God's Sheep ~ Inspiration from Psalm 23

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Psalm 23:1

I read Psalm 23 the other morning. It's a short and familiar Psalm which caused me to read it fast and when I'd finished, left me thinking, "That was fast, I don't know if I really even thought about what I just read." I felt like I should stop and think about it some more, but didn't know what I was to be thinking about. I looked down at the foot note in my study Bible.  It said,

"Believers are never pictured as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on the shepherd for His provision and protection. The believer is more than a dependent sheep, however; he is also like an honored guest since the Lord prepares a table for him. Connected with this honored position is abundant provision, vindication before one's enemies, and eternal celebration of God's goodness."

I hadn't heard it put that way before and found it encouraging.

First, I was challenged by the dependency we put on our Savior to provide and protect us.  Bosses, friends, and family members will disappoint and fail us.  No one is perfect. No matter what we do, we cannot keep ourselves from getting hurt by other people or ourselves, but God will protect us and carry us in times of suffering.  There will also be times when we have needs, and rather than worry about them we should trust that God will provide those needs.

Now as an encouragement to young ladies living at home, this also made me think how as a woman, the world shouts at me to be a "lion", while God's still small voice whispers over and over that I need to be a "sheep".  The world promotes independence, while God wants us to be dependent on Him.  The world says to make something of yourself, follow your dreams, and you deserve a better life, downplaying the importance of being a keeper of the home.  Don't feel you're less important for staying home and serving your family.  God created you to be a helper!  If your dad is supportive of other ways to minister outside the home, do it, but if there are things you can busy yourself with at home be content where you are.  Being content with my present circumstances and not feeling like there is something more important I should be doing, is something that I am still learning and struggle with.  At the heart of the issue, is the desire for approval and acceptance, but I need to remember that God loves me just as I am and earning His approval, doing what He created me to be, is the best!  Know that you are important and precious in God's sight (Proverbs 3:15)! It doesn't matter what the world's definition of success is or what people think you should do or be. The relationship with our Creator is what is really important and doing His will for us, is all that matters. As has been quoted from the pulpit, "The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I need."

"Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you;..." 

Isaiah 43:4

One of Those "Interesting" Days

    

     It began as just an ordinary beautiful fall day.  Today was Wednesday and the day's schedule happened to be full, but I had prepared.  I had a plan that I was sure would allow me enough time to get each item accomplished.  The morning started smoothly.

    My first project after breakfast was checking the truck over with Dad before using it.  I learned where the oil, transmission fluid, engine coolant, etc. were located.  After sticking my saddle and bridle in the pick-up cab, I backed up to the horse trailer with Jeremiah's help despite the obstacles all around. 

    The horses were grazing at the furthest point, but I hadn't had much trouble in catching them lately so I left the truck running knowing I'd be back with a horse shortly.  Not so?  Just when I got within a few yards of them, Wally (of all the horses!) took a bee line for the ditch leading all on a proud gallop to the far end of the creek pasture.  I was on the verge of anger.  I called home to request for someone to bring the ranger out to me.  Not much time was spared as I was at the gate by the time someone was found to drive the ranger.  I drove fast and furiously to the end of the pasture.  The horses eyed me warily with heads raised and galloped back to the catch corral-the smart little pony in the lead.  The horses safely caught, I put away the ranger and marched down to the resting horses.  This time, Wally stood and allowed me to halter him.  He loaded willing as always. 
    When He saw that I was going to be  a while,  Dad had turned off the truck, not wanting to waste expensive diesel fuel.  So I turned the key expecting to hear the diesel engine roar to life.  Instead I heard two weak whines.  I tried turning the key again-same response!  No-o-o!  "Dumb old truck!"  I mumbled under my breath as I got out.

     "What's the problem?  It won't start!"  Dad yelled as he drove by on the tractor.  He hopped in the cab for a minute and the engine roared to life.  "Thanks, Dad!"  "Yeah, well, you better hope it starts over there or you'll really be screwed!  Maybe you should just stay home-after two strikes your out!"

     I drove out the driveway with a heavy heart, asking God to help the truck run well.  "I thought you wanted me to go today," I told God.  "You rearranged my schedule so that I could help them work cattle this morning."

     I turned the truck lights on thinking that turned on the trailer lights, making the turn lights work.  I wanted to be sure people following me would be aware of my direction since I had a line of cars behind me because of the road construction in town.  Besides, the last thing I needed was a ticket. 

Soon I was driving down the lane of my friends' ranch and was parking the truck and trailer.  The morning went well from there-Wally was Wally, but got the cows where they belonged while my knowledge increased on moving cattle effectively.

I got ready to leave and Miss L came with me to open the gates.  "I hope it starts,"  I said remembering how reluctant the truck had been that morning.  This time when the key was turned the truck was silent.  "Oh no,"  I groaned,  "This is not good." I thought, "It must have a dead battery."  That's when I glanced down at the pull out light switch.  I had left the lights on?  "Dad is not going to be happy!"  I moaned.

"We can jump start it,"  Miss L pointed out.  Smart friend, an extra brain when mine is clouded by discouragement.  Hope still lingered, but I had to groan and jump around like a defiant horse, reluctant to accept the pressure being applied.  I wanted to shake off the feelings I had inside.

Miss L was calm and called off my antics telling me I should be thankful, now I could stay and help them finish moving cattle.  I called to let my next appointment know I would be late and helped run the shoot system as the rest of the calves were treated.

I felt guilty having caused such a problem and inconvenience, but Mr. N didn't seem to mind as he pulled his truck and trailer down to hook up to mine.  To make a long story short, we all know more about starting horses than jump starting a truck and decided to leave the problem for an experienced mechanic like my Dad.

Mr. N was nice enough to offer to take my horse and I home since He would be taking a cow to be processed.  He tried to console me knowing that I was worried about Dad's response.  His advice helped, but I still didn't understand God's purpose in it all.

At the end of the day, Dad got the truck started after I got a thorough lesson in methods of jump starting a vehicle.  I also got this fact permanently  imprinted in my mind, "A trailer's turn signal will work when it's plugged into the truck.  You never need the light's on except at night!"  That is a blunder I will not repeat--at least not as long as it's daylight!

     The next morning in my devotions, two points stood out to me: Give thanks in everything and for everything. 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:2 

God spoke to my heart, convicting me about my responses the day before, "Had I thanked Him that it happened at the M's farm near our place and not at a horse event miles away?  Did I thank Him for a Dad that knows how a truck works and how to fix it?"  Instead of moaning and groaning, I should have praised God!

   The following morning, God once again spoke to me about how He wants me to respond to problems.  In Matthew 26:46-56, at the night of His betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus did not try to run way from the suffering he would face.  He even called off his disciples from fighting back.  Jesus knew God could send all His angels and wipe out the men coming to arrest him, but He knew that wasn't God's plan.  Although He didn't want to experience the pain, Jesus welcomed the most unpleasant crisis anyone could face, knowing that it was going to fulfill God's will. 

But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.

Matthew 26:56

 
     How had I viewed my "crisis"?  Had I looked at it as a fulfillment of God's plan for my life that day or had I wanted to escape my problems?  I have to say that I badly wanted to escape my problem because I was afraid of how my dad would respond when I told him what had happened to the truck.  Yet, I had to submit to God's plan, because there was nothing that I could do to change my situation.  I had to choose to give the right response and make the right decisions to mend the issue at hand and let God handle the reactions of the people involved.

     If I hadn't experienced that "interesting" day, God would not have gotten these points across in my mind.   I wondered why I couldn't have read these passages before what happened happened, but realized that what I read had been meaningful because of what happened.  Here's a quote that expresses this, "We must never mistake the process for the result."   Because of what I went through, I was blessed by God's character and truth and learned how to respond the next time I had one of those "interesting" days. 

If you are yielded to Christ, your life is not a series of accidents; it is a series of appointments.

If escape is your approach to life, then you are going to miss out on all the blessings God has for you.

Hiding your light under an escape hatch is no way to glorify the Lord.

An Early Morning Butte Top Experience

 At 5:30 in the morning, Rebekah and I hopped out of bed, dressed, and packed our cameras as we headed out into the dark morning, lit by the city lights of Bend. We set out at a brisk pace for Pilot Butte, the ginormous butte that overshadows Bend. 

 Pilot Butte (in the second picture you can see the butte's shadow over the city).

We took the paved road and despite the slight nip we worked up a sweat as we tackled the slope with strong strides. Reaching the top, the air was cool and the wind permeated our thin layers chilling our ears and fingers. We huddled behind a rock wall for protection and warmth as we scanned the colorful horizon, waiting for the sun to burst over the hills. 

As I watched, the mountains and buttes once hidden by hazy clouds and darkness, were revealed as the sun's rays brightened the horizon more and more with each passing minute. 

It made me think how Jesus, God's Son, is like the sun. When I chose to have Him become a part of my life, He revealed (and continues to reveal) the hidden parts of my life that are not right—bitterness, selfishness, pride. All those things, I didn't recognize were there are exposed by the Bible and the counsel of other Godly men and women in my life. Sometimes how I respond to the events happening that I don't like or the differences I have between me and another person bring out the worst in me—things that I must choose to change. Just as the dark bumps of the mountains become beautiful as their snowy tops become aglow from the sun, so Jesus has taken the messes in my life and transformed them into beautiful mountains of trust, patience, unconditional love, and forgiveness. 

I jumped to my feet and quickly snapped photos as the sun burst over the horizon. Never before had I been able to watch the sunrise from such a high altitude and all directions at once. It seemed so cleansing and transforming.

Delighted, I found that the day's Bible reading reflected my thoughts. The comparison of light driving away the darkness took on a new meaning for me in that moment, one that I hope to remember for a very long time.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."

"But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.” Ephesians 5:8,11,13

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch

 

 

Last Chance Trading Post:

The Gift Shop


 

                                

   Red Rock Meetn' Hall

(The barn)

 

 

 



   Sandy Pants Arena:

The arena where children are allowed to ride bareback. 

                  If they fall off, they're sure to get sand in their pants!     

 

 The Office of the "Town Marshal":

Troy

Dizzy Horse Round Pen



Independence Arena

Established July 4, 1994

 

 The Ranch Office Headquarters

It's dinner time for the ranch horses!

 

 Forest and his Mother

 

Amos the rescue colt, also Forest's Playmate

 

An afternoon on the ranch is finished.

It's time to walk down the lane to the

car corral.

 

Hope you all enjoy the picture walk through of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch!

 

 

 

 

 



Smith Rocks in Oregon

 

Sunday, Rachel took Rebekah and I to Smith Rocks.  A rock fortress that towers above the ranches in the plains.  We watched the sun beginning to set behind the mountains, making the peaks just glow.  The sun's rays appeared to shoot out of the mountain, turning the Smith rocks toward the North East a reddish color.  It was just as Rachel had said.  The closer we got the more beautiful it became.  Then as we gazed over the wooden fence into the canyon below, we gasped as the most beautiful painting was revealed.  It was hard to believe I was actually witnessing this in person.

 

 

We thought this glowing boomerang cloud was neat as it seemed to encircle the tops of the Smith Rocks.  What a beautiful ending to our first day in Oregon!

 

A Ride in the Clouds

 

It would be my first ride in the clouds.  Would I be scared, would I be thrilled?

 

The plain stopped on the runway and the engine got louder and louder.  I sat rigged in my seat.  Would it take off so fast that everything would be a blur?  I watched the flaps of the wings raise up and down as I assumed the pilot was double checking that everything was in working order.  The power with which the plain moved forward, pushed me back against the seat.  The airport whizzed by then, slowly, slowly my body was raised from earth in this metal contraption with stationary wings.    The ground how I had once known it got further and further away as it turned into a patchwork of greens, browns, and yellows dotted with the tiny roofs of houses and barns.  I chewed my gum vigorously as I felt my ears get plugged and my head grow tight from the drastic altitude changes. 

 

 

 My friend, Rebekah and I were on our way to Bend, Oregon to the ranch we've always dreamed about: Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch.  We flew out of Des Moines a half our later than expected due to a flicker in the airport's electricity from the rain storm.  We landed in Minneapolis, at 8:35a.m. only to anxiously wait 10 more minutes for an exit ramp to be brought to the door of the plain.  By then it was 8:55 a.m. and our plain was to depart at 9:00.  We raced across the airport passing people in our frantic state.  As we were halfway there, Rebekah stopped and said, "Wait, did that sign say it wasn't leaving till 9:30?"  "I don't know.  I'd rather get there sooner than later," I commented knowing that our luggage had already been loaded on that plain.  Sure enough the plain had been delayed (good thing for us).  As we hit the skies for Salt Lake City, we had a sinking feeling as we double checked our tickets.  We were going to barely make our flight to Portland.  As the jet landed, the stewardess listed off the flights that were departing, Portland being one of them.  We were discouraged as this meant we would not get to ride the bus that we had payed for.  Thankfully, Rebekah thought to ask if we could have our alternate flight be Redmond.  This way we could get ahead of the bus and still meet Rachel (the lady we'd be staying with) at the bus stop in Bend.   It was amazing to see how God worked out the details.  Through it all Rebekah had said, "There's no need to get worried about it.  God's worked things out this far, so He can work through this as well. There is nothing we can do about it so I might as well trust Him."  She was so right.  We had no need to be anxious with God on our side! 

 

My Trip to Kentucky Part 3

Ryan looked up at me and asked quietly. “Do I have to do it?” “No, you don't have to, but at least try playing with it in your hands. Meranda the other team leader had similar thoughts to mine. Soon she and I had been convinced by the excited squeals of the campers and had our hands in the strange white gooey substance. I could ball it up in my hands just as Michael one of the leader's assistance had showed me, but when I opened my hand it dripped though my fingers. It was time to “walk” on it. Because constant pressure had to be applied, you had to “jump” on it so to speak and “run” on the water. If you hesitated, your feet started to sink and get stuck. Ryan one of the few boys who always managed to stay clean, looked up at me again and said, “I'm going to try it.” “Me too,” I told him and together we took off our boots and socks to join the others. All of us had so much fun, and surprisingly, it wasn't messy. This white water didn't splash.  When pressure was applied it became firm so that we could walk on the water. 

Friday, was a big day—Pony Express. Each of the staff was asigned to a “station” along the trail where a child would get a fresh horse and have a decision to make. They could choose whether to practice the fruit of the spirit or do things their own way.   One spot in the trail there was a road block created by a pile of branches purposely placed in the path.  The child had to choose whether to wait for the branches to be cleared or go around them.  If they were patient, they continued down the right path, if they were impatient they were sent on a rabbit trail.  In another spot they met a lonely, poor hobo who was seeking true friendship and love.  The children were to point her to the cross and tell her of Jesus who would love her unconditionally and be her true friend.    At the end of the trail their self control was tested as they were told they must get off their horse and walk all the way back up the trail.  If they responded with a good attitude, they were allowed to get back on their horse and ride up to the barn, otherwise they had to walk back. 

When Brystol asked me if I wanted to take one of the horses and ride the trail to make sure each station was ready, I was thrilled! I chose one of the Haflinger ponies, she had a smooth gait and I was so glad to have a chance to ride a trot and lope. On my return to the barn I was instructed to ride the trail once more, this time following some of the young pony express riders to make sure everything would go smoothly and none of the activities at the stations would spook the horses. I started out riding a tall brown horse, but switched halfway to a Tennessee Walker. Completing the pony express route, I was then assigned to lead or walk along side young riders. Once everyone completed the Pony Express ride, we all took turns cooling off in the pool and going down the slip n' slide, which was a long white slick piece of plastic tarp extended down the hill from the house.  Someone stood at the top spraying it down with a foam soap to make it slick.

Saturday's grand finale was a rodeo put on by the children for their parents.  I chose which of the four categories my children would compete in.  Two did pole bending, one did barrel racing, one did keyhole, and one did roping.  The rodeo started out with the staff and campers holding up a giant American flag while several of the girl campers sang the national anthem.  It was a hot day, but all the children did their best and had fun. After the campers left, the staff cleaned up the Reckner ranch and make sure everything was in its place.

I didn't go home till Monday as that was when a lady had agreed to take me and another girl to meet our rides home in St Louis.  So Sunday afternoon, the Reckners and some of the remaining staff went horseback riding.  That was a lot of fun.  I rode Spur who is a captivity born mustang.  Cantering him was really enjoyable as he felt so comfortable and balanced. 

I'm so thankful for all that God taught me out there.