Sunday Reflection - Encouragement

Hebrews 10:25 -- Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Over the years I have taken several spiritual gifts tests. One of the my gifts that always shows up in those tests is the gift of encouragement.

The Hebrew word for encourage in the Old Testament is 'amats' which means 'to be alert, physically or mentally.' The Greek word in the New Testament is 'parakaleo' which means 'to call near, to invite.'

The Webster definition for encourage is 'to inspire with courage, spirit or hope,' 'to spur on.'

When Betty and I meet with someone for pastoral counseling, encouragement is one of the things we try to do. No matter what the person is dealilng with, they usually need courage, spirit, hope and the ability to face their difficulties.

For a Christian, encouragement takes the form of 'being alert' to God's presence in the midst of their struggle. As fellow Christians, Betty and I encourage them to 'invite' the Holy Spirit to move in their lives and to give them the courage and the hope to struggle on.

Even with the gift of encouragement, I need encouragement in my own life from those who are close to me, especially Betty.

We strongly believe that we're all called to encourage one another.

 

A Busy and Good Friday

Yesterday was a busy and good day.

It started with the guys from Rader Awning, Jose and Reyes, coming out to install our new sun sail for the horses. They had set the poles in concrete the day before. It provides far more shade than our old, tarp cover and it has a 10-year warranty. It is supposed to handle our winds very effectively.

If you don't know what a sun sail is, check out this video:

 

After they left, we gave Morgunn a full body clip. This is necessary because as an Icelandic Horse he genetically has a much thicker coat than most other breeds. Since it is getting up to 80 and above most days now, this will make him feel a lot cooler.

Here's Betty clipping away:

 

Here's Morgunn with his new 'do':

 

Finally, after lunch we loaded Sugar and Morgunn into the trailer and took them to our vet where they got their Spring shots and got their teeth 'floated.' Horses teeth can develop little spurs on the side, especially on the back molars. The vet files these spurs off to make sure they don't cause any problems.

We didn't get any pictures or video of that process.

We finished up the day sitting in our lounge chairs with a glass of Reisling wine and watched the quail eat the seeds in our courtyard. A good day.

 

Friday Funny - One Wheeled Car

Back in the 1930s there was an invention of a one-wheeled car. Maybe not such a bad idea?

Enjoy.

 

 

Tummy Cooling Time

Now that some of our trees and our neighbor's trees are big enough, we have a gray squirrel occasionally visiting our courtyard. With our warmer days, he seems to enjoy the coolness of the shade and how it can cool off his tummy.

 

First Bath

We rode Sugar and Morgunn in the back today and they did pretty well. It's another warm day so we gave them their first bath of the season. The sound you hear in the back ground is the cutting of flagstone. Our neighbors are having a flagstone patio put in by the same people who did our patio.

 

Friday morning we're planning to give Morgunn a full body clip.

 

Once There Were Two, Now There Are Three

We have a yucca in our front courtyard that has done very well. We bought it about seven years ago when our century plant/agave bloomed and died.

When our yucca was a young yucca it had only two arms. It has done very well and grown to about twice it's original size.

It has also grown a third arm.

You can tell there are three arms now because you can see three blooms coming out

It will be fun to watch the blooms mature.

Sunday Reflection - Patience

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient...

 

One of the many things Betty and I have learned from working with our horses Sugar and Morgunn is patience. We learned that impatience, the lack of patience, always produces poor results. If we want them to learn something and to grow as riding horses, it requires consistent patience on our part.

 

1st Corinthians 13 is often called the love chapter. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, goes to great lengths to describe love in terms of behavior, actions and attitudes.

 

I believe that order in the Bible is not coincidental. God is a God of order and the order of things in scripture has a meaning, an importance. The very first descriptor for love in this chapter is that love is patient. Isn't that interesting.

 

We're also told that love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 

An impressive list of descriptors. Yet, it seems that God may be saying that for us to experience love like this, to love like this, we must first be patient. Without patience, the other descriptors are more difficult to achieve and, in some cases, may be impossible.

 

Betty loves me in all the ways described in 1st Corinthians 13, but she is first and foremost patient with me. Like Sugar and Morgunn, her patience helps me to learn and grow.

 

Lord, help me to have patience -- and I want it right now. :)

 

Pat Summitt - One of My Heroes

I usually don't do recognitions of public figures in this blog, but this time I will make an exception.

After a 38 year career, Pat Summitt stepped down this week as head coach of the Tennessee Vols women's basketball team. The reason is that she is facing the battle of dealing with early-onset dementia or Alzheimers.

She publicly announced the diagnosis a little over eight months ago just as the season was getting underway. As with most things in her life, she has handled this with dignity, humility, courage and grace.

Over her 38 years as head coach at Tennessee her record includes:

- Her first win was January 10, 1975 in her second game as head coach at the age of 21.

- A 1,098 - 208 win/loss record -- the only college coach, man or woman, to ever have more than 1,000 wins.

- Eight national championship titles; 16 Southeastern Conference titles

- In 1984 she led the US Olympic team to a gold medal.

- During her time, the Tennessee teams never failed to play in the NCAA tournament; never received a seeding lower than number 5; reached the final four 18 times.

- In all 38 years, there has never been a hint of impropriety in her program.

- Most important, almost everyone of her players have graduated.

Some say John Wooden of UCLA was the greatest men's coach and I would not argue with that. Pat's record exceeds his. You can certainly make a case she is the greatest basketball coach of all time.

She has been an inspiration to thousands of young women, changing their lives for the better - all the time stepping back and letting her teams have the glory.

Pat, I wish you God's blessings on this next challenge in your life. You have been an inspiration to me.

 

Friends

This has been a quiet week for us, so I just wanted to share a really cute photo I came across:

 

Wednesday Odds and Ends

Nothing special today so here's a couple of things to share:

First, we had a hay delivery late in the afternoon this past Sunday. This is Morgunn and Sugar's favorite thing because a lot of loose hay gets on the ground from the bales that are thrown off the truck. So, they got to munch away for several hours with all the loose hay.

 

Then, when we went inside late Sunday afternoon, I noticed an anvil-shaped cloud over the mountain and I was curious what it would change into. Watch as the mountain seems to suck the cloud down.

 

Finally, we rode Sugar and Morgunn in the back today, Wednesday, and they both did very well. After every ride, Morgunn loves to roll in the gravel while Sugar stands and waits for her hay treat.

 

Just A Little Off The Top, Please

Our next door neighbors, TJ and Ricky, are the ones who have the Angora goats, Frankie and Pickles.

Monday morning, they had a professional shearer come in and do a complete shearing. Here's a picture of Frankie before he was sheared...

and Pickles after he was sheared...

Here's a short movie of the process.

 

 

 

Monday Video - Where's Our Mountain?

If you live in New Mexico, you know we had another significant wind storm this past Saturday. When it gets that strong it can raise some pretty thick sand storms that can obscure our view of the Sandia Mountains.

Here's a short video from this past Saturday.

 

Sunday Reflection - Lesson Learned

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)

100 years ago at 2:30 AM, April 15, 1912 the steamship Titanic sank in the North Atlantic ocean. The builders and owners of the ship said that it was unsinkable - not even God could sink the Titanic.

When they approached the ice fields, with reports of icebergs from other ships, the ship's owners pressured the captain to maintain his speed so they would arrive in New York on time. The prudent decision would have been to slow down and even stop until daylight.

Because of this hubris, 1,500 people lost their lives. In the midst of this tragedy there were many told and untold acts of sacrifice and heroism.

We remember the Titanic and the lesson learned - there is nothing that man can make that is infallible or indestructible. God is God - and we're not.

We remember the Titanic and honor those who sacrificed their lives that others might live.

Let's Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer!

OK, a terrible title that just shows how old I am, but you can't beat Chubby Checker.

This is actually about some new stirrups that Betty and I are using on our saddles. Several months ago, we needed to make some adjustments to Betty's saddle - specifically to trim the fenders to allow for her shorter legs.

We got a recommendation from our friend at Dan's Boots and Saddles - Larry McKown in Belen, New Mexico which is about 30 minutes South of Albuquerque. Larry is a saddle maker and does some great work on saddle and tack. We took Betty's saddle down and Larry did a super job trimming the saddle fenders. They look just like they came from the manufacturer.

While we were there, Larry told us about some stirrups that he makes that are designed to (1) make it easier to get your feet in the stirrups, (2) release the stress on your knees while you ride, and (3) be safer in the event of a fall from your horse - your feet are less likely to get caught in these stirrups.

We first got a pair for Betty and she liked them. I tried them on my saddle and liked them as well so the last time we were down there I bought a pair.

The key is the twist that Larry puts into the steel of the stirrups. After forming the metal parts, he covers the steel in rawhide and puts a leather pad on the foot part.

Here are some pictures:

They really work for us. It's easier to mount and get our feet into the stirrups, we have less stress on our legs and knees when we ride, and we feel very secure.

He supplies his stirrups to a riding outfit in San Acacia, NM and our blogging friend Lisa has ridden their horses with Larry's stirrups and confirms her legs feel better while she rides.

Right now getting the stirrups directly from Larry is the only way to get them.

Come on, let's twist now!

 

Friday Funny - Crazy Horst Airlines

Today is Friday the 13th! So what.

Here's a video of a German man who really knows how to fly and catch his radio controlled airplane. It gives some beautiful shots of Germany. The last half is a lot of very different places where he catches his plane -- and a few not so graceful catches.

Enjoy.

 

 

Sweaty Work

Like most places, we're having a warm Spring. This morning we worked the horses in the back. This past Monday, we rode Sugar and Morgunn over toward the arroyo that is South of our place. During the first half of the ride they did OK, but as the ride went on they both got a little squirrelly. I attribute this to how inconsistent we've been in working with them for several reasons - friends visiting, weather, me being sick, etc.

The weather is better, I'm feeling good and we have the time. So, we concentrated on doing a lot of ground work with them this morning and then we rode them.

We did the usual exercises using barrels, cones and our wooden bridge. Finally, we decided they needed to just work to work up a little sweat. So, we rode them around our lot at a pretty fast gait. They both are out of shape so this was good exercise to stretch out and use their muscles.

At first, Sugar was pretty resistant and stiff when I kept asking her to keep up the pace. However, as she continued to go at my request I could feel her beginning to stretch out and relax a little.

We have a lot of work still to do, but it was a good start and one we plan on continuing.

Eagles Nest Youth Ranch

One of the great joys in life is to share the blessings that God has given you. Betty and I had that opportunity today, Tuesday.

We were asked by Max and Michelle Wade, Galloping Grace Youth ranch founders, to meet at lunch with Toni and Kim from Eagles Nest Youth Ranch in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. They're a ranch that works with at-risk kids and were wanting to learn from the success of GGYR, especially in fund-raising.

It was a joy to share our time and learnings with them and to do what we could to help them out.

Monday Video - Beautiful and Creative

Today's Monday Video is actually a commercial, but it is so beautiful and so creative I wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy.

 

The World Upside Down - Jesus is Risen!

 

Mary Magdelene woke early on the first day of the week. She had hardly slept since Jesus died on the cross. Her eyes were still red from the tears which still came all too quickly at the memory of his broken body.

This morning was the earliest time that she and the other women could go to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with spices and oils. He was buried so quickly on the eve of the Sabbath that there had been no time to properly care for his body.

It was still dark as she hurried down the rocky path to the tomb with her box of spices and oils. She had no idea how she would get into the tomb. She could only hope that the Temple guards would have mercy on her and roll the stone away so she could enter where his body was lain.

She trembled with both anticipation and dread at the thought of seeing his body again.

When she came to the tomb she was astonished to see the stone was gone and the guards were nowhere to be seen. Had the other women beat her to the tomb? As she kneeled before the tomb she saw it was empty. Jesus' body was gone.

Then she felt the presence of someone standing behind her. She assumed it was the gardener who took care of the tomb grounds. She asked him if he knew where Jesus' body was - did someone take it?

Then the man said her name, "Mary."

At that moment she knew it was Jesus and wanted to embrace his feet, but he wouldn't let her.

There are so many other things about Jesus' resurrection that could be pondered, but this little moment has always been important to me.

When Jesus was born, his birth announcement was not given to kings or the important people. Angels announced his birth first to shepherds, the lowliest of the low.

Now his resurrection is first revealed to a woman - a second class citizen far below the men of her day in class or consideration.

I don't think this announcement to a woman was coincidental or a nice accident of history. I believe it was an intentional honor that God has given to all women.

The world has truly been turned upside down and will never be the same again.

The resurrection of Jesus is what brought me to a place of accepting him as my Lord and Savior. I was faced with choosing to believe the resurrection was real or to reject it. I chose to believe and my life has been turned upside down. I will never be the same.

Jesus is risen! Alleluia! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

The World Upside Down - Day 3

The human Jesus is dead.

Joseph of Arimethea asks Pilate for Jesus' body. It is taken from the cross, wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a tomb that is hewn into a rock. A large stone is rolled to cover the opening.

Temple guards are placed at the tomb to ensure the body is not stolen.

Death. The world is shaken. Human perception, including that of the disciples, is that it is all over. The dream is dead.

Nothing happens for a full day as the Hebrews observe the Sabbath.

But heaven and creation waits. The church has historically called it the Easter Vigil.

It is still dark, but the light is coming.

 

The World Upside Down - Day 2

The night was cool and fragrant breezes blew through the early blooming trees in the garden.

Jesus has entered the garden where he agonizes over his coming death - the cup he must drink.

Luke 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Then the night burst into a maelstrom of confusion, noise and angry voices. Jesus is betrayed by Judas.

All the disciples flee for their lives.

Over the next several hours, Jesus is falsely accused by the Sanhedrin. Men who supposedly represent God, bring lie after lie and even strike the Son of God. In the middle of the night, Pilate is roused from his evening's rest and is forced to confront Jesus. He makes a strange bargain with the crowd who is also up in the middle of the night - Barrabas is released and Jesus is condemned. Only days after he was hailed as the Messiah, Jesus is scorned.

With the smell of sweat, leather and blood in his nostrils, Jesus is beaten and whipped by Roman soldiers. A crown of thorns is thrust upon his brow. Behold, the King of the Jews.

The smell of hewn wood rests upon him as he carries the heavy cross of his glory through crowds who are up early in the morning. Shouts and cries of the crowd press upon his ears and almost drown out the desperate beating of his heart and the gasping of his breath. All of his human body aches beyond comprehension.

At Golgotha (Place of the Skull), Jesus is stripped naked and laid upon the cross. His death is meant to be both shameful and painful.

He stares past the sweating faces of the Roman soldiers to the sky above. Nails are driven into his feet and hands. Rough hands rudely raise the cross and drop it into a hole dug deep into the ground. Jesus' weight and the jarring of the dropping cross bring the full pain of the nails to his hands and feet. He shares his death with two common criminals.

Over the next several hours Jesus hangs from the cross while the crowd jeers at him. The only faces of comfort are those of several women, including his mother who watches with the apostle John. Jesus releases his mother into John's care.

At the sixth hour darkness came over the land.

Finally, at the ninth hour, Jesus gives up his spirit with the words, "It is finished." Some how, all the sin of the world, including my sin, has been taken away by the Lamb.

What began 33 years earlier in a manger in Bethlehem comes to its ordained conclusion at a hill of shame and death in Jerusalem. What began at the creation of the earth comes to a conclusion at the cross and a new creation begins. The new Covenant is near.

But for now, the light is gone. Darkness has come.

 

The World Upside Down - Day 1

It's Holy Week and it's time for me to focus on what's really important - not plants, not horses, not even family. It's time for me to reflect on and share what Christ did for me as this week comes to a close.

Jesus has already made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem where he was acclaimed as the Messiah. It's amazing to me how much can change in just a matter of days.

I love the Bible and I love good movies like 'The Passion' that give a realistic look at what Christ went through. But the Bible and movies still can't give us the final feeling of 'being there.'

We miss out on the smells and the feel of being in the presence of great events.

On this day of the week, Jesus and his disciples met together in the Upper Room to celebrate Passover with the Seder dinner. The room was probably small with a low ceiling and few, if any windows. What light there was at the evening celebration would have been provided by a few, small oil lamps whose smoky glow was very limited.

There would be several smells that we would have noticed right away, but they accepted because it was part of their lives. These were men who walked every where they went and probably didn't bathe that often. We would have noticed a musky smell of sweat and dust. The oil lamps would put out a sweet, cloying smell of partially burning oil with a black smoke filling the room. Finally, we would have noticed the smell of cooked lamb shank and the herbs, fruits and mints of the Passover dinner.

The disciples were expecting the traditional Seder dinner they had experienced since they were young boys - the dinner they had probably celebrated with Jesus in the previous two years they had been together. But, Jesus gave them two surprises.

The first was he changed the traditional words of the bread and wine. When he broke the bread he said that it was his body. The breaking of the bread signified the death he was about to endure. Bread was sustenance to the Hebrews and he was about to give the bread of his life for our sustenance.

When he drank the wine he said it was his blood. To the Hebrews, blood was the essence of life. They were prohibited by Jewish law to drink blood or to eat flesh with blood still in it because the blood represented the life, the spirit of the animal. For Jesus to say that the wine was his blood and ask them to drink it was surprising to say the least. It represents the blood he was about to shed that would give us a new life in his Spirit.

The second surprising thing was when he washed the disciples' feet. By this time they suspected he was something special. Peter had called him the Son of God. They wouldn't realize who he really was until his resurrection and their receiving of the Holy Spirit. But, at this point he was at least the master rabbi in their eyes - someone of prestige, stature and respect.

For him to wash their feet, to take the job of a common servant, was breath-taking in their eyes. It was so disturbing to them that Peter indignantly refused at first. It would be like us going to the White House for a dinner with the president and having him serve us dinner instead of eating with us.

The world is about to be turned upside down in the next few days and Holy Thursday is a foreshadowing of that disruption as Jesus began to turn the disciples' world upside down.

God's blessings as you enter these blessed, disturbing days.

 

 

After Snow Show

Yesterday morning it snowed and didn't quit until after lunch. When it cleared out the air was crystal clear and cool. This was the after snow show we watched as the sun set.

 

 

 

Spring??

Today, Tuesday, is April 3 and it's supposed to be Spring here in Corrales, New Mexico. We had all our plants put in yesterday and it rained last night. The forecast for today was a high of 58 degrees with rain showers in the morning and ending by afternoon.

Here's what we actually got this morning:

As I post this at 10:30 AM it's still snowing steadily and the temperature is 37 degrees.

Monday Video - Banker Rescues Ducklings

If you think bankers don't have hearts, then you don't know this banker in Spokane, Washington. Watch how he rescues these ducklings from injury.

Since this is the start of Holy Week when we celebrate that Jesus has rescued us from sin and death, this video seemed appropriate.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

Bug

No Sunday reflection today. I've been dealing with a bug for the past week. It started like a head and chest cold. However, on Tuesday evening I had a 101.5 fever which is high for an adult. I can't remember the last time I had a high fever.

On Thursday I thought I was getting over it, but Friday and Saturday were relapse days. We had hoped to ride Sugar and Morgunn Saturday morning, but I just wasn't up to it.

The congestion is mostly in my chest now which restricts my breathing and energy. I still get tired very easily. However, life has to go on and there are things that I have needed to do which probably doesn't help.

I wish it were an April Fool joke, but it's not.

Maybe it's a good reminder that God asks us to give thanks in all circumstances -- even bugs.