rascal

It is always a lot easier, more peaceful if you will....to hold on to our beliefs concerning ourselves and that which we have given allegiance. It can be very uncomfortable to examine the more unpleasant aspects of those who claim to represent truth...and to evaluate what the implications are to our perceptions of ourselves and our beliefs. Much easier to label that which we find distasteful as exaggerations or lies in order to remain comfortable about ourselves, and our beliefs. It takes some real guts to honestly evaluate all of the information.

Well, look at it from the horses pov. He is dragged out of his comfy stall or paddock away from his friends and his lunch to put on a hot heavy saddle and haul our fat bu tts (figuratively speaking of course ..lol) in what to him appears to be mindless circles. He doesn`t care that you have paid big dollars for the privelige...lol Horses do what their herd boss tells them to. The accept orders from those they consider their boss...it is a respect issue...you have not established yourself as the dominant one yet (not that you would as a new rider). With experience comes confidence, you will communicate that to the horse...they will know...they will feel it in your posture, your balance, the way you relax .... Just listen to your instructor, they will help you aquire the confidence to inspire the horse with respect. In the mean time to him...you are just one more chore that has to be done before he can get back to his unfinished business.

I am in south central Tn. It is even worse here....our valley has had barely a drop since early july. Because there is no hay for a fall cutting....nobody can feed their cows this winter. All of our streams and ponds have dried up so there is nothing for them to drink even if the poor farmers could pay to ship the hay in to keep their herds alive. All of my neighbors are selling their cows...it is heart breaking for the people who have lovingly nurtured their herds. Many they raise as bottle babies....they are broken hearted...for them it isn`t just animals that are replaceable. Family farms that have operated for 4 generations are going out of business. The horses cannot be sold...every week I hear of them being given away, pleads for hay to avoid starvation...nobody can afford to feed them, nobody wants to buy them...the vets are being called to farms to put them to sleep in order for them to not die of slow starvation. The hay that I used to pay 15 $ a roll for is now 60 IF you can get it..... I go through two rolls a week in the winter...in the summer I normally rely on the grass...I have had to buy hay all summer. I am in serious trouble as well...having to borrow money from family just to keep them alive... The news has asked us all to place buckets of water along our fence lines for the wild life as they are dying from thirst. Last week at the stock yards in town, the cattle trailers were lined up and down the streets for blocks filled with my neighbors liquidated herds...Those who weren`t forced last fall to sell because of the drought...who hung on tenaciously thinking that this year would be better...are now forced to sell at a huge huge loss. These are the foundations of the herds...their young heifers and calves...recovery isn`t going to be possible for many. I drive by streams that have never in anyones living memory not run cold and deep...they are bone dry...not even a puddle....this is a disaster, I don`t know how we will recover. Rain, yes...please pray for rain and lots of it. It is too late to help our farmers now, but it will save the wild life and maybe the horses.

Good

Terrific!!! Congratulations Bow !! :)

I don`t think that I buy that anybody with that much power would f up.... That is a discredit to the people who DO serve God faithfully. It is a choice one makes...... If you guys were in charge would you be drugging and raping?? Would you be destroying lives deliberately?? It takes a uncommon kind of orneriness to do these things imo

Not at all cid...I am at a loss to understand your antipathy towards me....my accounts have been substantiated....you cannot point to a single thing I have said here that is untrue.... I have presented the information and contributed my thoughts....shrug that is what we do here.

No telling bnis. I often wonder what great good might have been accomplished had we not been side tracked into serving in twi. ALL of that money, man power, billions of hours of heartfelt prayers. All of those hours of selfless service....who knows what would have happened if it had all been channeled into something that would have been of benefit to more than just a few greedy people.

I was studying the scriptures to learn formulas and principles/rules to apply so that I could keep satan at bay...so that I could be more than a conquerer, so that I could believe bigger for healings and miracles....so that I could be some kind of super christian. There was something vital missing from the formula, imo.

Has anybody considered that we made *the word* into an idol? I mean it seemed like if we read it enough...if we searched it enough....ran verses through our mind enough ..THEN we would be spiritual beings... Maybe it`s just me....but I feel like I went to the scriptures fro all of my answeres instead of forming that relationship with God. I mean to me...the word became the end all be all, rather than a guide that led us to God.

I picture all of us as we were in twi....early 20s....lol It is hard for me to wrap my brain around us all being so old :)

Thanks for helping clarify guys. I have found that God has been able to reach and teach me through a variety of different books since leaving. Mostly non doctrinal books.. On the other hand my husband has read mostly doctrinal type stuff...one God one lord....love languages...ces publications...that is the type of thing that holds meaning for him. While I couldn`t stomach that and he had no desire to read what I found was meaningfull and had impact....the truly wierd thing is....we have for the most part ended up on the same page as far as our understanding goes... I get so tickled at arriving at the same place through entirely different routs. It is like God works with each of us in the way we best can comprehend. I think that is how it may work for all of us.... What rings the bells and whistles for me.....particular books......activities with inspirational people...is not necessarily what will bring healing and growth to someone else. It seems like there is a willingness to custom designed the path that works for us. I don`t have to force myself into somebody elses mold.

Rape is a strong word...for a vicious cruel act perpetrated on more than one occasion to innocent young women by a perverted old fart who masqueraded as a man of God.... I do hate that.

Thanks guys, these folks have been trying to paint me with the *hate* brush for a long time. You nailed it, revulsion that a father figure could do that to a trusting young soul....That someone who claimed to represent God would destroy reputations and credibility....infuriates me....so many things about the betrayal of this man are wrong on so many levels....what he stole from us...what he stole from God....what we were deprived of....fills me with complete and utter disgust....but hate..I dunno, that`s a pretty strong word lol

Contoversy on monty Roberts Ex??? How so? I hadn`t heard. Please tell me.

What really WAS especially toxic was twi John.

Weak? Maybe, but I THOUGHT I was being obediant. I was taught that was what was required for me to grow spiritually, to show my love for God....to be a doulos. Weak...yeah I guess my desire to love and serve God was what made me weak.

A great book ...not exactly christian that helped me a lot in realising that we can go far ... Dot you would love it....*The man who listened (s?) to horses. It is the auto biograghy of Monty Roberts,,,the REAL horse whisperer. He overcame viscious child hood abuse and managed to turn the entire horse world on its ear ...changing the understanding and training methods that have been in place since man and horse began their partnership. Truly inspirational.

I thought of another great read of a person overcoming a lot of obstacles Dot... *Against all odds*...Chuck Norris` auto biograghy. You don`t have to like Karate to enjoy this book and get a lot out of it. I read out loud to my family on the trip north and got so tickled at some points...that it would be 5 miniutes before I could stop laughing hard enough to resume reading...:) He had a difficult child hood made bearable by the prayers and efforts of a strong Christian mother. Very inspirational to see how God can work in a persons life in spite of how difficult the circumstances are. A powerfull testimony to the faithfullness of God,

Why oldies, you were born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth spiritually speaking....you yourself constantly point out that your treatment was entirely different than most of the rest of the people on these boards.....I can only surmise that the status that your family brought, had bearing on the way you were treated. I know what I was told, I know what standard I was held to, I know whom I was allowed contact and what I was allowed to read, view, and participate in. I had no family members in... It is the only answere I can come up with to explain the discrepancy.

Great Rottie, it sounds like you are in very very good hands then. Most accidents come from not understanding horses and how they think... Rottie...you and I..Nico we are all predators...Horses are prey animals...they can actually smell that we are carnivors...predators.... They react to us as predators that will eat them...they have this *flight* response to danger.... Pat parelli refers to them as 1200 pound bunnies ...if you can imagine a timid little rabbit... This helps you get an idea of why their actions can be incomprehensible to us.....they won`t act like a dog...or a person...but a frail little bunny. An absolutely fabulous read whether you like horses of not is Monty Roberts book..*The man who listened (s?) to horses. An incredible biograghy of his real life ...how he overcame viscious child hood abuse and went against the entire horse world...the original horse whispere

Number one Larry, I always answere as honestly as I can... As for do I believe that God can heal??? Sure I do...Why doesn`t he??? I have no idea Sometimes the answere is yes, sometimes it is no...I don`t know why. If it was according to believing or prayer...then vp would have a) never gotten sick...or b) would have been healed and God given the glory. As neither happened, I can only conclude that he was mistaken in his understanding of sickness, causes, and cures prayers and believing...shrug

Bliss, I guess folks just don`t want the accuracy of the scriptures to get in the way of that which they desire to believe... So WHAT if the same word for the fetus Jesus was the same word for the born Jesus??? The old adage..*My mind is made up...DON`T confuse me with the facts* would come into play here. Thanks for understanding...I hope that you are right...but then again, I am afraid that you are....what do you say to the child that you destroyed? Sorry just doesn`t quite seem to cover it :(

Cancer has a way of doing that..... my point was that they didn`t believe in the power of prayer or they would have energized what was at there disposal.

Cancer has a way of doing that..... my point was that they didn`t believe in the power of prayer or they would have energized what was at there disposal.