~God loves you

Does God really love me?

I'd surely like to know

Because in this world of fear and pain

I don't know where to go.

Does He care?

When my heart is broke in two

When all around dessert me

And I don't know what to do.

Does He see?

When I'm beaten and abused

When I have no one to trust 

And I'm totally confused.

Does He hear?

When I'm crying out in pain

When I'm living in rejection

And I try to hide the shame.

To be honest, I can't relate to this poem. As far back as I can remember I've never questioned God's existence or His goodness. I don't know what it is to be rejected and alone. I don't know what it feels like to be broken hearted and have no idea what to do about it.
So I Really don't know why God prompted me to write this poem, and I really didn't know what to do with it. I can't reach out to you girls that are hurting like this and put my arms around you and say "I know what you're going through."
But here is what I can tell you; God knows how you are feeling. He knows what you are going through. And He loves you. He cares about you. He sees your tears. He hears your cries. He wants to hear your voice. He wants to see your face turned up to Him. He wants to put His arms around you, and comfort you. But it's really up to you.
God has plans for you. Plans to give you hope and a future; if only you resign all that you are over to His will and care. He is the only one to supply your need. He is the only one who can fill the empty place inside you. Without Him...there is no hope.
God loves you.
He gave His Son to die for you.

Now what are you going to do about it?

~Sheika

Let me introduce our newest member to our horse collection- "Sheika aka Sissy"

 She's 3 and has absolutely no training. When we went to pick her up I had to teach her to lead.
Her coloring is cremello and she has really neat light blue eyes but she has the pink around them and the nose, which I'm not real crazy about.

 She does have pretty blue eyes though.

 She's really quiet and she loves to follow me around. I keep forgetting how green she is when I'm around her. I pretty much treat her like all the rest when I should be watching her more. How quiet she is, is really why I got her, because we figured she would be a good first trainer.

So as I said she is my first horse to start and train on my own. In some ways it's intimidating but in other ways simply challenging. I did four sessions in the round pen with her so far. She is doing great and I plan to finish her up in there soon. She is a very fast learner and just wants to please you.

 I love how calm and laid back she is except when she doesn't feel like moving much. Then you have to work to get her motivated. When we first led her over to the fence to meet our other horses she marched right up and stuck her nose in their faces. Obviously she isn't intimidated by other horses! She squealed at them a little but hasn't been silly like some mares are.

As you can probably tell, I'm really happy with her. She is pretty photogenic too. Except she likes to come right up to see what you're doing. Silly girl! I've never had a horse this color to take pictures of before. But it's really fun because she stands out so much.
 My dad recently got me Clinton Anderson's "the Fundamentals" kit and I am planning to use that completely on her. Let me just say "the kit is amazing!" Totally worth the money. Clinton does an extremely thorough job at explaining and making sure he doesn't miss anything.

  

I wanted to get a picture of her next to the boys to show how little she is but it didn't happen. Anyway I'm so glad she's finally here!

~Hey I'm back!

Hey Y'all!

  I know it's been a long time! (Yes I'm still alive!) Life has been rolling along and God is good! (Just have to add that, because He is!) 

  My family and I just recently got back from a trip to visit my dad's uncle in Arkansas and then we stopped in Illinois to pick up {another} horse. 

  All in all we had a very good trip and God blessed us with safety the whole time.

While visiting at my uncle's {I call him my uncle even though he's my great uncle...in more ways than one ;)} I got to practice working with a neighbor's horses. (Her name was Katy) It was very good experience for me and he appreciated the time I spent with them. I really enjoyed riding her and would love to go back and do it again. Maybe next year? Oh that sounds so far away!

We got to meet lots of new families and put faces to the names we had heard. One of the highlights was getting to meet two sets of twins (from different families) and spend two days with them. We went ice skating, in which I caught my pick once and fell ker-splat on the ice. Neither graceful nor ladylike! I got a pretty good bruise on my knee and the wind knocked out of me but nothing that a little rest couldn't fix. I was up and skating again pretty soon but more careful of my pick this time! 

While out there we played a lot of volleyball. And it was hot! But for some reason we played anyway! ;) My cousin played his guitar with me playing my violin several times, and we all enjoyed just singing together too. 

Also Tash and I got to meet a blogger friend of ours while we were out! That was so neat! 

It was hard leaving, knowing that you wouldn't see everybody again for a long time. I can't wait to go back out again!

Stopping at our friend's place in Illinois is always such a treat for me! Randy trains amazing horses. I mean AMAZING! I never rode one of his horses that did't have an awesome stop. Pretty much all of them can spin. And I mean SPIN! They do rollbacks that are fast enough to throw you if you're not watching, jogs and lopes that make you feel like you're not even getting anywhere. He always has a bunch he wants me to try out. One 3 year old I just rode had the disposition of a 20 year old. I love that horse! Another 15 year old gelding I rode probably had been around the block twice and was downright amazing. He is probably the best horse I have ever ridden. I think I rode him the longest out of them all. Every time I go there I learn so many new aspects of training and riding that I wonder how I will remember them all. {Video cameras are awesome for that!} 

So we got a new mare there too. My family has started calling her Sheika, but I call her little girl or Sissy most times. To see more about her click here.

  So yeah, that's what I'm up to. Cooler weather would be greatly appreciated right now! I have a lot of work to do with the horses and I'm not feeling very motivated in this heat!

Me riding Katy

Our new girl Sheika!

~Love

 What is it to truly love? Is loving someone simply putting up with them, overlooking their faults maybe?

   I say I love people. I love my family. But do I show it. I once heard someone say that 

“Saying I love you is like saying: 

I will never intentionally hurt you. 

I will always do what is best for you. 

I want you to be everything God wants you to be.”

  I don’t believe you truly love someone when you feel you have to put up with them. Love isn’t a burden. It’s a gift from God that we are privileged to share. God gave His absolute best for each and every one of us. That should be our model.

  But then people aren’t perfect so sometimes they will do things that annoy us. Right then we need to stop and ask ourselves: who are we focusing on? Love doesn’t focus on itself, it focuses on the needs of others.

  Love also doesn’t overlook sin. How could it? Could love truly look at a person’s life and say “I know what you are doing is a violation to God. I know that it is separating you from God, and I know that it could send you to hell, but I won‘t say anything because I don‘t want to offend you.”  No.

   So how much do you love those around you?    

  Is your love real or just a convenient replacement?

~Finding that someone

No one can help everyone,

But everyone can help someone.

So stop focusing on the everyone,

And start looking for the someone!

I’m sure we’ve all felt that way at one point or another. God is just so great and you feel that you HAVE to share it, take it to the people and have it make a big impact!
  Don’t get me wrong. By all means share it! And I do believe that some people are called to share the gospel and God’s love in a “big” way, but for most of us that isn’t His plan. I’m not telling you to downgrade your focus but to place it where God intends it to be. To bloom where you are planted!
  Step back and look at your life. Think about those you come into contact with ever day. Friends…siblings (just for starters) they are your ministry right now! Especially for us single girls, they are the people we are to share God’s love with. There is not a person you come into contact with who you couldn’t encourage in some way. Maybe a word of encouragement, an act of love, or something as simple as a sincere smile or greeting.
  Just remember, Godly encouragement will always point back to God. That is ultimately what it is for. To bring glory and honor to Him. And in that way (Yeah to us it may feel small and insignificant, but we never know what lasting impact it may make on someone’s life.) we are doing exactly what God has called us to do: be bearers of His light!

You can only make a difference in others’ lives if you have allowed God to work in yours. Have you?

~The War for Mansoul-book review

“A John Bunyan classic as told by Ethel Barrett”

“It’s not just a story to read-it’s an experience. And when you’ve read it, you will be filled with wonder-at how little you love God-and how much He loves you…” 
                                                                                            -Ethel Barrett
The Main Characters

• King Shaddai, who is God
• Prince Emmanuel, who is Christ
• The Lord High Secretary, who is the Holy Spirit
• Diabolus, who is Satan
• Mansoul, who is YOU  

 I think I mentioned it before but I’ll say it again “I love allegories!” I love how Characters in a story can represent spiritual aspects from our lives. (I also love stories with castles and kings and dragons!)
  “The War for Mansoul” is kind of a simple looking book published by Christian Light Publications.
  Come with me now as I show you a glimpse of the town of Mansoul.
  It’s a beautiful place. So very cheery and…peaceful. The streets are full of happy people who have no fear. For Mansoul is the very delight of King Shaddai, who created it simply for His pleasure and glory.
  To lead the town, King Shaddai has established five leaders: Lord Mayor Understanding, Lord Willbewill (Will), Mr. Conscience, Captain Resistance, and Lord Innocency.

Also right off in the beginning you enter the lair, the pit of doom, the residency and headquarters of the evil Diabolus who is once again plotting the overthrow of Shaddai. But I’ll stop there so as not to give away anything. 

  I find it so fascinating the play on words they use for all the names (You always know the villains because their names give them away!) such as: Captain Conviction, Mr. Justice, Mr. False Peace, Mr. Carnal Security, and the list goes on! It put a whole new light on things for me.

  One person stood out in particular: Lord Willbewill. He could be one Mansoul’s greatest leaders or worst enemy. Will had the choice to please his flesh or his King. And that is so true! I want to please God. I want to love and serve Him with all my heart, but then I also want what I want. You can’t have both and that is very evident as the story goes on. Oh yes, Will thinks he is serving Shaddai, but he is really only serving his flesh. He loved to think “I am the master of my own fate!” And speak it too. Diabolus just loved it. Mansoul only needed to believe one lie and they had given Diabolus the key to overthrowing their entire town.

  As I’m sure we all know, the story doesn’t end there, for Prince Emmanuel pays the price to redeem the town and restore it to His Father. 

  And no, it’s still not over because Satan never gives up, he just waits for a time when they let their guard down. So the story continues as the town officials learn to rely on the Lord High Secretary and guard against Diabolus and his evil henchmen.

  Yes, it’s suspenseful and dramatic, but also very eye opening. I pray that as you read it, you would allow God to show you areas of your life where you have let in Diabolonians without knowing and root them out with all diligence!   

~Friends with a purpose

Today I wanted to challenge you with the thought of “What kind of friend are you and what kind of friend does God want you to be?”
  To the world a good friend is someone who is there for you, who’ll listen to you, who’ll agree with you, and maybe even encourage you.
  You, you, you. As Christians we need to be focusing on THEM. Denying our own flesh and work at pointing them to Christ. We need to be able to listen and encourage and draw them to Christ. To care about their hearts.
  We need to be friends that see the pain in their eyes when others see the smile on their face. But remember, we can give them nothing (of lasting importance) apart from God. Everything else is worthless in the end.

(Can you tell I'm having fun with our Willow Tree dolls?)