Caption #5

Wow! I got so many cute comments on this one! Thank you all for your guesses but the one by Erick Reinstedt was too cute to pass up! Calamity Rene, Amy, and Rebekah R. yours were super cute too!

Real chickens always ride bareback!

Choosing the Best.

Lately at the youth group that my dad teaches, he has discussed several topics that I found interesting and useful. The first is about being inspired versus inspiring. In this case being the one inspired could be good or bad. Are you setting a good example and inspiring others for the work of the Lord, or are you being the one who is inspired, looking up to people who are perhaps not a good influence? Being able to recognize which category that you fall into is valuable to see whether you are either being a good example and influence for others or making sure that you are only being inspired by good and Godly examples. It's not bad to be influenced but you need to make sure that if you are, you are by Godly people such as a pastor, youth leader, Children's Church teacher, or Godly parents, friends, or even older siblings who are following Christ. Ever since Dad talked about this I have been noticing a lot more, who is influencing and who is influenced.

The other topic my dad pointed out which I found interesting was that we can never outgive God. I have seen this even in my life. Maybe I will donate a few dollars toward this or that, and a few days or weeks later I will get a few extra dollars than I earned working for a friend. Instances such as this has occurred time and time again in my life and in others' lives around me. Maybe I will simply give some of my time to help someone move, and then when I need help, they will help me. Or I might volunteer my time at a rescue horse sanctuary and then when I need wisdom with my family's horse, someone knowledgeable will be willing to check on her and help us out. Other instances could even be as simple as someone getting us something at a grocery store and not allowing us to pay them back. So remember that God will honor a Godly and giving heart. A line that I really like in the movie, God's NOT Dead, says, “God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!”

Take a look at your life. Are you the influenced or the one influencing or both? Do you need to change who you are inspired by? Also, remember that you can never ever outgive God. He loves you and wants the best for you.

Caption This #5!

Here you go...your next caption this picture! The chickens name is Teeters by the way, she is a several month old chick.

Sheer Joy!

As most of you are aware, last November our horse got an injury that eventually made her lame. Long story short, my sister and I could walk and canter (lope) her but we were unable to canter because we had to pass through the trot to get to the canter. The trot was what would have made it worse and become dangerous to us as the rider. So we were stuck with a walk. Of course, I was glad for a walk rather than nothing but it was hard since we got her mostly to really ride. Anyways, we had the vet come out to give Dream her annual shots. When he did, he also looked at her leg. He clarified for us that her injury is just like arthritis; sometimes she'll be a little stiff and limping, other times she'll be right as rain and on those days we could go through the trot to the canter. He briefly lunged her and told us that on this particular day she looked “right as rain”. So, later that day, my sister and I saddled her and then worked toward a canter. After several tries I was able to get her to a canter on my cue. My sister also had several good canters. 

Now, this wasn't even the best part! Well, I guess that the best part was that we can now canter her, but my post title is actually based on an event that happened the following day. Up until this point, I had both walked and trotted bareback but cantered only in a saddle. I had been thinking about trying to canter bareback since in all your movies and books they do canter bareback. (Yes, I know that they are not always the most reliable sources but I know that people do.) After making sure that this was one of her “right as rain” days, my sister and I worked her a bit and then rode bareback. Once again, after several tries, I was cantering bareback! When I came back I was absolutely speechless. It was an AMAZING feeling. I was flying! Sheer joy. That's just about the best way to describe it. Both my sister and I had several more bareback canters and we both agreed that, that . . . I don't even know how to describe it! It was wonderful. As I said, sheer joy!

Sorry, but I was unable to find any pictures or video of cantering bareback so this one picture will have to do! (A BIG thanks to my sister for capturing this beautiful moment on camera!)