not enough time

Just wanted to let you know that I know that it has been almost three weeks since I last wrote. For those of you who are itching to read more it is forthcoming. I have a few ideas to write about scrambling around in my head to get to the front of the line. It seems life is real busy, but as one person retorted in response to my "I don't have time" excuse for not being able to work with her horses at this time, "get up earlier!" Well! I thought. She doesn't know what I am already doing. As I think about it though, don't we all have time to do the things we want to do? I mean, I can always find time to do something other than mow the lawns I have, or paint my porch ceiling before it gets cold. But I say, I gotta study for sermons and the study at the Jail. Do any of you know how long it takes to write a 3o minute speech? Think back to high school speech class. How long did you agonize over your presentation? The average time spent in the study for sermon preparation, from start to finish and you have it on paper is ten hours. That is not including the time to go through it before you actually stand before a group and orate. Now, add to that the odds and ends of pastoring a church, as well as being a husband, a household maintenance man, a hobbiest of horses that includes everything from riding, cleaning up after, feeding and training, then other odds and ends like writing this blog and you have a day planner that is full. So what do I do?
I guess, get up earlier!

This is Jeff signing off.
I gotta get to bed earlier if I am going to get up earlier. Wait a minute. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of getting up earlier?

Lessons from a dead squirrel

Yes, you read the title correctly. I was driving to my brothers house the other day minding my own business which was paying attention to where I was going on the road. My intention was to stay between the lines. When I came upon this squirrel who was a bit flittery, tail twitching. He was all the way across the road heading to my left. He was safe, out of harms way. But I could tell he was nervous, indecisive. His instincts were telling him it was safer to flee back the way he came, which meant he had to cross the road again, in front of me. It happened so fast, yet I knew he was going to try to make it. But the thump, thump I felt underneath my car and the last view I had of him or her was of a tumbling squirrel told me he made it back across the road, but not alive, at least not for long. That squirrel was operating on instinct only. If he had reason and logic to work with maybe he would have realized that where he was at he was safe and would have remained there. But alas, God didn't give him anything more than instinct. While instinct does keep animals alive longer, it doesn't always. Might I add, neither does reason. People often have good reasons to do stupid things, like ride a skateboard down a railing and wonder why the pavement is so hard when they hit it with their forehead or ride a crotch-rocket popping a wheely with the front tire or standing on the seat rather than straddling it. The Lord knows, and so do those who know me, I have done many a stupid thing. But I had good reason.
That squirrel reminds me of people, including myself who live for the moment, who don't plan and think through wha tthey are doing. So they react to lifes pressures rather than respond to them. They act on instinct rather than reason. So here are the lessons I want to point out:
1. Don't always count on your instinct to get you safely through. As with the squirrel it can sometimes steer you wrong. Don't try to fly an airplane through a cloud on instinct. Use the compass and instrument panel. In our case, let God guide you with the scriptures. Life can be foggy at times, instinct will get you into trouble, but depending on and obeying the scriptures will see you through.
2. If you have to go back the way you came, look both ways before you cross. In other words, have good reason and think it through.
3. If you have to cross the road in the first place keep on going and don't look back. Indecision is worse than no decision. Among horse trainers, the thinking is that a horse with sticky feet, that is, those who don't want to move their feet, are the ones who will explode. If you keep their feet moving then you can work through the issues bothering them. But they have to have that forward movement. It is so among us humans too. Indecision is like having sticky feet, but if you decide and move on you can at least be moving and make the changes if your decision wasn't the best one.
4. Some things are outside your control. I could not stop that squirrel from dashing under my car anymore than I could stop the sun from rising. It was in the cards, so to speak. Although that is a simplified way of saying that God divinely appointed it. After all, Jesus reminds us that not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without Him knowing it. Are you not more important to God than a sparrow? (Matthew 10:29,30). But that was digression. My point is that you simply have to go on and deal with what you cannot control and not worry about it. So my life intersected with a squirrel that day. His ended and mine goes on. Yes, I was sad. I hate to have that happen. But I can't brood about it. Learn the lessons and move on. No sense in crying over spilt milk, clean it up and move.
There are probably more lessons to learn from that experience but that will be for another blog, maybe.
Until then,
Stay between the ears!
Pastor Jeff
matt. 6:33

no pain, no gain

Well, Here I sit in pain and itching to get moving and can't. I hurt my back putting my saddle in my truck on Saturday morning to go to my horsemanship class. I went anyway. By the time I arrived in Cannonsburg, I was really stiff. I did ride all day, probably shouldn't have, but I am one of those who has to get done what needs doing. Anyway, I tried everything to releive the pain and immobility. I made it through church on Sunday, tried not to let on that I was in pain. Monday I went to the chiro and got an adjustment, very painful I might add. Came home and tried to relax, to no avail. My back felt so stiff I could barely bend over to tie my shoes, or put my boots on. Tuesday was a little better so I tried to do more, I even rode Raven for a bit. but I don't think that helped. Did I mention I am in pain? I went to the chiro again this morning and got an adjustment again. I hate the long ride home because sitting for almost a 1/2 hour doesn't help. I went to turn into the gas station and hit a bump, it felt like someone just slammed my lower back into the ground like when you go to sit down and some pulls your seat out from under you. Needless to say I got home and put ice on my back. I just took it off and decided to write this. I am not asking you to join my pity party, but are there not times in your life when you find something impeding your progress or process. Some glitch in the system or a speed bump that is slowing you down a tad? I think that the Lord has me slowing down for a reason. I want to get going on Raven today, because I am learning so much about riding a horse that I am thirsting to put my new understanding to practice. However, I don't think that would be the wisest thing right now for my back. The slow way is often the best way to recovery. One of the things I am doing is more steadily, purposefully putting my mind on the Scripture, in particular Psalm 119 in an attempt to commit it section by section to memory (getting ready for Sunday services) as well as meditating on Phil. 4:8-9 getting ready for tonite's prayer meeting. Both passages are full of truth for me right now.
right now I have to live with the pain. Hopefully, it will be gone soon and I will be 'back in the saddle' again, for real. But for now I have to realize 'no pain, no gain' is the reality for me at this moment. You chew on that last one for a moment to be ready for the next bout with pain you have and see if it isn't true.
jeff
Ps. 119:5, 67

Is your life like riding a bucking horse?

Wow, I was looking at the date of my last blog, June 28th. Sorry its been son long. I have gotten a few people who reminded me they were reading my blog and checking it regularly for something new. I will try to get better at writing at least once a week.
I sent home a colt last week who was pretty good. I was pleased with him until I had the owner come to pick him up and then began to demonstrate what 'Sonny' new now that he had been under my tutelage for a month. Everything went smoothly, he did everthing I asked for from the ground on the lunge line, lateral and vertical softness, backing, standing to be saddled and have his feet picked out. I even sidepassed him on the rail a few times. His owner was impressed. The smooth sailing continued as I mounted from the off side and bent him to softness laterally, vertically and asked him to back on two reins. We moved out at a walk and then bent him to a stop, 1 rein, and then a disengagement, to show her the breaks worked really good on this colt. We even did it all from a trot. I asked for a few steps in sidepassing both directions. Then I asked him to canter. That is when it happened. He bucked, just a little, to let me know that He didn't like being asked to move faster. So I bent him to a slow trot on a circle then asked him to stretch out and canter again, then he bucked pretty good. Now this was rather embarrassing as I don't imagine a horse owner who has paid good money to have their horse trained really wants to take their 'bucking' horse home yet. However, I had this problem solved. He had done the same thing to me before, so I put an extra pad on his withers above the scapula, but that didn't work initially until I had also trimmed his toes on his rear feet. Most of us don't like to step on our toes consistently or to be stepped on so we take steps to avoid it. He was clipping his front heel with his hind foot, so taking off some toe solved that problem. The combination of extra pad, and shortened toe made asking for a canter no problemo. However, the day the owner came I stupidly decided I didn't need the extra pad under saddle. Then came the bucking and the red face. I quickly put the extra pad on and cantered away with no problem. This just goes to show you pride goes before a fall/or buck. It reminds me that taking care of the little irritants of life makes the rest of the day go lots better. What I mean is, take care of the little things, wash your underwear and socks, take a shower, eat a good breakfast, go to work, be kind to everyone, smile, change the oil in your car regularly, check the air pressure in your tires, kiss your spouse, maybe your dog and kids, go through your junk mail (you might have a hidden rebate check in one) take out the trash, do the dishes in the sink so you will have a bowl and spoon for your next meal, read your Bible and pray daily, thank God for your life and more. Take care of the little things and life won't buck you so often.
This is Jeff saying 'Starting with a good beginning doesn't guarantee a good ending but it sure helps!'
Matt. 6:33
By the way, the owner was happy with her newly trained horse. But is the horse happy with her?

new accesory

I just added a new component to this blog. Now when I reference a Bible verse like Romans 8:28 you can click on it and it will go to that verse in the gateway online Bible. Pretty cool! Just a note of news. Stormy, the horse I was training left yesterday. We had a great ride, he even gave his owner Mike a bath in a pond we were wading in. He decided, after a long hot ride that it might be good to get cooled off by laying down and before Mike knew it he as laying in the water. When Stormy tried to stand up, he lost his balance and laid on his side giving Mike a nice dip in the tepid water. All in all it was a good ride and Stormy will be a good posse horse for the sheriffs dept. for him. Anyway I have another horse coming this week to train so pray that I will be wise and better able to communicate with her. That's right, bringing a girl to stir the mix with Jake and Raven this time.
Keep looking for new things to add zest to your life.
Jeff

Irritations

Well it has been a while. I haven't up to my intention to blog once a week. I am just wrapping up finishing a colt I have been working with since May 11. He is doing pretty good, kinda lazy, but over all I think he will be a good ride for the owner. He responds to all the commands, he even does leg yields. Most all the goals I had for him are being met, not perfectly, but he can do them. I had him out yesterday in the rain and he walked trotted and cantered whenever I asked him. He doesn't do that well in the round pen. Sometimes you just have to get out and see how the stuff works in the real world outside our little zone. It worked for him and even better. O there were a few glitches, times when he didn't want to move forward in the direction I wanted, but a little irritation with the riding crop on the hindquarters and he decided to move for me. Sometimes that is what we are like isn't it. God wants us to move forward, but we see it as too much work or we just want to go back to our zone and relax. Since He doesn't get the response He wants from us, he provides us with a little irritation on the hind end. You know, a person in your life that doesn't do what you want, or financial set back, or a disappointment, those kind of things that aren't the end of the world, but like an itch that won't go away, they get our attention and compel us to find the answer. When we find it the itch/irritant goes away. God releases the pressure. If only we/I could learn as fast as the horse. So what's pressing you today? Work got you reeling head over heels, or worry about money, or another persons unwillingness to listen to your wisdom? Maybe it is not about the work, money or the person but about God getting your attention to move in forward progress toward Him? HMM! Something to think about. Pay attention to when the pressure is released, maybe you've touched on the right answer.
Just a little irritation goes along way.
Jeff

Hectic

WOW! That is all I can say about the last weeks. It has been a fast ride through the days. I think all of us could use a little settling down. Just to back off our routine for a time to readjust. I have been so busy with church related stuff and horse training that it feels like I am in a whirlwind. But sometimes you need to just get off, take a deep breath and relax. I learned this while first beginning to work with Stormy, the latest horse in my training. He has taught me there are times when you just have to switch things up and stop for a minute and catch your breath or breath. When mounting for the first time, and dozens of times after that my heart beats fast, and kind of just have to get in the right frame of mind and decide to swing all the way on. Then get back off and walk it off and go back at it. That is the way it is spiritually too. Things happen, people get sick, schedules get thrown to the wind, emotions get frazzled. It is at those times when you need to get off the 'horse' and shake it off. I think it was Martin Luther who said, "I have so much to do today that I must spend 3 hours in prayer or I will not get it all done." What a statement about hecticness in our lives. But most of us think 'if I don't have time to get all the things done I need to today, how am I going to have time to spend 3 hours in prayer?' Now don't misunderstand, I'm not there yet either. I think I probably spend 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour in prayer at one time,usually in the morning and read Scripture on top of that. But one thing I have noticed is this. When I take the time to spend it with God each day, He has a way of making my day stretch far enough to get all the important things done that I need to. I usually use a list, much to my wife's humorousness. Using a list helps me stay focused and It is pleasing to be able to check things off the list each day. I use a list with my training too. That way I don't skip things that need done.
So, the next time you find yourself in a frazzled state of mind, consciously get off the 'horse', take a walk in the woods or down your favorite road, or just sit on the back porch and pray. Take the time to talk with the Lord and listen to Him. Read a portion of scripture and chew on it a while until you really find out what God is saying in that passage. Then get back on, refreshed and more confident.
God Bless