learn a lot about life from our horses and other animals if we’re willing to spend some quality time with them. Job 12:7-10 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His had is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.” Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.”

God created us to have a personal relationship with Him. I believe that our relationship with others, with our horses, our dogs, etc. can be an accurate indicator of how strong our relationship to God is. If we have a strong relationship with God, that will carry over into all of our relationships. Life is not meant to be lived on a superficial level. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Christ came to give us abundant life. Not a life filled with toys and other material belongings but a life full of meaningful relationships. God is Love and He wants to share His love with us so we can pass it along the trail as we Ride For The Cross.

Happy Trails

Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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“Trail Dust” January 22, 2012

I had a great week, I got a lot accomplished. Saturday morning I trimmed two miniature horses then stopped by to visit a friend who was having some unusual back pain. I was pleased to see that he was up and about feeling much better since I visited him earlier in the week and prayed for him. We sat in the sun on his front porch and enjoyed each others fellowship for several hours and drank a couple glasses of grapefruit juice. As I got ready to leave, I mentioned that I was planning to stop for groceries on the way home. Mike suggested one of the local owned stores since it had several items on sale and was close by. I hadn’t been to Spencer’s in a long time so decided to go for it. As I walked through the produce section, I overheard an elderly woman and a young store employee about 30 years old talking about the medications/drugs they each were prescribed to take and the things they could and could not do as a result. I stopped and butted in boldly saying “Jesus Christ is my Healer”. I went on to say that “It says in 1Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:5 that we have been healed by His stripes.” The woman grabbed her cart and moved on in a hurry. The young man walked up to me and looked around then said “It is neat to hear you come in here and so boldly begin to quote Scripture. I work six days a week and don’t get to go to church anymore and I need to hear the Word of God. Not many people come in here and share the Word, not even those who come in on Sunday after church. Thank you for being so bold.”

I suppose the woman who eagerly fled the scene may have been offended but I’m glad I listened to that still small voice that said “Go for it!”. I know that young man was encouraged in the Lord and would be thinking about what I said for the rest of the day. I think it is certainly better to let someone have the choice to be offended by God’s Word than to pass up an opportunity to encourage and build up a brother in the Lord. Especially when I feel that gentle nudge to speak up. I went on to have a lengthy conversation with the young man in the produce department and suggested that he attend our Thursday night Bible study in Templeton at the Livestock Market in the sales ring. He talked like he intended to make it next week. If not, I certainly will return to do my shopping at Spencer’s in order to continue encouraging him in the Lord.

2Timothy 4:2-5 “I solemnly charge you; proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Sometimes it is difficult to speak up and boldly proclaim our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The old man gets in the way and doesn’t want to upset the apple cart. Just go back and read the above verses again and notice that it says we’re to proclaim the gospel even if it isn’t convenient for us to do so. It even says we are to rebuke and correct in addition to encourage along with being patient and giving instruction or teaching. Some people say that they don’t speak up because they don’t think it is their place to do so or that they don’t want to experience the pain of rejection or take the risk of offending someone. I believe that our fear of speaking up comes from a lack of knowledge and think we aren’t good enough or don’t know enough to proclaim the gospel much less rebuke, encourage, and teach. There is a simple solution for that problem, get into the Word of God and develop a daily routine of encouraging and teaching yourself. Develop a personal prayer time and ask God to build you up in His Word and give you the boldness to speak up, convenient or not. Little by little, you’ll get there if you’re willing to put God first in your life.

I’d love to get an email from you telling me about your next bold move to proclaim the gospel and how it went. That is where the horseshoe meats the trail. No use shoeing your horse if you’re not going to ride him. No use knowing the Savior if you’re not going to share Him with others.

Happy Trails

Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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“Trail Dust” January 22, 2012

Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about the book “The Power of Praise” by Merlin Carothers. In this book as in a previous book “From Prison to Praise” he mentions the importance of giving thanks to God in all things. Since reading that book from cover to cover I’ve been attempting to concentrate on giving thanks to God for everything, including the little not so obvious things and looking for the blessing in every thing that goes on throughout my day. We are told to pray without ceasing so I figured out that I really don’t have to wait until the end of the day to say a simple Thank You Lord when I recognize something happening along the trail.

Ephesians 5:19-20 “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1Thessilonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I’ve been noticing how the horses show their appreciation at feeding time. Spade patiently stands and waits for me to throw his flake of hay over the pasture fence then he throws his ears back to let Whiskey know that he’ll have to wait for the second flake to come over the fence. Whiskey on the other hand can’t stand still and wait patiently. He has to paw the ground with his left front hoof but what is even more amazing is that he comes to the pasture fence behind the house and paws the metal gate making a loud banging noise when he thinks it is feeding time. Then as I walk from the house to the barn he follows along the fence line stopping to paw and bang on the two other gates along the fence. He knows where his hay comes from and when his flake of hay does come flying over the fence he always shakes his head at me before turning around to go after it. Sundance prefers me to take time out to give him a brief but brisk rub down before he’ll drop his head to start eating and he never gets in a hurry or shows the excitement that Whiskey does. Each of them has their way of letting me know they appreciate what I’m doing for them and I certainly appreciate the uniqueness of each of them just as I’m sure God recognizes the uniqueness in how each of us show our thanks to Him for those subtle and not so subtle things He does for us each day, if we will let Him or stop to recognize them.

Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heatrs to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

You’ll be amazed at how much better your day goes and how your attitude will change when you’re giving thanks to God in the name of Jesus Christ for whatever you do and aren’t afraid to speak it outloud even in the presence of others. Like it says in the above verse in Colossians, we are to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and we’re to be singing out with gratitude in our hearts to God recognizing that it is not me who lives, but He who lives in me.

Give it a shot! As you saddle up and ride along the trail of life, be bold in singing praises of gratitude to God. You’ll find this to be one of the most life changing events of your life. And so what if someone objects to you praising God. Set an example for them instead of following their example. I’m giving thanks to God for this opportunity to share my insights with you. Hope you’re as blessed as I am by this.

Happy Trails

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” January 15, 2012 Let God Ride Point!

It is the middle of January and by now some have already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions, if you’re even still making them. Seems most give up on their goals before the end of January or February. We make resolutions like loose weight, dress better, keep a neater house, ride the horses more, keep the corrals clean, eat healthier, get more exercise, get organized, all things that we should easily conquer but don’t. Maybe we have our priorities all wrong. Matthew chapter six verse 33 has long been a favorite verse for me but it sure takes some doing to put it into play. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you”. Back up a few verses and read that this is referring to all your needs being met; food, clothes, etc. But we are also being told that these things should not be our primary focus in life. They are a by product of putting God first in our life. If we are seeking after Him and doing His will, He will see that we have what we need to keep getting the job done. Verse 32 says that the pagans (unbelievers) run after these things, but we’re to run after God who knows what our needs are and will supply them for us.

Something in that verse that might trip some up is that part about seeking His righteousness. Seems like it is saying that we must meet the criteria of His righteousness before our needs will be supplied and it is impossible for us to do that. The answer to that objection is found in 2Corinthians 5:20-21 “We implore you on Christ’s behalf; Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God”. Whoa! What did that say? It says Christ already paid the price and won the battle for us, we just have to stay focused on Him. Follow His lead and let Him ride point. Go where He leads and keep Him in sight. Don’t go wandering off on our own trail. If we follow His lead, then those New Year’s Resolutions will begin to fall into place and we’ll get er done through His strength not our own. In fact, when we’re walking in His strength, it seems easy. Just like climbing that steep hill on horseback is a whole lot easier than climbing it on our own two legs. When we rely on the horse to get us were we’re going we get there a lot faster and with less effort. Same goes for seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Life becomes a lot easier when we’re walking in the Spirit versus walking in the flesh. Galatians 2:20 “I have been cruicified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

So we only need one New Year’s Resolution and that is “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. If we make that our goal, everything else will fall into place.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord,…” Are you still seeking Him? Seeking Him is a continual journey, not a one time thing. He promises that if you’ll seek Him that you’ll find Him. He even tells us how to seek Him, by calling upon Him, praying to Him, and listening to Him. It is already in His plan to prosper us, protect us from harm, and to give us hope and a future, we just need to keep seeking Him and His righteousness.

Time to saddle up and Ride For The Cross!

Happy Trails

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” January 08, 2012 More Than A Friend!

I recently recieved an email from a long time friend who moved out of state a few years ago. The email was short and to the point. All she said was something to the effect of “Just checking in to see how things are going with my best friend”. I think it is amazing how powerful the right words in one short sentence can be. She could have written a full page and not have given me a better day. She didn’t have anything to report that was happening in her life, she didn’t have any other reason to email me other than the fact that she was thinking of me and choose to express that thought in one short but powerful sentence.

Jesus calls us His friends. Do we take the time to acknowledge Him and thank Him for His friendship as often as we should? John 15:12-17 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. This is My command: Love each other.”

I’ve often heard the saying that a man can consider himself lucky if he has one really good horse in his life. That doesn’t ring true for me. The best horse I’ve ever had has always been the one I’m mounted on now or is waiting for me in the pasture. I’ve had too many great horses to list them all. I think that a good horse is made first in the decision to bring him home with you and second in the amount of time you’re willing to invest in training him and just being there. After awhile, if you’ve invested enough time in training, it won’t matter if you ride everyday or not he’ll be ready and waiting even if it has been a couple of weeks or a couple of months since you saddled him. I believe the same applies to our friendships. If we’ve invested the time and effort in showing our love and appreciation to those we care about we won’t feel slighted when they’re busy and not in contact. But when that simple little email or phone call comes along, what a blessing. Some think that we can only have one best friend like just having one good horse. My brother Ralph refers to several people as “one of my best friends”. He acknowledges that it is possible to set a number of friends in that special category. Christ acknowledges that He puts all of us who do what He commands, to love one another, in that category of being His best friend. I think what He is saying is that if we show our love to one another (not just speak it) we’re letting His love live through us by blessing others with His love.

Aristotle is credited with saying “The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend”. Often times we as humans seem to focus on the negative and let critical people occupy space in our mind forgetting that what they think doesn’t or shouldn’t really matter. It is when that special friend comes along with an encouraging word that lifts us up out of the mud of everyday life. A friend is someone who accepts us as we are and is still willing to help us to be what we should be instead of showering us with criticism. I took the Dale Carnegie course in personal development back in 1984. One of the main principles of the course is to NEVER CRITICIZE, CONDEMN OR COMPLAIN. Pretty good advice. I’ll let you do the research, there are plenty of Bible verses to back that one up.

Choose your friends wisely and treat them like gold. The saying is you are who you hang out with. 1Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Now is a good time to reach out to someone and let them know how special they are in your life. Why are so many of us afraid to actually say those words or express our appreciation in other ways? Jesus says we’ll be known by our fruit. What kind of fruit do others see your life producing? Do they see the fruit of love, joy, peace, happiness, or bitterness and anger or an I don’t give a darn attitude? Even your horse can discern what kind of friend you are. So if you’re having trouble communicating to others what their friendship means to you, practice on your horse than give your friends the same treatment.

Make the choice to be a better friend in 2012. I’ve often heard that the largest room in the world is the room for improvement. Let’s see if we can narrow down the size of that room a bit.

Happy Trails

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” January 01, 2012 Renew Your Strength In The Lord!

Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

Another year older, another year wiser. Is your hope in the Lord? If it is you’re promised renewed strength. Strength that will allow you to soar on wings like an eagle. Strength that will allow you to run and not grow weary, to walk without fainting. Just think about how old Joshua was when he crossed over the Jordan into the promised land and fought his way across the country driving out the inhabitants as he followed the Lord God’s directions. Don’t let time or age be a deterrent to you.

I remember Ernie Morris telling me that a horse has three lives. His first seven years he is in training. His second seven years he is working putting to use what he learned in training. His last seven years he is teaching someone how to ride and get the job done. In God’s world there is no such thing as retirement. We’re suppose to keep on running the race set before us till the end. No time to sit down and call it quits. Maybe it is time for some of us to be teaching someone to take over where we left off or maybe we’re still getting the job done.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord.”

Lets make 2012 a year of seeking after the Lord God. Do you have New Year’s resolutions? If you do read Matthew chapter six. He promises to provide us with all our needs if we will put Him first in our lives.

The book of Proverbs is packed full of guidelines for living the abundant life in Christ. Such as, “whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” I can’t begin to list all the verses in the book of Proverbs that hit home (they all do). I read the book of Proverbs several times a year. I’ve made a red check mark by those verses that I want to refer back to often. Okay, I’m showing my age and teaching someone how to get the job don! e but I’m not close to calling it quits. I’m still in that second phase of life. Where are you? In training, getting the job done, or disciplining?

Thanks for the words of encouragement along the way. Here’s expecting 2012 to be even better than 2011. I passed a semi truck on Hwy. 101 yesterday that had in big huge blue letters on the side saying “Never have an Ordinary Day”. Wow, what a statement. If you think about it, not one day in our lives should be considered ordinary if we’re Riding For The Cross.

Have and Awesome New Year and do something to make every day extra-ordinary.

Happy Trails

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” November 28, 2011 Power Of Praise!

I’ve been reading a book authored by Merlin Crothers called Power Of Praise. Some 25 years ago I read his first book From Prison To Praise and got a lot from it so when I found Power Of Praise in the used book store I snatched it up. This book is a continuation of the first book which is all about giving thanks to God in all things. “ALL” things as in everything, even the not so good stuff that comes our way. Not thanking God or accusing God of sending bad things in our direction but in giving us the opportunity to rely on Him to get us through any and every situation we may find ourselves facing. Learning to rely on His strength to get things done instead of our own understanding and our own power. The book points out that it is through our giving God praise and thanks that opens up our ability to receive His blessings.

Ephessians 5:19-20 “be filled by the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms, hyms, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”

Wednesday evening I logged on to send out a short Thanksgiving Day article and found that my web provider had not renewed my domain name and I could not log into Ride For The Cross. I called Friday and found out that things must be getting tight and TCSN no longer employed the web designer who took care of renewing the domain name. They’re not open on Saturday so it would be Monday before I could get in to pay for the renewal. I began to wonder if it was even worth it. Was anyone getting something out of my articles. I have some 60 subscribers and have gotten emails from five with two sending comments and encouraging emails on a regular basis. Considering that in two years I’ve only had three unsubscribe I concluded that I must be doing something right. I decided to put the Power Of Praise into effect and began thanking God for His many blessings and that this was just another opportunity to give praise, thanks, and glory to God for the many blessings He provides. I had just shared this with a friend during the past week after she was complaining about her landlord not allowing her to keep her mare on the property she rented. Then when she began just thanking God for His blessings a woman walked into her place of employment and asked if she was Laurie. When she said yes the woman told her that she was a neighbor and knew she needed a place to keep her mare and went on to tell her about a vacant mobile home in which the owner wanted someone in there who had a horse and would be willing to take care of his two horses when he was away from home. And to top it off, the rent is $300 less than Laurie is now paying. She’ll be saving that plus what she was paying for boarding her mare. How much better it is to praise God and give thanks to Him instead of complaining about our circumstances.

Philippians 2:13-16 “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world. Hold firmly to the message of life.”

Psalm 103:1-5 “My soul, praise Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits. He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

Saturday morning I had an appointment to trim two miniature ponies. Gary and his wife subscribe to “Trail Dust” and often comment on my articles when I show up to trim for them. After the fireworks are done (their 3 yr. old gelding is not a problem but their little bitty mare is like handling a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit, at least when it comes to her hooves) we always end up leaning on the back of my pickup discussing various subjects which always leads to what the Lord is doing in our lives currently and in the past. Gary and his wife are sincere believers who take the word of God seriously. I shared with Gary why I wouldn’t have an article coming out over the weekend and my thoughts of wondering if it was even worth the effort. Was I doing any good by sending out a weekly article/Bible study? Couldn’t people get it themselves by just sitting down and reading their Bibles?

Gary and his wife both assured me that they enjoyed reading “Trail Dust” and encouraged me to hang in there and keep at it. As I drove out the driveway and stopped to open the gate Gary motioned for me to wait for him to get there. As he approached me he handed me a $100 bill and said renew your domain name for several years with this. I thanked him and certainly took that as the answer to my doubts. Thank you Lord.

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” vs.3-4 “serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh–although I once also had confidence in the flesh.

Happy Trails
Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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Trail Dust” November 20, 2011 Saddle Up!

I haven’t been in much of a hurry to get Carmelita saddled and moving down the road. I’ve been busy building fence and doing some maintenance on the ten acres putting Carmelita on the bottom of my list. However, I go in her corral twice a day when I feed her, catch her and spend some time with her. Well a couple days ago I figured it would be a good time to saddle her for the first time. I’ve already had a bareback rigging cinched up on her and she didn’t show any objections. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t need to tie up a leg or hobble her since I felt like I had earned her trust by now. I just threw the saddle on her and cinched it up. I then tied her to the corral fence for over an hour and went on about my business. I untied her and led her around without a problem. However, when I began lounging her in a circle and the stirrups got moving she decided to hump up. Nothing all that great but enough to let it be know that she had some serious objections to the saddle moving on her back. I jerked her down with a loud whoa to accompany the pull on the lead rope. As she proceeded working on the lounge line she decided to get with it a second time. This time as I pulled her down my Austrailian Shepard helped out and gave her a good nip on the heels. By the third time with the two of us tag teaming her she figured out she would prefer dealing with the problem of the saddle than the dog and I both correcting her behavior. She continued without humping up again and when I pulled the saddle off I threw it back on and off of her a half-dozen more times.

I got to thinking about how we sometimes act when God has something new for us. Like Carmelita thinking about herself and her dislike for the saddle moving around on her back she wasn’t able to comprehend that what I was putting her through would not only increase her worth as a horse but is also training to give her a job to do when she has completed her training making her life much more rewarding. We’re like that sometimes. We object when God leads us down a new and unfamiliar path that will train us to better serve Him and others. We get comfortable with the status quot rather than be willing to venture into unknown territory. But as we progress, each step becomes easier than the last one to pick up on just like the next step of Carmelita’s training will be less scarey than the last. She’ll recognize that I didn’t do anything that caused her severe discomfort or injury and start to grow in confidence and trust to allow her future lessons to be drama free. We also need to get past our fears and doubts in order to allow God to lead us down that narrow trail to the narrow gate into the kingdom of God.

Acts 17:11-12 “The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.”

2Timothy 4:2-8 “Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, be serious about everythign, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing.”

Hebrews 8:10 “I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Are you ready for God’s next lesson for you? Welcome Him with eagerness and see what great things He has in store for your life.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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“Trail Dust” November 13, 2011, A Visit With Gordon!

Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about Gordon Mollett’s visit to our Thursday night Bible study. I also wrote an article on how I happened to end up in his driveway while hauling a friend’s mare. Well last Sunday afternoon I took a drive and knocked on Gordon’s door. I was invited in for coffee and some great fellowship with Gordon, his wife, and his daughter and son-in-law who were visiting from Missouri. Gordon started where he left off and continued to tell me more about his experiences as a missionary to Haiti. I could have listened to him for hours and he did ask to be invited back some upcoming Thursday night. I offered to come get him if he needed a ride since at 92 he has decided to quit driving at the insistence of his wife even though he still has a valid California Drivers License.

The most important thing that Gordon says he tries to get across to people who call themselves believers is that they are to decrease to the point that it is no longer them who lives but Christ who lives in them. John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease”. He seemed frustrated that so few people who call themselves believers in Christ can’t get hold of the concept of God living and dwelling in them. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. He indicated that Christians (he prefers not to use that term since that is what the pagans called the believers in only one verse in the Bible) seem to hold onto the concept that God exists to bless us but we are instead to be a blessing to Him then He can bless us. It isn’t all about being entertained and feeling good. It is about showing God’s love through us to those we come in contact with so we can then share the gospel of Christ with them. He emphasizes that our goal should be to go to the people, not suggest that they come visit a church on Sunday morning so the preacher can preach to them but go to them ourselves and share the word of God with them. But before we can share the word with them we must first build a foundation of love in the way we interact with them proving that we care enough to spend our time with them and can relate to them.

Gordon told me that while in Haiti he found a few men who where interested in knowing the Lord and began disciplining them and teaching them the word of God. They memorized the scriptures since they did not have written Bibles and could not read. Then these men went out among the Haitians to share the gospel of Christ with them. They began meeting in homes which they called stations. When a station got too big, 20 or more people, they broke off into another station being led by a few of the elders who had established themselves in the word. Gordon said they just kept hiking over another mountain to find another community of people to disciple. Not exactly how we operate here in America now, but does remind me of the old circuit riding preachers.

Makes me think of the saying “Time to get back to the basics.” I’m looking forward to a return visit on some Thursday night from Gordon and hope this might be an encouragement to someone to do as we are instructed “go”.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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“Trail Dust” 11/06/2011 Keep Them Cattle Moving

I thought of the theme song for the old television series Rawhide this week as I helped a friend move. He lost the lease to the pasture he had his cattle on. A lot of hard work and effort was involved in his moving. He had put up cross fences, horse pasture fencing, etc. In addition he lived on the property and had to move his personal belongings in the cabin also. He now has his cattle pastured in several different locations until he can find a lease big enough for all of them in one spot. All of this certainly got me to thinking about the Bible verse where Jesus tells us He has gone to prepare a place for us.

John 14:2-6 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places, if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going. Lord, Thomas said, we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way? Jesus told him, I am the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

It is comforting to know that no matter how much we may have to move around here on this earth that Jesus Christ has a place prepared for us in our Father’s house. I’ve always found it hard to read a verse then stop right there. I like to read on both before and after to get the full context of what the verse is saying. Jesus continues in the fourteenth chapter of John to tell His disciples who He is.

John 14:14 “If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him. Lord, said Philip, show us the Father, and that’s enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been among you all this time without you knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak of My own. The Father who lives in Me does His work. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise believe because of the works themselves. I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these , because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

As we were taking down cross fences and hauling the post, wire, etc. to be stored until he finds another location we discussed a mutual friend who was having some personal difficulties. We came in agreement that she needed prayer and asked in the name of Jesus Christ that she be given the strength to deal with the problems she was facing and learn to rely on God for her strength instead of continually complaining about her situation. It was a short prayer, nothing long and drawn out but within an hour I got a text message from her apologizing for calling me the previous night and taking her frustrations out on me. That night I noticed that she had posted a notice on facebook that God was in control of her destiny and that the Devil could go take a hike. It is amazing what can be accomplished by turning to God and turning a situation over to Him. Sure my friend still has to move his cattle from one place to another and go through all the work of taking down fences and hauling his squeeze chute, corral panels, post, wire, saddle shed, etc. but we just count it all as a blessing. Through prayer and asking God he found pasture for his herd and is waiting for a bigger and better pasture lease knowing that this home on earth is temporary. We have a better place waiting for us and should all be looking forward to riding the trail ahead of us that leads to our mansion in His kingdom.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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“Trail Dust” 10/23/2011 Starting The Day Right!

Now that the pasture grass is gone and I’m having to throw hay over the fence in the back pasture to my three horses I’m noticing something about the horses and myself. Nothing new about it but I’m just now putting the picture together in my mind. I usually try to feed somewhere between 5am and 6am but once in awhile I sleep a bit longer and don’t get the horses fed until around 7am. No matter what time it is all three horses are standing at the gate waiting to be fed. They just stand there until I arrive and throw their hay over the fence. They don’t wander off someplace else if I don’t show up, they trust that I’ll be there and they don’t start their daily rounds in the pasture until I’ve fed them. That got me to thinking about how I start my day. I’m not much for jumping out of bed and eating breakfast, I like to wait a while before I eat. However, the first thing I do each day is say good morning Lord and give thanks for a new day. I also read from a couple of daily devotionals that I enjoy (Oswald Chambers and Andrew Wommack) first thing in the morning. That reminds me of two of my favorite scriptures:

Matthew 4:4 “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

Of course one can’t help but think of the Lord’s prayer when we’re asking that He give us our daily bread.

Those three horses are trusting that I will be there for them just like we need to trust that God will be here for us. Were told in Proverbs 3:4-10 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones. Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

While the horses are thinking about their physical need to eat, we need to be thinking about our spiritual need to feast on the word of God. John 6:32-35 “Jesus said to them, I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said, Sir give us this bread always! I am the bread of life, Jesus told them. No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.”
John 6:27 says “Don’t work for food that perishes but for the food that last for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because the Father has set His approval on Him.”

Just like our horses are trusting on us to be there in the morning to get their day started off right, so should we be turning to God to get our day started off right so that we may be seeking Him without ceasing and give thanks at night for making it through the day. Yes, I know the horses are also standing at the gate in the afternoon waiting to be fed again. They’ve even figured out that if they come running in the middle of the day when they see me around the barn that I’ll throw out a shovel full of cubes for them to graze on.

Hebrews 13:5 “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.”

God certainly has given me a blessed week and shown me how He provides me with everything I need. Everything I’ve needed to make it through each day has been provided for as I sought Him in all that I do. I hope you’re trusting in God for all your needs and giving thanks for His many blessings. Just make Him your first and only priority each day. What a difference He makes in our lives. We can’t live without Him just like our horses can’t feed themselves in a bare pasture.

Happy Trails
Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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“Trail Dust” October 15, 2011 Take up your cross daily!

Luke 9:23 “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Last Thursday night at our weekly Bible Study we had a guest speaker. Gordon hobbled into the sales barn with the aid of his cane. He asked all of us to take a seat up front so he could sit close to us as he told his life testimony. He began by telling of how he grew up in a church setting and thought he understood the gospel. That is until he entered the military and became a machine gunner in WWII. Killing hundreds of Japaneese all in a days work just didn’t seem to match up to his church world training. He had been taught that Christ said we are to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek and here he was slaughtering people instead of sharing the gospel of Christ with them. Gordon had gone up the ladder to the rank of Lieutenant but just couldn’t keep on killing people and felt a need to leave his military career behind. He returned home, married, had two children, bought a home, and operated two successful businesses. But something was still missing from his life and he decided to figure out what it was. He went on a personal mission of Bible study and prayer quest to get serious about finding what God wanted for Him. He said it wasn’t hard once he put all his worldly concerns aside and concentrated on God and God alone. The first thing the Lord showed him was that he must take up his cross daily and follow Christ. In a vision he saw that Christ died for him and he was to die daily to the desires of the flesh and the material world in order to follow Christ.

2Corinthians 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Gordon read that Haiti needed missionaries so he sold his home and two businesses and packed up his family and moved to Haiti where they lived for the next twenty four years. He told some very interesting stories about living in Haiti sharing the gospel of Christ in the voodoo headquarters of the world. He discovered when he arrived there that previous missionaries had already taught a small group of men that Christ in them was more powerful than Satan and that in Christ they had the power to cast out demons, something he had no previous knowledge of in his church upbringing in the United States. He decided that he would really have to step up his belief in God several notches before he would be capable of leading this small group of men. He found that they had no idea about sharing the gospel and making disciples. All they knew was that they could pray and see demons cast out allowing people to lead normal lives instead of being tormented by the Devil. He began teaching them the gospel and discipled them on how to share Christ with others.

Gordon began going from hose to house where the custom was to invite a visitor in for a cup of coffee. Drinking a cup of coffee was a two hour or longer process including roasting and grinding the coffee beans, going to a nearby stream or spring to bring home water for the coffee, gathering wood to heat the water and pouring the boiling water through the ground coffee beans in a small cloth to make the coffee. It was a social custom and if he was not interested or kind enough to spend enough time with them for coffee then they weren’t interested in listening to what he had to say. It was explained to him that showing his willingness to have coffee with them proved that he had the love of Christ in him. Gordon found that most of the Haitians understood the concept of God and Satan but did not understand who Christ was. He simply explained to them that Christ was God and how he gave Himself for each of us. They had been exposed to the concept of many gods but he also explained to them that there is only one true God.

2Timothy 1:9-10 “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Deuteronomy 6:4 “The Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”

In the twenty four years he was in Haiti he never attended a church, did not start a church, or encourage anyone else to start a church. He had figured out that it wasn’t about a building but about a body of believers who cared enough to go into the world and make disciples. It was an every day way of life not just a Sunday morning ritual.

Upon returning to the United States he soon learned that there was just as big a need to share the gospel as in Haiti. He began a delinquent youth ministry sharing the gospel with troubled teenagers. One interesting thing he shared is that in Haiti the Christians talk about going to Heaven to see Jesus but in the United States people talk about going to Heaven so they can see Grandma and Grandpa….or Mom and Dad, etc. but no mention of going to Heaven to see Jesus.

Another difference Gordon saw was that in Haiti the people were only interested in following Christ but in the United States the case often is that people follow their church denomination or a given pastor who attracts the crowd and builds the biggest building. He pointed out that the only thing that makes a building special or holy is those who have Christ/God living in them who come inside the building. We as individuals are the body of Christ not the buildings that have been built. In fact, he pointed out how important it is to stop relying on people to come to a building. It is much more important to go to the people with the love of God and meet them where they live and work. Not just a Sunday morning thing but a daily way of life.

I wonder what would happen if every one of us took time to sincerely seek God and His direction for our lives as Gordon did some sixty years ago?

Happy Trails
Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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“Trail Dust” October 09, 2011 Midnight Rider

Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom should I fear?”

When I was about fifteen years old my Dad and I often helped a friend with his cattle. One evening he called and asked that we come out to help doctor a couple of calves. When we arrived at the corrals Dick Sumner already had the calves corralled. He tied his buckskin QH stallion to the corral fence and we ran the calves through the squeeze chute (I know, we should have roped them) and got the job done just as it was getting dark. By the time we turned the calves out and and got ready to leave it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand before your face. Dick asked me if I would ride his stallion back to the barn about two miles away and he and Dad would take the pickup and meet me at the barn. I was told that the stallion would take off towards the barn in a run. When he stops, get off and open the wire gate and close it behind you. As soon as you’re in the saddle, lay down with your head on his neck because there is a big oak tree with a low hanging limb that will knock you off the horse if you don’t lay low. We’ll meet you at the barn.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”

John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again; ‘I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life’.”

Well Dick was right, the stallion was in a live run (it sure wasn’t a dead run) and in about a mile until he slid to a stop. I couldn’t see a thing around me. I got off and found the gate, opened it and closed it behind me. Just as I was told I layed low in the saddle as I climbed back on and could feel the leaves of the low hanging limb brush across my back. Once I assumed we were out from under the tree I sat up in the saddle. I could see the pickup headlights heading towards the barn but the big buckskin stallion was at the barn and sliding to a stop just as Dick and Dad arrived with the lights showing me where we were. We unsaddled the stallion and corralled him with hay and grain then headed home.

1John 1:6-7 “If we say, We have fellowship with Him, yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as He himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Romans 13:12-14 “The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy,. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.”

What a ride that was. That is a night I’ve never forgotten nor never will. I was totally at that big stallion’s mercy. I would have been lost in the dark without his superior eyesight and knowledge of the trail. I’d have also been in a world of hurt without Dick’s instruction on opening the gate and how to miss that low hanging tree limb. Sometimes, and often times, it pays to listen to instruction. A lesson well worth remembering. What better instructions for life could we ask for than the Holy Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit!

Happy Trails
Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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“Trail Dust” 10/02/2011 Bus

While working on the Sibley Ranch way back in 1976 I became acquainted with a big bay QH gelding called Bus. He was as big as a bus and hence his name. It was my first trip to the ranch to help gather cattle out of the lake pasture. Everyone roped their horses out of the remuda and it was now my turn. I called out the big bay gelding in the back near the fence. Jaws dropped and the world became silent as my loop sailed across the backs of several smaller geldings landing around the neck of the big bay called Bus. I led him out of the herd and threw my saddle on his back. As I bridled him I was asked if I was sure I wanted to ride that horse. My response was something like “he looks like a good horse to me”. I stepped into the saddle and away we rode. Once arriving at the lake, I was assigned an area to gather. Bus and I disappeared over the hill. I had a couple dozen cows with calves come down out of the hills. One young cow had a newborn bull calf who was struggling to keep up. I stepped off Buss and lifted the calf across my saddle then climbed in the seat with the calf across my lap and proceeded following the bunch of cows and calves I’d collected.
As I came over a hill and unto the road Casey Sibley was there waiting. The first thing he said was “get that calf off that horse”. I replied that the calf couldn’t keep up but he insisted that I ride over to the bank near the road edge and gently push the calf off the saddle. I did as told and said I’ll take the the cattle down to the lake and wait for you if you want to deal with this calf. When I got to the gate into the lake pasture everyone wanted to know where El Patron was. I told them he would be along in a half hour or less and they’d better not say anything because I didn’t think he would be in a very good mood. Sure enough in about twenty minutes here he came walking behind the Hereford calf pushing him along. His horse Chico was patiently following behind them. His only words were “Don’t say a word”.

I rode Bus every opportunity I had at the ranch. He and I got along great. But after everyone heard that I’d put a calf across my saddle they informed me that Bus was the rankest horse on the ranch. Everyone was scared to ride him because he could buck so hard and often. I never had Bus give me a bad time and he never bucked with me. But then I respected him and his size and just gave him his head and stayed out of his mouth. I knew I’d found a keeper for sure.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.”

1Corinthians 1:28-30 “God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world–what is viewed as nothing–to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence. But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us–our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.”

About a year-and-a-half later I entered the United States Border Patrol Academy in Brunswick, Georgia at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. I was to be stationed at the El Paso, Texas Sector Headquarters just over 100 miles from the ranch. After eighteen weeks in the academy and a month or so into my seven year stay with the Border Patrol, I headed to the ranch for the spring gathering. I looked the herd of ranch geldings over and asked “Where is Bus?”. Casey replied, I couldn’t afford to keep him after you rode him. Someone came along and offered me top dollar for him and I sold him. Time to throw my loop on another horse. I sure missed riding Bus but there were a lot of good horses on that ranch, some of them just waiting for the right opportunity to show themselves and what they were made of.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “You are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift–not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

I’ve often thought about how much like Bus I used to be. I did my own thing and submitted to no one. I called my own shots and most folks respected me enough to keep their distance. But all that started to change when I saw the light and began to Ride For The Cross. I embarked on a life-long journey of learning to listen to the Lord and live as He directed me through life. I certainly made my share of mistakes and took a few wrong turns along the trail but managed to get back in step with Him as I grew and learned that His ways are a whole lot better than my ways. I sure wish I could have made as fast a turn around as Bus did. He seemed to get it the moment my foot hit the stirrup giving up his habits of ego, pride, and bad attitude. I ran into a number of colts on the Triangle Ranch that were a lot more like me than Bus was but once they got it all figured out they became good, solid mounts just like Bus. However, I didn’t know Bus in his younger days and why everyone was so afraid of him. Maybe Bus and I just understood each other because our dispositions were so similar. Bus seemed to take on my mind set just as we are called as individuals to take on the mind of Christ. That’s when we begin to show our value to the Lord and He can use us to accomplish His purposes through us.

Philippians 2:5 “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.”

Romans 12:2 “I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Seems like a pretty simple formula God has laid out for us but some folks just can’t get it figured out. They’re not willing to give up their own attitude or their own opinions of how things should be and that stops them from taking on the mind of Christ. Then again, most of us have a few personal ideas, opinions, traditions of man, etc. that we like to hang unto refusing to give in totally to the word of God. Jesus came to set us free from all of that so lets keep seeking God and His righteousness on a daily basis.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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“Trail Dust” September 23, 2011 Camp Meeting

Each year, the last full weekend in September, Ride For The Brand Ministry holds a Camp Meeting in Parkfield, California. Some twenty plus believers show up Friday to Sunday to camp out, dine on the bar-b-qued meals, and fellowship with each other. We’ve gotten past the man-made tradition of planning it all out with guest speakers, musicians, and scheduled events. Instead, we just let the Holy Spirit lead us as He wills. As a result, we’re always deep in the Bible studying whatever topic God lays on our hearts and minds. The singing has become a real display of joy and peace in the Lord. Last year a nine year old girl jumped in with a hymnal and lead the singing. For several hours she continued calling out one song after another, all of which she knew and acted as the lead singer. We had a great time and didn’t want to stop.

This year Richard Ashley will be here. In fact, he has already arrived and joined us last night for our regular Thursday night fellowship meeting. He joined in and gave us an excellent teaching on how the book of Genesis points to Christ. Richard accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior some 25 years ago when he was a 19 yr. old Cal Poly student. Richard was on the Rodeo Team when two football players shared the gospel of Christ with him and the three of them made their way to the rodeo grounds and began sharing the Good News with the rodeo team. Richard recognized a call to Mexico to preach the gospel and moved to Mexico and has lived there ever since. He married and has children living on a small ranch where he grows his own food, hay, and cattle. Richard sponsors a bull riding school where the locals come learn to ride bulls while he teaches them the word of God. He travels to the nearby towns to preach and teach and regularly holds events at his home to share the word of God with those willing and eager to soak it up. You can’t really say that Richard is involved in a ministry, you’d have to say that Richard’s life is his ministry. A model for anyone of us to look up to. It is exciting to listen to Richard share his knowledge of the Bible because he is so passionate and on fire for the Lord.

I’ve made arrangements for my brother to feed my three horses while I’m gone. Wish he could go with me but he has a job that requires him to work weekends. I’ll take my dog with me as do several others. Speaking of which, I’m shooting for a relationship with God like my dog has with me. My Australian Shepard lives to serve and be near me. I never have to give him a command, just make a grunt or a whistle and he does what I need him to do. He is so in tune with me that it seems like he perceives my thoughts. When I feed him in the morning and walk away to feed the horses he follows me. He’ll go back later when I’m inside or gone to eat. He puts me first in his life, just like we need to put God first in our lives.

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,”

I’m sure I’ll have something exciting to share next week as a result of our camp meeting.

Do you have a yearly Cowboy Camp Meeting in your area? If not lets get one started. I’d be more than willing to help plan things out and even show up and get involved, the Lord willing.

Happy Trails
Jolly

Ride For The Cross

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Trail Dust 09/18/2011 Bobby Hoffman and Max!

When I was around 13 yrs. old my Dad had a friend who ran a few head of cattle and farmed raising his own hay. We visited Bobby Hoffman frequently and often helped him with his cattle or just went by in the evening and had dinner with him. Bobby had a really neat Australasian Shepard dog. Max was probably the best trained dog I’ve ever seen maybe excluding Barney my K-9 when I was on the Sheriff’s Office in Eddy Co. New Mexico. Bobby could pull a T-bone steak out of the broiler, put it on a platter and set it on his kitchen floor and Max would get up and leave the kitchen without a word being said. Bobby and Max seemed inseparable and communicated with each other in a simple manner. No standardized doggy commands. Often all it took from Bobby was a look or a hand signal and Max was on it. I know Bobby put a lot of time and effort into training Max and since he was a confirmed bachelor he had the time to invest in his dog’s training. I learned from their example what a well trained dog is and should be. I’ve strived to get there with several of my dogs over the past years but haven’t been willing to go the distance with the exception of Barney.

I remember one evening Dad and I stopped by Bobby’s place. Max was on the back of Bobby’s flat bed pickup parked at the barn and Bobby was in the field on the tractor putting in his hay crop. Bobby yelled at us to go to the house and start dinner and he’d be there in a half-hour. When Bobby came in the house he yelled “get out here, you gotta see this”. Max was sitting on the trunk of Dad’s Chrysler sedan. Bobby had put Max on his pickup bed and when we went to the house Max followed us. He knew that he was not where he was supposed to be when Bobby showed up at the house so he jumped on the back of the only available vehicle he could find. Bobby was laughing so hard and so pleased with his dog, even if he had disobeyed orders Max knew he had better make an attempt to right his wrong actions.

I think God must look at us like that more often than we think. That is what made King David a man after God’s own heart. He saw the error of his way when it was pointed out to him and he repented by admitting his sin and asked forgiveness. Kinda like what Max did and it kept him out of trouble.

One night after dinner with Bobby, Max was outside on the front porch whinning to get inside. Bobby told me to open the door so Max could come in. I opened the door and Max just sat there not moving. Bobby told me to call him inside. Max continued to sit there not responding to my attempt to get him inside so Bobby said reach out there and grab him by the neck and jerk him inside. When I grabbed Max by the collar he growled and grabbed my arm in his mouth. Bobby laughed and said “inside” and Max came in wagging his non-existent tail. Max took orders from no one but Bobby and would make it known that he didn’t take kindly to someone else telling him what to do. His orders came from higher up. Barney my K-9 is probably the only dog I’ve had that had arrived at that level of loyalty. I was the only one that could make him “hit” or call him “out”. I’m in high hopes of getting to that level of commitment myself when it comes to listening to my Master’s voice not getting distracted by what is going on around me and those ever so subtle attempts to lead me astray. Sure we all think we have arrived, but have we? There is always room for self-examination and further training in the Lord. What does God see when He examines your heart?

24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will loose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?”

John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again: I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

John 8:31-32 “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

1Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

1Corinthians 11:1 “I try to please all people in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, so that they may be saved. Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”

1John 2:4-6 “The one who says I have come to know Him, yet doesn’t keep His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.”

Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (The word perfect means mature.)

1Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

Where do your orders come from? Are you following that still small voice of God? Or are you listening to the world? Or are you still seeking to satisfy your own lustful desires instead of being sold out to God and His calling for your life? Are you willing to let God have full command of your life?

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth. All the blessings will come and overtake you because you obey the Lord your God:”

Have you read Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy? It will give you a good idea of the blessings of God that are yours when you follow Him.

Through the blood of Jesus Christ we have been redeemed, delivered from the curses, set free, and given God’s blessings. Open up the book of Deuteronomy and discover what blessings God has for you when you finally decide to walk in the light with Him.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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Trail Dust September 11, 2011 Keep Your Eyes On The Trail Ahead!

Philippians 3:13 “Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead. I pursue my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 6:9-10 “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

Proverbs 4:25 “Let your eyes look forward; fix your eyes straight ahead.”

The trail that lies ahead of us is full of obstacles and distractions. When riding a young colt or even a seasoned mount a rider must pay attention to what lies ahead on the trail. There will always be that wash out or tree down that can force us to take an alternate route. Even a covey of quail or a jackrabbit can cause horse to jump out from under us if we don’t have a firm seat in the saddle. You can’t travel the trail that lies in front of you by sitting backwards in the saddle letting your horse take you wherever he decides to go. You’ll miss that low hanging limb for sure.

I can vividly remember Chico Grande back in 1977. A big, stout sorrel gelding who had plenty of buck in him. I stepped on him in the corral five times before he stopped bucking when I got on him. Once he decided I was there for the long haul and wouldn’t quit him we headed for the Granddaddy Tank to check on the cows. Well about five miles out he blew in too. This time he gave it all he had and I knew it wouldn’t end like it did at the corral with me staying with him till he quick bucking. I began to loose my stirrups and looked to my left and saw a big, beautiful prickly pear cactus. I knew I didn’t want to land on a bed of needles. I grabbed my saddle horn and held on pulling myself back into my saddle seat when Chico Grande made another big jump and dumped me off his right side smack dab in the middle of a Mesquite bush. My backside was full of Mesquite thorns and it didn’t do much for the environment crushing that big Mesquite bush beneath me. I caught Chico Grande and figured I’d take advantage of the nearby arroyo and led him into the ditch. I jumped into the saddle and out of the ditch he came with his head between his legs twisting and turning landing me on a big rock pile. It hurt, it really hurt. I ended up wearing a back brace for three months. I was a good five miles from ranch headquarters so I grabbed my lariat and threw a loop on a hind leg and took a dally on my saddle horn and pulled up a hind leg to get on but found that I was hurting so bad that I couldn’t get my left foot up high enough to reach the stirrup. Walking back and leading Chico Grande was my only option. We made it back to the barn and I unsaddled the bronc and drove 75 miles back to town. I spent the next three weeks pulling Mesquite thorns out of my backside.

That was a Tuesday and by Friday Chico Grande was in a big truck on his way to the dog food factory. Not only did I not let this incident stop me from getting back on another horse, but the only place I could find that eliminated the pain in my back and hips was on a horse. I took every opportunity I found to saddle my all time favorite gelding Deck. With my seat in the saddle and the ability to get my weight in the stirrups I was comfortable. Granted I didn’t get back on Chico Grande again but he certainly didn’t stop me from climbing on another horse. The pain I was experiencing didn’t stop me from moving forward and keeping my eyes on the trail that was ahead of me and I overcame the pain of that incident. Oh, sure I’ve often had the pain in my hips come back in an attempt to haunt me but I do what it takes to conquer it and move on down the trail of life.

I could use this incident with Chico Grande or I could have used any one of the miserable circumstances in life that have been thrown my way as an example of how we can overcome bad situations and still keep moving forward in life not letting the past control our future. Everyone has had those disappointing circumstances in life that reminds us of the fact that a bed of roses is full of thorns. But the old saying is that you can’t keep a good man down.

Nor can you keep a good country down, at least I hope that is true. With this being September 11 all the media is focused on the trail behind us instead of what is ahead of us. Proverbs 4:25 tells us to keep our eyes straight ahead which means not looking back at what happened. We should be focusing our attention on how we’re going to overcome the terrorism that is happening to our country right now in Washington instead of mourning what happened ten years ago. We all know that this country does not have a political problem. This country has a Spiritual problem. It is time we stop focusing our attention on worldly matters and get right with God then we’ll be able to clearly see the trail that lies ahead of us. We can’t whip our horse into a run in an attempt to outrun God and leave Him in the dust as we attempt to do things our own way. If God isn’t our constant traveling companion we’re going to end up in that big rock pile or Mesquite bush when the going gets tough. No matter how hard you grab that saddle horn, you just can’t hang unto life without Christ.

Who’s your riding partner? Which direction are you headed? Are you watching the trail that is ahead of you or are you crying about what happened yesterday or ten years ago? Have we given up hope because we hit a bump in the road or are we going to keep on keeping on moving forward towards the prize that has been promised us by God?

Life is full of bad horses and hard falls. Lets get up and pull the thorns out of our backside and climb back in the saddle, even if it still hurts a little bit.

Happy Trails
Jolly

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Trail Dust August 04, 2011 Branded!

I often get several emails in response to my “Trail Dust” articles and I appreciate the encouragement. I received one from Cheryl that pretty much leads into a sequel for last weeks article about God accepting us scars and all. I’ll let you read what Cheryl had to say then go from there with my thoughts.

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Another good one, anointed for sure. It occurred to me that the once wild horse is now the protector of your herd. His lessons learned in the wild are now serving the master, you. How often that happens with we people. The one who is forgiven much will love much.

Another thought, even if we jump the Master’s fence and seem to escape, if His brand is on us, we still belong to Him and more than likely, He will gather us back up eventually. I can envision Satan doing a big gather, running across one with the Jesus brand on his hide, and being forced to turn that marked one back out because of God’s law of redemption. The maverick thus escapes hell because of the Love and power of Christ.

Have a grand week and keep the reflections/lessons coming! Cheryl

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Here is another one. It is emails like this that make writing this weekly article worth while.

Thank you for the wonderful message again today Jolly. I appreciate your analogy with other things we love-horses. You have a way of making complicated things simple. I look forward to reading your regular message and hope you keep it up for years to come.
Thank you! Darwin

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I wonder how many of you have ever experienced the unique smell of burning hair as the branding iron is applied to a calf’s hide or that of a horse. I’ve been around a lot of brandings, some small and some not so small. While married into the Sibley’s Triangle Ranch in West Texas the yearly branding of 500 head of Hereford calves was a pretty big deal for such a small, little Texas ranch. Every calf got the upside down triangle burned into the left shoulder with a running iron. Casey said that using a single bar brand applying it three times making the triangle caused less blotching at the corners of the triangle than a manufactured branding iron. The horses also sported the upside down triangle on their left hip. They called it branding time but a lot more took place than just burning hides. Each calf was vaccinated and ear marked and the bull calves were castrated. We would saddle up and ride out for the West pasture and be there ready to make the gather by the time the sun came up. Each rider was assigned a canyon to ride and by the time we all made it out of our assigned canyon with the cattle we found we’d head for the corrals which were a short distance from the bottom of the mountain where the water tank was. We’d always have about half the herd after that first gather. We’d spend the rest of the day branding, ear marking, vacinating, and castrating. At noon the women would show up in a ranch truck with dinner … not lunch, dinner. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, the works, with home made pecan pie to top it all off with. After a short nap, we’d get back to branding and when we turned the last calf out we’d ride for headquarters. We’d be back and unsaddled just before dark. Then the next day we’d do the same thing but ride a different set of canyons gathering the remaining half of the herd to be worked. The third day, we’d ride the whole pasture to check for anything we might have missed and drive them in to be worked. We didn’t leave any cattle behind. The following weekend, we’d ride another pasture. We kept at it till we’d gathered and branded every calf. There were none left on the ranch without the upside down triangle on their left shoulder and a V notch in the left ear. Do you know someone without His brand, the brand of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? If so, it is time to dust off your Bible, get on your knees and talk to God about how He wants you to round that one up and burn His brand into their hide, heart, mind, soul and spirit.

I remember one year I was riding a young ranch horse who showed tremendous potential. It was his first gather after I’d put a few rides on him checking fences or whatever else I needed to get done. Cacahuete (Spanish for Peanut) was a dark palomino without markings. I enjoyed riding him and he was a fast learner. He never gave me a problem unlike some of the ranch colts who could be down right rank. Cacahuete and I made it down our assigned canyon and out into the big flat where everyone was to meet but no one was there. So we left the cattle and went back up the mountain and down the next canyon returning still to find no one there yet. So we headed back up and down the next two canyons and did the same thing. When we came out of our fourth canyon everyone else was just starting to arrive. I was asked if all those cattle were in that one canyon….nope I only found forty head in that first canyon so I gathered the next three canyons while waiting for you guys to show up. No one suggested leaving half the herd behind so we headed for the corrals. The corrals weren’t big enough to hold all of the cattle so we left half of them outside and drove them in as we made room sorting the calves off from the cows and sending the cows back outside to make room for the calves to be worked. It was after dark when we finished branding that day and we rode home in the in the moonlight. The next day everyone saddled a fresh horse and we gathered the four head of cows and their calves that Cacahuete and I had missed in the next canyon. We were back at the barn and unsaddled long before noon that day.

Well by now you’re wondering how I’m going to tie this all into a Bible study. You’re not alone so am I but here goes. Lets see what the Lord lays on my heart and does with my fingers on the keyboard.

Luke 10:1-12 “The Lord appointed 70 others and He sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He Himself was about to go. He told them; The cattle are everywhere, but the hands are few. Therefore, we pray to the Lord of the herd to send out hands to gather His herd. Now go; I’m sending you out like calves among wolves. Don’t carry a gun belt, saddle bag or an extra pair of boots; don’t tip your hat to anyone along the trail. Whatever ranch you enter, first say, Peace to this spread. If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Remain on that spread, eating and drinking what they offer on the chuck wagon, for the cowboy is worthy of his wages. Don’t be moving from ranch to ranch. When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the grub that is served. Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, The kingdom of God has come near you. When you enter a town and they don’t welcome you, go out into the streets and say We are wiping off as a witness against you even the dust and manure of your town that clings to our boots. Know this for certain; The kingdom of God has come near. I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.”

Hey, I did it. That sounds like that round up on the Triangle Ranch. We were sent out by twos…Cacahuete and I were two. I sure could not have gathered the cattle I did without Cacahuete. And each canyon we manuvered down the cattle willingly headed for the flat land towards the corrals I think probably because Cacahuete was a natural and went at them with his head down and his ears back. Okay, so I didn’t completely follow orders but kept gathering till I had them all. Isn’t that what our Lord wants us to be doing? Why stop at the bottom of the mountain, hobble my horse and take a nap under a cactus with a diamond back when I could ride back up the mountain for another gather? Are you gathering in the Lord’s herd wherever you go and looking for Him to send you up the next canyon? Why let one of God’s chosen ones stay in the Devil’s herd unbranded?

Matthew 22:14 “For many are called but few are chosen.” Who is invited/welcomed/called and who has He chosen? You are invited/welcomed/called and chosen. All we have to do is choose to make a commitment to our Lord to ride and gather for Him going where He sends us and throwing a loop at any maverick that makes an attempt to head for the brush. Go at em like Cacahuete did, with full intention of getting the job done and done well. Even if it means riding well into the night and getting back up tomorrow for another long day in the saddle.

Jude 1-2 “To those who are called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”

Jude 20-25 “But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen”

Let’s not allow even one of His calves be left in the canyon alone and unprotected without His brand. Are you ready to saddle up and Ride For The Cross?

Happy Trails

Jolly

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"Trail Dust" August 28, 2011 God loves us scars and all.

Earlier in the year, I wrote about Sundance getting his right front leg cut in barbwire. I just realized I haven't shared how successful he was in healing his leg. I probably wasn't as diligent as most would be about keeping it cleaned up everyday and medicated but I was diligent about praying for his healing. He has a noticeable scar on his right leg but it has not lamed him in any way. In fact, when I figured he was healed up enough I turned him back out with Spade and Whiskey and in less than a month he had gotten his left front leg in the wire and cut it. That cut wasn't deep or as bad as the first cut and healed up real quick but it also left a small scar on that leg. Sundance had been in that same pasture for almost three years without getting in the wire but the neighbors behind my back pasture turned in seven horses across the fence and Sundance had to get sociable with them. Seems like as long as we stay on the right side of the fence and leave the world alone we're fine but when we try jumping the fence to be like the world we end up with a scar to show our disobedience. That scar will be there for life but it certainly does not devalue Sundance to me in any way. He is still a very special horse to me and the scars just mean that I wasn't doing my part and replacing the fence long before he got hung up in it. I've noticed that with horses, it is always the best or the best bred horse in the herd that gets injured. Spade came from the wild and has no pedigree behind him other than what nature knows, nothing written down for us to reflect on his breeding. Whiskey is obviously a well bred horse but who knows what his bloodlines are. I know that he was a valuable horse at one time since I'm told that he was a polo pony but I got him off a killer truck headed for Mexico. I was told that he just looked like too good of a horse to send to the killers. I'm not that much into rescuing horses but one look at Whiskey and I knew he was a keeper. Sundance on the other hand came with registration papers and a long line of great horses in his bloodlines. Waps Spotted on his sire's side (Bryer made a model horse after him) with Top Deck, Go Man Go, and Three Bars on the mare's side. Yep, the horse with the best bloodlines is the one that got cut in the barbwire fence. I not sure I can say the same for us humans so I'll let you draw your own conclusions to that one instead of sharing my thoughts.

I feel blessed that Sundance healed so well. I have the no climb wire to replace the barb wire in the back pasture with and hope to have that project completed soon. However, in the mean time it looks like Sundance has learned his lesson and stays away from the back fence and the horses on the other side. It is neat to watch Spade herd Sundance and Whiskey in the opposite direction when they head towards the back fence. As independent as Spade is, he certainly takes a leadership role in herding those two horses away from danger. I'm thankful for those few close men in my life that I can count on for counsel when I think I'm headed in the wrong direction. We all need someone we know we can count on to help keep us lined up with the word of God and on the narrow trail. Love isn't telling someone what they want to hear but telling them what they need to hear without too much sugar coating and Spade doesn't take no for an answer when he herds Sundance and Whiskey away from the back fence as much as they would like to go socialize with the devil's herd.

I'd also like to point out that Sundance's scar has in no way changed his value to me as a horse. I wondered what our first ride would be like since he'd been laid up for several months but getting on him for the first time since his injury was without incident. It was like I'd been riding him everyday. He didn't forget a thing. That in itself made him even more valuable to me to know that he had learned his lessons well and was ready to give it another go without missing a step. So don't let the Devil get you down. Get up and don't let him stomp you into the ground. Get back on your horse and ride for the cross. A great leader never leaves his wounded behind and neither does our Lord and Savior. Recognize whose army you're in and stay in step with Him. When you fall He will be there to lift you right back up or He may send one of His servants who is a warrior for Christ to encourage and support you while you're on the mend.

Sure hope someone got something good out of this. It is what God laid on my heart for this week and I think a good comparison of how valuable we are to God. We always hear what terrible people we are and some think they've messed up so bad that God will never accept them and certainly no one else will either. But that just isn't the way it is. God saw our value before He came to die for our sins. He knew we were worth His pain and suffering and He was more than willing to pay the price for our redemption (like redeeming a coupon) to buy you and me back into His herd. So let's quit trying to jump the fence and stay in His herd where we're safe. Just to think that He still loves us no matter what is enough to make us show Him our love by following His commands.

Matthew 22:36-37 "An expert in the law asked a question to test Him. Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?' He said to him, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

1 John 4:7- "Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way; God sent His one and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consist in this; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us."

Romans 5:6-8 "For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person--though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" (Now that is what God calls LOVE)

Romans 6:1-2 "Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? vs.11 So you to consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Happy Trails

Jolly

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"Trail Dust" August 21, 2011 The Master's Voice

If Whiskey and Sundance aren't already at the corral fence when I head to the barn in the morning, they're there as soon as they hear my voice. Spade on the other hand, does just the opposite. If there is a chance of him getting caught and rode, he heads for the back pasture. He'll even give up a flake of hay to keep from getting caught. But if I happen to walk across the pasture to fill the water trough, Wiskey and Sundance will walk across the pasture just to get petted and spend a few minutes with me. If I take the time to follow Spade around the pasture for five or ten minutes he will stop and let me walk up to him. Once I've touched him and have a halter on him or a catch rope around his neck he is as gentle as any horse could be. He just happens to enjoy his freedom having been five years old when captured by Bureau of Land Management and introduced into captivity. Whiskey and Sundance on the other hand were born into captivity and demonstrate that they had some very positive experiences in their younger days. I guess how a person relates to others and interacts with society has a lot to do with their upbringing in their formative years of life.

I often remember back when I was a kid in Atascadero. We had three acres which seemed a lot bigger than it really was. At one point we had 15-20 horses. It was amazing to watch these horses at feeding time. I would put all the hay and grain in the various corrals and stalls then open the back pasture gate. They'd all come running in at top speed racing to their assigned corral or stall. No fighting over the hay, some of them would race past a corral or stall gate to get to their assigned feeding place. This amazing feat was accomplished by a lot of work on my part. I'd catch them one by one and lead them to their corral or stall. The others had to wait their turn to be caught in the pasture and led to their feed trough. They'd get in a hurry to be caught not wanting to have to wait and it wasn't long before I could just swing the gate open and get out of the way as twenty head of horses raced across the tromp lot headed for the corrals. Can you relate to this? Just think about the many years of programed conditioning you've had by parents, school, Sunday school, friends, society, etc. All of it a form of personal training programing you into the person you now are both positive and negative.

Proverbs 22:6 Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Romans 12:2 by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.

I'm still reflecting back on the herd of horses we had when I was a kid. They knew where I wanted them and they willingly went where I wanted them to go once they figured out what was expected of them. Just as Whiskey and Sundance will come meet me at the corral gate in the morning as I select which one I'm going to ride. They're submitting themselves to the will of their master. Are you submitting yourself to the will of your Master or are you set on doing things your way and taking the path you have laid out for yourself instead of following the narrow path He has set before you? Are you expecting God to follow along behind you and maybe bless a thing or two for you along the way or do you ask Him which way He has laid out for you? Just like it took awhile to train all those horses where to go at feeding time it also takes us awhile to learn to listen to His still small voice. It is an ongoing lesson to be learned, one I am still working at. Once you start figuring it out, you can bet your bottom dollar that Satan will be right there doing his best to lead you astray. James chapter four verse seven tells us to submit to God and resist the Devil and he will flee from us. James goes on to tell us to purify our hearts and stop being double-minded. He even goes so far to tell us to turn our joy to sorrow and humble ourselves before the Lord and He will exalt us.

If I can just get to the point that I submit myself to the Lord like my horses submit to me. Sometimes I'm a little like Spade, I'll listen to God's voice but he may have to spend some time getting my attention. I'm learning more and more each day about how easy it is to just be waiting there by the narrow gate in the morning asking Him what he has planned for me today. My day always goes much better when I'm focused on Him and His desires instead of my own. Submitting to God seems to be easier when we do it step by step. The further one gets off the narrow trail and unto the broad path, the harder it is to find our way back to Him. But if we truly love Him instead of ourselves and the world He certainly makes it worth our effort to cling to Him.

Headed out to California Valley to trim four horses this morning and have another one to trim in town when I get back. I know I'll have an opportunity to share the gospel and might even drop by the little country church if I get finished in time. Then I'll get together with a brother or two in the Lord for some fellowship catching each other up on what God is doing in our lives.

Happy Trails

Jolly

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"Trail Dust" August 12, 2011 The Check Is In The Mail!

I will be out of town this weekend so I'll get a head start on this weeks "Trail Dust" article and send it out early instead of waiting until Monday. A brother in the Lord asked me to go out of town with him on a business trip. I'll take advantage of the opportunity and share the gospel with those we/I come in contact with as well as have some good fellowship and worship time as we travel.

This has been a busy week. No shoeing or trimming business so I've taken advantage of the down time and began rebuilding the pasture fences on the property. I've been digging post holes, driving T posts, stretching wire, and cutting brush. It is amazing how busy one can stay on a little ten acre back yard. Dad put the fences up almost forty years ago and it is time to modify and replace. I've replaced half the front fence along the road. The other half was taken out when a drunken kid plowed off the road and down the fence line. His Dad's insurance paid to have that section of fence rebuilt. I certainly enjoyed watching the fencing crew do their job. One full side of fence was replaced when the neighbor sold their property and the new owner put in an eight foot deer proof fence to protect the grapes they planted. So much for watching 40 head of deer water in the big water trough every evening. Their daily route came to a screaming halt. Now I get excited when I see four deer at either end of the one mile road I live on. The cattle ranch across the road has also been fenced and planted in grapes so no more watching the cattle and deer on that property.

Since money has been on the short side and I have bills to pay (nothing more than the usual cell phone, internet, vehicle insurance and registration) I had a short talk with the Lord and told Him that I needed something to make it through the month on. I let Him know that I didn't have a clue how He was going to work this out but I'd trust Him to provide or give me a way to make it happen. The next afternoon there was a check in the mail. It took me awhile to figure out who this check was from but after thinking about it for a few minutes I remembered. It was for work I'd done over a year ago. I was told that the check was in the mail. Well the check dated 8/8/2011 arrived on 8/9/2011. That check wasn't near enough to get everything caught up but I trust that my needs will be met one way or another. I have several horses that are due to be trimmed in the later part of the month. I've been thinking about the scriptures that say the lazy shall be poor and that if you don't work you don't eat. I'm not lazy that is for sure and will work when work is available but don't always stay busy keeping the property in prim and proper condition. I guess the reason I was meditating on these scriptures is that I was working on fences, cutting down old dead trees etc. and thinking about how this was not making me a living. But then the scripture that the Lord will bless whatever you put your hand to came to mind. (Dad bought this place in 1972. He died at the age of 92 on Christmas morning 1996).

Proverbs 10:4-5 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches. The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is discraceful.

Proverbs 13:4 The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.

Proverbs 20:13 Don't love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you'll have enough to eat.

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.

Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Romans 12:11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.

Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds.

Timothy 2:6 The hard working farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.

Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.

Well I do not have crops in the ground from which to reap a harvest, nor an orchard or a vineyard. I do not have a herd of cattle or other livestock. I have only three great horses. I've been thinking I need to start planting a garden each spring like Mom used to do but haven't followed through with it. I've even received emails suggesting that congress has passed legislation making it illegal to grow your own food making sure that we ingest nothing but genetically altered and processed foods available in the stores. I do know that my diet would be dramatically altered if I were to rely solely on what I could harvest from this ten acres. I could go so far as buy a steer to fatten and butcher every year like Dad used to do when I was growing up. I could share the fatted calf with my next door neighbor who raises hogs so I'd have bacon and sausage for breakfast. But I've just about completely given up eating pork. They say you are what you eat and I don't want to look like my neighbor's hogs.

Since I've been pulling out old dead trees from Mom's orchard planted 30 yrs. ago and piling up the brush and trimmings from the yard trees making a huge brush pile out front I have the pleasure of sitting here typing while I look out the window at the cottontail rabbits and quail enjoying the safety of the brush pile. If things get bad enough, I'll have a daily supply of rabbit and quail for dinner.

In the mean time, I'll just keep trusting God for His provisions. He alone is my provider and I know I just need to keep reminding myself that He has promised that He will provide for everything I need. In Matthew chapter six we're told not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear, just keep seeking Him and His righteousness and He will provide for us. So I know that the time I spend every day studying His word, praying, and walking with the Lord is laying up treasures in heaven.

What little projects have you been putting off around the place that you could be getting done little by little? When you get one project completed you receive a sense of accomplishment that allows you to move into the next project with greater confidence. Like the saying that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. It works the same in the physical as well as the spiritual life.

Just hoping this has inspired someone to step up to the plate and serve the Lord in one way or another as well as get started tending to their property. Let me know your thoughts and actions.

Happy Trails

Jolly

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"Trail Dust" 8/06/2011 Talk is cheap, it takes money to buy Whiskey!

This past week I decided to start going for a short horseback ride every morning or almost every morning. Nothing long, just five to ten miles first thing in the morning. The shoeing and trimming business has been real sow so I may as well be on top of a horse instead of under a horse. I get up early anyway so as soon as I crawl out of bed in the morning I've been coming inside to start the coffee and take a quick shower so I can have Whiskey saddled and ready to go by 5:30 or 6:00am at the latest. Whiskey was given to me last September and he is really a neat horse. He's around 13 or so, a red roan Appaloosa gelding about 15 hands and plenty stout. I hauled this horse home and knew by the time I finished pulling his shoes and trimming him that he was a keeper for sure. I looked at him and remembered an old cowboy saying "talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. With that thought, I named him Whiskey because he is for sale as is any horse, but it will take a good sum of money to buy Whiskey from me. I've had a couple of offers but they didn't want to pay the price he is worth to me. Whiskey is old enough to have seen it all and passed down the road by several owners. He has been a ranch horse, a polo horse, and been on a dude string. No one saw him as a keeper and I could tell why on our first ride. Whiskey only has one fault. If you don't pay attention and ride letting him know where you want to go he will just turn around and head home. He'll go anyplace you point him. On our first ride, I rode him through the Salinas River in water up to his belly and over a downed tree that almost scraped his underside as he stepped over it. Gotta pay attention because if you head him for a bluff, he'll figure that is just where you want him to go. Never an argument, just pay attention and gently keep him lined out down the trail you want to follow. He had a big open sore on his left lip when I got him where the English plow bit he'd been rode with had cut into his lip from someone pulling on him so hard. I'm riding Whiskey with a half-breed bit with chains and rawhide reins. No need to yank him around just gently keep him on the trail and he'll do whatever I ask. I've only had the opportunity to work him on cows a half dozen times and he really pays attention and doesn't like for a cow to even look like she is going to leave the herd. He's on it as quick as he or I can spot it.

Having gone without riding him for about two months and never having rode him every day I could tell he enjoyed our first two early morning rides. After completing our ride, I'd leave him tied in the corral for a couple of hours before unsaddling him and turning him back out to pasture just in case I felt like going for another ride. Well Thursday morning when I walked up to the pasture gate Whiskey was at the far back side of the pasture (ten acres). But by the time I got the gate open and walked through the gate he was already there beside me. He came at a dead run from the back of the pasture eager to be caught and rode again. After our ride I made a trip to town to buy a sack of sweet feed for him. The past couple of mornings I haven't been able to ride because of other things to do but Whiskey was standing at the corral gate waiting for me when I went out to feed the dog and get the newspaper. I gave him a small coffee can of grain for his commitment. I'll throw my saddle on him this afternoon and reward him with a short two or three hour ride.

How about you? Are you eager and ready to go when your Master says lets ride? Are you there waiting for Him at the narrow gate? Do you hear His call when He calls your name? Are you willing to go where He sends you when He says go? Do you look forward to doing His work more than reaping the rewards He has for you? Are you willing to leave the herd and follow the Master instead?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me.

John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commands

1John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world--the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle--is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away but the one who does God's will remains forever.

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said; Here I am, Send me.

(Scriptures from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). I can't help it, with the last name of Holman, I've always bought Holman Bibles.)

Are you ready and waiting for the Lord to send you?

Happy Trails

Jolly

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“Trail Dust” 07/30/2011 A Deck Of Cards

Every Thursday evening at 7pm we gather at the Templeton Livestock Market in the Sales Ring for a time of fellowship, worship and Bible study. We start off by giving everyone an opportunity to share what God has done in their lives during the past week. It is expected that all of us go out and do our part to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those we come in contact with. One rodeo saddle bronc rider regularly shares with us the drunks, homeless, and dirty down on their luck individuals he comes across when he stops to fill up with gas on his way to a rodeo. He carries a box of New Testament Bibles in his pick up and gives them out as he offers a prayer to those God puts in his path. One woman shared last week that she came across two men sitting on a bench in front of the post office begging for money. She told them she was short on cash but would pray for them. To her amazement both men reached out to hold her hands and bowed their heads as she prayed for their safety and that God meet their needs.

We all come across daily opportunities to serve our Lord in one way or another. Are you looking and seeking for the opportunity to share the love of God with others as He leads you? Do you read your Bible and study to show yourself approved as a workmen not ashamed of the word of God (2Timothy 2:15).

What reminds you of God? Do you see Him everywhere you go in everything you see? I recently read a story about a young boy who was walking home from Sunday school kicking rocks, looking up at the sky and the trees, listening to the birds sing, enjoying the sunshine on his back while the cool breeze caressed him. As he walked by a neighbor’s house the old man asked the young boy where he’d been. The boy replied that he’d been to Sunday school and was on the way home. The old man asked the young boy if he’d learned anything at Sunday school to which the boy replied “yep, I sure did”. The old man then told the boy that he would give him a dollar if he could tell him where God was. The boy immediately shot back with “Mr. I’ll give you a five dollar bill if you can tell me where God ain’t”. We’re told to always have an answer for our faith and this young boy certainly had an answer to the old man’s question about God and expressed his confidence in his answer.

Just reading that short story reminded me of the Tex Ritter song about a deck of cards. I’ve taken some editorial liberty in making a few changes to adapt it into a cowboy story instead of a war time story.

One Sunday when all the cowhands had gone off to town to spend their hard earned money one hand stayed behind in the bunk house all alone. The foreman who had also stayed behind walked into the bunk house as the young hand was spreading a deck of cards out on the table. The foreman asked why he didn’t go to town with the rest of the hands to which he replied “I decided I’d stay here in the bunk house and spend some time with the Lord”. The foreman said “looks like you’re going to play cards, where is your Bible?”.

“You see, sir, when I look at the ace it reminds me that there is only one God. When I look at the deuce it tells me the Bible is divided into two parts, the Old and the New Testaments. The trey represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“The four calls to mind the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The five reminds me of the five wise virgins; the six, that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth; and the seven that He rested on the seventh day.

“The eight is the eight righteous persons God saved when He destroyed the earth by flood – Noah, his wife and their three sons and their wives. When I look at the nine, I think of the lepers our Savior cleansed and nine of them did not thank Him. The 10 reminds me of the Ten Commandments.

“When I look at the King I think of Jesus Christ the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The Queen reminds me of the women who anointed Christ and the Queen of Hearts reminds me of Mary the mother of our Lord. The Jack reminds me of the Prince of Darknes seeking whom he may devour. It also reminds me of Judas who betrayed our Lord.

“When I count the spots on the cards I find 365, the days in the year. There are 52 cards in the deck, the 52 weeks in a year. There are four suits, the four weeks in a month. There are 13 tricks, the 13 weeks in a quarter. There are 12 picture cards, the 12 months in a year.

“So you see, sir, my deck of cards serves me as a Bible, almanac and prayer book.”

“Well young man” replied the foreman, “looks like the Lord certainly dealt you a good hand and I’m proud you’re on my payroll, next Sunday this bunk house better be full of cowhands listening to you preach the word of God”.

Originally written in 1948 by “T” Tyler Texas and recorded in 1948 by Tex Ritter. The song was based on a tract found tucked inside of an 1811 Bible. The lyrics to the song can be traced back to 1788 and perhaps beyond that. Just in case someone goes so far as to count the spots on a deck of cards you might discover there are only 364 but guess that represents a leap year.

This story takes away any guilt the old devil tries to throw at me when I choose to saddle up Whiskey or Sundance and go for a ride on Sunday morning with one of my brothers in the Lord instead of heading to one of the many local churches. I find the love of God in everything I look at and get an opportunity to have some one on one time with a brother in Christ as we ride and compare notes on what God is doing in our lives, encouraging each other, and spend some time in prayer together. This Sunday afternoon we’re going to buck bulls in Parkfield at Ride For The Brand Arena. What a great opportunity to share the gospel this is.

Once you’re through warming a church pew on Sunday will you be asking God where He wants you to go share His word? The Bible tells us we are all His representatives, not just the local pastors. We’re all called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day to day lives, all week long in everything we say or do. (Col. 3:17)

Happy Trails

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Trail Dust 7/16/2011 Christ The Healer!

I had an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a man last week who I never would have guessed would listen to me much less accept what I had to say. I’ll leave out a few details of how this came about but this is a man who I’ve known for a number of years and realize that any sane man would have cut off all contact with him right from the get go, but I didn’t and it payed off in the long run. He lives over 100 miles away but originates from this area. He is a man that is not well liked and not many speak well of him due to his arrogance and willingness to tell it as he sees it at the moment no matter what anyone else thinks (I guess he is a little bit like me in some ways). He has made enemies everywhere he goes but something just kept telling me over the years to keep giving him the benefit of the doubt (that something being God). He’d call me once a month or two and it was easy to discern that he usually had no particular reason for calling but was a bit on the lonely and bored side of life so I’d let him talk. One day earlier this year, I called him. He asked why I called and I told him I didn’t have a reason to call him that I just happened to be thinking about him and decided I should give him a call. I thought the man was going to break down and cry. He said that my calling him for no reason other than my thinking about him meant a lot to him and he really appreciated it.

The Lord had already laid it on my heart to share the gospel with him the next time I saw him (through a friend who absolutely despises the man and suggested that since we are to love our enemies perhaps he could let go of his hatred for this man by asking me to sit him down and share the gospel with him). I had been praying and asking God to lead me and tell me what to say to him since I didn’t even know where to start with this hard hearted man. He paid me a visit last Monday and began telling me about how bad his health was getting. He is the same age as I am and he said he can’t stand up for more than ten minutes at a time without hurting so bad he needs to sit down. He complained of a continuous sharp pain in his upper back and chest. He was hurting so bad that he could not work. He had just come from a doctor’s visit but was told that their prices had just gone up and “tough luck” if you don’t have the money we don’t have the time. In the past, he had made some rude or snide remarks about Christians and me so I didn’t see him as someone who was open to receiving a word from the Lord but God spoke to me and said here is your opportunity, don’t just tell him about salvation, share my love for him and my desire to see him healed and set free. So I went for it. I just let the words flow as the Lord provided as I told him how much God really loved us and that being saved means more than just a front row seat in Heaven and not going to Hell. Being saved means set free from the bondage of sin, sickness, and disease. I gave him a Living Waters Gospel of John book and a new copy of “Christ The Healer” by F.F. Bosworth and suggested he read them both cover to cover. He seemed excited and eager to get started reading. He was staying overnight with a realative and called me the next day at noon and invited me to lunch before he drove home. We shook hands and I spoke another word of encouragement also telling him he was in my prayers. He actually blurted out a big “Thank you God and Thank you Jolly”.

I called him Wed. and asked how he was doing. He replied that he was just trying to kill time. It was 10am and he had just finished mowing the lawn which usually took him all day because he would have to stop several times and take a break from the pain. He went on to say that the trash needed to be hauled so he had already loaded the trash and hauled it to the dump and was just looking around the place to figure out what project he was going to tackle next. I asked about his pain and he said “what pain”.

The next time he visits, I plan to have a Bible to give him and maybe we can sit down and do some studying together. In fact I told him I would make plans to come visit him at his place, something I haven’t done since he moved from this area several years ago. This is taking some getting used to for me in the flesh, but in the Spirit I am excited about what God is doing in this man’s life and glad our mutual friend had the good sense to listen to God and suggest that I share the gospel with this man. In the past any attempts to talk with him about the Lord was quickly rejected but his heart has certainly been softened towards God now. I guess the angels in Heaven are rejoicing.

What has been happening in your life lately and what opportunities has God given you to share His gospel with others? Keep your ears open to the Lord and your eyes open for the possibilities that lay in your trail.

Once again, I really wish everyone could read “Christ The Healer” by F.F. Bosworth. Send me an email when you’ve ordered or bought the book. I’d enjoy knowing if anyone is following up on my suggestions. You can also order the Gospel of John from www.livingwaters.org

Happy Trails,

Jolly

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Trail Dust” 07/10/2011 That Little Black Book of Cowboy Wisdom

I came across a page full of cowboy sayings several days ago and began reflecting back on when I first accepted Christ in 1975. I kept a little black book that I wrote Bible veses and quotes from some famous people to get me through each day. I’d often take time out to sit and read that little black book to encourage me throughout the day. I lost that little black book somehow and started carrying a New Testament around with me instead. I didn’t have to write things down, I just underlined them in my New Testament. Now I carry the whole Big Book around in my pickup and have learned that if I underlined everything of value in the Bible I may as well just underline it all. When things are going great and not so great it is always a comfort to feast on the Word of God keeping myself ready in season and out of season to share Jesus Christ with someone. I got involved in a discussion with a woman I trimmed a horse for Thursday morning and ended up sitting in the shade of the barn with my Bible for an hour answering the questions she presented. I remember back on my law enforcement days when I would never go anywhere, on or off duty, without my protection which was my Colt .357 magnum Python revolver. Now I go nowhere without my Holman Bible. The Lord is my protection.

It is nice to know that God doesn’t have hunting or fishing seasons. We can be hunters and fishers of men all year long, any time, any place we go and anyone we come in contact with is fair game for His Word. No bag limits either. If they don’t want to hear what we have to say about our Lord we can simply knock the manure off our boots and say “Nevertheless, the Kingdom of God has come near you” and move on down the trail to the next stop.

Here is a short list of those cowboy/Christian proverbs I came across. I thought some of them were worth sharing. I put my own personal spin on a few of them.

Just like Jesus, A good horse knows what he’s doing even when you don’t.

Courage is knowing you’re going to get bucked off before you get saddled but you step on anyway (Or maybe that is just a lack of wisdom).

Trying to keep a cowboy or cowgirl from telling someone what Jesus Christ has done in their lives is like trying to keep a cow dog penned up away from the cows, he’ll figure out a way to do it anyway or howl loud enough they can hear him from the distance.

You’ll never learn patience with others until you learn to keep your mouth shut when they say something stupid.

You’ll never get a herd of cattle across the river until one jumps in and leads the way for the others to follow. Are you ready to jump in and lead folks to the Lord?

A Bible, fence staples, rifle ammo, a catch rope, TP, what more does a cowboy need on the dash of his truck!

It is impossible to cut my own trail and follow Jesus at the same time.

Choosing the right trail is easy. Leaving behind those not willing to ride the trail with you is the hard part.

True happiness is doing what you like to do most and doing it for God.

You wouldn’t feed your best horse moldy hay, so turn off the television and the radio and get into God’s Word.

Seems like that first ride they always have a hump in their back. Sure glad I’ve got Jesus snubbin for me.

A cowboy or cowgirl who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior has a heart of gold and guts of steel and they’ll follow their Lord wherever He takes them.

I spent this morning helping a friend gather his small herd of Shorthorn cattle and drive them to the barn and corrals so we could sort off a few cull cows, along with the heifers and steers he wanted to take to the local sale today. We saddled up just after the sun came up and left the sales yard after hauling the second and final load at three minutes till noon then had Chinese buffet for lunch. I wish I would have hooked up the horse trailer and hauled Sundance or Whiskey to ride but the ranch mare I rode got the job done. We had three big corrals to work in and I got the job of sorting out the cows and calves he wanted to keep leaving the culls behind while Don plugged the hole in the gate with his gray gelding. It went about as smooth as anyone could expect. When it was all said and done we’d only let one big heifer sneak past the gate unnoticed and had to ride back through the herd to part her out.

I wonder if the Lord isn’t a cowboy Himself. Seems like He enjoys sorting out His herd figuring out who’ll accept His brand or not. He is our provider, our healer, our protection, He is our everything. Scripture does tell us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but I suspect He owns the cattle on all the hills, the valleys between and the desert.

While putting the finishing touches on this article, I received a call from James Ashburn who I did the training clinic for last month. He was excited and wanted to update me on what he and his daughters have been doing with their horses since I last talked with him. He said they have been putting into practice what I showed them and really had an opportunity to watch the pay off. James said he had family visiting over the fourth of July weekend and his nine year old niece wanted to ride Ice. He was able to take her into the PortaFlex Round Pen and work Ice freestyle at the walk, trot, and lope, doing changes of direction, and stopping him all from the center of the PortaFlex with ever-so-slight body moves while his niece was in the saddle. His niece was impressed that he had such control over his horse which increased her desire to be a cowgirl all that much more. James has a cousin who just acquired two additional horses. He’ll be headed in that direction tomorrow to help her evaluate what level of training her two new horses have and said he will probably have me use them the next time I come for another all day training clinic.

It sure is nice to have someone so eager not only to learn but to apply what they’ve learned. Don’t you suspect it puts a smile on God’s face when we show that same eagerness to study His Word and put it to practice? I bet it does. King David had that eagerness and God said he was a man after His own heart. Now is not too late to develop the practice of living for the Lord making Him your number one priority in life. In both the Old and New Testament we’re told that everything we do in word and in deed to do as if we’re doing it for the Lord. Silver and gold (or paper and plastic) can’t make a person any happier than knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now go into your neck of the woods and make disciples for Him or become one yourself if you aren’t already.

Happy Trails!

Jolly

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Trail Dust 7/03/2011 Saving Lives!

I recently received a message on my Facebook page asking if I remembered a newspaper reporter in Douglas, Arizona who I taught self defense tactics to. I was a Juvenile Probation Officer for Cochise County from 1984-1989 before moving back home to California. I wrote a weekly newspaper article/Bible study called Youthline and Joy Hagin was a local reporter who was also an assistant editor who I submitted my articles to. I still have some of those articles that dealt mostly with ways a good kid could stay good or a bad kid could go good through the love and power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thinking about teaching self defense tactics brought back memories and I thought of walking through the lobby of the county building in Douglas one morning when a woman I’d never met approached me and said “Mr. Holman, I want to thank you for saving my son’s life”. I asked her what she was referring to. She said that while I was giving free karate lessons every Thursday night in Elfrida her son Daniel took it serious and continued practicing even after I had moved from Elfrida two years previously. She then told me that Daniel was visiting a friend in Phoenix and they decided to go to a movie. As they walked down the street towards the movie theater two men with knives in their hands stepped out of an alley in front of them and told them to get against the wall. Daniel told his friend “get back out of the way, I don’t want you to get hurt, I’m going to take these two guys out”. His friend did as he was told and Daniel quickly th! rew a front crescent kick knocking the knife out of the lead thugs hand followed by a spinning back kick which caught the would be robber in the solar plexus knocking him out and to the ground. As Daniel gathered himself to make his attack on the second would be robber he noticed that he was about a block down the street already running for his life. The boys left the thug laying on the sidewalk and proceeded to the movie theater without further incident. Daniel’s mother went on to tell me that she knew without a doubt that the karate lessons her son had learned and continued to practice may have saved his life that day and certainly kept him from being injured. She said that Daniel’s interest in karate totally changed his life from that of a clumsy, insecure boy into a poised, athletic, and confident young man who was not afraid to face the world head on no matter what the odds.

That was a warm feeling to hear that story knowing that something I had done for the local kids in Elfrida made such a difference. I wondered how some of the others were affected by those free karate lessons. Elfrida was a small town with three churches (Baptist, Mormon, and Catholic), a small store, a cafe, school and high school. Most of the kids there were children of the local ranchers and farmers int he surrounding area. There wasn’t anything to do for spare time activities so a couple of the local boys approached me and asked if I would teach them karate. Word got around and within a matter of weeks there were twenty kids lined up every Thursday night for karate lessons.

Thinking back on it I realize that is saving lives in the physical realm, but what are we doing to save lives in the Spiritual realm? Hopefully, what we do in the physical realm of life can be used as a door opener for making a difference in the Spiritual realm of life for those we come in contact with. Building relationships with people is the front door for continuing to disciple them in their Spiritual life introducing them to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and teaching them how to have a loving personal relationship with God. People are often afraid to talk about the Bible with others for fear that they will be turned off. So what, they might not reject Him and you’ve helped deliver a person from the clutches of Satan’s Hell and brought someone into the Kingdom of God. We also have to think about the possibility that we may be just the one God has called to proclaim His word to that individual and we’re being disobedient to God by refusing to step up and speak the truth to them. Society and churches have taught the masses that only the seminary graduate ordained full time ministers or missionaries are allowed to lead people to Christ. Nothing is further from the truth proclaimed in the Bible. We all, each one of us, you and me, are called and commanded to go into all the world and make disciples. Are you willing to follow God’s instructions?

I’ve found that a good door opener is to have a hand out to give away. I’m not comfortable with most of the tracts that we find circulating and did some internet research and came up with the ideal hand out for those friends and other individuals you come in contact with. It is the full book of the gospel of John published by Living Water in Oregon. Copies of Living Water, the gospel of John, are free but it certainly makes sense to send them a donation to cover printing costs and postage.

You can order Living Water’s Gospel of John at www.livingwater.org which is a ministry of Absolutely Free Inc. Tell them something about yourself and how you plan to use the Gospel of John and they’ll send you a box full of the little booklets to hand out. We’re told not to be ashamed of the gospel and who knows who you might save from the fires of hell by introducing them to Jesus Christ. If we’re afraid to speak up and tell it like it is, what good are we to our Lord? Too many Christians are afraid of offending someone by sharing their faith with them. I’ve learned to take Jesus at His word and do as He commands. As Jesus told His disciples when He sent them out, go into town and stay as long as you are accepted. When they don’t accept you, shake the dust off your feet and leave town saying “Nevertheless, the Kingdom of God has come near you”. I’ve translated that into my everyday contact with people. So what if they’re offended, they’re not offended at me, they’re choosing to be offended by the word of God. Why not narrow down your friends and acquaintances to those who aren’t offended by your faith?

I appreciate your emails and comments. Thanks to those of you who ocassionally send me a note of encouragement and your thoughts on my articles. It is nice to hear those bits of personal information some of you have been sharing with me. Thanks

“Jesus Chris is the same yesterday, today, and forever” Hebrews 13:8

Ride For The Cross

Jolly

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Trail Dust, 06/19/2011, Old Standby

About six years ago I sold a PortaFlex Safety Round Pen to James Ashford in Corcoran, California. He and his two daughters hauled their newly purchased three year old sorrel gelding to me (a two hour drive for them) to have him trimmed since none of the farriers in their local area would touch him his hooves were so bad. This colt was three years old and had never been trimmed or handled before. I spent about two hours trimming him before I took off enough hoof that he had something that resembled a horse’s hoof. When I’d finished with him he had three good feet, and one club foot. James continued to drive over every six weeks with his wife and daughters to have me trim Woody. Each time they came over I took them to the PortaFlex and helped them get Woody under saddle and safe to handlle. His two daughters were in high school and the oldest one had purchased Woody. The younger daughter decided that she wanted a horse and bought a 3 year old buckskin BLM gelding from me that I calld Old Standby. I already had him under saddle but I wouldn’t call him green broke yet. Both girls continued to work their horses almost daily at home in their PortaFlex. I remember the youngest Kimberly telling about Standby bucking her off in the PortaFlex and she hit her head on one of the post. Since the post are not in the ground solid they will give with impact and instead of having a big knot on her head or a concussion she walked away uninjured. James told me that was another instance of seeing the value of the PortaFlex over using portable pipe corral panels or building a permanent round pen.

Each trip they made to have Woody trimmed I would show James exactly what I was doing and he eventually gained the confidence to start trimming Woody himself. Then he began trimming Standby and the relative’s horses, then the neighbor’s horses. They began visiting his parents that live nearby and would haul the two horses so the girls could go on a trail ride with me and a few of my friends. We’d ride the beach at Morro Bay or in the Salinas River Bed. James was feeling left out and since he was already trimming and getting in on helping the girls train their horses he figured it was time he started riding with them. He visited a friend in the hospital who had been bucked off his horse when he reared up and went over backwards with him. The friend said he was no longer interested in keeping this horse and that James could have him. Within a couple of weeks, James was riding him with his daughters as often as he could find the time on weekends and an evening or two each week. Then James started coming over and going on our rides with us. They got started riding in parades and rode with Me in the Morro Bay Parade. I was riding a big Frisian gelding dressed as Zorro, James horse Ice is white so he rode as The Lone Ranger, Kimberly rode Standby as Tonto, and Crystal the oldest daughter rode Woody as Annie Oakley. They began riding in local parades near Cocoran and have a wall full of trophies to show for their efforts. A few rancher friends started calling them to help gather cattle and these used to be green horns were on their way to becoming accomplished horsemen.

With the economy taking a dive they stopped their trips to the coast and I didn’t see them for a couple of years but we stayed in touch by phone. A couple of weeks ago James called to ask if I would come over on June 18 for an all day training clinic. He had several friends lined up who he said would probably make it, but didn’t. My good friend Mike Mitchell rode to Cocoran with me and when we arrived we were informed that Crystal had been called to work for the day and it would just be James and Kimberly who is now a junior in college with a goal of attending UC Davis to become a veterinarian. We started with Standby and Kimberly told me it might be a little embarrassing to watch her have to chase Standby over their four acre pasture before he decided to be caught. I asked her if she was willing to do exactly what I told her to do and she replied “of Course”. As she started walking towards Standby who was laying down in the far corner with the other two geldings he stood up and began to walk away from them. I told her to keep walking towards him without looking at him. When she got about one hundred feet from him I told her to stop. When she stopped Standby also stopped. I then told her to turn her back to him and walk towards me. As she walked towards me Standby began following her. I told her to stop and wait for him. When he walked up behind her she turned around and haltered him. We were off to a good start for our training clinic. I explained to her that I pretty well knew Standby and what he was made of since I had him for just over a year before she bought him from me.

In the round pen I told Kimberly that we’d begin by working on the things she wanted improvement on. We first worked on getting Standby to turn towards her instead of away from her when she asked him to change directions. This was just as easy as catching him and in a minute or two she had that one mastered. I told her she was working with a horse that already knew these things that she just needed to speak his language. Kimberly saddled Standby and we went from there working on her reining skills and improving Standby’s Whoa. She eventually had him stopping before she could touch the reins just by putting her body in the Whoa position. Kimberly was a little heavy in the hands and in order to quieten down her hands I tied a couple of nylon strings from a bailing twine to her bridle bit and snapped the reins into the strings. She rode a lot lighter but really got the picture when she broke the strings. Snapping the rains back into the bit she began doing figure eights and then I had her do turns away from the sides of the PortaFlex followed by going into a nearby pipe panel corral and turning while riding into a corner of the corral. They were doing great but I could tell that Kimberly was getting tired and asked her if she had enough. She said I’m hungry. James had hamburgers ready on the grill and his wife Candy had homemade potaoe salad and cherry pie. (Both Mike and I passed on the cherry pie). We sat in the living room after eating as Kimberly filled up a sheet of paper with reminders of what we’d gone over so far. It was amazing the amount of ground we’d covered and the progress Kimberly and Standby made in just three hours. We headed back out to the PortaFlex and Kimberly put the long lines on Standby and spent some time driving him from behind, then we laid him down. I’d used him for a few demonstrations while I had him and had laid him down a number of times but Kimberly said she could lay him down but he would not stay there, he would get right back up. I told her he just didn’t trust her enough to lay there for her as she approached him. So as she laid him down with Mike’s help, I stood on his off side with my hand on his neck do encourage him to stay down as I called Kimberly over to take my place. We let him lay on his side for about five minutes then I had Kimberly get on him as he laid on his belly with his legs out front. Mike and I walked circles around him and I began throwing my hat at him. His ears were glued on Kimberly as I explained that he was looking to her for his security and not focusing on what was happening around him. She remained on him as he got up and I had her slide off his butt and walk under his belly, both things that I’d done with him many times when I had him. We then laid Ice down for the first time. James had his daughters had tried but said that Ice just threw a fit and they’d stopped trying to lay him down. It didn’t take James and Mike long to have him down. I just didn’t let them quit and Ice finally gave it up and laid down. He immediately began to relax and started enjoying himself. It was actually a bit of a challenge to convince him to get back up.

It was a warm day of about 90 degrees and all four of us were sweating wanting to continue but too tired to go any farther so we called it a day. James handed me a wad of one hundred bills which I put in my pocket without counting and Mike and I headed home discussing the days events as we traveled I-5, Hwy. 41 and 46. I was excited about getting home and typing out my Trail Dust article but opted for a shower and my bedroll knowing that I would produce a much better article when I was fresh and alert after a good nights sleep. I did sleep well not even waking up until after the sun was up. I’m looking forward to a few follow up clinics with James, Kimberly, Crystal and those who couldn’t make it yesterday.

Ride For The Cross

Jolly

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Trail Dust, 05/15/2011, Standing On The Promises Of God!

Every now and then, I don’t even have to think about what to write in my next Trail Dust article and this is one of those instances. After last week’s article, I received an email from Toni who is in New Mexico just South of the Colorado line. The sheep camp she mentions below is at Tres Piedres near U.S. Hwy. 64. Toni even included the title for this week’s article within the content of her email. In fact, I’d read her email several times then when I started composing this article I just automatically typed in Standing On The Promises Of God for the title. Then I read her email again as I copied and pasted it into the article and that is when it hit me that she was singing the song on her way home. I’ve often heard that great minds run on the same track but more importantly we are to all be of one accord taking on the mind of Christ. If we are transformed by the renewing of our minds and have the mind of Christ wouldn’t we all pretty much be on the same page?

I twisted my left ankle a couple of weeks ago and like Toni counted on prayer for God’s healing power. What I did not do was start singing Standing On The Promises of God. I’m going to make it a point to memorize the song and make singing it a priority in my daily walk in addition to reading the word and my personal prayer time. My prayer time seems to be something that happens throughout the day as I go from one project to another. I am however, lacking on my memorization of hymns and certainly haven’t put much effort into my guitar playing in several years. Just sitting here listening to the music to this song playing through my speakers as I type is as encouraging as reading Toni’s email about her singing Standing On The Promises Of God. I had to look up the song lyrics to include along with this article and as luck would have it, I clicked on a site that plays whatever hymn you choose.

By the way, my definition of luck is: Laboring Under Christ Knowledge.

John 10:11-15 (HCSB) “I am the good Shepard. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. I am the good Shepard. I know My own sheep, and they know Me. as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.

What a promise that is, and He made good on His promise. You can stand on His promises, all of them.

John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish–ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Acts 2:38-39 “Repent Peter said to them, and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off., as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Phillipians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

And the list of His promises go on and on.

Below is the email I received from Toni. Thank you Toni for permission to share your email. You sure inspired me and I know someone else will also be inspired and encouraged by your testimony.

Praise the LORD for your good week. Just wanted to share …

The LORD gave me a miraculous healing yesterday.

Am staying at my sister and brother-in-law’s place so they can be in the sheep camp, lambing. There are a few cull and yearling ewes, and the bucks to look after here. As I was getting the sheep up top for the day, I wrenched my foot … not my ankle, more like the arch. It hurt for a minute, then I got the sheep in, had to walk across the field to get the bucks in, walk back across to get to my truck. Drove over the pass to my friend Kelly’s, and we drove on up to Ft. Garland to meet her mom for lunch. During lunch, my foot started aching until I almost couldn’t stand it, and it seemed to be coming up my leg. Before I left to drive home, Kelly laid hands on my foot, and prayed for me. Going over the pass, I was singing, and just before I got to Chama, around 7pm, I started singing, Standing on the Promises Of God …The pain in my foot started releasing, Praise God! It’s like it was a serious muscle spasm. It was still sore but I was able to walk to do chores, etc. I put ice on it and vinegar (very good for bruises), drank 1 oz. of vinegar (also good for aching muscles), and at bedtime, soaked with hot water and Miracle II soap, then put on Miracle II gel. This morning, I was careful, walking gingerly, but that foot is healed!!! To God be the Glory!

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Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

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“Trail Dust” Get up! You can’t die on me.

I had a story out of my past all lined up for this issue of Trail Dust, but seems that God laid something in my path today (Friday 4/1/2011) that supersedes what I planned on. Last week a woman called to ask if I’d drive 50 miles to trim a 27 yr. old gelding that she raised from a foal. For some odd reason, I agreed to trim him at my going rate without charging anything extra for mileage. We set a date for today and she gave me directions and said she’d be there. I headed out this morning wondering why I agreed to travel 100 miles or so for one trim but figured God must have something lined up, and boy did he.

I arrived on time and had no problem recognizing the 27 yr. old gelding in the front pasture beside the driveway leading up to the house. I pulled in and a woman in her 50′s came out and said that Carol was not home but left a check for me. She said she knew nothing about horses but would be at the house with her husband when I finished. Poor old horse, he could not stand on his right front leg at all without going down so I started on his right front and got a nice trim on it then proceeded to his left front. He could not stand on that right leg without going almost completely to the ground so I trimmed off what I could with his foot on the ground cutting from the front. I then managed to get his left leg up long enough to get a few inches trimmed and set it down again. After doing this a dozen or so times I had a pretty decent trim on that hoof. No way could he lift his back legs and he had them worn off short so I headed to the house. The old horse trotted off across the pasture seeming to be happy with his newly trimmed feet.

At the house I was handed a check and asked if I wanted to sit and drink a cup of coffee on the porch with them. I hesitated a moment then accepted the offer. First thing they started telling me was that the husband has been struggling with leukemia for the past two years. They said they’d been homeless living in their van behind a gas station washing car windows for grocery money and had no health insurance and he was diagnosed with leukemia. They could not afford dialysis treatments every month and the doctor was paying the bill. I asked if they were believers in Christ and they said that they most definitely were. I began proclaiming the gospel to them and that they could believe Christ for healing and told them that if Christ could raise Lazarus from the dead he could most certainly heal him of leukemia if they just had the faith of a mustard seed and did not allow doubt or unbelief to get in the way. To this the wife chimed in and said that he was raised from the dead two years ago, that was when he was diagnosed of leukemia. She said that he went down all of a sudden and his eyes rolled back in his head, his mouth was wide open and his lips began to turn blue and his skin turned white. She said she started yelling at him saying “we’ve been married 30 years, you can’t die and leave me like this”. She went on to say she had never prayed to God for anything in her life and certainly had never believed that God would answer prayers but she began to pray asking God to bring her husband back and not allow him to leave her like this. She said something told her to blow her breath into his open mouth, so she blew into his mouth without even touching his lips..after a couple of breaths his eyes opened and he sat up, alive. She said she sure became a believer and he said that was all it took for him to know God was for real.

I continued to share the scriptures with them on healing and they both said that was real blessing to them since they didn’t go to church but just called their new found home where they lived as care takers their church that God had provided for them. Anyway it is over 30 miles to the nearest church if they did attend. He went on to say that they had been to church a few times and had never heard anyone proclaim the words of Christ in such a straight forward manner and not pass the plate around asking for a handout. I made sure they had my phone number and asked that they call me if they had any questions. What a blessing this day was for me. I actually believe that the opportunity to share and get to know this couple was as big or bigger blessing for me as it was for them.

Just listen to that still small voice within and go where He sends you and He will keep leading you down that narrow trail that leads to the narrow gate. Sometimes that still small voice is just being at peace with your decision. If in doubt, don’t. Be sure you go where He sends you.

Ride For The Cross
Servin God The Cowboy Way

Jolly

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March 27, 2011

Yes you can change the thoughts and actions of others. It is all about the way you approach them. We’re told that we can only control ourselves, which is true, but the way we come at someone can determine how they will respond to us. We have the choice to come at others with anger and aggression which most likely will not get the results we’d like or we can come at them with the love of God which will often get a much more favorable reaction from them.

I graduated from college when I was 21 and had already spent a year as a reserve deputy sheriff. I was ready to leave home and spread my wings. In the summer of 1972 a year after graduating from Cal Poly, I took a trip from my childhood home in California to Carlsbad, New Mexico to visit my favorite Uncle George. Within two weeks of arriving there Uncle George had me a job as a deputy sheriff with the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. I rented a small one bedroom apartment from Bill and Eileen Griggs just outside of town. They lived on several acres and had three small apartments they rented out for additional income beyond their owning both the local feed store and flower shop. Their son Nicky who was 12 at the time wasn’t allowed to ride his horse or rope without the presence of an adult. I was often home when he got out of school and he wanted someone to supervise him while he practiced his calf roping. Bill had a small black horse they called Black Bart that he sold to me for $50. Although Nicky had been instructed not to tell me the hidden story behind this little black horse, I managed to get it out of him. Bart was trained by two young boys who would saddle him then lead him two miles down the road, get on and run him home. He ended up with one of the local ranchers who started out across his pasture to check on his cattle. When they got about two miles from the barn Bart turned around and ran home with the rancher being unable to do anything but hang on for the ride. Every time he tried to stop him or turn him he’d start bucking then proceed with his race to the barn. He sold him to a buddy who was looking for a good horse to hunt on. They were buddies and Bart was sold cheap with the intention of getting a good laugh when his little secret was discovered. Sure enough, about two miles out on the hunt, Bart headed for the barn at a dead run. This was repeated once more before someone managed to pawn him off on Bill Griggs as a continuation of the ongoing joke. Bill and his son Nicky quickly learned that Black Bart was a lost cause and here I come. How about selling him for $50 to that new deputy sheriff from California. They figured that would make for a good laugh seeing me have to deal with Bart’s race for the barn. Nicky and I saddled up for a ride one afternoon and Nicky made sure that we didn’t just ride in the arena behind his house or rope calves. He took me out on a ride down the road through the neighborhood. We got about a mile and a half from home in an empty field when Bart made his play. I was riding with a heavy cable core rawhide hackamore with a horse hair mecate (reins). Bart ducked his head and took off. I hit him under the jaw with the hackamore and pulled his head around past my leg and began spinning him in circles, one direction then the other. After several minutes of that the show was over. Bart never tried that again with me. Everyone else had been using a snaffle bit on him and he’d just take it between his teeth and go for it. He didn’t know how to get control of my hackamore and quickly submitted to it. Nicky and I began practicing roping almost every day. When I got invited to join them on Wed. and Sun. nights at the Sheriff’s Posse Arena for team roping I took Bart. I arrived a bit early and began warming him up in the arena. I roped the barrels that were placed in a clover leaf pattern in the arena and drug them to the end of the arena. When I got back to the roping chutes several men had their money out and were placing bets as to how bad I was going to get hurt on this little black horse. I did fine healing my first steer but the storm blew up big time on the second steer. Everyone at that time roped while tied hard and fast to the saddle horn. Me being from California, I was a dally man. My header lost control of his horse as I snatched up both hind legs and my header’s horse made a 360 degree circle running behind Bart laying a trip line with his lariat that laid both the steer and Bart with me on him flat on the ground. I quickly unwrapped my dallies and allowed Bart and the steer to stand up while I took another dally. We stretched the steer out and we got a score. I rode back to the chute where an older man said to me in a very stern and authoritative voice “get off my horse”. I asked him what he meant and he responded that this little black horse was his and that that big beautiful palomino tied at the end of the row of horses was mine. He told me to pull my saddle off and go put it on my big palomino. He said that he was looking for a trustworthy horse and the palomino was more horse than he could deal with. He said if Bart could come through a storm like that and look like a champion he figured he could trust him to get him out of any tight situation he might find himself in. I called the big palomino The Sheriff. He only had one problem. Back him into the box and if the gate didn’t open quick enough he would either jump into the roping chute, rear up and go over backwards, or just bolt out like a race horse. He could not stand to wait for the gate to open, he wanted that steer. We overcame that problem by riding to the arena several times a week which was only six miles away. Once there we’d do nothing but stand in the box…at first for a few minutes, then ten minutes until I eventually could just stand in the box for fifteen or twenty minutes then ride home. I kept The Sheriff until someone offered more than I thought he was worth and he had a new home as a pony horse on the race track.

Making a good horse out of Black Bart and The Sheriff didn’t take a lot, just a belief that they had a problem that needed some time and effort to fix. I didn’t look at them as bad horses but as a horse that someone had taught bad habits to. During my career in law enforcement and juvenile corrections I’ve found the same to be true of a lot of people. Nothing that a little love and attention couldn’t solve even if it had to be tough love at times.

I’ll never forget an incident that happened while I was employed by the Carlsbad School System as Security Director. I was actually hired in the capacity of Assistant Principal in charge of security which included, truancy, thefts, enforcing the no smoking policy on campus and sometimes intervene in class room discipline to help a teacher get control of a rowdy class. One student had been expelled from school and was not allowed to return to campus for a month. I found him walking on campus towards the cafeteria. I confronted him and said lets go sit on the cafeteria steps and have a talk. I asked him why he’d risked coming back on campus knowing that if he was caught meant that the police would be called to have him arrested. I told him I would give him the option of leaving campus without calling the police if he would just sit and talk with me and share his thoughts. I told him I thought he got a raw deal and that his punishment was much more harsh than it should have been. All he did was get in a fight with another student. I know I was in dozens of fights at school while growing up with the name of Jolly. Seemed like every bully in school wanted to take me on. My Dad taught me to never back down from a fight and whatever you do, win. I was never once expelled from school or disciplined in any way for fighting, just something boys do while growing up. After sharing my thoughts with this student he thanked me then told me that he only came back to campus to say goodbye to his friends before he killed himself but that my talking with him and believing in him changed his mind. He promised to walk back home and finish out his expulsion time then return back to school. That was the end of that, or so I thought.

The above incident took place in 1976. About four years later, I was a United States Border Patrol Agent in El Paso, Texas (1977-1984). I was working the traffic check point on Hwy. 62/180 that runs between El Paso and Carlsbad. While standing at the check point a car approached with an army solider in uniform driving. As the car came to a stop the solider stepped out of the car and stood at attention as he saluted me and yelled out his name and rank of Sgt. He then came to a parade rest and extended his right hand and asked if I remembered him. I said sure I remembered him. He went on to tell me how that one act of love and kindness changed his whole outlook on life from one of darkness filled with pain and trauma to a life of seeing the possibilities and believing in himself and others. I can’t remember his name, but his memory lives on in my heart and mind. He taught me that people who are hurting really aren’t much different than a messed up horse. They just need someone who will believe in their possibilities instead of their weaknesses. They’re just reaching out in the only way they know how to find someone who will rescue them from their own sense of unworthiness. My only regret is that I can’t say I shared the gospel with him and got to see him accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. But I learned to let that happen as I grew in the Lord myself. I’m sure someone down the road did what I failed to do. But then again, it was the love of Christ that lived in me that allowed me to share His love with this hurting young man. I suppose I’ll never have the pleasure of knowing the rest of the story but am sure he went on to prosper at whatever he set his mind to. It certainly didn’t take him long to make the rank of Sgt. and I’ll lay odds that he made a great commanding officer since he had a big lesson in dealing with people. His memory certainly lives on with me and comes to mind whenever I meet someone whose face shows the scars of personal trauma and turmoil. Love one another is what Christ commanded us to do and that is all it takes to make a difference.