Sunflower Seeds and Sunsets

One of the fun things we've unfortunately trained Morgunn and Sugar to expect is that they can have a treat whenever we go out to refill the sunflower seed feeders in our courtyard. When we do this in the evening after they have finished their dinner, they come running to the courtyard wall with these expectant, plaintive looks on their horsey faces -- feed me, feed me.

I give Morgunn a couple of hands full of sunflower seeds...

... and Betty does the same for Sugar.

Probably not a good thing to encourage, but it's fun when we do it and they sure seem to enjoy it.

Finally, we had a beautiful sunset a couple of days ago.

Happy Anniversary - 42 Years!

After 6 years of going together through our last two years in high school and all through college, on July 1, 1967, we were married at St. Bartholomews Episcopal Church in Brentwood, Tennessee.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, after the ceremony we had our reception down stairs in the parish hall with a wedding cake, peanuts and mints - which was traditional for that time.

After the reception we hopped into my VW Beetle and drove to Atlanta, Georgia for our wedding night. The next day we drove down to Jekyll Island, Georgia for a really great honeymoon on the beach - well actually we stayed in a motel, but you know what I mean.

If you had told us then what we would be doing and where we would be living 42 years later, we would have laughed you off the stage.

Now we have a nice home in Corrales, NM, two great sons and daughters-in-law, two great grandchildren, two great horses, and a great church where we volunteer - plus many wonderful friends.

It's off to the Range Cafe in Bernallilo for dinner tonight to celebrate our 42 years together.

Meeting Yallah

We're fortunate to have new friends who we met through our mutual interests in blogging. Lisa, who does Laughing Orca Ranch and Val who does Fantastyk Voyage.

Val is an experienced horsewoman who bred her mare, Annie and was recently blessed with the birth of this little Arabian bundle of energy who Val named Yallah which means "Let's go!" in Arabic. It's an appropriate name. She plans to raise Yallah for her own horse.

Betty and I visited with Val and Lisa this past Saturday afternoon. It's always good to connect with them, but our main motivation was to meet Yallah in person.

Here's a pictorial report of our visit starting with a picture of our friend, Val standing next to the good mother, Annie.

Yallah with her mum, Annie.

Yallah has learned that people are fun to be around. Her teeth are coming in and she explores with her mouth. She also likes to be scratched in many different places.

She loves to follow Annie around the pasture.

Yallah also likes to run around all by herself. It's amazing how much energy is in that little body.

And, she loves to make sliding stops. Maybe she's going to be a cutting horse when she grows up.

Our friend, Lisa (and Val's neighbor) came after we had been there for a little while.

She and Yallah are already good friends and it's obvious they like each other.

Yallah evidently also likes the idea of eating Lisa's hat.

Then it was time to spend a little more time with Mom, but this time with an ulterior motive.

Hey, Mom, do you think I could have a little snack?

Yep, I guess so.

After all that exercise and a good snack, then it's time for a nap - and she just crashed.

I took advantage to give Yallah a rub down while she was sleeping. It's a good thing for her to learn to trust us humans and our hands.

Betty did the same, but found that Annie was supervising. Actually, Annie was fine and probably just connected with another mother.

All in all, it was a great visit and it was a pleasure to meet such a beautiful little filly. Well done, Annie.

Monday Video - The Army Kite

(Before we get to the Monday Video, we want to wish a belated Happy Birthday to Morgunn. He turned 10 yesterday, Sunday, June 28. Happy Birthday big boy!)

There are not many things that man creates that I think are really beautiful. I have seen several paintings (mostly Western artists) that I think are beautiful. I have seen a very few pieces of jewelry that are truly beautiful. I have seen some American Indian flutes that are works of art.

However, today's Monday Video is a work of art created by Army paratroopers. I don't know whether it is sunrise or sunset when this was done, but I think it is beautiful and an incredible example of teamwork.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflections - Islam

The angel of the Lord also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Genesis 16:11-12)

There has been a lot of news recently about the protests in Iran and the violent put down led by the Islamic leadership, the mullahs. It got me to thinking about Islam in today's world.

Often we hear people say that Christians, Jews and Muslims all are children of Abraham and worship the same God.

The source document for Christians is the Bible. We share the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) with the Jews. They call these books the Torah. We also share in a similar way the other books of what we call the Old Testament.

There is no question Christianity has it's source from the Jews. Jesus was a Jew and believed all that the scriptures said which, in his time on earth, was the Old Testament.

The main difference I see between Christians and orthodox Jews is we believe Jesus is the Messiah and the orthodox Jews do not. They don't accept Jesus as the Christ both as individuals and as a culture. However, I have never seen any evidence of any Jew saying that he/she had received a revelation from God that proves Jesus is just a man and was lying or crazy when he said what he said about himself and God.

I have no problems saying Christians and Jews worship the same God in heaven but we disagree on whether Jesus is the Messiah. Many Jews have come to that conclusion and they are still Jews. They worship in the traditional ways as their ancestors, but they believe in Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah.

However, it's different when it comes to Islam and Christianity.

Several years ago I did a presentation at our church in Ohio comparing what the Bible said about Christianity to what the Qur'an said about Islam. To prepare for that presentation I read through the Qur'an from cover to cover. It was a challenging read. I don't pretend to be an expert on Islam, but here are some of my perceptions from what I read.

Most of the Qur'an's writings are revelations supposedly from the Angel Gabriel to Mohammed. There are several stories in the Qur'an that come from the Bible (e.g., Adam, Noah, Daniel, Moses, etc.

Mohammed received his revelations over a period in the 7th century. Early in his life he tried to win converts to his new religion with little success. So for the rest of his life he spread Islam through military conquest. After his death Islam continued to spread through conquest until the 1600's. Besides the Middle East, Islam had conquered significant portions of Europe and large portions of Northern Africa.

One of the major differences between the Bible and the Qur'an is Jesus. As a Christian I acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and that God is 'one in three' - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Islam sees Jesus as just one more prophet in a line of prophets (e.g., Adam, Abraham, Moses, etc.) that culminated in the prophet Mohammed. According to Islamic belief, the same revelation that was given to Mohammed was given to the earlier prophets, including Jesus, but it was corrupted by man. However, the revelation is final and complete in the revelation given to Mohammed.

They also deny Jesus's death on the cross and his resurrection. This is a critical, basic tenet of the Christian faith.

This is different from the Jews who have not accepted Christ as the Messiah. That's an individual and cultural belief. It is not written into their doctrines. Islam has made this a doctrine. Their belief that Jesus is not God is supposedly a revelation from Allah and it would be heresy (punishable by death in some countries) to believe otherwise.

After Mohammed died a collection of his sayings was compiled over the years into the Haddith and a lot of Islamic behaviors come from the Haddith - ceremonial washing, daily prayers, etc., - and a lot of these rules are combined into Islamic law called Shari'a. It is this law that requires women to hide their appearances by wearing burqas.

The word Islam literally means surrender or submission. For a non-Muslim, the Qur'an lays out three options: (1) convert to Islam, (2) live in dhimmitude, or (3) die. Dhimmitude is a subservient, second-class life under Shari'a law and requires a tax be paid.

Many people call Islam a religion of peace. From my reading, this is true - if you're a Muslim. However, non-Muslims, infidels, are to be conquered for conversion, dhimmitude, or death. Not much peace there.

The reason I'm speaking out about this today is I believe Islam is again on a campaign of conquest. It may be extremists of their faith who are pushing this, but I also see a lot of support in what is often called the 'main street.' After 9/11 there was much rejoicing in the street in most if not all Islamic cities.

This conquest is being attempted in different ways, including taking over a culture through assimilation. Shari'a law is now accepted in several European cultures. Islam's culture is never meant to be assimilated into the host culture, but the other way around - the host culture is to assimilate into Islamic culture.

To this day, the West, especially the US, is still called 'The Great Satan.' This is ironic to me as so many American lives have been lost helping Muslims - in Somalia, in Kosovo, and in Kuwait.

Supposedly Allah told Mohammed through Gabriel that Jesus is just a man. He is just another prophet whose words have been corrupted by infidels. If Allah also supposedly revealted the 'truth' that Jesus did not die on the cross, nor rose from the grave, then I cannot reconcile that god, Allah, with the God of the Bible whom I try my best to serve.

As I said before, I don't pretend to know everything about Judaism or Islam. The fact is, I know very little, but I'm still learning and I'm open to correction.

At the end of the day, I believe Islam is a false faith based on a false god. Allah is not the same God that Christians and Jews worship. Jesus is not just a prophet, he is the Son of God, who died on the cross for my sins.

Saturday Voice - Whatever Happened to Honor?

As most of you know, I was born at the end of World War II. My formative years were the last half of the 1940's and most of the 1950's. My parents and grandparents had endured both the Great Depression and World War II and both events affected them in ways that we can't comprehend today with our relatively easier lives.

I made plenty of mistakes as a young man, but one lesson I learned from my father and grandfather is a man honors his word. If a man says he going to do something and shakes on it, you can consider it done. Only a snake in the grass type of man would consider going back on his word and he was always considered to be beneath contempt.

When I was a kid, I was a Scout (and a Scoutmaster for 8 years as an adult) and our oath always started with, "On my honor I will..."

One of the most important promises any man makes is when he faces his wife-to-be and promises to be faithful to her "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, until death do we part."

I made that promise to Betty on Saturday, July 1, 1967 and, after my decision to accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I consider it the most sacred and important promise I have ever made or will make. I love Betty very much, but it is also a matter of honor for me as a man to keep that promise.

The meaning of honor is personal integrity: strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethical principles. It also has a meaning of reputation: someone's good name or good reputation.

It seems that honor is greatly lacking in our culture today, especially among people in the public arena. I'm not surprised when a singer or movie star dishonors their word and their spouse and renege on the sacred promises they made. It's more disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising, when a leader in our country does the same thing.

The most recent example is the Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford who has admitted to an adulterous affair with a woman in Argentina - breaking his word to his wife, the mother of his four children.

Unfortunately, he's the most recent in a long line. From what little research I did, it seems the first prominent politician to dishonor his word was President Franklin Roosevelt. His successor, Harry Truman, was such an honorable man he was ready to fight a reporter who insulted his daughter (way to go, Harry). President Eisenhower was rumored to have had at least an emotional relationship with his assistant during World War II, but it was never conclusively proven.

The first known for sure dishonorable president was John F. Kennedy. He was known for his romantic relationships, even while president. Nothing was ever said about either Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon.

George Bush, Sr., has always seemed to be an honorable man in his marriage. However, he paid a price politically when he promised in his first run for president, "Read my lips. No new taxes." He gave in to political pressure and paid a price in the next election for going against his word.

Bill Clinton is the poster boy for dishonoring his wedding vows. There are so many stories - many proven and many only rumored - that he is almost a caricature. His supporters tried to cover him by saying, "It's only sex," as if everyone does it. No - we don't!

George Bush Jr., also seems to have honored his word to his wife and been faithful to her. We know he has a strong Christian faith and that has probably carried him throughout the years to be faithful to her.

Recent poor examples have been New York Attorney General Spitzer, Senator John Edwards who cheated on his wife who has cancer, Senator John Ensign, and now Governor Sanford. I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm missing. All of these men who have dishonored their wedding vows also made promises to uphold the Constitution of our country or of their State. How can a man be believed in those promises when the takes his marriage promises so lightly?

I just learned this morning that Mark Sanford actually asked his wife, after she learned of his affair, if it was OK for him to go to Argentina to be with his mistress. Of course she said NO! Good for her.

This is not a political issue for me. I don't care if they are Republican, Democrat or Independent.

A man's word matters. Keeping our promises to our wives is a matter of honor.

I pray we can somehow revive this sense of honor in our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters. Our country and our souls depend on how successful we are in this revival.

My Saturday voice.

Friday Ride and Rodeo

We had a good ride this morning. I fed the horses at 5:30 AM so we could go out at 7:30 AM to tack them up and get in a ride before the heat set in.

We rode down into the arroyo South of us. It was pretty soft from the rains last night so we came back up a hill to the sage area which was a little firmer.

Both horses did well.

Tonight we're going to the Rodeo de Santa Fe. It's a fairly good, PRCA-sanctioned rodeo and I go every year. Betty goes with me every other year.

It's a lot of fun and we get to eat junk food.

Have a great weekend.

PS: If you haven't seen it, check out www.krqe.com on Saturday or later to see their news report on Galloping Grace Youth Ranch. It was well done and Deanna Saucido was a very nice, down-to-earth person. If you have trouble finding it there, check out the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch blog to see if Michelle is able to post it.