"When the times get tough the tough get going." "If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade." "Just suck it up and go on." These are all quotes we all have heard one time or another. The problem is for people like me, I am not tough enough to keep going sometimes. I don't have any place for a lemonade stand and I never was very good at sucking it up and going on.
Some days peace flows like a river wherever we go. Lately I wrote a blog post about how peaceful it was at the end of feeding time here on the farm. The last post was "It is well with my soul." We need to cherish those times in our lives because there are times when trouble rears its ugly head. In the past eight days disturbing information came my way. The most recent was yesterday as I was working in the barn.
Yesterday was a busy day. We have a free standing horse stall and a few days ago my nephew, Mike, had used the tractor to move the stall to a different location in the barn made available when all the square bales of hay had been fed. The stall was moved close to the end of the barn. Enough room was left to hang a gate and create an additional stall. On the other side was also a place to create a stall with two gates. You have to understand the barn we use for horses is a modified area once used by those beautiful black and white high producing milk cows. It was the area they had for a feed bunk, (now removed) and for what is referred to as a loafing barn. The cow barn is being converted into a "horse haven." Would you believe "makeshift horse stalls." Hey, we just open all the gates and scrape the stalls clean with the tractor. Can you do that? It works for us and the horses seem to like it, too.
With the stall moved there was still some hay left and pallets that needed moving. My day was spent moving hay and pallets, sweeping and cleaning, and general maintenance of the barn. A gate was hung and so on. Then came the call.
Now I will tell the story, but before I do, we need to talk. We all encounter some hardship in our life. Not all of us respond the same way. Most of us find a way to get past our problems. Some of have a hard time coping. For some of us our problems drive us to God. That is the way it is supposed to work. We have a God who told us in Hebrews. "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT)
When I drove a truck I kept my CB on most of the time while on the open road. That way I could ask for traffic reports and bear reports. For my non-trucker friends a "bear report" was asking where the police are hanging out. When I finished one of these conversations there was something I always tried to say, "Remember God loves you and Jesus died for you." In most states and places this always got a positive response. I remember particularly one time a trucker thanking me for saying those words. His response to me was because he was pretty down and needed to hear that God loved him. That happens to us all. We need to know someone loves us. We never know how much this can mean to someone struggling with life.
Mary, my sister had to run some errands. On the way to leave our local road she encountered flashing lights. Cars were parked and our neighbor was standing along the road. My sister asked what had happened and the neighbor explained through her tears that the resident there had ended their own life. Now this is the second such case I know of in the last eight days. Of course in both cases no one knew the cause or that it was coming.
Yes, I know this blog may be considered by some a downer. We all must face down days, weeks, or even years. Mine seem to come in 3 and 1/2 year intervals. There was a drought for that length of time in Elijah's day. I have been through several lean periods with that time frame. How do we keep going?
I had talked to this person on several occasions when I was out on the road riding one of the horses. I am keenly reminded we can make a difference in others lives by giving kind words and pointing them to our Heavenly Father. We never know what tomorrow holds. So may I leave you with these words?
Remember, God loves you and Jesus died for you.
bob
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
It is well with my soul
This is the song "It is Well With My Soul." The history of its origin follows below. I can add nothing further. Just please give it a read.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,
'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was
wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.
Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in
late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French
steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development
forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:
"Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only
12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a
plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had
been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."
Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and
I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was.
It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,
'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was
wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.
Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in
late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French
steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development
forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:
"Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only
12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a
plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had
been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."
Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and
I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was.
It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
What a day!
Velvet was finished eating so I gathered her and started toward the paddock she stays in with the other Cloth girl, Satin. I call them the Cloth girls because of their names, Velvet and Satin. I rounded the corner of the barn and I could see the sun was low in the Western sky. As I neared the rope gate with Velvet, Satin started toward us. She came to greet us. I led Velvet into the paddock and started to the opposite side to fill their water tank for the night. The late afternoon is so peaceful, not a sound to be heard. I looked all around and there are no sounds. What peace this is. This is living in a storybook. I can look all around in three directions and see for over a mile. In the Western sky jets are leaving their vapor trails but I hear no sound. The sun a huge ball is getting lower.
As I turned the water on Velvet approached me. She was not even thirsty. She came over to be made over so I rubbed her head. She responded by coming even closer and then she tested the water flowing into her tank. She stood there looking off in the direction of the nearby pasture where more horses live. Let's see, there is Ann's Mountain Treasure, high point yearling filly this year. A few yards away is Flair for Fury who brought home a truck full of blue ribbons this year. She is the World Grand Champion, dark brown chocolate two year old filly belonging to Whispering Oaks Farm. They are grazing the lush fall pasture. Oh, I must have been dreaming because it has been arid here since July. Only a few brief showers since then. Not long ago there was about a one inch shower. It did manage to revive new growth but not much.
Ann and Flair are nibbling at the tender grass that has managed to reappear. I forgot to finish my story about the Cloth girls that live in the paddock. There is Velvet a gorgeous bay three year old mare and Satin our now mostly white five year old palomino mare. WOF Dock's Velvet was high point champion last year. She is still standing by me in the quiet afternoon sun. She stands there as I begin to scratch her back. She is loving it. Her head stretches out as far as she can get it. She turns to look at me and ask me for more of the same.
As I turn the water off and head back to the other side of the paddock the other Cloth girl comes to greet me. Venture's Golden Satin is looking intently at me wanting some attention too.
Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man."
These two Cloth girls certainly have made that true to me tonight. So there I stand scratching Satin on the neck and she stretches out her head too. Velvet at my back and Satin in front of me, they are both loving my company and are kind of competing for my attention. There I stand between two very fine Rocky Mountain horses. Satin has had a great year too. While the others are home from their training barns, Satin was ridden by me and had a pretty good year. Satin and I accomplished a lot this year and she has come a long way since she appeared on the farm last Winter. Below is a picture of Satin and myself competing in the ACTHA competition at Van Bert Farms in Stanton, Kentucky held in October.
I hadn't noticed but the sun has dropped below the horizon. What a splendid November week this has been. Here it is the eleventh day of November and I am out in a t-shirt. Leslie, who is one of our friends came and rode with my sister Mary and myself today. We were riding in short sleeves and it is November. WoW!
The evening is so very peaceful as I head back to the barn to finish the afternoon chores. WOF Rockin Andi is still hitched. She is another winner home from the training barn. She had a stellar end of the year. Early on she was very sick, but came back to the show circuit with a vengeance. She was taking no prisoners. What a time for them to relax and be horses. It is so good to see them be home from the hustle and bustle of training, transporting, and showing. Now they have time to relax and get ready for the coming Winter weather.
Not a sound anywhere but the crunching sound the horses make eating hay. Water tanks filled, hay in to the horses, everyone is unhitched and ready for the night. So am I. How can I ever tell a story good enough to have you feel the extreme peace I feel tonight? As I begin to think of this peace that has flooded over me I can only say that it comes from God. I remember one other time in my recent life that this kind of peace came over me. That time I was sitting on the Ambassador Bridge coming out of Canada when I was driving an eighteen wheeler for a living. That time it was the peace of God in a big way.
Tonight, I know it is the peace of God. What a special gift from God for me tonight on the eleventh day of November, 2010, Veteran's Day.
Now I hope you have those kind of peaceful days in your life too. May the peace of God that passes all understanding be yours too.
Bob
As I turned the water on Velvet approached me. She was not even thirsty. She came over to be made over so I rubbed her head. She responded by coming even closer and then she tested the water flowing into her tank. She stood there looking off in the direction of the nearby pasture where more horses live. Let's see, there is Ann's Mountain Treasure, high point yearling filly this year. A few yards away is Flair for Fury who brought home a truck full of blue ribbons this year. She is the World Grand Champion, dark brown chocolate two year old filly belonging to Whispering Oaks Farm. They are grazing the lush fall pasture. Oh, I must have been dreaming because it has been arid here since July. Only a few brief showers since then. Not long ago there was about a one inch shower. It did manage to revive new growth but not much.
Ann and Flair are nibbling at the tender grass that has managed to reappear. I forgot to finish my story about the Cloth girls that live in the paddock. There is Velvet a gorgeous bay three year old mare and Satin our now mostly white five year old palomino mare. WOF Dock's Velvet was high point champion last year. She is still standing by me in the quiet afternoon sun. She stands there as I begin to scratch her back. She is loving it. Her head stretches out as far as she can get it. She turns to look at me and ask me for more of the same.
As I turn the water off and head back to the other side of the paddock the other Cloth girl comes to greet me. Venture's Golden Satin is looking intently at me wanting some attention too.
Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man."
These two Cloth girls certainly have made that true to me tonight. So there I stand scratching Satin on the neck and she stretches out her head too. Velvet at my back and Satin in front of me, they are both loving my company and are kind of competing for my attention. There I stand between two very fine Rocky Mountain horses. Satin has had a great year too. While the others are home from their training barns, Satin was ridden by me and had a pretty good year. Satin and I accomplished a lot this year and she has come a long way since she appeared on the farm last Winter. Below is a picture of Satin and myself competing in the ACTHA competition at Van Bert Farms in Stanton, Kentucky held in October.
I hadn't noticed but the sun has dropped below the horizon. What a splendid November week this has been. Here it is the eleventh day of November and I am out in a t-shirt. Leslie, who is one of our friends came and rode with my sister Mary and myself today. We were riding in short sleeves and it is November. WoW!
The evening is so very peaceful as I head back to the barn to finish the afternoon chores. WOF Rockin Andi is still hitched. She is another winner home from the training barn. She had a stellar end of the year. Early on she was very sick, but came back to the show circuit with a vengeance. She was taking no prisoners. What a time for them to relax and be horses. It is so good to see them be home from the hustle and bustle of training, transporting, and showing. Now they have time to relax and get ready for the coming Winter weather.
Not a sound anywhere but the crunching sound the horses make eating hay. Water tanks filled, hay in to the horses, everyone is unhitched and ready for the night. So am I. How can I ever tell a story good enough to have you feel the extreme peace I feel tonight? As I begin to think of this peace that has flooded over me I can only say that it comes from God. I remember one other time in my recent life that this kind of peace came over me. That time I was sitting on the Ambassador Bridge coming out of Canada when I was driving an eighteen wheeler for a living. That time it was the peace of God in a big way.
Tonight, I know it is the peace of God. What a special gift from God for me tonight on the eleventh day of November, 2010, Veteran's Day.
Now I hope you have those kind of peaceful days in your life too. May the peace of God that passes all understanding be yours too.
Bob
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