HIS Ranch Blog

Let Go

2012-02-08T12:02:00.000-06:00

Recently I was working with Victor in the round pen. Victor is one of the veterans of the ranch. He has been here longer than most of the horses we have now. He is strong, solid, and self-assured. At ten years of age, he is well matured, as horses go. He's had good training and knows the routine. But that doesn't mean he's a finished product. There are still weaknesses in his character and things he has yet to learn in order to be the best horse he can be. I think you would agree that our lives as humans, and especially as followers of Jesus, are the same way.

As I've worked with Victor, I have noticed one particular area in which he resists me. He may behave differently with a more experienced and confident trainer, as I have only begun learning how to communicate with horses. They are smart and will quickly learn which humans are in charge and which ones can be somewhat pushed around. The thing we are dealing with now is trust. As I have mentioned before on this blog, one important part of developing a relationship wth your horse is in teaching them to lower their head to you. Not only does this make it much easier to put a bridle on the horse, but it is an indication of their level of trust and respect in you as their leader. As a prey animal, the horse's instinct is to remain on guard and alert to any possible threat around them. Before he will lower his head to eat or drink, the horse must be completely relaxed and assured that his surroundings are free from danger. Lowering his head to the ground is the most vulnerable position for a horse. It blocks most of his vision and prevents him from being in position to instantly flee or kick if threatened. So when he willingly lowers his head when asked in a training session, he is showing submission and complete trust to the trainer. It says that he is accepting you as the leader of his herd and he feels safe enough with you to let go of his defenses.

The way to ask for a lowered head is by holding pressure on the horse's head and bridge of his nose, where the straps of the halter or bridle cross. You should not be pushing on him, just holding firm pressure. In training and working, the reward for the horse is all about the release from pressure. He may resist at first, but he discovers that when he moves away from the pressure, following the suggestion to drop his head, he finds release. Ideally, with repetition, he should learn to drop his head at the slighest pressure on these points. Less is always more. The less pressure required to get your horse to respond, the better he will be. That goes for anything you ask him to do. This is where Victor and I are having a "discussion". He will lower his head a little for me, but not all the way, and he is quick to push back up the moment I release the pressure. Often he is pushing against the pressure even when I have not released it. He also wants to back away from the situation, rather than work through it. Consequently, he responds the same way when we try to bridle him. Raising his head, resisting the bit, pulling away. Is it fear (lack of trust)? Stubborness? Lack of respect? Probably a mixture of all of these. And once again it struck me just how much Victor and I are alike.

I say that Jesus is Lord of my life. I pray for grace to obey. I tell Him I trust Him. I sing hymns like I Surrender All. But when it comes to a moment of decision in practical, everyday life, when He is asking me to let go and surrender all the defenses of my self-will to Him, how often I resist. Whether out of fear, pride, or fleshly desires, I pull away from the pressure. I whine, reason, and question God. My human nature screams against faith. I want to be able to see what's happening before I step out. I want to understand things with my human mind. I want to retain some measure of control in the situation. It terrifies me to let go of my will and abandon myself to His will. "Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done." Matt. 26:39 Jesus prayed this in the agony of His soul before going to the cross, and He meant it. I must confess that I have prayed this same prayer multiple times. Maybe you have too. But I never said it with that kind of abandonment. I think that "nevertheless" means whatever happens, no matter how I feel about it, even if I don't have a clue what You are doing. My "nevertheless" is always conditional. I say I want to go all the way with God, but would I go to the cross? I have refused to submit in matters far less than that.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil." Prov. 3:5&7
My level of intelligence is far greater than Victor's. He thinks and acts like a horse because that is what he is. He has a better excuse than I do, because he is not capable of speaking my language and thinking on my level. I wish that I could make him understand that he can trust me. That I know he is safe and I will not hurt him or allow anything else to hurt him. In my mind it is such a simple request for him to trust and submit to me. If he would just respond as I desire, I would instantly release the pressure and give him rest. I don't want to fight with him. I only want him to be in tune with me, so we can work successfully together as one unit. I want him to be at peace in his work and to understand how good I am to him as I care for his needs and give him plenty of rest from work. It must seem as simple as that in God's eyes as He works with me. Furthermore, He made me in His own image, with the same kind of intelligent mind and free will. I am capable of choosing relationship with God with an intelligent and spiritual understanding of who He is and what He does and why He wants me to know Him. He gave me His Word that tells me everything I need to know and made my spirit alive so I can understand His language. And still, I try to trust Him in part but hold on to some of my own understanding. There are areas in which I act like I know better than God. As Victor might "imagine" that there are all kinds of scary things waiting to pounce on him the moment he drops his head, so I imagine that I will not be safe if I let go of my wisdom and lean completely on God.

My hope is in this: if I, as a very amateur human trainer, choose to continue investing time and energy in teaching a "dumb beast" to trust me, and I can persevere patiently and gently with him, how much more will my heavenly Father lovingly, patiently, faithfully work on my heart to bring me into a relationship of oneness with Him? How much more does God surely want me to know Him in this way than I want Victor to know me? We have this promise, among many others: "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6 His Word also tells us that our God loves us with an everlasting love. That His mercies are new every morning. That His faithfulness reaches to the skies! Join me today in praising Him for who He is, and let's ask Him for grace to trust Him more.

Faith or Freeze?

2012-01-24T14:14:00.003-06:00

Peyton, our two year old gelding, is a gentle and sweet horse. You can do pretty much anything to him and he doesn't care. He will let me hop on his back and sit or lay on him while he eats in his stall. Over the summer, one of the ranch staff taught Peyton to put his head down so she could slide down his neck to the ground. Being laid back is a good quality for a kids' horse. But sometimes I think Peyton is too laid back. Either that or he just doesn't understand what we are asking of him. He needs a lot more work before he will be ready to be independently ridden. It's not that he isn't gentle enough. He just doesn't move forward well when being worked or ridden. Forward motion is an important part of any horse's training. If the horse won't go, you can't teach them much. I find myself puzzled and often impatient with Peyton's reticence to move when I am working with him. Even something as simple as leading him around the ranch becomes frustrating. Playing tug of war does not get very far with a horse, but that is what I've basically ended up doing with Peyton at times. I am trying to understand what the issue is. I know he doesn't like to leave the herd and is very distracted by "worrying" after them when he is separated. He's also still a baby. He is curious and easily distracted by whatever catches his attention around him. He wants to stop and sniff, chew, explore. When walking in the grass, he will constantly stop and try to eat. It may be that Peyton is a slow learner. What works well with a lot of the other horses may not get through to him. It's going to take creativity to understand him and help him understand and choose to do what we ask. Sometimes I also wonder if he is afraid. He generally seems relaxed, but is the consistent freezing up a sign of fear, perhaps along with confusion? I don't know the answers at this point. Peyton and I both have a lot to learn. But he has made me think about some things in my life and how I've acted very much like him.

In the last several months, God has put a dream on my heart to pursue therapeutic riding more in-depth. I want to learn to effectively use horses to help differently-abled people. I was excited about beginning study and training towards this goal. But, as often happens when I move towards a new challenge, I got scared. I began to second guess myself, wondering if I'm really ready for this, if I have enough experience to start the training now. I was afraid to commit myself to a process that involves deadlines and specific requirements for success. Afraid that I would not be able to finish what I started. And so I put it off. I froze. And God convicted me that this is a common theme in my life. I allow fear to freeze me in a lot of different areas. For one thing, I struggle with perfectionism. It is so important to me to get things right all the time. I hate messing up, disappointing people, or looking stupid. Oftentimes, my perfectionism is manifested in not even trying something out of the fear that these things will happen. Or I will spend a lot of time and energy rehearsing a step I'm going to take or a conversation I need to have before I ever act on it, trying to make sure I'm doing or saying things just right to avoid failure. What it really comes down to is pride and a desire for control. The pride comes in trying to ensure that people will always think highly of me, as long as I don't trip up or fumble or upset someone. There's an unwillingness to humble myself and let people see my weakness. And I try to hold onto control by keeping things moderately safe. I do not easily or often step into anything where I think I might not be able to handle it with my own ability or confidence, where I feel I'm going in over my head. This pride and control points to a lack of trust in God. He showed me that my unwillingness to step forward until I feel ready is sinful, because I'm trusting my very limited ability to control and choosing to not trust Him. This goes for the small things in life as well as the big ones. When I think of the way Peyton constantly freezes up when I'm simply trying to walk him forward, and the great effort in coaxing and tugging required to move him, I realize what I'm doing to God. Peyton doesn't understand that everything I'm doing with him is for his good. I want him to learn. I want him to be successful in his life on the ranch. I want him to be the best horse he can be. And sometimes I'm not even asking much of him, just to walk along with me. This is a very low pressure situation. But he makes it a big deal. God has promised to always be with me, that His plans for me are good, that He wants to make me like His son and bring me into ever deeper fellowship with Himself. This is the absolute best thing for me; it's what I was made for! And yet, simply because I can't see where we're going, or I don't know the outcome of a situation, or I just want to stay where I feel safe and comfortable, I freeze up, just like Peyton. I make even little steps into major fights. Thank God for His incredible patience and mercy towards me! He doesn't stop in frustration, and He never has to take a breather to step away and reevaluate the situation. He's always there, always loving, always ready to lead and reward the smallest step of faith. And He is not willing to let me stay the way I am. Because he knows it's only hurting me. It's keeping me from being who He made me to be, the very best me I can be!

I've decided to trust my Father for this next step and to keep practicing walking out in faith without freezing. I'm not responsible for successful results or perfection. My life and the outcomes of my faith are in God's hands. I pray this can be an encouragement to someone else who needs to let go of control and live by faith.

Indescribable

2012-01-13T14:27:00.004-06:00

While traveling over the holiday season, I had the awesome opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

I was struck by its enormity and the seemingly endless variations of the rock colors and shapes, the effects of the light and shadows, and the canyon walls. We've all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Yet despite all the photos I took, I knew that I could never capture the essence of such a grand work of art in a picture.

All we saw was part of one rim of the canyon as we walked around it, and we didn't have all day to linger at each place where we stopped for the view. But I could have sat in one spot for hours and still not have my fill of this rugged beauty. It is impossible to drink it all in!

Every place we stopped, the view was different. The shape of the rock formations, the slant of the cliff walls, the cracks and crevices of the canyon floor, the shifting shadows as the sun moved through the sky, even the vegetation and snow cover. Sometimes the change was subtle, other times it was dramatic. But it was always breathtaking!

As I marveled at all the varying sides and faces of the canyon, I remembered hearing somewhere that God is like a diamond. A diamond is multi-faceted; when it is cut, it has multiple sides and angles that catch and reflect the light in different ways. No two sides of a diamond are exactly the same. So it is, on a much grander scale, with God. In Isaiah 6:3, we are told that the angels in the throne room of God called out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" Again, in Revelation 4:8, we see four living creatures who surround God's throne and it says they are "...full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'" I have heard some commentary on this Scripture; first of all, that the word 'holy' spoken three times in succession means that one 'holy' is not enough. God is so glorious and pure and enormous that they must repeat the word for emphasis. Also, He is three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Perhaps 'holy' is repeated once for each person of the Trinity. Each is a separate identity of God, and yet He is One. This is only the beginning of mysteries! The creatures full of eyes show us that there is so much to be seen of God, so many different angles and facets and displays of His character, that even if we should be covered in eyes and every eye be focused on Him day and night, we would not be able to discover all his wonders or take in everything that He is. The idea presented was that every time the creatures see a new "side" of God, they cry out in adoration of His holiness. God's holiness means that He is set apart, so completely different from anyone else, and perfect in all that He does. As these creatures are constantly beholding God, they are seeing new facets every second, if you will, and they cannot stop calling out. There is so much of God that the whole earth is filled with His glory and still cannot contain Him! One day all the redeemed will see Him face to face and dwell with Him for eternity, and I think that we too will spend all of eternity beholding God and crying out in awe at each new discovery of His person, and we will never come to the end of new discoveries!

It may be possible to explore every crack, crevice, and wall of the Grand Canyon. But this wonder of earth is only a tiny expression of the vastness of its Maker! Such glimpses of God's glory in creation call us to fall on our faces in fresh worship of the One who gives us breath and is continually revealing Himself to us, for life and eternity!

I love this last photo because it shows me how small I am next to the vastness of the Grand Canyon, and when I remember that my Heavenly Father is infinitely more vast, and that He gave His life for mine and loves me with an everlasting love, it brings indescribable peace. It is then that I realize He is worthy of my everything, and there is nothing else in heaven or on earth for me to fear.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

by Kari

Our Faithful Father

2011-11-08T17:44:00.003-06:00

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

Our Father has been so faithful to provide for the needs of His Ranch this year, and as we sit back and take a look at what He has done, we are amazed! He brought together a staff of very different personalities and gifts from all over the country, and He made them of one heart and mind in the ministry of love. He gave us wonderful fellowship and encouragement in the body of Christ. He allowed us to serve over 300 individual children, as well as parents and other family members and people from the community who were able to enjoy the ranch. He provided two new horses this summer. He made it possible for improvements to be made to the arena fencing, the wheelchair ramp and loading dock, and a pavilion to be built for shade and seating. He brought in a variety of animals for the kids to enjoy; cats, dogs, a goat, cows, even rats. He brought us a great team of volunteers who accomplished a lot of cleanup, landscaping, painting, and construction around the ranch. And as we wrapped up the 2011 season with the annual fundraiser October 29, He provided above and beyond what we could imagine. Last fall, the fundraiser gifts came to about $11,000. This year, God blew us away and provided over $22,000! We should not be so surprised; His resources are unlimited. But we are humbled and amazed that He allows us to be part of His work here and has chosen to bless us as we seek to obey the call He has placed on us to reach out to children and their families.

smiling faces!

riding the roping steer!

It was a gorgeous day for a fundraiser. The sun warmed us enough to take off our jackets. We welcomed over 200 guests to the ranch, plus volunteers! It was fun to see many of the families that we have gotten to know over the summer, as well as new visitors. The pony rides were a huge hit with the kids!

We had great food, awesome face painting, play areas for little ones, roping instruction, and an exotic gumball machine!

We were also blessed to have Marty Langhofer, a cowboy vet from Indiana, come and talk to some of the guests about things we can learn from horses and show us some neat demonstrations in the round pen.

Everyone enjoyed the day immensely! Our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who make the fundraiser event possible each year, and to the many friends and guests of His Ranch who came and gave willingly for a ministry they believe in.

Will you join us in praying and believing God for next year, that according to His Word, He will do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or think?

And join us in praising our mighty Father for His faithfulness, provision, and protection during the 2011 season!

Soli deo gloria!!!

Whose Will?

2011-10-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Safety is a high priority here at the ranch, especially when we're dealing with children. But when you're working with horses there is always an element of risk. The horse has a mind of its own and is a lot bigger than we are. There are few things we can make a horse do, so we work to build a relationship of trust where the horse respects us as the herd leader and submits his strength to do our will.

It is easy to get into a rut with these horses; where a horse has done well in the past, we expect them to continue to perform. But they will always be unpredictable. I discovered this the hard way in a recent experience with Victor.

Victor is our best horse to use with the kids. He has a calm, steady disposition. He behaves pretty much the same on any given day. We always use him for our riders with handicaps and there is not much that can phase him. He will give us attitude sometimes, but typically he doesn't have any issues that we need to work on, like some of the other horses do, so I think we have taken him for granted and allowed things to slide. If a horse can find a loophole to do his own will rather than the rider's, he will take advantage of it. The riding arena is a controlled environment, and Victor is usually easy to handle in there. Riding outside, away from the ranch, can be a different story.

A few weekends ago, I decided to take Victor out for a ride by myself. He is one of our fastest horses and I really wanted to go for an exciting, full-out run on a straightaway. I got exciting, all right. More than I wanted. I was aware that Victor had developed an annoying habit over the summer. We call it barn sour or gate sour. The horses get tired of work and they get lazy, just like people do. When kids were riding in the arena, all the horses got into this habit of going over to the gate and stopping. In their minds, that is the way to get out of work. Because we didn't curb it right away, they thought they were getting away with bossing their riders. We've been working on this, but all bad habits take time to break. So when we ride outside the arena, instead of running to the gate, the horses want to turn around and run back to the barn. We will let them run when we're headed away from the ranch, but we don't allow them to run home. But if Victor is already running and turns around, he is very hard to stop. So I had this in mind when I rode out, and I took him up along the edge of the field to where I thought we were far enough from home, and I asked him to run. He immediately took off, but it didn't take long to realize that we were not enough out of range to ignore that homeward pull. The barn and pasture are Victor's little box where he is happy and comfortable, and his mind was set on going back there. He wasn't trying to get rid of me, but he was choosing his will over mine. He did not want to leave his friends and his secure little world where he is in control. He did not want to go out into the unknown and trust me to guide him. He was not interested in spending time with me. He wanted to be with his herd, eat hay, and not work. My attempts to stop him or change course were futile. He simply ignored all my cues. So I tried to use the emergency stop, pulling his head sharply around to swing him in a tight circle and bring him to a stop. He still was not responding easily, and changed direction only enough to be heading for the nearby busy highway. Now Victor was placing himself and me in great danger. But he couldn't understand that. He was doing what he thought was in his best interest. Thankfully, God allowed a telephone pole and two guy wires to be directly in our path. He protected us from running headlong into the pole; instead, Victor hit the wires and the sudden stop threw me off his back. I have so much to thank God for, because my landing could have been a lot worse. I hit the ground hard, facefirst. Considering the force of the impact, I'm amazed at how little damage I sustained. Surface scrapes, a sore neck, and an injury to my eye which has healed wonderfully. I've spent a lot of time praising God for His mercy to me and I have gained some valuable experience in horse safety. Now I realize that we have to deal swiftly with little issues before they become big ones. And we can never take for granted the disposition of even the most solid horse. A wise horseman anticipates the unpredictable.

As I look back on the accident a few weeks later, I think about how Victor's rebellion against my will caused him to lose his connection with me. He did not try to throw me off, but that was the end result. We no longer had the relationship between horse and rider. He was on his own and could have still brought great harm on himself by running unguided into the highway. He also caused pain and grief to me. His stubborness has resulted in some regression of his training; in other words, we will have to go back and work on some basic principles again to reinforce our place as herd leader until he is willing to submit again. Suddenly it came to me; I've been acting a lot like Victor. I know that Victor is just a horse. He doesn't have an intelligent understanding, as we do, to see the value of relationship and to realize that our Master is doing everything for our good. He's been trained, and he "knows" what we want him to do, but he doesn't really know any better. However, I have no such excuse.

I took some time to think about what I value most in life right now, and what are the things that drive me. I realized that a lot of my motivation in relationships, how I spend my free time, spend money, and even how I approach prayer and Bible study, is self-interest, pride, guilt, and fear of man. Even in my pursuit of good things, I am driven more by my happiness, comfort, and glory more than God's glory. It is so easy to fall into a comfortable routine or box, if you will, thinking I'm okay with God and gradually spending less and less time with Him in favor of the stuff I really want to do. It's not that I try to outright rebel and push God out of my life. But when my heart becomes set on seeking my own will and pleasure, and I forget that I exist for God's glory, I am blinded to the harmful effects and, just like Victor, I run headlong for my desires, ignoring the prompting and convicting of God's Spirit. I would much rather stay in my safe and happy place than to follow God out into unknown territory, where the way might be scary, uncomfortable, or difficult. I would rather trust my own instincts, what feels good and right to me, than to trust God to be strong in my weakness, to use me in someone's life through means that don't make sense to me, and to give me the absolute best, even through challenging and painful circumstances. Eventually, pursuing my own will leads me in a dangerous direction, and if I still refuse to stop, listen to God, and turn around, I won't even see the trouble I'm headed into. I wind up "throwing God off" so to speak, losing the intimate connection with Him and grieving the Holy Spirit. As a result, I end up spiritually backtracked, and God has to deal with me to regain that ground before we can move deeper into relationship and further in His purposes. God never loses control, but He desires that I freely submit my will to Him, out of love and desire. He will never force us to do anything. My rebellion does not hijack God's plans, but it means I take a lot longer to get to where God wants me, and I'm only hurting myself in the process.

God gave me a lot of grace to see my accident in a positive light. I was truly thankful from the first moments that I could get up and move and nothing was broken. I could see God's protection and was blessed to experience so much love from the people around me. Still, I wasn't sure why this had to happen and I asked God what He wanted to teach me through it. The answer didn't come right away, but He did show me. He used Victor to help me see what I was doing and to uncover some things in my heart that I needed to repent of. He humbled me and gave me grace to reset my priorities, remembering that I was created to bring Him praise and glory. God's greatest interest is His own glory, because that is who He is. Self-existent. Eternal. Holy. Worthy. Think about this. It would be silly and pointless for the rain to try to fulfill the purpose of the sun, or a tree to do what a bird does, or....you fill in the blanks. When we make a car, we have no intention of using it to float in the ocean. We make hammers to pound nails, not cut wood. In the same way, God created us to fulfill a very specific purpose: to know Him, reflect His beauty, and worship Him. And what a wonder, that when we are fulfilling our purpose, the very thing that brings God all the glory also completes our joy and pleasure! Worshipping Him is in our true best interest. Oh, for hearts to believe and embrace the meaning of our existence and to trust our Life-giver with everything!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world......to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved......that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory." From Ephesians 1

Called By Name

2011-10-20T09:44:00.001-05:00

Her name is Glory. When she runs her head arches majestically as she pounds the earth with her powerful hooves, creating her own little thunder storm. Her coat is a glossy midnight black during the Fall months. She’s spunky, with enticing vivacity.

Before coming to the ranch, Glory went through a process of being haltered and ridden as hard as she could be repeatedly, so that she now abhors her halter. Catching Glory is no easy matter—it takes time and steady effort. But there’s something about a horse like that that draws all sorts of people to the challenge. There is one rule. Once you start after her, you cannot stop.

The morning was cloudy with a light drizzle in early May, shortly after I had arrived at the ranch. It was weather that any Phoenix girl would be instantly drawn outside to enjoy. Slight wind and rain met my face as I left the bunk house and progressed to the arena to visit the horses. Seeing me without a halter, Glory was not opposed to my hands rubbing her sleek coat. To some extent, it was hard to continue onto the barn to gather her halter, when I knew she was well satisfied to just have me stand there next to her. But such a relationship with this horse would be pointless. If I couldn’t halter her, I could never use her. So I left the herd and headed to the barn. Rain struck the tin roof creating a sound that I deemed lovely. As I collected Glory’s halter I paused at the door, searching my brain for some way to make this go easy. But it wouldn’t matter what I did—only Glory could make this go easy or hard. I approached the herd slowly. Keeping my halter hand low in hopes that perhaps Glory wouldn’t notice it. I reached Ruby, an enormous Clydesdale and paused to pet her, delaying the inevitable. I laid Glory’s halter down so that she would not be startled should she take note of it in my hand. There was no tricking Glory, she noticed the halter alright, but since it was not in my hands, she sauntered towards me to investigate. I watched breathlessly as she came close, and then reached with her neck so that the tip of her nose could take in the scent of her halter. She was so close… She started to turn. I picked up the halter with what I thought was a steady movement, but the smoothness of my movements meant nothing to Glory. She turned and ran. The game was on. From here on out, I was committed to never letting Glory rest until I caught her. No relief until the mare came to me for it. I could not physically make Glory obey me, but with the halter in my hands I certainly carried a force that would make her move. I followed Glory up and down the arena, never allowing her to cease movement. “Come on, Glory. Easy, easy.” I cooed, as I walked steadily behind her. She ran from me. “It’s okay, girl. We’ve done this before, easy.” The next 20 minutes were spent in this manner. I pursued, while Glory tried unsuccessfully to elude me. Eventually she grew tired and began to favor a corner. My own heart was pounding as I tried to determine whether to continue approaching and make her move, or to hang back and see if she would allow me to walk up to her if I did so slowly. For a moment it seemed she was going to submit, but then off she went for another round about the arena. I didn’t give up. I wouldn’t give up. Back in the corner we ended again. Once more I hesitated—would she come to me now? Observing her body language, I chose to move in. Slowly. She waited, nostrils flaring, ears erect and eyes on me. “Easy, girl…its okay, easy.” I soothed. Step. “It’s okay, Glory.” Step, step. Still speaking gently, I reached my halter up and over her head. For a moment I had to stand there in amazement. The achievement was incomparable. Then I proceeded to praise her, rub her, from my pocket I pulled an apple. I hadn’t haltered her to ride today, I had haltered her to teach her. She would be rewarded, and then quickly returned to the herd. Glory accepted the apple with some apprehension, and then relaxed as I continued to praise her. Within three minutes, I had slipped the halter back off, and we were done. Easy. Just as I had promised.

Late that night, I had to stop and think how much we as humans are like Glory. God will ask something of us, and we’ll run. But God is always there pursuing.

God doesn’t just ask something of us—He calls us by name. He never asks more than what we are capable of handling, but like Glory we spend time racing around the arena. We’re somehow convinced that we’ll either outrun God or He’ll give up and leave us alone. We buck, we paw the earth, but God is always there; a steady even voice that gently reassures us that it’s going to be alright. He doesn’t force us to come, He waits until we cease to run, turn to face Him, and submit, allowing Him to have His way with us.

And how often is it that when we finally stop running, and make ourselves willing to do whatever He would ask of us, God throws in an apple? By A.H.

Quiet Time With God

2011-10-17T13:54:00.001-05:00

One day, I was walking back to the ranch from the bunkhouse and noticed Peyton in the round pen. I took a moment to stop and spend some time with him. Our horse trainer, Willie, had told us that one way to teach a horse to accept and trust us as their authority is by sitting on top of the fence. This helps the horse get used to someone being at a higher level then them. It also prepares a young horse in training to accept someone sitting up on their back. I thought I would try this in working with Peyton to form and continue a bonding/trust relationship with him. As I was investing in my friendship with Peyton, he walked away from the area where I was sitting and went to another part of the round pen. It made me think of how I can be like that with God. He asks me to come to Him and dwell in His presence, but I still choose to walk away at times, ignoring His love and seeking my own desires and pleasures and going back to what is familiar to me. However, when I submit to quiet time with Him, He teaches me how to see problems from His perspective, and I learn how to put complete trust in Him despite my circumstances. The key is I have to seek Him for who He really is first.

Adoption

2011-09-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

"Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7

All things bright and beautiful; all creatures great and small; all things wise and wonderful; the Lord God made them all. - Cecil Frances Alexander

God has something to teach us through every part of His creation, from the smallest to the largest. The more time I spend working in nature and with animals, the more amazed I am at God's wisdom in creating every thing not just for His pleasure, but also to reflect some facet of Himself, to teach us what He is like. His Ranch has a gift of drawing in a somewhat random and motley assortment of animals, some of which, at first glance, may look like outcasts and weirdos. But if you have the willingness to push through your prejudice and look a little closer, there is more than meets the eye. That's what I'm learning this week.

This is Mia. She has been on the ranch for about a month. Mia is a purebred bullmastiff puppy. She was carefully and lovingly chosen as a birthday gift for Susan. She came at a high price and has good breeding potential that could bring a good financial return in a few years. Mia represents a person who looks pretty on the outside and seems to have life together. They have lots of obvious talent and potential to do great things. But they still have needs. Mia is young and has lots to learn. She needs discipline. She needs behavior training. She needs someone to give her food, water, shelter, and love. When she was born she was just as helpless as any other creature. On her own, she could not survive. She is adopted. Out of all the puppies in the world that her family could have picked, they chose her.

God chose us. He loved us before we ever knew Him and made a way for us to come back to Him when we were separated from Him by our sin. We were His enemies. But still He wants us and offers us a way back. Those of us who have trusted Christ for salvation are adopted by God. He doesn't pick favorites. He doesn't choose anyone because they are smarter or prettier or more gifted. He receives every one who comes to Him in faith!

This is Buddy, the goat who wants to be a dog. He came to the ranch a year or so ago as a young goat. He was banished to another home last summer for eating the neighbors' flowers. He returned to us this summer and brought much entertainment for the kids. Then he developed a chronic cyst infection that can be contagious to humans. He is still with us, but he's become an untouchable. Kids no longer play with him because we don't want to risk anyone getting the virus.

We have our reasons for keeping our distance from Buddy. Still, we provide for him. Have you ever known a person that others tended to avoid because of some difference or they are just difficult to get along with? God sees what is in our hearts and accepts us inside and out. He is not afraid to touch our sin. He is the only one who can take it away. If you are tempted to reject someone because of where they've been or something you see on the outside, remember that God has created them with the same value and dignity as you. They are worth your attention. They are worth your respect.

We don't have the time to tell about all of our little friends, but they are worthy of mention: a few ducks who enjoy swimming in the fountain and sometimes entertain us with their antics, various and sundry cats; one with a stiff ear, some with battle scars, one little kitten who was found wandering at the county fair and adopted by Shannon's kids, 4-H bunnies, and the occasional frog, turtle, or snake, who are welcomed in varying degrees depending on who you ask.

I would like to introduce you to a few of our newest arrivals. These are the ones who are teaching me right now, particularly because I don't get a personal thrill out of them, and yet I can see their value as God's creations and the joy they bring to the kids.

These two arrived about a month ago, all the way from Texas! Now I'm a diehard horse lover, but cows just don't excite me. Maybe I am slightly biased. But some of the ranch staff were pushing for cattle and so it was decided that they would be a fitting addition. What's a ranch without cattle, after all? We were able to take a load of hay to Texas, where feed is in short supply because of drought. Consequently, they are also desperate to sell cattle because they can't feed them. So we ended up with a genuine baby Texas Longhorn heifer and a pregnant Black Angus, who actually just gave birth today!

These girls are kind of wild, so the cow adoption team is working to gentle the baby Longhorn. Eventually she will be a mommy, and we may end up with our own herd. We are already well on our way. About two weeks ago we were gifted with this little orphan from a nearby farm.

Twinkie is a twin who was rejected by her mama. She is 12 days old. We are bottle feeding her. She's just a cow, but you've gotta admit, anything is cute as a baby. And it is so precious to watch the kids respond to these little animals. It brings out their compassion and simple delight. Coming to the ranch isn't just about riding a horse. There is so much more, both physical and spiritual, that becomes part of the whole experience. All these other friends add to the special atmosphere, and they all find room in a child's heart.

Every person finds room in God's father heart. So many different people come to this ranch. From the families who live here and the summer staff to the short term volunteers and the work teams, to the kids and parents and teachers who come for sessions, there is a rainbow of personalities, backgrounds, gifts, and abilities. And we all have issues and disabilities. Some are outwardly visible, and some are hidden. But we all have them. And God takes great delight in every one of us, despite our problems. It's really amazing how God has also brought our family of animals together. It fits the spirit of His Ranch. Read His Word and you will see where God's heart is. It's with the poor, the humble, the weak, the needy, the orphan, the outcast. His Ranch is a place where anyone, people and animals, can come and be welcomed and accepted just as they are. It is a place rich with God's love.

This brings me to our discovery yesterday. We were cleaning stalls and bringing in fresh sawdust. On one trip to the sawdust pile, this is what we found.

Yes, you are seeing three orphaned baby mice, groping around, blind and helpless. Their mama likely had a run-in with one of the cats. Cows are one thing, but mice.... definitely not my thing. I know lots of people would agree with me there. Still, if the sight of such tiny, helpless creatures doesn't tug at your heart a little, you either have a serious phobia or a hard heart. One of the staff instantly determined to take these babies in and save their lives. She is keeping them warm and feeding them milk in a syringe every hour or so, around the clock. Reactions to these new additions have been on both ends of the spectrum. As I watched some kids help feed the mice after their riding lesson, I realized that even these guys, who to most people in most circumstances are repulsive or a nuisance, can bring joy and show us something of our Heavenly Father's character. I see His compassion in the ones who have chosen to care for these mice. After all, were we any more valuable or endearing in God's eyes when we came to Him? Not in ourselves. We had nothing to make Him desire us. But He chose us to be His own because He made us, and because of His Son, Jesus, who paid the price for our sins.

I see some of the staff and kids taking joy in little things, and I believe this is a gift from God. He said we must become like little children if we want to live in His kingdom. He created lots of big and awesome things in this world, but He also made billions of tiny, intricate things that are easily overlooked unless we have the eyes of a child. He means for us to delight in them all.

I see the utter dependence of these mice on someone to protect, feed, and warm them. Right now, they have no choice. We do have a choice. But compare our knowledge and understanding and strength to God's, and we are just as helpless living life on our own as these baby mice. God has no limits. He created this world and everything in it. He created us. He has already written all the days of our lives in His book. In light of this, the only appropriate response is for us to depend completely on Him for our protection, provision, and guidance every minute of our lives!

Truly, all of creation declares the majesty of our God. Praise Him today. He is awesome!

"All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You." Ps. 145:10

Seekers

2011-09-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

"Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near" Isaiah 55:6

One morning as I was bringing the horses from the pasture to the barn for their feed, I stopped to consider Reva's behavior. The horses like to press in at the gate when they know it's time to go, which makes it hard to take out one at a time, so in order to teach them to give space, we walk into the middle of the pasture and wait for them to come to us to get the halter on. The horses are quick to catch on, and most of them will now follow us to the middle. They know if they seek out the human, they get to go in to their feed. But I noticed that Reva was hanging back. Did she want to go to the barn as much as the others did? Sure! She wanted it, but because she has a less dominant nature and probably is afraid of being pushed away by the other horses, she would stay in the background. If she would trust me enough to seek me out, despite her uncertainties, I would put her halter on and lead her through her fear. If another horse tried to bully her, I would take care of the problem for her and get her safely to the barn. But instead, she waited for me to come after her. I still care about her and intend to take her to her stall, and I will come and get her, but she could go a lot sooner if she would come to me. She would be happier and more secure if she walked by faith, trusting me to keep her safe from the scary things she sees between us. But Reva is doing what we often do. She is walking by sight. Once she sees the other horses that might bother her are out of the way, she may come to me. Or she may still hang back and wait for me to come and coax her. She is trying to look out for herself, but in reality she's being controlled by her fear.

God tells us over and over in His Word, "Seek Me." He is a compassionate and merciful Father who has loved us before we loved Him and has sought us out in the first place. If He did not pursue us, we would never seek Him. But once we have come to know Him, His desire is that we would seek Him out; push through distraction, temptation, and fear with a desire to be near Him that is stronger than any other desire. God want us to know Him intimately. He promised to make Himself known to us. But He requires that we seek Him, and that we do it with all of our heart.

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jer. 29:13

If we choose to walk by sight and hang back because of our fears, God will still come after us and give us abundant opportunities to submit to Him. He loves us that much. But His ultimate goal is for us to believe (trust) Him enough that we will leave everything else behind and come willingly to His side.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

What about you? Will you listen to your fears today? Or will you come to Jesus and trust Him to lead you to the good things He has prepared?

Story told by B.L.

Boundaries

2011-08-18T09:32:00.005-05:00

One Friday morning, one of the volunteers at the ranch wanted to go riding so a couple of us went along for help and support. The other two hopped on Victor and Glory while I jumped on Reva. As we headed out toward the over pass and levees, my commands to Reva were only irritating and frustrating her. She had her mind made up to go back to the barn or familiar territory so she reverted to dancing around and backing up. Due to the struggle I was having with Reva, I headed back to the stable area and we all made an attempt to journey around the lake going in a different direction then we previously had been. She still was showing her disobedient manner of backing up, dancing around and trying to go back to the barn. We eventually decided for the two other riders to go on ahead and I traveled back to the arena in an attempt to work with Reva on her resistant behavior. Once I led her into the training grounds and climbed on her back, I rode her around for a little bit to see how she would respond to my direction giving inside the fence boundary and she obeyed like nothing had never been the problem. Despite the frustration I was experiencing with Reva not minding when I was expecting her to, God taught me through Reva that the fence surrounding the arena is like our parents authority and when we get outside of that we tend to start telling God where we want to go and do. The whole while God is leading us with His quiet, still voice where He knows it is best for us to be and when we keep bucking Him, He takes us back where we came from - our parents boundaries -and refreshes us with the basics till we are ready to go out again and respond biblically to HIS authority. Thank you, Father, for teaching me this lesson through Reva!

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:1-3

By R.V.

Resisting God

2011-08-17T15:48:00.006-05:00

One day, I was working with Tebow, our newest horse here at the ranch even though he is the oldest in age, and was tackling the task of picking his hooves. As I struggled to pick up his back foot, I began to realize Tebow's stubbornness to give it over to me. It made me think about my resistance to God when He asks me to give Him an area of my life in order for Him to clean (pick :)) out all the sin (rocks, manure, dirt, etc.) that He hates there and could potentially cause harm. Once I give Him every area of my life and body the relief and cleansing is tremendous. So my task and response needs to be - give it to Him; after all, look what He gave for you and me, His Son, Jesus! John 3:16

by R.V.

Back To The Basics

2011-08-16T09:15:00.003-05:00

What a privilege it is to be able to work with God's creatures here on His Ranch! It seems as though every week there is another valuable lesson to learn from one of our horses. I have already written about Glorie and her tendency to fear unknown things. As I have taken more of a personal interest in working with her recently, she is teaching me another spiritual truth.

We've had a busy summer, and although our season is not over, I have sensed the horses becoming weary of it all. They have so many different people riding them and telling them what to do and we don't have a lot of extra time to focus on working individually with each horse and building their trust and respect for us. Over time, I think they must get confused with all the mixed messages and simply stop respecting boundaries. Some of them are displaying this with attitude. If they sense that their rider is not capable of being the boss, they will take over. When a horse discovers they can get away with something, they will. Our girls especially can be drama queens. So the last week or so, Glorie decided she's had enough of this and started kicking her back legs when being ridden. Not vicious, but basically bucking. I knew we needed to work this out, but didn't know how to handle it. One day I tried working with her in the round pen, and I knew she was very skittish about strange objects and pretty sensitive to things touching her hindquarters, but I found out just how sensitive. We had a little explosion. We got over it, but I was afraid I might have made things worse instead of helping her. Now that we're being blessed with milder temperatures, our trainer was able to come out on the usual day, and so we asked him to work with Glorie on this habit. He spent a few hours with her and she is doing much better now. He gave us some advice on how to curb these behaviors. He told us that we have to go back to the basics. That has stuck with me the past few days. The most basic thing you do with a horse is to desensitize them to uncomfortable things. It starts with getting them used to the touch of your hands all over their body. From there you move into objects. Some of them are things your horse will encounter on a daily basis and needs to accept in their routine, such as a rope, a saddle pad, or a brush. It is the same concept with everything; touching and rubbing the horse all over with the object, until they no longer shy away from it. We also use other things that the horse could encounter randomly, like plastic bags, water bottles, an umbrella, a piece of string or a rag around the leg. All of this is teaching them to react calmly to new sounds, sensations, and objects. It is also teaching them to trust their handler. When the horse gets it in her head that none of these strange things are hurting her while her handler is with her through the whole experience, she will be more prone to focus on her handler instead of the scary new thing in other situations.

So when I work with Glorie now, I'm going back to the simple basics, slowly and gently, but with firm assurance. I am asking her to trust and respect me over reacting to her natural instincts. Hopefully I am building a relationship that will help to keep her within the boundaries when we're in the arena with a child.

It made me think about how many times in my life I have had to go back to the basics of truth about God and my relationship with Him. We all go through seasons where we drift away from the foundation of Christ. We get too busy to spend time with Him. We are distracted by so much other input and often we don't even realize how much our perception and beliefs have been changed by other sources until we suddenly take stock and find we have made a huge move away from truth. And God doesn't condemn us. He doesn't read us the riot act and throw us away. He will discipline, but it is for our greatest good, to bring us back into right relationship with Himself. He knows that is the only way we will be happy and complete. He comes with firmness, but also with gentleness and assurance. He takes us back to the basics. Back to the cross. Back to His words of life. Back to the hope and promise that we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, saved by grace, living for a purpose beyond ourselves, and destined for eternal life. He asks us to trust Him and look at Him as we're going through uncomfortable experiences, because He is with us the whole time. He is using things that at first seem scary or irritating or strange to us and He is working out a purpose beyond our comprehension. If you are in a place today where life seems piled on top on you and you find yourself reacting instinctively with unhealthy thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, stop.....and allow God to take you back to the basics.

K.K.

Lessons From the Round Pen:Forward Motion

2011-08-09T08:59:00.008-05:00

When a trainer works with his horse in the round pen, especially a young horse that hasn't been ridden, he will start with groundwork. Almost anything you want to ask your horse to do when you are riding can also be done from the ground. You can teach the horse to yield to the pressure of a long rope to turn, stop, move, or step over. You can use long reins to get the horse accustomed to a bit. You can teach him to respond to voice commands. One of the most basic things involved in this groundwork process is forward motion. A good trainer keeps his horse moving and busy. In the round pen, we do this by driving him forward around the perimeter. The trainer stands in the center, holding a long rope attached to horse's halter. He will encourage the horse to go by waving a flag, a whip, or the end of the rope. He may also use arm motions. The position of his body as he moves in toward the horse's flank also helps to drive it forward. Body language, position, and voice commands communicate to the horse to go forward, change directions, and stop. This process, called lungeing, causes the horse to give attention to the trainer. An experienced horseman will be able to keep his horse moving without allowing it to anticipate his next move. Therefore, the horse must be tuned in. It cannot be easily distracted by outside things while it is moving forward around that center where the trainer is. However, if the horse is stopped for a long period of time, it will either become bored or distracted and will not respond well to its master's agenda. When a horse is being fearful or stubborn and refuses to move, nothing can be accomplished. In that moment, the horse is the center of his own universe and listening to his natural instinct to preserve himself. If you can get that horse to start moving forward, you then gain his attention and force him to shift away from his instinct and trust you.

Now, that horse is just being a horse, doing what he thinks he needs to do by instinct. He did not ask to enter our world. He did not ask us to do anything. We are pursuing a relationship with him. We are entering his world and asking a lot of him. All that we ask him to do comes naturally for him, but doing it in the context of a relationship with us is not natural. It's a bit different when it comes to God and us. God created you and me in His own image: relational beings. In the Garden of Eden, relating was the most natural, beautiful thing between God and man and between Adam and Eve. Satan came and tried to destroy what God made. When man sinned, relationships were perverted and broken. So now, the very thing we were created for has become the hardest thing in the world. Praise God, that's not the end of the story! One day, Jesus Christ is going to return and restore all things to perfection, including relationships. They will once again be the most beautiful, natural, alive experience between God and His creation and between all the redeemed in Christ.

"Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:21-23

So while we live on this earth and groan in the pain of broken relationships, let us realize that we are in a race, and while we will never reach perfection on this earth, that is the goal we are running for. Not to try to do everything right, but to seek God and draw nearer to Him, because in Him we are complete, and when we see Him face to face in That Day, we will realize wholeness in every part of life! So as the horse must be kept moving forward to focus in on the trainer, so we must be always moving forward, reaching out towards God, tuning in on Him as our center. When we stop looking up and moving toward Him, we get distracted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. We become the center of our universe, only interested in protecting ourselves. We will either start looking back and sliding downhill, or we will start looking around and sinking, like Peter did when he walked on the water. I see life and relationships on earth as a journey of desire for completeness, rather than a realization. It will always be uphill. It is practice, it is refining, it is painful. The best of our relational experience here is only a tiny foretaste of what it will be. So don't give up. Keep moving forward. And when you think you can't put one foot in front of the other one more time, look at your Trainer. Remember that your wholeness is in Him. Remember that His Spirit is empowering you to walk. When walking seems impossible, remember that He carries you.

"The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;" Deut. 33:27

K.K.

Lessons From The Round Pen: Imprinting

2011-07-26T12:04:00.005-05:00

I'm no expert on horses, but I'd like to share a series of things I'm learning about horse training and the spiritual parallels that can be drawn from them.

The first lesson I want to talk about is imprinting. This is one of the very first things that a good horseman will do with their horse after it's born. The sooner after birth this can happen, the better. Basically, imprinting is to create an early bond of trust and ownership with the horse. It teaches him to accept being handled by humans as a natural part of his world. The process of imprinting includes touching and rubbing the baby all over his body, both with your hands and other objects, such as a towel or blanket. It is best to start with the baby lying down, before it has gotten up for the first time. You would also handle the feet, play with his ears, stick your fingers in his nose and mouth. These are all imprinting on his brain that you are both dominant and safe. It also gives you a good start in desensitizing your horse to new objects and experiences, teaching him not to fear. As he grows, the young horse will naturally be much more comfortable with having his feet picked up for cleaning, trimming, and shoeing. He will more readily accept a bit in his mouth, as well as dental and medical check-ups. He will have a better trust and respect with his master, built on that early bonding experience.

I see a couple of good thoughts in this. First, for those who are parents, God commands you to "train up [your] child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6

Little children, like young horses, are greatly impressionable and have the potential to be majorly influenced in the right or the wrong direction for the rest of their life during their first years. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God tells us to keep His words in our hearts and to teach them diligently to our children. Talk about them when you're at home, when you're out and about, when you go to bed and when you rise in the morning. Make His words priority in your home. The idea is to make teaching opportunities for your children out of every experience and routine in the day, even the mundane things. This consistent application of the truth of God to the attitudes, actions, and words of your children will imprint their hearts to walk the good paths in life. I believe even the youngest children and babies in the womb can be imprinted by hearing Scripture and songs about the Lord.

Secondly, maybe you are not a parent or don't have many children in your sphere of influence. Maybe you did not receive that early imprinting of the Word on your heart. It's not too late to start. Each of us, no matter how much or how little we were trained in the ways of the Lord, need to take responsibility to imprint the Truth on our own hearts. In James 1:21, it says, "therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." That word "implanted" is also translated "engrafted". It speaks of something that is placed deep within your heart and becomes a part of you, making you a different person. Sometimes a tree or plant can be grafted into another plant, to make a sick plant healthy or to mix the characteristics of the two and create a hybrid, sort of a new plant that is hardier or more disease resistant or yields better fruit. What happens when the words of God are implanted into our souls? Romans 12:2 tells us: "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Our human nature is to follow the world's way of thinking and try to control our own life. When you give your life to Christ, He sets out to change your thinking and your beliefs. This is a continual process that takes place as we read and think about God's Word and apply it to our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions. Again, we have to make it a priority to be in the Word every day and ask God to help us obey Him. Over time, the wrong imprints in our hearts can be erased and stamped over with God's imprint. Then trusting God and following His ways will become our natural response to the new and strange situations of life.

Our Creator God is also a compassionate and tenderhearted Father. He wants the best for His children, and He will always be faithful to pursue us and draw us into closer relationship with Himself, just as the horse owner seeks to bring the baby horse into a relationship of trust and acceptance. There is really only a small window of time for a horse to properly imprinted. But with our Lord, every day is a new day and a fresh opportunity to receive His life-giving Words. Have you been with Him today?

K.K.

Faith Walk

2011-07-13T16:09:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of Summer, we installed box fans on the door of each horse stall in the barn, for the comfort of our friends. Most of the horses were cool with it, with the exception of Glorie.

Glorie has two sides to her personality. You know, like a lot of people. We may project one image but have another, more hidden side that surprises people once in awhile. Glorie has a lot of fire and spirit. She's a Tennessee Walker, which means she was bred to have a special fast walking gait that is closer to a run. Anyone who rides her needs to be ready to hold her back to a moderate walk, because if you let her, she will take off! When a new arrival, Peyton, joined the herd in the pasture, Glorie was very aggressive to him for awhile. She was bold to come up and run him off. Yet we noticed that she doesn't like to take the lead and jump in all alone. She prefers to be a co-conspirator with another horse that has a stronger personality. Yet for all her spirit and posturing, Glorie can also be quite the scaredy-cat. When we take her out for trail rides, she tends to be more skittish than the others. The oddest things can worry her.

So I got to see this side of Glorie come out when I took her in to her stall the first time after the fans were installed. The other horses had gone in just fine, and I gave no thought to it. So when Glorie stopped short at the door, it took me a moment to realize what was going on. This innocent fan that was put there for her good had morphed into a scary monster that would surely eat her if she stepped through that doorway! I sweet-talked her for a few minutes before she finally took the plunge, and I do mean plunge, through that door. She rushed into the stall, as far back as she could go. After I removed her halter, went out, and closed the door, Glorie stood there trembling in the back of her stall. It took a few days before she was desensitized enough to the presence of the fan to pay it no mind. As I watched her stand there, terrified of this strange thing in her world, it hit me. I knew what the fan was and why it was there. I knew it wouldn't hurt Glorie and it was actually going to make her life better. To me she was being downright silly to be afraid. But then I realized I was doing the same thing. There was something God had been convicting me about with a relationship and I knew He wanted me to deal with it. But I kept putting it off because I was scared. There wasn't any legitimate reason to be afraid. But because I couldn't see the whole picture and know how things would turn out, because of pride telling me that I didn't need to expose my weakness, because I cared more about my friends' acceptance and opinions than God's, I was paralyzed from taking the step God was asking me to take. Just like Glorie refusing to enter her stall because she imagined the fan was bad and threatening. I realized I've had so many opportunities in my life to take a step of faith, and when I'm in the moment, knowing what God wants, I just stand there trembling inwardly and let the opportunity slip away, because I can't see what He sees, and I imagine that this thing is going to be too hard or too awkward or too painful. God knows all along that what He is asking is going to do me good, even though sometimes it might be painful or difficult. He knows the reward and the blessing that will come in the end, and in His perspective, it's just as pointless for me to fear as it was for Glorie to fear the fan. Glorie doesn't speak my language. She doesn't know my thoughts or intentions. She has a choice to either trust the one leading her through or past or around a scary new obstacle, or to take her life in her own hands and do whatever is necessary to get away from her fear. I have many of God's thoughts and ways in His Word, but He is so massive and awesome and so high above me that my mind can only grasp a sliver of His wisdom.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

I think this is one reason why God does not allow us to see the whole picture, but asks us to live by faith, depending on Him for guidance one step at a time, rather than trusting in ourselves to know what to do based on what we can see, feel, and understand with our limited human minds. If we could fathom how indescribably great He truly is, I believe we would see it is utter foolishness to ever distrust Him.

Several days and a lot of balking later, I took the plunge to obey what God was telling me to do. Guess what? It didn't hurt me. In fact, I experienced incredible relief and the beginning of new freedom in the area where I was struggling. I only regret that I took so long to obey. It's happened before, and I'm learning that it's not worth the doubt and fear, but I'm a long way from leaving it all behind. Thankfully, my God is for me and with me for the long haul. As long as I breathe and walk this earth, He will never stop lovingly, patiently, faithfully working to take the fear out of me.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

K.K.

Unseen Reality

2011-07-07T11:37:00.008-05:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, I got to spend time with relatives at Lake Michigan and go sailing in my uncle's catamaran. I'm far from an expert, but I learned a few things about the sailboat, its workings, and its relationship to the wind. I got to steer a few times, and it got me thinking about wind in a new way. Wind is an elusive thing to work with, because we can't see it. Yet by watching what it does, people have learned how it works and are able to harness its power for many uses. On a sailboat, you have to learn to know what direction the wind is blowing. But when you're moving, all you feel is the wind in your face made by your own motion. So you have to learn to read signals in the sails. How do you move with something you can't see? It brought to mind this word picture in the Bible.

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

If you are born again in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in you. We are told to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). The Bible describes the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, etc. that the Spirit produces in our lives (Gal. 5:22). But how do we move with Someone we can't see?

I was sailing with someone who has years of experience and was directing me in how to steer the rudders and catch the wind. Even then, I got off course several times. Until you understand how to read the sails and position yourself favorably to the wind, a pleasant sail can turn into a stalemate. A slight drifting off your trajectory causes power loss to the sail, and unless you quickly readjust the rudders, before you know it you are facing directly into the wind. This is called being "in irons". The name conjures up a picture of someone in prison, clamped in iron cuffs. They're not going anywhere. When your boat gets in irons, you're going nowhere. It's futile to struggle against the wind. In the old days, boats had square sails that needed to be pushed by wind directly behind them. Sails today are different. They act like airplane wings; as the wind flow over and underneath the wing creates lift, so the flow along the sides of the sails creates the power to push the boat. You need to have the wind coming diagonally against one side of your sail or the other, depending on which direction you want to go. And you have to make continual small adjustments to stay on course. In our walk with the Spirit of God, if we are not tuned in to His voice and don't know how to follow His impulses, we end up fighting Him and no fruit can come from our lives. And it is so easy to get off course, following our own impulses. However, when we walk in step with the Spirit, we have power to touch lives for Christ and He produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. Following God requires constant adjustments to His Word (changing our thoughts and actions), and His will (changing our desires). Only Christ in us can make these changes. Both in sailing and in my spiritual life, it seems like a complicated work to keep on course and in tune with the wind. When I get out of step with the Spirit, I find myself being tossed back and forth on waves of doubt, or drifting in aimless circles, looking for meaning where it can't be found, and at times I come to a complete standstill, where I cannot move forward with God. We are weak, but let us take comfort in these promises: And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Cor. 12:9

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6

Let us pray daily for grace to walk in step with the Spirit.

K.K.

How Beautiful

2011-06-27T16:34:00.017-05:00

God sent us an amazing work team last week, and He accomplished so much through them in the four days they were with us! As I reflect back on the week and remember names and faces and the Spirit that moved among us, I am reminded of a song called How Beautiful by Twila Paris. It talks about the body of Christ and we experienced His body working together in a special way during the week. Here is one of the lyrics from the song; I would like to dedicate it to the Indy team:

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful....is the body of Christ

It was a week of long days, hard work, energy, and excitement. And there was time for fun, too! We finished exhausted, but it was so worth it. We were tremendously blessed and pray that the team was even more blessed. We love them dearly.

Here are some of the blessings they left behind.

Six brand new picnic tables

Fresh stalls

Weeded flower beds

Old hay moved out to make room for new, then transported, and shared with friends

A lot of junk and trash cleaned out in and behind the storage hangars

New borders dug around our beautiful fountain....

...and expertly landscaped!

Part of the arena fencing and wheelchair ramp were torn out and revamped (Before)

And after!

The tall posts are for shade to eventually be erected over the ramp

A new door and new paint for the base of the barn

And lots and lots of painted fence!

The team was also able to watch some of our riding sessions, interact with the people, and experience the heart of why we do what we do. Here are some of the kids and adults from the Transitions school.

Petting Glorie

Jessica

Caleb

Josh

Making new friends

At the end of the week, I took a walk around the ranch to look at everything that had been done, and I was thinking about how easy it is for us, for me, to think that what we are doing is less important than what that person over there is doing. We fall into comparison and competition and forget Who we are serving. The thought struck me that everything done here this week was the work of God. This is His ranch. Everything we accomplished was part of His purpose for the ranch. He gave us beautiful, dry weather every day so we could work outside. Every gift that was shared by each unique individual was really a gift from God and an expression of Him through every person. He created each of us with different gifts to be used in different ways, but all to His glory. He could have made me to express Him in the way someone else does, but He is a Creator, and all His masterpieces are originals! What kind of world would it be if we were all clones? So God chooses the design, the gifts, the accomplishments, but it all goes to His glory and we get to be a part of that! We are so incredibly privileged to be included in His work here at His ranch. All the credit goes to Jesus, so there is no room for competition in His body. May we become less, and Jesus Christ become ever greater in our lives!

Thank you, Team Indy!

And thank You, Jesus, our Lord and Savior and our Life!

Walking With God Part 2

2011-06-20T13:19:00.003-05:00

As we think about being carried in God's current, let's consider one of Jesus' analogies: the vine and the branch. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me." John 15:5 Have you ever asked yourself, what does the branch do? The branch does not draw water and nourishment from the soil; that is the vine's job. The branch does not hold up the plant; that is the vine's job. The branch does not make the fruit; that is the work of the vine as it draws in food and water through the roots. The vine is the source of the branch, the only connection the branch has to the roots, and thus to life. All the branch really has to do is stay in the vine and hold the fruit that is produced by the vine. That is you and me. The branches. Jesus chose us to be in Him. He is the source of our spiritual life and nourishment, as well as our physical life. He is the food and water to our soul. He produces fruit (good works) in our lives; we simply carry the fruit and hold it out to people. As long as we remain in Jesus, being in constant, intimate fellowship with Him, we will not hunger or thirst. We will not need to strive to produce some pitiful sort of fruit on our own. Truly, we cannot do anything apart from Him. Any branch that is separated from the vine is useless, good only for firewood.

It sounds so simple, doesn't it, to remain in the Vine and let Him do the work? But don't we try to be the vine ourselves? The more we think we can handle life and depend on ourselves to meet our own needs and to produce results, the less we can see of Christ. And our lives will become dry and fruitless. This is where death comes in. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34 The cross means death.

In Galatians we read that we have been crucified in Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. Until we die to our human, selfish desire to be in control and to be our own source, we will not be able to yield as the branch does to the vine. We may look like we have it all together, but there is no rest. Death is not easy. It is not pleasant. It goes against every human grain. How often do we pray to live like we are dead? But when we surrender control, and lay ourselves down at Jesus' feet, then will come rest. Peace. Contentment. Even amid the storms of life. It won't often be smooth sailing. But we can soar on the spirals above the storm. I did a little research and learned that an eagle knows when a storm is coming before it hits. He will fly to a high spot, as I said earlier, and wait for the storm to hit. When it comes, he sets his wings so that the wind will pick him up and lift him above the storm. The eagle does not escape the storm. He simply uses the storm to lift him higher.

Then picture an experienced river rafter. That water is raging and roiling, but he knows how to guide his raft or kayak to catch the current in the right place and shoot through to his journey's end. Our life can be like that, when we're yielded to the Master's hand.

One more lesson God gave me on that walk: I came under the highway overpass and suddenly noticed what must have been close to two hundred swallows' nests lining the underneath edge of both bridges on both sides. And I was reminded of Jesus' words: "Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. Don't be afraid....you are worth more than many sparrows." Matt. 10:29-30 He also talks about the way God provides for the birds, though they do not sow or reap or store up food. Here God was providing a home for all those swallows right underneath a busy interstate, and they were completely content. He says we are of much more value to Him than the birds. How much more will He not provide for all our needs, even in the midst of hard or even dangerous circumstances? It was a tremendous blessing to me to be reminded how much my Father loves and cares for me. I hope that you can also see these pictures in your minds' eye, that they are a blessing to you as well, and that you are inspired to look for God around you the next time you go out walking in His creation.

Walking With God Part 1 (Thoughts from the Watcher)

2011-06-13T13:03:00.004-05:00

God never ceases to amaze me. He will show Himself everywhere, if you set your heart to seek Him and start looking around! One day recently I took a long walk out on a levee to talk with God. It was actually an assignment as part of a Bible study I'm working on. The idea was to go take some time to just fellowship with God and focus on His love for me and expressing my love for Him. It wasn't a time to ask anything of Him, just to enjoy being with Him.

Well, when I started out, I wasn't in a mood for praising God and I wasn't feeling very peaceful in our relationship. There was a lot of turmoil going on inside about personal weakness and I was focused in on myself. Since I couldn't focus on the purpose of the assignment and there's no fooling God about the state of my heart, I decided to just pour it out to Him. So I'm walking along and asking God some tough questions and crying out my frustrations. And you know what? He was okay with that. He didn't answer any of my questions then, but what He did give me was amazing enough. He began to pull my heart away from my self-pity and my limitations and to help me look up and see what He has given me in this moment. I started thanking Him for every blessing I could experience around me, like the sky, the grass, the river, the sounds of the water and the birds, the sensations of the breeze and the sun, the shade from the trees along the river that provided welcome relief at the end of an extremely hot day. The blessing that my body is strong and able, so I could walk and hear and see and feel all these things. We receive these gifts every day, and once in awhile we will stop and really see them, but most of the time I just take them for granted, even act as if God owes it to me. But He doesn't owe me anything. Stop and think about that. What do we actually deserve? For our rejection of our Creator and rebellion against the King of Kings, all we deserve is Hell. When we look at the incredible mercy and grace of God, that He made a way for us to come back to Him, He gave us the desire to even want to return, and He offers salvation freely to all who believe, assuring us of eternal life in Heaven, our response to any good thing in life ought to be: All this, and Heaven, too?!!! Oh, for eyes and hearts to see the blessings Father has given us above and beyond our eternal security, and to count these gifts every day!

When I started walking across the levy, the river was further down in the woods, and I could only catch occasional glimpses of it flashing at me. Later on, to my joy, I came out into a wider, lower place where I could walk up on the bank and watch the current flow. To me, the river symbolized experiencing God's love and walking in the power of His Spirit. So often in my life I feel like I'm only getting snatches of that intimate relationship with Him. The problem is that I don't take time to be with Him, or I seek Him halfheartedly, or I'm not willing to deal with a sin in my life that He has His finger on. I get used to the thirst and don't realize how dry my soul is. The Word talks about the way a deer pants for the stream of water after a long run, and that is the way God wants our hearts to long for Him. The river brought up this longing in my heart, that I don't want to keep getting little glimpses and tastes of God. I want to jump in and drink the river. I want to drown in it! I want to move at the impulse of God's Spirit as if I were floating in the current of the river.

God gave me another gift on that walk, as I went on and came out beside an open field. The call of a hawk had reached my ears, and I wanted to go on and find where it was. I remember learning from a bird book once that the call often used in movies for an eagle is actually that of the red-tailed hawk. I have yet to see an eagle in the wild, so the hawk is my eagle substitute. Sure enough, partway down the field-row, the hawk flew out of a tree and started riding the currents right over my head. For several minutes I stood there and watched and listened to God's whisper in my heart. Recently I heard someone sharing something they'd learned about eagles, and I don't think I'd ever heard it before. Most of us know that eagles (or hawks) ride on the air currents, and they expend very little energy in actual flying. But what this person had learned was that an eagle will go to the highest place it can find, and there it will sit and wait for a draft of air to come along. It doesn't flap off in search of a current; it waits until the wind comes and then steps off into that current and rides. To me that was an awesome picture. The Holy Spirit is like that wind current. Jesus told us plainly that we can do nothing without Him. He did not design us to "flap our wings" and live this life within our own capabilities. "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Is. 40: 29-31

Did you catch that? God wants us to wait on Him like the eagle waits for the air current. We don't have to go out looking for something to do for God. Instead, we need to ask Him to show us what He is doing, and when He brings that current by, in other words, He reveals a work He's doing and invites us to join Him, we can jump in and let Him enable us to soar! Without Him, we will stumble and fall, even if we're working in our strong points. But when God carries us on His current, we can do anything, even in our weakest places, especially in our weakest places. Because that just shows up God more!

Let God be your wind and your river today.

Learning Admist Uncertainty

2011-06-09T15:26:00.005-05:00

As we travel this world with its earth-shifting sands, we see how God teaches us despite all the uncertainty. In my time so far here at the ranch, God has shown me how useful He makes us through learning from horses. As it has already been stated before, Reva, one of the herd, has a challenging tenseness with being tied up. We typically need to bring the rope around the post but not literally tie it in a knot when we work with her at the fence. A little while back, I was working with Reva in leading her to the arena, grooming and saddling her up. As I was patient with her, being willing to understand her in the moments of fear, and encouraging her even when she didn't want to do what I was asking, it was amazing to see how she was able to work through the fears and eventually do what I needed her to do. I am realizing it is the same with The Master. He understands every need and fear we have in the past, present and future and He is still willing to be sooo patient with us and allow us to see Him for who He really is. In I John 4:18 it says "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." Jesus' Perfect Love is the reason we can overcome our fears, no matter how extreme they are. I am learning that a true, honest relationship with a trusting bond is so critical in working with a horse, that those two things in themselves help with breaking through whatever is crippling us emotionally or spiritually. Watching Reva come to grips with her uneasiness in certain areas, is hope for me to be working with God in breaking free from the darkness that plagues me.

Fountain of Life

2011-06-08T13:24:00.018-05:00

One long time project that is progressing here at the ranch this summer is the fountain in front of the welcome center. We have tried different ideas with this pool, and this week we got this beautiful set-up going. We are so grateful for a team of volunteers who came out a few weeks ago and worked up the ground around the fountain, covered it with mulch, and planted decorative grasses. It looks so much better now. I think that motivated us to stick with the project and get it done!

I love the sound of running water. There is something so peaceful, refreshing, and pure about it. I could sit and watch a fountain, a waterfall, ocean surf, or just a little bubbling stream for hours. As I watched this earlier today I couldn't help but think of the picture Jesus used to describe our life in Him.

"Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.' He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive...." John 7:37-39

This fountain has a continual source of water circulating through the system. As long as everything is working properly, it cannot run dry. It is a constant source of refreshment and inspiration to everyone who walks by. On the hottest days, it's even good for a quick dip, that is, if you're partial to chlorine!

The Holy Spirit operates like a fountain of water in the life of the born again believer. He is a bottomless, eternal source that will never run dry. As long as things are working properly, that is, while we are in fellowship with God, being daily cleansed by the Word (chlorine) and nothing is clogging the flow of water, His life in us will be continually springing up and bringing refreshment and inspiration to everyone around us. We cannot manufacture this fountain. All we must do is to be an open channel to let Him flow through. This is a two-sided relationship. We do have a responsibility and a choice to keep the channel clear of sin and other distractions that would restrict the fountain's flow. We have a choice to immerse ourselves in the Truth, God's Word, every day, and to keep it in our hearts to do it's transforming work. We have a choice to stay in constant communication with our Father, that our relationship may grow deeper. As we do this, His life can fill us and spill out of us just as easily and joyfully as this fountain. That is His responsibility. This is no longer my life, it is His. "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 Our prayer at His Ranch is to daily die to ourselves and let the One who gave Himself for us continue to give, or pour out His life through our lives.

A few weeks ago, some of us girls were walking down by the riverfront, and I encountered this lovely fountain and had some fun with my camera.

I love how the droplets are caught in this one

That day by the river, my friends were an example to me of how the Spirit flows when we are looking to see what God is doing around us. We walked by a lady who was standing by a railing at the water. I think we all noticed the yellow rose that was floating away.

But one of the girls looked closer. She noticed how sad the woman seemed, and she felt the Holy Spirit nudging her to find out the story behind the rose. So she stopped and told the woman she couldn't help noticing the flower, and asked if she'd mind telling her what it was for. This complete stranger was willing to open up and share the story of her daughter's death and some of the things that led up to it. But she also had a beautiful testimony of how the Lord gave her peace about her daughter's soul and the release she was experiencing through death. This confirmation in the woman's spirit was so healing, and helped her in her grief. While I had gone on to the fountain and was lingering there, my other friends had gone back to listen to this lady's story. When I turned around, I saw them all with their arms around each other, facing the river and praying. I almost took a picture but felt it was too sacred of a moment. After they finished, I wandered over and heard the end of the conversation. It was an incredible encounter, to meet up with a stranger in a seemingly random way and end up sharing from the heart about pain and healing, and to be able to pray in the fellowship of the body of Christ. I think that woman left feeling uplifted, and we left in awe of what God had done. This was no random thing. And yet I wonder, how many of these divine encounters have I missed, have we all missed, because we didn't have our eyes open, or we maybe we sensed a prompting, but put it off out of fear or doubt. I am so thankful that God allowed me to witness this scene and it encouraged me to start being more watchful. Stopping to talk to a complete stranger would be totally out of character for me. But God is not limited by our weaknesses. This story gives me a stronger desire to watch for God moments like this and I pray He gives me courage to step out of my comfort zone when I feel His gentle nudging.

Oh, may Jesus Christ, our fountain of living water, give us an ever growing desperate thirst for Him!

Herd Mentality (Thoughts from the Watcher)

2011-06-06T14:10:00.003-05:00

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil.1:6

The fear of man. Some of us can instantly recognize it in our lives and others are not aware that it's an issue, but if you are human, there's a 99.9% chance you have dealt with or are dealing with this enemy in some form in your life. I am not referring to fear in the general sense, but the kind of fear that involves who we look to for our soul needs to be met. It's really about who we worship. God is using the horses to show me how the fear of man looks in our lives.

Horses are herd animals. In the wild, they live and travel everywhere as a group, and they look out for each other. They have a clearly established chain of command. The stallion is the leader, the head mare is the boss, and the rest of the herd follows after, from the more superior horses down to the young ones at the bottom of the pile. As such, horses are naturally co-dependent with each other. They don't need people. They never asked to enter our world. Though domestic horses no longer have the hardiness to survive in the wild and do depend on humans to take care of them, the herd mentality still rules. It is not natural for a horse to have a relationship with a human. We are the ones who have entered their world and are trying to understand how their minds work so that we can we use them to serve us and accomplish purposes beyond themselves. An important thing to remember when dealing with these animals is that what we perceive as misbehavior is really just the horse being a horse. We can't speak his language and he can't speak ours. He is only doing what he thinks he needs to do, drawing on his God-given instinct.

As for us, when our choice to sin separated us from God, we did not ask Him to enter our world. The Bible says there is no one who seeks after God. He chose to enter our world to bring us back into relationship with Himself and to accomplish His purposes through us, things we can't even dream up. Unlike the horse, we totally need God. He is not just our Provider. He is our Creator, who gives us every breath. He made us for relationship with Himself. He knows how we work and everything about us. But we cannot fully understand Him. We may believe and acknowledge that God is the only One worthy of our worship and dependence, but do we live like it's true? Or do we fixate on something we can see and understand, something very much like ourselves: other people?

Here's what I'm seeing. Our horse are extremely clannish. To their minds, they don't need us, as long as they have each other. When we separate them, they become anxious and it is often hard to gain their attention so we can teach them what we, the master, have in mind. One of the horses, Penny, is a great example. Penny has established herself as boss mare of the His Ranch herd. Sometimes she acts like an overbearing mother, trying to micromanage her "kids". Anytime we take one or more horses away from the others, or we take Penny out of the herd, she is constantly looking around, calling for the others, like she needs to be in control of where they are at any given time. Because Penny has come to the ranch only recently and had been accustomed to being left to herself for a few years, and because she is now the boss, she can be very pushy with us when we are working with her. She's doing what she thinks she needs to do, which is to get back to her herd, and if she thinks throwing her weight around will help her, that's what she does. It takes constant movement and a firm hand to keep her attention on the trainer and help her to focus on the moment.

Another example is Peyton. He is our newest horse on the ranch. Peyton is only two years old and he had kind of a rough time as the underdog his first week here. Now the other horses seem to be accepting him. The other morning when I was leading the horses out to pasture behind the barn, I noticed something interesting. Half of the herd was already out in the pasture. I was taking Peyton out, and two horses were still in the barn. Peyton kept stopping and hesitating, because he wanted to be with the others and he couldn't see them. They were only on the other side of the buildings, down the path a ways, but he didn't trust me to take him to where they were. He kept calling out to see who would answer him. Well, the horses back in the barn were answering, so I think Peyton really would have liked to go back there because he felt more secure with them. It took us a while, but once we got around the corner where he was able to see the others in the pasture, he was much more willing to go forward. Now some of those horses treated him badly for a while when he first came. He was chased, kicked, bitten, and snubbed. And yet he still finds his security and worth in being with the herd.

So, what about us? We do the same things! Many of us have become people pleasers rather than people lovers. When we say we love someone, doesn't it usually mean that we need them? Our love is based on what they can give us, or what we think they can give us. We look to other people to meet our needs, to give us value, to make us feel secure, instead of looking to God. We become enslaved to the approval of others. The problem is that we believe we need the acceptance and validation of others more than we need to know and love our Creator. And so we do whatever it takes to please people, because we're afraid that someone will reject us or judge us. Even when we get hurt, manipulated, pressured, or ignored, we keep setting our sights on that coveted spot of favor. We choose to be blind and ignorant toward our Master, the One who gives us life and has an incredible purpose to fulfill through us. We think we can't trust Him to be enough. When God says we're valuable because He made us, we don't believe it. We only believe we're valuable when other people make us feel like it. We think we're safer in our herd.

Now look at that verse again. God started a work in me and you. We are a good work in progress. Our horses are also a good work in progress. They are here to fulfill a purpose beyond their natural world. They are here to help kids. They don't understand it, but these horses have a wonderfully special job. As we work with them throughout the season, we will experience good days and bad. We will experience a measure of success when a horse is listening and cooperating. We will experience joy when the horse is relaxed and learning to trust us more and is willing to yield to pressure. We will experience frustration when a horse is not respecting us and not interested in the relationship. And we will experience setbacks when a horse reverts to old habits after long, patient training. But if we take our cues from our Master, we will respond with patience, respect, and mercy. Because God has promised that He will finish the work in us. Even though we act like these horses. Even though some days we're totally focused on the people who we think give us value. Even though we struggle over and over again to trust, to listen, to yield. Even though sometimes we don't want anything to do with the relationship. God finishes what He started. And so I have hope today. Hope that God's work in me will continue and go deeper and will shape me from a pleaser of people to a lover of people. Free to love from the joy of giving. Love without expectations of receiving anything in return. Love that comes out of a life secure in being loved by God and confident in following Him, regardless of anyone else's opinion.

No Fear: Lessons From the Horse's Mouth

2011-05-31T11:21:00.008-05:00

(staff testimony)

It is incredible how many parallels can be seen between horses and humans even within a short time of working on the ranch. As someone who loves seeing spiritual analogies in natural things, I spent some time recently thinking and journaling about one of our horses, Reva.

Reva is a beautiful dark bay Thouroughbred with a quiet disposition. She tends to be a loner in the herd and rarely causes trouble. I find myself relating to Reva because I have been the loner for much of my life, the one who hangs back in a group of people and quietly watches them have fun. I've also been somewhat of a loner in my walk with the Lord. More recently, God has been showing me how much I need other believers to walk alongside me and help me to stay hard after Him. We are relational beings and were not made to go it alone. Too often fear and pride stand in the way of receiving God's blessings through the help and support of others in His family. I have seen this in my own life. I think fear is basically the lack of trust in God's love. As you watch a horse with their trainer, it helps you to understand a little bit more what God is wanting to do with us.

Reva has one major issue. She has a fear of being tied. We don't know what happened, but sometime in her history before she came to us, she must have experienced abuse or something traumatic having to do with fenceposts and being tied to one. Our trainer has worked with her quite a bit to overcome this fear, but we have to stay on guard because she could revert and freak out at any time. When Reva is overcome by this fear, she tries to bolt and pulls back violently on her lead rope. It takes a lot of patient and gentle handling to convince her that nothing is going to hurt her and it is okay to stand tied. When the trainer works with Reva, it is his goal to take the fear out of her. This applies to any horse in a variety of situations. Horses are prey animals and their greatest defense is flight. When a horse decides something is a threat, the natural instinct is to get away. It takes time and patience to build a solid relationship with your horse where they can respect your leadership and trust you not to hurt them, even when you introduce strange and scary objects.

As I contemplated Reva's fear and watched the Willie, our trainer, work with her, God started applying it to my own life. As we read in Romans 7:22&23, in my spirit I desire to submit all of me to God and to have a beautiful relationship of trust with Him. But my flesh keeps fighting in that pride and fear. In order for the horse to learn submission to the trainer, he must work on bending her whole body, bringing her head, her attention, toward him and causing her to disengage in her hindquarters, where she might kick, and to step over. He teaches her using pressure; first he drives her away to run around the edge of the round pen, and then releases the pressure, allowing her to stop and rest. Ultimately he wants her to come in to him in the middle and to lower her head. This is an extremely vulnerable position for the horse to put itself in. She cannot see much at all, she cannot hear as well behind her, and she cannot run away. It takes away all her defenses. God is working with us to take down our defenses and asking us to trust Him implicitly. He wants us to be responsive to His slightest touch and respond instantly to His voice. With the horse, less is more. You want them to respond to light touch and voice commands, rather than needing to be pushed and prodded around. God wants to be able to bend us to His will and have us "step over" where He is directing us into a new opportunity. He wants us to learn to give to the pressure of His Word and the Holy Spirit to adjust our lives to Him. He wants us to be always learning, always growing, and always responding to Him.

As my thoughts continued, God brought this Scripture to my attention. "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore." Psalm 121:7&8

What is the evil I need to be kept from? It could be something completely different for you. For me, there are things in my life that I view as bad and I allow fear to hold me back. For instance, I have a quiet personality. I have always seen this as a bad thing, especially when I'm around a lot of loud people. I always felt so different from my peers, and this causes me to pull back into myself even more when everyone around me is having a high time and I don't have anything to add to it. I feel lonely and insignificant and my usual response is to compare myself and see everything that person has that I lack. This leads to jealousy. I think that my lack is bad, that loneliness is bad, that not getting the approval of people I admire is bad. If I can't see the whole picture in a situation or don't know what to expect or what someone expects of me, I see that as bad. When I have a need and can't depend on myself to fill it, that is "bad". What God showed me is that all of these things have a purpose in my life. He has promised to preserve my life from anything truly evil. Some of these fears are just as irrational as Reva's fear of the fence post. Some of them are rooted in pain that I might not even realize is there until I take a deeper look. But my Father has a plan to use each obstacle and struggle in my life to make me more like Jesus. I have a choice every day to either listen and yield myself to Him, or to listen to the fears and lies in my mind. God wants to teach me that there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear. (from 1 John 4:18) When I trust myself to the perfect love of my Master, Jesus, I can find the power to be open and honest with people and to let His love touch others through me. Horses and people: we all can find the freedom to love when we understand how much we are loved by the one who bought us.

2011 Volunteer Bios

2011-05-31T10:23:00.008-05:00

As we prepare to open the season here at His Ranch, we are amazed to see how God has brought our team together this year from all over the country, different backgrounds, different personalities, different dreams, but the same heart to know and love God better while serving Him as the body of Christ. He has blessed us with a core team of five full-season staff and volunteers this summer. And we know He will send us many others to leave an impact on our lives and this ranch ministry throughout the season. So let's start by introducing our long-term staff.

Carrie Blunier from Indiana has joined us again. She did an internship here last summer while working towards her vet tech degree. She has now graduated and moved to the Ranch and is looking for a part time job with a vet. The rest of her time will be devoted to the ministry here. We are so happy to have Carrie back and grateful for her expertise to keep all the "greenhorns" afloat. Carrie is supervising the ranch office and lessons. If you call or email us, she is likely the first person you will talk to, but she will also be training some of the other staff to help with these responsibilities.

Carrie loves dogs and horses and has always wanted to be a vet tech. Her knowledge will be helpful in caring for our horses. She is doing a great job coordinating the staff and volunteers and is eager to see our schedule fill up with riders!

Anneliese Hoerr is from Phoenix, Arizona, where the sun always shines! She is so delighted to experience the crazy weather of the midwest, and delights us all with her enthusiasm. Anneliese taught kids in martial arts and homeschool co-op classes for several years. She spent two weeks at the ranch last summer while taking a year to travel and seek God's direction for the future. God brought her back to us this year to help for the whole summer! She is always ready to jump in and try new things. She's already learning some basics of horse training and recently had the privilege of being the first person ever to ride our newest horse, Peyton. She will be teaching lessons and helping with general ranch work.

Anneliese is a spirited go-getter who helps us to keep looking up and we are blessed to have her on the team!

Ruth Virkler hails from Remington, Indiana. She met Shannon during a mission trip to Haiti several years ago. Later she heard about his vision to start the ranch. After the place was up and running, God put Ruth on Shannon and Susan's hearts and they invited her to come and work on the ranch. She came out to help at the fall fundraiser but was not convinced at that time that this was what God had for her to do. However, a few months later God gave her peace and confirmation about coming, and she committed her summer to the ministry. Ruth is training to work in the ranch office and learning horsemanship along with everyone else. She will also be helping with lessons. She has gained a lot of confidence already in dealing with the horses.

Ruth has a sweet, gentle spirit and is an encouragement to us as she seeks to put God first in her life and be available and sensitive to His leading. We are so glad to have her with us!

Ben Lindberg comes to us from southern Georgia. We are hearing rumors about his amazing sweet tea and grits and are hoping to get a chance to experience these delicacies soon! Ben is from a family of ten kids. He has a love for horses and has worked extensively with them at home since he was about 12 years old. He is experienced in riding and training and has even trained a wild mustang that he bought. His expertise will be invaluable to us as he will be working with the training of our ranch horses and teaching lessons. He is also doing some heavy duty work around the place. He and a short-term volunteer, Max, built the frame for a shade canopy on our loading dock at the arena. This will be such a blessing when it is finished.

After Ben fully surrendered his life to the Lord several years ago, he had a desire to reach out and disciple other young men. He heard a message about using the gifts God has given you for ministry and felt that God was leading him to be involved in reaching young men with horses. Last fall he was in the area at a church event and learned about His Ranch. He decided to come for the summer and be a part of God's work with the kids here. We are enjoying his sunny smile, friendly disposition, and servant heart. He can tell some great jokes, too!

Kari Keener grew up in northeast Ohio. She has dreamed of owning and riding horses most of her life. God has given her a desire to help kids with special needs, and after she read Kim Meeder's stories about Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, which was the inspiration for His Ranch, she was inspired to be a part of this type of ministry. Several years passed between the birth of that dream and learning about His Ranch. Kari also came out to the fall fundraiser to experience the ranch and was praying about coming back to stay long-term. God has directed her to take this step of faith and move to the ranch indefinitely. She is excited to be a part of what God is doing here and to learn everything she can about horsemanship. Kari will be teaching lessons and helping out wherever needed. Her greatest desire for the summer is to grow in love for God and others.

We also want to welcome back Kyle Reinhard, who helped out last summer. He lives nearby and balances his time between the ranch and his job at Best Buy. Kyle is helping us on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and especially enjoys working with the groups from Transitions.

Max Knobloch from Iowa was here for two weeks, helping us get things ready for opening. He worked hard on the loading dock canopy and other projects. We hope to see him back again soon.

We look forward to the many other faces and stories that God will bring across our path to help in His work these next few months. We are grateful for every one. Only He knows all the imprints each one will leave on the lives that are touched here on His Ranch.

At Rest

2011-01-07T09:03:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! Praying your 2011 is full of God's blessings. We are enjoying our season of rest here at the ranch. We do miss the sounds of the kids being here and the energy that they bring, but we have learned how very valuable this time is, both for the horses and for us. It's so pretty outside this morning with the snowfall, so I thought I would snap some shots of the horses and share them with you.

Although we physically have a lighter load through the winter months, we are almost always thinking, planning or praying about the next season. We have had several people inquire about spending their summer here and are excited for what we know God will provide. We ask that you pray with us and for us as we discern God's plan for the coming season and prepare to carry it out. We cannot overemphasize the importance of prayer support for this ministry. Without it, we will crumble. We would love to say that shepherding a ministry is all happy and cozy and that it always flows smoothly, but the reality is that there is intense spiritual warfare at times. Jesus experienced it and we cannot expect to escape it. I wonder what it would look like if we could actually see what is happening in the heavenly realms as your prayers go up and evil is defeated! So...please, please continue to lift this ministry up before the Father.

Reva

Hadassah (Ruby to the left)

Victor

Ruby

"the herd"

(minus Ruby)

For all of you who supported us in ANY way through 2010....THANK YOU!! We look forward to spring with much anticipation. It is a great privilege to serve the beautiful kids and adults that God brings our way each year. We can't wait to say hello to old friends and meet some amazing new ones.

If you gave financially to the ranch, your receipt for your tax-deductible donation will be mailed out to you in the next few weeks. If for any reason you need to receive it sooner, please email us at mail@hisranch.org and we can fax or mail it out earlier.

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

and still more.....

2010-11-09T09:11:00.003-06:00

Our photographer for the day was my brother, Jeff (Toffee) Knobloch, and he did such a fabulous job, I am having a hard time knowing which photos to share, so here are a few more.

Lilly & Jack Lewis on the cart behind Ruby (w/ Shannon)

Willy Davis - or Cowboy Willie - as he is known around the ranch has been faithfully coming each week since the beginning to train our horses. He has been a huge blessing to this ministry.

Our guests helping themselves to the free lunch

Tami Pflum is our faithful decorator, waiver sign-in host, gear-seller, cheerleader and prayer warrior. Her husband, Keith, is on our board of directors.

Amber & Jennifer Rassi put in HOURS of hard work helping us prepare for the fundraiser. They willingly showed up to do many less-than-glamourous jobs to help us out and we are so thankful for them. They are shown here enjoying a well-deserved cup of Starbucks coffee w/ Tinsley Tuley.

More photos from the fundraiser...

2010-11-09T09:01:00.003-06:00

My dad (Bill Knobloch) having a chat w/ Ruby

Norman Haerr & Louis Hoerr manning the welcome table
(Norman is president of our board of directors.)

Our fabulous grill team!! - Rusty Adrian, Brad Gehring & Norm Reckhammer

(Brad's son, Jacob, is in the background.)

Angelica working her magic on one of MANY face-painting customers

Alicia (formerly Steffen) Schrenk waits for the next rider. She and Matthew made the trip from St. Louis for the weekend and we were so thankful to have them back "home" to help! We were also blessed to have Anneliese Hoerr back from Phoenix! Thank you ladies (& Matthew:-))!

Humbled, Blessed & Overwhelmed

2010-11-09T08:48:00.003-06:00

The hay pile provided hours of entertainment!

Shannon takes some guests on a cart ride w/ Ruby

Our fabulous face painters (Bethany & Angelica) were a huge hit and very busy.

One of MANY pony rides that day

Our "sand" (sawdust) box

Our 2010 Fall Fundraiser was a huge blessing! God provided beautiful weather and you turned out in great numbers to help us celebrate another year of God's goodness to us. THANK YOU for your part in that day. Whether you prayed from a distance, worked along side of us, took time out of your weekend to join us or supported us financially, we were overwhelmed by your response. Your support helps to equip and enable us to continue providing this ministry to the community. God bless you abundantly.

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!

2010-10-28T07:44:00.003-05:00

We are counting down the last 48 hours to our fall fundraiser! There has been quite a flurry of activity as we clean out the corners and prepare for a great day of food and fun. The Lord has given us a great forecast for the day: 69 degrees and mostly sunny! We promised you details so here they are:

HIS Ranch Fall Fundraiser

This Saturday, October 30

11am - 2pm

free lunch

free Starbucks coffee

pony rides

face-painting

stick horse races

cart rides w/ Ruby (our Clydesdale mare)

straw play gym for kids

Kids' Corner play area in the sawdust

Several of our former volunteers/staff members are going to make the trip "home" to join us so please pray for safe travel for them. Also, please join us in praying for God's blessing and protection for this day. Please pray for wisdom and energy for us for our time of preparation and for the big day. Our deepest desire is that this day brings great glory to GOD as people witness HIS incredible provision for this ministry. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! We hope to see you there.

p.s. Special thanks to Amber & Jennifer Rassi, Kyle Reinhard, Willy Davis and our parents-Norman & Sally Haerr for helping us "clean out those corners!"

FALL FUNDRAISER!!!

2010-10-05T09:50:00.003-05:00

Come join us on:

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Annual Fall Fundraiser

Free food, drinks and fun

More details to follow....

Our New Pet!

2010-08-17T13:28:00.002-05:00

We have a new addition to our HIS ranch team. Last week a goat was donated to the ranch. He belonged to a little girl that had him for 4-h. We decided to name him Buddy. He is super friendly and will follow us around everywhere we go. When we could not ride last week due to the weather, some of the kids got to just hang out with Buddy.

They got to brush him and even take him on a ride in the gator. The horses don't seem to mind having the

goat around and hopefully they will become friends. It sure is fun to have a little goat around!

Sharing the Good News!

2010-08-04T15:09:00.004-05:00

One morning a couple weeks ago, Susan was getting something out of the tool room when she passed this little empty wheelchair. It belonged to one of the kids who was having their horseback riding lesson at that time. The empty wheelchair made her stop and just praise the Lord for the children that come to HIS ranch. As she shared this moment with the rest of the ranch volunteers, we all were reminded of why we are here at HIS Ranch. Here disabled kids can come and be a normal kid who gets to ride a horse. They are able to leave their wheelchair and experience the simple pleasure of riding a horse. As they ride, we can't help think of that day when they get to heaven and will get a new healthy body. They won't be confined in their wheelchair but will be singing and dancing for joy around the throne of God. Praise the Lord!

Last week Alicia and Carrie were invited to share about HIS Ranch at a VBS in Palmyra, MO. They spoke to the kids during their mission time. They were able to tell the kids that they do not have to leave the country to be a missionary but that they could do mission work in their own town. They shared with them about all the horses and kids that come to the ranch. It was a great way to tell more people about HIS ranch and it also was a great reminder that we need to share the Good News with everyone that comes to HIS Ranch. The fact that HIS Ranch is a ministry can get lost in the day to day busyness of the ranch. Sometimes God uses situations like the VBS to turn our focus back to Him. It is HIS ranch and we are here to serve Him. He has given us such a opportunity to share with anyone who comes to the ranch about the saving blood of Jesus that one day we may all meet again in heaven!

More Bio's!

2010-07-27T14:29:00.004-05:00

Kyle Reinhard was adopted when he was 5 weeks old, and has been with his parents since that day. He gave his heart to God on May 20, 2000. Kyle taught swim lessons for 4 years which is where he learned how much he loved working with children. Seeing a child learn and succeed was the greatest feeling in the world! Kyle worked at the ranch last summer, and thoroughly enjoyed his time. When the door opened for him to come back out this summer, he took the opportunity right away! He is going to school for business management and sales and marketing. Kyle loves working with people and enjoys problem solving. Also, he enjoys long walks on the beach, reading by the fire, and star gazing.

Alicia Steffen was born in Bluffton, Indiana in 1987. As she grew in years, she also grew in a love and passion for horses and for kids. Alicia graduated as valedictorian from Community Christian School in 2006. She spent the next two and a half years as a nanny before she answered the call of the Lord to move to Taylor, MO to work at HIS Ranch. At HIS Ranch she is able to continue in her love and passion for the horses and kids she works with daily.

Summer Volunteer Biographies!

2010-07-19T10:48:00.011-05:00

Carrie Blunier arrived at HIS Ranch on May 16 , 2010. She came from the quaint little town of Leo, Indiana. She is going to be a senior at Purdue studying Veterinary Technology. Carrie not only gets to volunteer at the ranch all summer but also gets to count it as an Internship for her program. She found out about HIS Ranch through various people that had come to volunteer the first summer the ranch was open. She always had a love for animals, especially horses, and kids which is why HIS Ranch seemed like the perfect fit. Now that she is here, Carrie helps teach lessons and helps out around the ranch. Carrie has so enjoyed spending time with horses, kids, and HIS Ranch volunteers. Even though she leaves on August 19, she hopes to visit Taylor and the ranch often!

Adrianna Jones spent a month at HIS Ranch from June 8th to July 7th. She lives in Silverton, Oregon where she works as a Veterinary Assistant. Her job has given her many experiences with horses and she also has a horse of her own. When she found out about the ranch, she wanted to come and experience it for herself. Adrianna helped teach lessons and work out some behavioral problems with some of our horses. Her horse experience was greatly appreciated at the ranch. She was an avid picture taker which is where alot of the blog pictures have come from. Thanks for the good memories!

Breana Wagenbach left her home in San Diego, California to spend two weeks at HIS Ranch. She recently finished her degree at Cypress College to be a dental hygienist. Since she was in between school and work, she took some time to come see what HIS Ranch was all about. She also helped with lessons and any other ranch work that needed to be done. Her time at the ranch was short but so very sweet!

Showers of Blessings!

2010-07-08T20:03:00.011-05:00

Wow, these past few weeks have just flown by so quickly! HIS Ranch is so blessed by all the many visitors that come whether for a one-time lesson or a weekly lesson. There has also been an abundance of rain that has changed some of our lessons plans. A couple of weeks ago on a rainy Tuesday morning, we had a group of handicapped kids from Transitions come to the ranch. We cleaned out the barn, so that we were able to give rides in the barn. Everyone took turns riding Victor around the barn. Many of the kids were not able to verbally express there excitement but it was written all over there faces. Our day was blessed by the joy and love that the Transition kids brought to the ranch.

We were blessed with the opportunity to have a lesson with a missionary family from Haiti. We fed the pony and rode Louie around in the barn. As we got to know the kids, we found out that they love to sing which coincidentally so do we volunteers. We then agreed to sing a song if they would sing a song to us in Haitian. Alicia, Breana, Adriana, and Carrie sang 'How Deep the Father's Love' and then they sang us a praise song. It was so encouraging to have the name of God lifted high. Praise the Lord!

Summertime!

2010-06-21T15:46:00.004-05:00

HIS Ranch is so blessed with our wonderful summer volunteers! In the picture above, the volunteers,Carrie, Adriana, Kyle, and Breana, are teaching lessons. It is very rewarding to watch the kids improve in their riding skills and to see their servant hearts at work whether with the horses or doing chores on the ranch.

These past few weeks we have been doing some fun work with our Clydesdales. Alicia, Carrie, and Adriana got to learn how to oil the Clydesdale's feathers. The feathers are long hairs that grow on the Clydesdale's lower legs and around their hoofs. The oil mixture that we rubbed on the feathers will treat and prevent mite infestations. Shannon began teaching the Clydesdales how to pull a wagon. He began by ground driving Ruby and Hadassah before hooking them up to the training cart. The horses did great and will hopefully be able to pull a wagon in no time at all!

Also last week, the ranch staff put on the first ever HIS Ranch horseback riding play! We did the skit for the YMCA group whose theme for the week was pirates. All the ranch staff dressed up as pirates and preformed a little pirate play. The play included lazy pirates, a horse chase, and a sword fight. The kids enjoyed the skit especially when the got to throw water balloons at Shannon(the bad pirate). Everyone at HIS Ranch agreed that horseback riding plays should become a regular occurrence at the ranch. Many thanks to everyone who helped out with the pirate play!

The Ranch is Open!

2010-06-10T21:51:00.004-05:00

HIS Ranch has been open full-time for two weeks now! There are many new faces this year as well as some familiar faces from last summer. It is such a blessing to have the kids around! They are so willing to learn and so ready to offer their love whether it be a horse or human. These first couple of weeks have been quite busy even with all the rain that has come. In the past, we would just cancel lessons if the arena was too wet to ride in, but this summer we are trying something different. When we can't ride on those rainy days, our sessions will focus more on the grooming and getting to know the horse.

We had the YMCA group at HIS Ranch last Wednesday for the first time this summer. We did not get to ride but we did fill the time with fun alternative activities. The kids were split up into three groups and went around to three different stations. There was a grooming station, an informative station, and a coloring station. At the informative station, Alicia talked to the kids about taking care of horses such as feeding and handling. All of the kids got to color pictures of horses or draw something that was on the ranch for a contest. The best coloring picture and drawing will get a prize the next time the YMCA comes back to HIS Ranch. Also, the older kids got to finger paint on Louie and Cheyenne. Both the horses and the kids had a blast with the finger paint!

God has yet again provided HIS Ranch with volunteers for the summer. Carrie Blunier and Kyle Reinhard will be helping out at the ranch for the entire summer. Adriana Jones and Breana Wagenbach will be at HIS ranch for the month of June. We are so thankful for all these ranch-hands! God Bless!

May Memories!!!

2010-06-02T15:56:00.011-05:00

Wow! How quickly May has flown! By the end of the first week in May all of our session slots were booked! This was such a contrast to our first official summer in 2008 when we only had a few lessons each week. The Lord has truly allowed the ministry at HIS Ranch to grow!

We had our first work team for the summer season from Bluffton, IN come during the third week of May. 5 students and 2 adults made up the work team from Bluffton Christian School. Their week began by waking up on Monday morning with rain in their tents! Thankfully the wetness did not dampen their willingness to work! During the week they were here, we were able to get much accomplished! Cleaning & organizing the feed foom, completely stripping & refilling all 8 of our "finished" stalls, and putting up the canopy were just some of the things they did. A big thanks for all of their work!

We also had a group from Payson Elementary come out for a field trip. Although it was a rainy week and we could not use the outdoor arena, we were still able to give short rides on one of our best horses named Victor.

The kids also learned how to lasso Stanley the Steer! What fun!

With our summer schedule in full swing now we hope to be able to spare more time in updating our blog! Thanks for all your prayers! Rest assured that we will continue in service to our King until He calls us home! God bless!

SPRING!!!

2010-04-13T08:47:00.002-05:00

"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come..." Song of Solomon 2:11-12a

We are so thankful for the return of GREEN to the ranch! Everywhere you turn, God is being glorified through new life and we are so excited for the return of all the kids to enjoy it. Our "official" scheduling will be starting soon. The ranch is scheduled to open for afternoons starting Monday, May 3 and this will increase to full days (9am - 4pm, M-Th) on Tuesday, June 1st.

In addition, we have welcomed two new Shetland ponies, Minnie and Rio, to our herd. We are glad to have them with us and will get pictures posted soon.

Please praise God with us for His provision and pray for us as we move into the busy season. Hang on for the ride!

Busy in the Off-Season

2010-01-25T08:08:00.004-06:00

While it is true that the staff and horses at HIS Ranch enjoy a much-needed break during the cold, winter months, it always seems that it remains busier than we thought it would be. Sarah, Shannon and Alicia continue to handle the daily horse chores and there is a considerable amount of work being done in preparation for the 2010 season. We covet your prayers as we plan and prepare for a new season and anxiously await what God has planned for His ranch in the new year.

If you are considering spending time as a volunteer here this year, now would be a great time to get in touch with us to discuss this and request your volunteer application. Some requirements to consider are:

1. You must be 18 years of age to apply. (In special cases, previous volunteers will be grandfathered in.)

2. A completed application must be submitted.

3. A full background check will be required.

4. A current certification in CPR/First Aid is required.

5. Previous experience with equine is NOT required, but is, of course, beneficial.

Feel free to contact us with any other questions or requests. We have said it before, but want to say it again: Thank you, thank you to all who faithfully pray for us, encourage us and give generously of their time and treasure to this special place. Your thoughtfulness means more to us than we can adequately express!

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Matthew 25:40

Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas to You!

2009-12-18T13:37:00.008-06:00

Hello and Merry Christmas! We are thankful to have our wood burning stove all hooked up and warming the inside of the Welcome Center! Not only does the warmth warm our bodies in contrast to the cold outside, but the smell and the beauty of the fire warms our hearts as we relish these comforts! With the Welcome Center decorated for Christmas and the wonderful winter flurries outside, it definitely feels like Christmas! And can you guess who is watching over our "flock" this Christmas? Yep, Sid is our shepherd! What a guy!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We always appreciate the gifts we receive! Of course the most important gift that has ever been given to us is that of the Christ child born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. This baby didn't stay in that manger bed but grew up to die on the cross, conquering death and offering us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and to spend all eternity with Him & His Father! Thank you, Lord! As tiny Tim said, "God bless us, everyone!" Merry Christmas!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Happy THANKSgiving!

2009-11-20T10:26:00.002-06:00

We at HIS Ranch want to thank all of you for all that you have done for us this year! Whether by your participation, your prayers, or your financial support, we are truly thankful! But most of all we are thankful for how the Lord has continued to provide for us this year! May we continue to be focused on HIM alone and trust HIM for how He will provide in the future!

"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving."
Psalm 69:30

Sheriff Sid Patrols the Fundraiser!

2009-10-19T17:03:00.009-05:00

Sheriff Sid Patrols...
The Welcome Center boardwalk ramp & Sid watching from the other side!
As people rolled into the fundraiser, Sheriff Sid was there making sure everything ran smoothly. He is after all, the official mascot of HIS Ranch!
On a more serious note, we were so blessed to have so many people support us in this year's fall fundraiser! Amazing coffee, great food, and even better fellowship was the order of the day! We welcomed many new and familiar faces to HIS Ranch and are very thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in providing funds! We raised over $5,000, and we are thankful for every penny of it! So, thanks to all who came as well as all who gave of their time & money! Praise the Lord!
Thankfully we were able to finish the board walk around the north & west sides of the Welcome Center before the fundraiser! The built-in ramp was a great asset for those in wheel chairs to have easy access into the Welcome Center. We were thankful to have each and everyone come!

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Phillipians 4:19

Just a few more days...

2009-10-14T09:43:00.003-05:00

As we continue to prepare for the HIS Ranch Fall Fundraiser this weekend, we are reminded of the Lord's faithfulness! The small things He has provided reminds us of the greatest sacrifice of all, His Son Jesus Christ!
We appreciate your continued prayers! We are excited for the weekend and hope to see you then!

HIS Ranch Fall Fundraiser!!!

2009-10-01T10:02:00.003-05:00

Steps are being made towards completing the Welcom Center! As you can see more cement was poured to finish out the Welcome Center porch. With the cement containing a brown pigment and the type of stamps used to finish it out, the cement floor looks a lot like distressed leather! It definitely fits into the ranch theme. Thankfully we were able to finish this before the HIS Ranch Fall Fundraiser!

The HIS Ranch Fall Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2009 on the HIS Ranch grounds. All are invited to come and enjoy some free food & Starbucks coffee as well as the opportunity to check out the HIS Ranch grounds and horses! If one hasn't seen Noah & Genesis for awhile, they are in for a BIG surprise! We hope to see you then!

Beautiful Job!

2009-09-15T15:05:00.006-05:00

Yay! No more dirt out front! It has been awhile since we prepped the area's around the Welcome Center with dirt. Although it was good to have it ready, all of the mud that has been tracked in the Welcome Center has not been as fun to clean! It was an endless battle! Thankfully today we had the Rassi Construction Crew come down from central Illinois to pour congrete. After they poured it and smoothed it out, they dusted it with a blue powder. One will see in the picture above how it looks blue. After we powerwash it its true color will be revealed! Although this will not keep the dirt from coming in, at least it won't be quite so much! Thank you Rassi Crew! We look forward to next week when they will come once again to finish up the job!

So Long for Now!

2009-09-03T14:02:00.003-05:00

We were so thankful to have Kyle Reinhard serve with us at HIS Ranch this summer! We are thankful for the hard work that he did! May the Lord bless him as he returns home to Indiana!

"And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

Revelation 6:11

From Rust to Beauty... the Real Story behind our Beautiful Trailer

2009-08-27T09:34:00.010-05:00

Most people would not recognize this trailer. When it was first brought to HIS Ranch it looked like a bucket of rust! Some brave souls, however, took the challenge last summer of grinding away the rust to reveal the shiny metal underneath. The two most vital workers on this project were Jennifer & Amber Rassi. Their hard work was much appreciated. They will recall the wonderful feeling that occurs after one has been grinding away for multiple hours. It is a vibration that doesn't go away when you hit the power button on the grinders.

All of their hard work paid off! Below are some pictures of the finished project! A beautiful, new looking trailer! However new it looks, there are some who know the true story behind! So thanks again for all the hard work put in by our volunteers both last summer and this summer past. We appreciate all of you! God bless!

"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:"

Ecclesiates 3:11a

White as snow!

2009-08-25T10:58:00.006-05:00

Hooray! We got a filter for the fountain! As you can see above the water in the fountain pool became quite dirty over the last month or so. A couple weeks ago we got a sand filter and last week we hooked it up! As of right now we don't have enough pressure to make the fountain look pretty, but it is still nice!

As I am writing this post, I can't help but think of how dirty and unkept one can be with the multitudes of sin in their lives. Sometimes it is so overwhelming and seemingly hopeless! But just as our new sand filter cleaned out all of the dirt, rocks, and crud from the bottom of the pool, so Jesus can was us white as snow again. Just as a filter needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet to be productive and work, so we need to be plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit, God's Word, and our brothers and sisters in Christ! Only then can we truly be fruitful!

This is the last week for our full hours at HIS Ranch. Starting next week we will only be open in the afternoons. Not that we won't be working in the mornings!!! Thanks for all of your prayers!

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18

Learning Goes Both Ways...

2009-08-20T12:54:00.004-05:00

Despite the downpour yesterday, we were able to have Learning Opportunities come out and visit HIS Ranch. As you can see in some of the pictures, the riding arena was only about half dry, but we decided to go ahead and use the dry half to host this group. We are thankful for the opportunity to have served them! Their smiles were a great reminder to us of why we do what we do.

This week was very slow due to our arena being too much of a swampy mess, but we are thankful for the rain and the beautiful lightning and awesome thunder that came with it!

Fingerprints...

2009-08-19T09:31:00.002-05:00

Over the summer months HIS Ranch has had a lot of different volunteers. Sadly, this week marks the last week for most of our summer volunteers. How quickly this summer has gone! So many children were touched by the loving and caring actions of the summer staff! Above you will see Jennifer & Amber Rassi (affectionately called "Jamber") along with Rebecca Bolliger as they spend some of their last moments at HIS Ranch painting the doors.

Every job that was completed was appreciated! Every single shovel of dirt, every drop of sweat, every drop of blood, every shingle nailed down, every stall cleaned was greatly appreciated!

We often discuss at HIS Ranch how amazing it would be if we could see the fingerprints on the ranch of everyone who has prayed for, sent funds to, or worked at HIS Ranch. Thanks so much for your fingerprint! It is humbling and overwhelming at times to see how the Lord has worked to inspire, grow, and provide for HIS Ranch. Praise the Lord for all that He has done!

Fresh Beginnings and Sentimental Endings

2009-08-10T09:43:00.007-05:00

Above one would see more concrete being poured for part of the foundation of the Welcome Center Porch. What hard work has been poured into this project as our wonderful volunteers dug each trench and then filled with concrete! Thanks so much girls!
As the summer ebbs away, so do the children. Most schools start in a little over a week, consequently making this week some of the last lessons that we can spend with each child. Below is Kristi & Katie on their last day of lessons last week. They loved the time that they could spend with "their" horses Louie & Victor. It was a blessing to serve them! Thanks for coming out girls!

Kristi & Louie

Katie & Victor

Goodbye Maria!!!

2009-07-30T13:35:00.003-05:00

Maria Lehman was such a blessing to HIS Ranch as well as the Taylor church as she spent two months volunteering at HIS Ranch. Much work was accomplished by her servant hands and many hearts were touched by her servant heart. Thank you, Maria! You may be far away in body, but you will be close to our hearts! We love you!

Sweet, Sweet Children!

2009-07-28T14:20:00.006-05:00

Today we were blessed with the opportunity to host the Silver & Friends Day Camp

of Marion County today. We had a lot of fun painting Buck, riding Victor, and playing with some of the adorable puppies! What a blessing it was to see the kids enjoy the animals at HIS Ranch! They also had the opportunity to eat a little picnic lunch on hay bales! Nothing like good ol' ranch fun!!!

The Only True Firm Foundation...JESUS!

2009-07-23T13:57:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday Taylor, MO was blessed with much rain to offer relief to the crops. We were so thankful for the rain and yet a little sad at the fact that we have had to cancel all of the lessons since the riding arena was a swampy mess. This, however, presented the opportunity to focus more on the Welcome Center Porch construction. The volunteers have been slaving away digging trenches to fill with concrete for the foundation. We also hope to finish the majority of the roofing this afternoon! Thanks for all your prayers for safety! We appreciate it!

Roofing Progress!

2009-07-21T08:59:00.006-05:00

Last weekend HIS Ranch was blessed to have workers from a multitude of different places work on the roof and fireplace inside the Welcome Center. The majority of the workers were from the Evanston Bible Fellowship Church in Chicago. It was great to be able to see the progress being made on the Welcome Center roof! It is really shaping (no pun intended:) up into what we have dreamed it to be. The Lord also was so good in providing nice weather for the weekend to be able to work. Praise God! Randy Meyer once again blessed us with his masonry skills as he pieced together the corner behind the stove. The finished product definitely adds to the atmosphere of the Welcome Center. Thanks to all who helped, whether they are a regular volunteer or travelled many miles to help. You are greatly appreciated!

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?

it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;

and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 5:13-16

Rambunctious Rassis!!!

2009-07-07T14:34:00.004-05:00

Last weekend the Norman Haerr family hosted the Rassi Reunion. About 20 or so Rassi descendents came early on Friday in order to have the opportunity to help with projects at HIS Ranch. The Rassis did a great job of planting flowers for the garden at the beginning of the drive as well as planting a few trees in the Healing Garden. The Rassi muscles were also used in baling hay for the horses. Throwing bales around may have been a little easier had they had the correct baling twine for the job, but they did a great job anyway! :) Thanks to everyone who helped out! God bless you all!

A time to be born...

2009-07-03T08:57:00.005-05:00

This morning as we gathered around for devotions, Norman Haerr read Ecclesiastes 3. He shared how different things are done in different ways at different times. He gave the example of the baler his dad bought when he was younger. It was a huge contraption and not very practical. At the time, however, it was a great piece of machinery for their farm. Baling hay is much more productive now. We are so thankful!
During the morning of June 25, Java began to have her puppies. Although she didn't have 15 like we were predicting, she still did an amazing job! She is such a good mother, watching out for her 10 puppies. Above is a picture of the babies only one week old! How cute!
We would also like to welcome Caitleigh Rinkenberger and Emily Kieser to help at HIS Ranch for part of July. Jennifer & Amber Rassi are also welcomed to help for July & part of August. And last, but not least, Megan Kieser is welcomed to HIS Ranch to help for as long as God calls her here. Praise the Lord for willing hearts and able hands! We are thankful!

Jennifer, Caitleigh, Emily, and Amber work on prying away old caulking on barn.

Welcome to HIS Ranch!!!

2009-07-02T13:41:00.005-05:00

Late last Saturday night Renae Baer & her mother Janna arrived with many flowers to plant on the HIS Ranch grounds. On Monday they both worked hard to finish the landscaping around the HIS Ranch Welcome sign. It looks great and much more inviting! Thanks so much! Renae will continue to work at HIS Ranch for a month this summer. We are thankful to have her!

Splash! Splash!

2009-07-01T14:46:00.004-05:00

Last week we finished our water fountain! Yay!!! It is so refreshing to hear the sound of flowing water when one is walking close to the water fountain. It is also a welcome sight to look out the east windows of the Welcome Center and see the water spraying.

The water fountain has served two purposes lately. One purpose is that it adds calm and peace to the HIS Ranch grounds. Secondly, it is a great wading pool! Last week was so incredibly hot being in the high 90's with the humidity shooting even higher. After sweating in the hot sun baling hay, the pool was a welcome refreshment. Thanks for all the hard work put into it! A special thanks to Maria for her perseverance, even after several minor injuries!

Please continue to pray for the HIS Ranch gang that we would continue to be able to keep our focus on how God has called us to be used at HIS Ranch. Thanks for your prayers in the past!

Scrub-a-dub-dub, Noah's too BIG for a Tub!

2009-06-24T10:10:00.006-05:00

Here you will see our birthday boy Noah! His birthday was last weekend, but we didn't get a picture of him! Yesterday we gave each of the horses a bath. As I mentioned already, Noah has grown so much that he is way too big for a tub! He has grown so much! Although he didn't like the water at first, he did relax a little after Maria started to massage in the soap. Unfortunately the baths we gave them didn't last very long as most of them rolled in the grass and dirt after we let them loose in the pasture. Oh well, a horse will be a horse!

Riva (our throughbred mare) gave birth to a colt during the flood fight of 2008 last year. Consequently we named him Noah, after the story of Noah and the flood in the Bible. Happy Birthday Noah!

Hot Mama!

2009-06-23T09:57:00.003-05:00

Wow what a hot day! With Marion County having a heat advisory and highs being forcasted in the high 90's, we thought it would be best to cancel lessons for the day. So what are we doing? Of course we are still working! Some maybe are working harder than others, but we are working! You can see me (Alicia) and Java sitting in the office. Although the office is not air conditioned yet, it is still a good 15 degrees cooler than outside.

Java, our chocolate lab, is scheduled to have puppies any day now. With it being so incredibly hot outside, we have let her come into the office to lay on the cool floor. She probably won't stay long as she seems to be getting closer and closer to popping out her babies. And let me tell you, we are NOT having 15 babies born in the HIS Ranch office! We are not sure yet how many there will be, but she had 11 in her first litter and 13 in her second. Therefore, if she does keep going in her trend, she'll have 15 this litter. I'll keep you posted on our hot mama!

Transitions is back!

2009-06-22T09:12:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday HIS Ranch was blessed with an opportunity to serve Transitions of Quincy. This group of mentally and physically handicapped adults were so excited to be able to see, touch, and ride horses. With groups like these, it is very apparent how the love of a horse is such great therapy to a soul! What a blessing it is to work with our "angels in horse hair!"

Happy Birthday Genesis!!!

2009-06-16T15:55:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Genesis! It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since you were born! Look how cute you look with your birthday hat on! You'll now be called a yearling instead of just a filly! Such a sweetie!
Below is a picture of you and your Mommy Cheyenne when you were only a couple days old! Wow! How you've changed! We are so thankful to have you at HIS Ranch!

Genesis was the first foal ever to be born at HIS Ranch. Therefore we named her Genesis, which means beginning. Now, most everyone knows her by her nick name, Genny. She is so sweet!

Palmyra Middle School

2009-06-09T11:27:00.004-05:00

With the new summer hours starting, there has been lots of activity here at the Ranch. Our newest large group, the Palmyra Middle School, came this week. They spent time learning about the Ranch, riding around the arena, and finger painting Louie. Many of the children had never ridden a horse, so it was a new experience for them. Carol Sauder is here for a few days and is doing a great job helping out with all the chores, lessons, and kids. Every volunteer is appreciated!

YMCA Day Camp

2009-06-04T09:10:00.006-05:00

Wednesday was a busy day here at the Ranch. The YMCA Day Camp came in a few different groups to learn all about the ranch and our horses. Due to the slightly damp weather, we set up different stations in the barn and the welcome center. The first station was learning how to groom the horse and teaching safety when around the horses. They were then taught about the feed and how we care for our horses. Cowboy Shannon gave them a few roping lessons and they practiced on the "hay bale steer". The kids then got a chance to walk around the ranch and meet the other horses as well as seeing where the feed and tack is kept. They ended in the welcome center where they got to make necklaces sporting a block of wood with our brand on it. They will come back on Wednsedays throughout the summer to learn more and get a chance to ride. It was a great day at HIS Ranch!

Front Porch Project Begins!

2009-05-26T14:38:00.009-05:00

Last week we started the front porch project. It is very exciting to see the changes take place! We had quite a few hard workers including Jon Gerber and Kyle Reinhard. Jon was here all last week helping. Thank you, Jon, for your hard work! Kyle will actually be helping at HIS Ranch for the summer. We are excited to have him around!

Please continue to pray for both physical and spiritual safety for the staff, volunteers, and clients who come to HIS Ranch. We also would pray that all of our attitudes as staff & volunteers would be focused on God and giving Him all the glory, honor, and praise. Thank you!

Kirksville Tornado Cleanup

2009-05-21T15:02:00.029-05:00

Last Saturday, a larger group from Bluffton, IN was planning on coming out to HIS Ranch to help at HIS Ranch. However, a bad storm came through Missouri the Wednesday (May 13) night before. A tornado whipped through the town of Kirksville, MO and completely wiped out some homes and farms, while leaving others mostly unharmed. When the need was made known, it was decided that the Taylor Apostolic Christian Church would take a group down on Saturday (May 16) to help with the cleanup. The Bluffton group willingly decided to join them.

Saturday morning they all met together at Shon Haerr's. They did not know exactly where they would be needed to clean up, so they prayed before they left that the Lord would lead them and guide them! During the drive there, it was decided that they would go to a certain farm. As they got closer, the damage of the tornado became more and more evident. What destruction!

Upon their arrival, the group began by clearing away the trees that had fallen in the yard of the farmhouse. After the yard was cleaned up, they began the task of walking through the fields & pastures gathering the many strewn pieces. The pieces consisted of everything from sheets of metal torn from the sides of barns to a shower head. After the day was over, everyone left feeling grateful for the opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ through their actions. The folks from Taylor also couldn't help but be reminded when they not so long ago, were in such desperate need for help themselves. Thanks again to all who helped last weekend in Kirksville and last summer in the flood fight in Taylor! We need one another so much! Your love is not forgotten!

"The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job 1:21 b

More Hoosiers Hauling!

2009-05-21T15:00:00.006-05:00

As already mentioned before, last week we had a small group from Bluffton here to help out at the ranch. Much was accomplished and we are so thankful for their hard work! Thank YOU! And just a note, they really did more than just lounge around!

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you"

Philippians 1:3

Thank you Crosspoint Community Church!

2009-05-19T16:22:00.006-05:00

I am a bit late here with this post, so I apologize for that! On May 2, we were blessed with a big team from Crosspoint Community Church in Eureka, IL. They spent the day planting trees, weeding, mulching, moving/shaping dirt, grouting the outside bathroom and working on the stalls. Wow! Their energy and work ethic were greatly appreciated. I think most of them even got a turn to ride. Until you are paid better eternally CCC team, THANK YOU! We would love to have you back again.

Bluffton super scoopers!

2009-05-13T13:54:00.012-05:00

This week we are thankful to have a group from Bluffton, IN to help at HIS Ranch! Yesterday, the group spent late morning and all of the afternoon cleaning out stalls and refilling with fresh sawdust. What troopers! Although scooping poop is not the most fun, it is of course a very necessary action on a ranch. We are so thankful!

Today the group cleaned out the barn by sorting wood, sweeping & rearranging to give us more room to work. They also worked in the Welcome Center by covering more knotty pine with polyurethane, cleaned the floor on their hands & knees, and finally moving the couch and chair into the front room! What a blessing! It looks so nice! And of course before the day was over, they couldn't leave without doing one other thing. Yep, you guessed it, cleaned up some more manure!

Hopefully they can survive a few more days of ranch life!

Young Group Work Night

2009-05-13T13:33:00.006-05:00

Justin has continued to work hard finishing the bathroom and adding a shelf to the Welcome Center. Doesn't the bathroom look great? A big thanks also goes to Sally's great decorating skills. Her creative thoughts have made the Welcome Center become truly welcoming!

Last week the Taylor Young Group had a work night at HIS Ranch. Although it began to rain and some of them got pretty wet, they were still able to get some things accomplished!

Yay! More Improvements!

2009-04-27T20:02:00.005-05:00

Last week we continued to work on the Welcome Center. Praise God for the wonderful weather! The main project was to begin bringing the roof out from the Welcome Center so that it would create an overhang. Lord willing, we will build a porch on the east side of the building that will provide a nice shaded area for picnic tables. We are so thankful for all who were down here to help out! We could never do anything without the Lord's grace and mercy shown to us through the Body of Christ!

The official opening day for the season at HIS Ranch is Monday, May 4. Please continue to pray that the Lord would work through the HIS Ranch staff to show His unconditional love to all who come. Pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts of all the children, volunteers, and staff who are involved with HIS Ranch that His name would be glorified! Thank You!

"...that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."

2009-04-20T16:00:00.005-05:00

The title today is found in Isaiah 61, verse 3 and actually refers to those who have been healed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I love that chapter and wanted to refer to it as I announced the literal trees that we received as a generous donation. Myron Kuenzi from Silverton, OR was at our presentation in Princeville, IL and has blessed us abundantly with 32 trees for our landscaped Healing Garden!!! As they arrived and were being unloaded that morning about 10 days ago, I was feeling humbled and thinking, "What moves a man to donate 32 big, beautiful trees AND arrange to have them shipped all the way from Oregon!?" The answer, of course, is Jesus Christ. So, a BIG thank you to Kuenzi Turf & Nursery. We are humbled and look forward to the blessing that this gift will be to all who come here. Here are a couple photos of the unloading...(Our burly unloaders were Dallas H., Shannon H., Krent R., Anthony & Justin S.)

Then, that same morning, shortly after the "tree-truck" had left, in pulled a semi-load of hay!! (We claimed that we just didn't want the Bluffton group to leave feeling like they hadn't done anything :)). So, a HUGE thank you to Roger Stoller and his son Chris for hauling it all the way down here. What a blessing to go into a busy summer with our hay supply replenished. The photo shows you the impressive sight of the arrival...

Today, the footings were poured for the porch addition to the Welcome Center. Special thanks to Norman Haerr, Bill Knobloch, Justin Steffen and Shannon for doing that work. We are looking forward to the arrival later this week of the crew for Jerry Kaiser Construction as they are volunteering their time to do the majority of the work for this.

As you can tell, the blessings being poured out here are amazing and humbling. Will you please join us in praising God for His provision? And please continue to pray for us...that we would be wise stewards and effective witnesses as we look forward to our opening day, May 4. (by: Susan)

Hooray for Stalls!

2009-04-15T15:37:00.005-05:00

Mark Kieser & Dallas Haerr working hard!

Chase Rinkenberger, Tyler Haerr, Megan Kieser (They look real intelligent, eh?)

Last week we had a few people working hard on HIS Ranch! They accomplished a lot as they worked on building stalls! We now have the whole row of stalls on the south side of the barn completed! Hooray! Thanks so much!

New Improvements on the Welcome Center!

2009-04-08T20:35:00.007-05:00

During this past weekend/week Randy Meyer blessed us with his presence and amazing masonry skills! Randy worked on putting tiling in both of the bathrooms in the Welcome Center. Soon we will have a nice working bathroom to use! Yay!

Justin has once again been working away trimming out some of the windows in the Welcome center and finishing out the power outlets. It looks nicer each day!

"Except the LORD build the house,

they labour in vain that build it:"

Psalm 127:1a

Meet Sid!

2009-04-08T20:17:00.004-05:00

Last week, a young man mysteriously appeared in Shannon's truck. But, not all was as it seemed to be. Upon closer examination, Shannon found that the person was not a real young man, but a manikin! He has been warmly accepted at HIS Ranch and has assumed his position as the official HIS Ranch mascot! (applause & cheer) After much thought & deliberation, it was decided that the newest addition to HIS Ranch would be named Sid. What a special guy!

Floor for Front Fire Room... Floor for Front Fire Room... Floor for Front Fire Room!!!

2009-04-03T11:08:00.006-05:00

My question is, how many times can you quickly say, "Floor for Front Fire Room" without messing up? But guess what! Regardless of whether or not we can say it, we can see it! The floor was completed last night and is such a blessing to look at! The Welcome Center is coming along nicely. It is not hard to envision it with kids milling around. We are thankful and pray that we would be a blessing to the Lord as we work for Him alone!

Bless the LORD, O my soul:

And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;

Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;

Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;

So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment

For all that are oppressed.

~Psalm 103:1-6

Short Weekenders... (Both in Length of Stay and Height)

2009-04-01T10:41:00.007-05:00

(Amber Steffen & Sadie Steffen working on covering the ceiling.

We will now refrain from making any short jokes as to how much

they needed the ladders!)

(Klint Gerber and Justin Steffen "supervise" the progress)

This past weekend we were thankful to have 12 volunteers from both Bluffton, IN and central Illinois. Although it was a very rainy day, they were still able to work! They cleaned out some stalls as well as completely finished covering the siding with polyurethane in the Welcome Center! Our next project will be to have the flooring finished in the front room along with tiling the bathrooms in the Welcome Center. It is exciting to see things taking shape! Please continue to pray for safety, both physically & spiritually!
This past Sunday afternoon, Kim Sutter preached about Isaiah 31. He reminded us that we should not put our trust in horses or in anything man can do. We can only put our trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He is the only one Who will never fail us! So don't put your trust in HIS Ranch, the horses, or the staff here. We will fail you! Trust in HIM!!!
"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" ~ Isaiah 31:1

(Jennifer Rassi & Emily Kieser diligently work on the windows)
(Amber Rassi, although vertically challenged, finds ways to reach the high walls.

I couldn't help commenting on shortness here!)

Trees!!!

2009-03-27T13:14:00.016-05:00

Walking outside this morning was a shocker! It was cold compared to the 60 and even 80 degree wheather we had been blessed with. Despite the cold wind whipping through over the lake, we had 23 bare root trees that came in that needed to be planted. So, what did we do? Of course we planted them! With a total of 6 people helping, we got all 23 planted within an hour and a half. After Susan & Shannon measured out where they would be planted, the rest of us began digging holes. Then like clockwork, we began planting the trees. But we didn't just do any regular planting. We tucked the trees in real nice and spoke and sang kind words of blessings. There is something about working as a team to bring new life that is truly amazing! We are so blessed!!!

(Help Continued)

2009-03-26T15:45:00.005-05:00

Above you will see the southeast corner of the ranch where we build a cement pad. This will be used to hold the stove to warm the Welcome Center in the cold winter months. Will it ever be appreciated!
The picture on the left is of the north wall in the Welcome Center that is finished out with the knotty pine siding. Justin finished all of the siding earlier this week and is now, even as I write, finishing the ceiling.

Although Justin only planned on being here for a week or so, he has decided to stay longer and help us with our projects! Thank you Justin!

Help Has Arrived!

2009-03-26T15:09:00.003-05:00

In this past month, progress on the Welcome Center came to a standstill as schedules became busy and the HIS Ranch Crew was unable to work. But lately, if one would've stopped by the Welcome Center, they would've found one guy who was hard at work.

When Justin Steffen was laid off of work about a month ago, he thought that his free time presented a good opportunity to come to HIS Ranch and volunteer for a week or so. His handyman skills have been greatly appreciated! And his fruits have been amazing!

2009-03-02T14:41:00.006-06:00

Hello to all! I thought that I would share some pictures of the work night we had a couple weeks ago on the office! Jared & Crystal Sutter, Jeff & Carrie Rocke, Susan & Shannon Haerr, Christina Rocke, Megan Kieser, and I were all present and working hard... Well, that is all except Crystal. She is expecting a baby! Great memories and progress was made! Now that we have the office finished in the Welcome Center, we are hoping to now focus on the front room in the Welcome Center and get as much accomplished as we can before the Ranch opens for summer lessons.

Office Door!

2009-02-09T14:40:00.006-06:00

Hello all! Here is a little update on what we've been working on at HIS Ranch! While we were at the HIS Ranch Retreat, it was decided that every two weeks the HIS Ranch Crew would get together to work on getting some of our projects done around the Ranch. This is some of what was accomplished during the last work night: the door & trim. If you haven't guessed yet, we love the rugged look and plan to leave the wood its natural color. We are excited and are planning on moving into the office soon!

2009-01-28T11:35:00.005-06:00

Hello to all! I would just like to note a quick prayer request for this weekend. Friday, January 30, 2009 HIS Ranch will be having a retreat for the HIS Ranch Crew. Please be prayerful that all of our ideas and thoughts would be pleasing to God as we work together to lay out the vision and direction for the next five years. Please pray most of all for the Holy Spirit's guidance and wisdom! We can always use more!

"So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;"

Proverbs 2:2

"Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:"

Proverbs 24:3

~AMS

Office Floor!!!

2009-01-22T09:58:00.008-06:00

The weekend of January 17 & 18 HIS Ranch was a buzz of activity as we worked with the foals, built stalls, and moved in! Yes, Alicia Steffen has officially moved to Taylor! A big thanks goes out to the other 5 girls who helped out, especially Megan Kieser who was here the whole week before as well. We can't wait until Megan moves down in the summer. It was an encouraging weekend!

We are so thankful for the latest development in the office! Last Wednesday (21st) after waiting hours for the glue to dry, the workers were finally able to put the flooring down. It looks so nice! We will now be able to put up the trim and the door and eventually be able to move in! We will finish putting the floor in the rest of the Welcome Center at a later date.

~AMS

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year from HIS Ranch

2008-12-30T22:16:00.003-06:00

We want to update you regarding what's new in the last couple of months at the ranch. Perhaps the most exciting news is that God is leading one of our wonderful volunteers from this past summer back "home" to the ranch. Alicia Steffen will be joining us in mid-January and we cannot wait for her arrival! One of the most encouraging and humbling parts of running a ministry is when others choose to come alongside to help carry out God's will and plan.

We are working hard in the off season (well, okay, especially Shannon) to continue remodeling the buildings/property in preparation for next summer. The work on converting our large curvette building to our official "barn" complete with individual horse stalls and a center round pen is continuing. Dallas Haerr has been a HUGE help with this effort. We are also grateful for the budget-friendly consulting of Alan Knobloch : ). We were very humbled when Harold Knapheide from Knapheide Manufacturing offered to pay for ALL of the stall doors!!

In addition, we are almost ready to officially move the ranch office to the new Welcome Center. The building is not completed, but is at a stage where it is usable. We hope that the new office will be ready for Alicia's arrival.

The horses are thriving in our crazy Missouri winter. We have had negative wind chills to 50+ degrees and everything in between. We received one new horse, Amigo, earlier this fall. He is a beautiful, buckskin gelding that has a wonderful disposition.

We have one presentation scheduled in Bluffton, IN in February but still have dates open if you would like us to present this ministry to your church or community group. Just let us know as far in advance as possible.

Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless you in 2009!

"A time to be born, and a time to die..." Ecc. 3:2a

2008-10-05T21:06:00.002-05:00

I, once again, apologize for the long wait for a new posting. I do have a good excuse this time:). For some reason, I was unable to bring up the correct website for over a week. So, thanks for your patience, and read on....

As you know from previous entries, we were blessed with two beautiful foals in June of this year. We continue to marvel at them as they grow and it brings great joy to just watch them run, jump and play together.

A little over a week ago, we had to bid a tearful farewell to our dear Shady. Shady was the first horse to ever step off of the trailer here at HIS Ranch. Many children and adults alike were blessed by time spent with her. In her day, as we understand it, she was quite the barrel-racer. At times, we would see that old spark return in her as she held her own in the herd. We knew her heart was getting worse and could see that she was getting weaker. Finally, the day came where she could no longer stand. It still amazes me how a couple of farm kids like Shannon and myself could get so emotional. But...when you begin to see these horses as the truly amazing creations of God that they are, saying goodbye will always be hard.

We continue to put plans into place for the Fall Fundraiser. We are hoping to host Jon & Amy Gerst again before that big day to work on the gardens. Jon has generously donated his time and talents in drawing up our plans for the Healing Garden and Amy has been so helpful alongside her husband and in encouraging us. We are so excited to get started with it and hope to at least get the preliminary work done with elevations, etc. and get some trees planted. It is encouraging to think of having a beautiful place for the parents/teachers/caseworkers to relax while their children are having lessons.

The inside of the Welcome Center is now fully insulated and the drywall has been painted (thanks to Mom (Sally) Haerr, Dallas Haerr and Crystal Sutter). The material has been delivered for completion of the exterior cedar siding and the interior wood siding as well. We also have the rough-cut lumber ordered for the stable stalls. Notice what we are missing?....SKILLED LABOR! :) If you fall into this category and would like to come lend us a hand, we would be thrilled.

Thanks to all of you who have already contacted us about next summer. It is humbling for us to think that you would choose to allow God to use you here.

Glub, glub, glub.....

2008-09-13T21:43:00.002-05:00

As I write this, I would hate to even guess how much rain we have received this week.....and it's not finished. For those of you who are interested (i.e. those who worked on the project), Shannon has finished painting the trailer!! I will include photos soon, hopefully. He is in the process of putting it back together so we can clean out the "big building" for the Fall Fundraiser. We are busy planning that and would be so honored by each of you that can attend. I know we are offering a free lunch and free Starbucks coffee :) as well as pony rides. There are other possibilities in the works so I will keep you updated.

I was talking to my sister, Erin Knobloch, today. She is in Reynosa, MX with Isaiah 55. We got onto the topic of how we as Christians are so willing to do the "tangible" tasks, but often fail to give prayer its proper place in our lives. I am a firm believer that prayer, when truly unleashed, would blow our minds like nothing else could. Why do we feel like we are not doing enough when we pray? It's true, sometimes we need to put "feet on our prayers" and make a difference where we can. However, please don't ever underestimate the power your prayers have. We have witnessed the fruit of prayer here at HIS Ranch and stand in awe of it. (Susan)

So blessed......

2008-09-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

Forgive us for the delay between our last blog and now. It has been an exciting and busy time here at the ranch as we finish up our first "official" season open. Without question, the best word to describe this summer is "BLESSED".

On August 13, we welcomed Paul & Susan Baliles with children Fred & Isabel; Don Wendland with son,Nathan; Marcin Rodzko; Frank and Sherrie Scalero with children Noah, Jackson, Natalie, and Ellie. They came to work on our Welcome Center for the ranch. As I try to describe the efficiency of this group, I think the only way I can describe it is to refer to those home makeover/remodeling shows where it shows the crew in fast motion. This is the NORMAL speed for this crew (Marcin was actually faster yet)!! They were amazing! It was not only the work completed that blessed us so much, but equally special were the memories made with them as we worked and played together. To each of you, thank you so much. You boosted our spirits immeasurably.

We continue to be humbled and amazed as our great God raises up His people to meet our needs and even many of our desires for this special place. On August 22, Shannon and I (Susan) with our daughter, Lena, made the trip to Alamar Acres near Princeville, Illinois to pick up 320 bales of donated hay from Alan & Mary Ann Knobloch and to meet, for the first time, two beautiful Clydesdale mares to be donated to the ranch. WOW!! The following day, Alan & Mary Ann delivered Ruby (2-yr. old) and Hadassah (1-yr. old) to HIS Ranch. They are already ministering to us and to others visiting the ranch. As a girl who grew up on a farm and took the animals for granted, I continue to be amazed at how God uses His creation in amazing ways to bring calm and peace to troubled lives. To the Knobloch's, THANK YOU....through you, we have been amazingly blessed.

It was with mixed emotions that we decided to close our doors for lessons on Labor Day weekend. Our students have been quick learners and amazing young people. It sometimes seems strange to call them "students". Maybe "teachers" would be more accurate because we also learn so much from them. Our summer help is now back in school and we miss them dearly. We especially miss Javon Steffen as she was such a rock here through a, sometimes, very hectic summer. We are trying to connive ways to get her back here as soon as possible!

Though we miss our "teachers", we know also that times of rest and restoration are necessary. If Christ took time away from His ministry, then the need for this time away is even more significant for us. Kim Meeder has told us, "You cannot give what you do not have. If you do not take time away to be filled, you will have nothing to give." We do hope to stay open longer in the years to come as our staff grows. There is still much to be done here, even without the lessons occurring. There are quite a number of projects still in the works to make the facility more efficient for our program.

By the way, if you would like to book a presentation for our winter "tour" at your church or organization, now would be a great time to call or email us.