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A Poem From
Kansas. Followed by a Testimony of
Faith.
Horseman's
Priority Clinic
Weber Arena, Manhattan, KS
February 7, 2004
by Ron Wilson, Poet Lariat
Thanks, folks for
comin' to this clinic today.
Our great clinicians have had lots
to say.
We thank our
sponsors, John Deere and Purina,
And the one and only Ernie Rodina.
They've brought
us some of the top horse trainers in
the nation:
Kerry Kuhn, Brent Wright, and
Shannon Hall as a foundation.
Now we've had a
good supper, and I know without
fail,
You'll enjoy the music of Belinda
Gail.
So we've learned
about the horses that we love -
But we're also getting guidance from
up above.
Cowboys for
Christ is our co-sponsor here,
With a mission to present the Gospel
crystal clear.
Cowboys for
Christ was founded by Brother Ted
Pressley,
Who created this wonderful ministry.
It provides
fellowship, service, and outreach.
You won't want to miss hearing
Brother Ted preach.
Tomorrow is
cowboy church before we depart,
And I ask you to come with an open
heart.
And there's a way
to have this fellowship again,
As the new local chapter of Cowboys
for Christ begins.
So we invite you
to join our fellowship today,
As the Good Lord helps to show us
the way.
Now thanks for
being part of a great clinic this
year.
Enjoy the weekend. We're mighty glad
you're here.
A Testimony of
Faith.
I was raised as a
member of a church, but chose to
leave the church, for various
reasons, many years ago.
Last Fall, a
particularly saddening challenge was
placed in my path and as a
consequence of the only acceptable
response for me to make, I had to
give up my little horse training
business.
I went into a
depression. Eventually, I knew I
needed help and so I began sessions
with a mental health counselor. I
began the process of healing.
However, I still
felt adrift and in need of guidance
and a sense of direction.
---
A little background information: the
day before the traumatic event to
which I referred above, I was at a
horse show and I lost my good felt
show hat and the nice hard plastic
carrier that it was in. Looked and
looked and couldn't find it.
---
A couple of days
ago, a friend won 4 tickets to the
KSU horsemen's clinic that was
co-sponsored by Purina, John Deere,
and Cowboys for Christ. My friend
already had tickets and offered me
these tickets. I accepted them. When
I saw that the theme of the
conference was "Putting your life
into perspective," I was intrigued,
because that was exactly what I've
been struggling to do.
I gave 2 tickets
to a couple other friends who then
drove up to meet me at the
conference. We enjoyed presentations
by a young lady who demonstrated the
Lyons methods, and trainer Kerry
Kuhn, and NRHA champion Brent
Wright, and NCHA champion Shannon
Hall. Each of them witnessed to us,
and Dr. Pressley invited us to the
Sunday morning Cowboy Church
service. Ted talked about how we
would have fun, and I thought about
how novel the idea is to me of
having fun in church!
My friends stayed
at my house overnight and were up
and around earlier than me, so they
went on to Cowboy Church. I got up
and got dressed to go, and one of
the house cats begged for fresh
food, so I went to fetch some more
cat food for his dish.
As I bent over to
scoop up some cat food, I saw one of
my coats on the floor. I picked up
my coat, and there was my missing
hard plastic western hat case! Wow!
Was the hat in it too? That would be
too good to believe! Opened it up,
and yep, there was the hat, in
excellent condition.
Then I realized,
God had sent me a sign. A very
PERSONAL sign, using symbols that
were very meaningful to ME! What
could be more loving? How much He
showed that He knows me so well! The
use of the western hat and the hat
box, you see, relate to my life as a
horsewoman and are therefore very
meaningful to me.
That I discovered
my hat while I was getting ready to
go to Cowboy Church was God's way of
showing me that I was doing the
right thing and that this is the
path He has chosen for me. That by
continuing my work with horses, I am
doing the work He intended for me to
do. And that He wants me back as a
Christian and that He wants me to
put Him first. That now that I know
He wants me, I know that by putting
Him first, He will take care of me
and my little horse business.
I got to Cowboy
Church a little late, but I was very
happy to be there, with my brothers
and sisters in Christ together
through our love of horses and the
land. I thoroughly enjoyed Dr.
Pressley's teaching. I've never been
to a church service like this
before, with so much joy and genuine
celebration.
Two young women
took baptism at the conclusion of
the service. A stock tank was used
for the baptism. A tank heater had
been used so that the water would be
comfortable. You don't see something
like at a traditional baptism!
My friends were
very supportive after the service,
when I told them about the sign that
God had given me. I explained to my
friends that I still can't believe
in God the way He was taught to me
as a child, as kind of a cranky old
man in a white nightgown, but that I
really appreciate God's choice of
such personal symbols for speaking
to me, and most of all, I appreciate
His wonderful sense of humor in the
use of my hat and hatbox!
I hope to attend
more Cowboy Churches. I feel
comfortable and welcome here. You
see, it is hard to get me out of my
boots and jeans. I am simply not a
heels and stockings kind of gal. I
am shy and I generally feel
uncomfortable in groups of people.
One of the reasons I am shy this way
is because of the bad experiences I
had in Sunday school as a child. But
at Cowboy Church, I can stay in my
jeans and boots and I can be myself.
I've lived much
of my life up to this point trying
to please other people. I now know
that the reason I am so horse crazy
is because God made me that way and
that when I work with horses, I am
doing the work He wants me to do.
I also see the
larger pattern of how the bad thing
that happened to my family last fall
was also part of God's plan to help
me come back to Him and to place Him
first in my life. And think of all
the things that had to be timed just
right for me to received His message
at just the right time in just the
right frame of mind...
But most of all,
I really am impressed with God's
sense of humor. A western hat and a
hatbox as signs from Heaven!
With love,
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