Luke Jones Performance Horses

I'm still alive!!!!!!!!!! ;) My heart has been really reflective and thankful this past week for where the Lord has brought me in the past two months! I'm doubtful that anyone will even see this post unless you get notified when I post! :-P Y'all have probably given up on me in the blogging department! However, since this little spot on the web has always been a wonderful place for me to share my heart so that I can look back on God's faithfulness, since I LOVE writing, since I love pictures and the memories they evoke, and since maybe, just maybe someone will see this and be blessed by it, I'm gonna do a lengthy post! :)
As I sit here putting my thoughts into words the strains of the Christian radio station drift through the wall that separates me from the barn and serenade me. Where am I? Where has God moved me since I last shared with you of my adventures at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Bend, Oregon?
I am in the office adjoining the barn at Luke Jones Performance Horses near the small town of Allerton, Iowa. This little office serves several purposes for me. It's got a bathroom where I can shower and keep myself cleaned up. It has a microwave/convection oven. It has a table near an outlet that I plug my little electric frying pan into for cooking various delicious meals to keep this cowgirl energized! :) It has wifi, wahoo for being able to connect with the outside world! :) It has a leather couch that I can lay on in the evenings when I'm to exhausted to move and where my dog often joins me keeping me warm with his body heat! :)
Let's rewind though! How did I get here? What does working for Luke Jones look like? What is my goal in being a part of this place?
It all started a year ago, although I had not the slightest idea at the time that God was beginning to lay the framework for me to come work here, He was. God directed into my life a friend who worked for Luke Jones. At first the extent of this was I heard of his adventures and daily activities at work. I enjoyed hearing of his constant interaction with the horses and thought it sounded like a cool place, then he invited me out to witness it firsthand. Who could pass up an opportunity like this?! The performance horse world intrigued me and I had often dreamed of being capable of doing performance horse scale maneuvers someday. Thus when I was back in the Midwest for my older brother Thomas' wedding in June I made the trek out to Allerton, Iowa to see what Luke Jones was all about. In the beauty and glory of an Iowa summer I fell in love with the idea of being around horses all day every day. I already knew I loved interaction with horses, but Luke Jones performance horses took it to a whole new level. Training, riding, and caring for horses all day, I loved it!
I headed back to Bend, Oregon where I was on staff at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, but not without a lot of questions and ideas weighing thoughtfully on my spirit. In route back to Bend the Lord worked out an incredible and unexpected interaction with the newly married couple. They were on their way back from their honeymoon in California and I was headed back to Bend after spending about a week in the Midwest after their wedding. We just both happened to be going through the Denver, Colorado airport at the same time! :-) Not only did God put our gates super close to each other, but He delayed Thomas and Chalee's flight so that when we were only supposed to have fifteen minutes together they ended up sitting with me all the way until my flight boarded and waved me onto the airplane!

What a blessing these two are! I could sense the Lord's rich anointing on their marriage in the short hour we spent together in the airport in Denver! I had shared with them some of the things God was laying on my heart and some of the thoughts I was pondering regarding the future. Before I boarded they wanted to pray for me. Wow, what a gift that was! The Holy Spirit surrounded us and the tears were streaming down my face in that Denver airport as we grabbed hands and sought the Father together. As I stepped onto that airplane God's spirit was stirring up my heart! The next two hours of my flight to Redmond, OR. were spent calling upon the Lord and reading His word. God gave me clearer, and quicker direction then I think I've ever experienced! He reminded me as I longed to go pursue the avenue of performance horses, but ached with my desire to also serve Him through being in ministry that when we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength our life is a ministry! He spoke to me of seasons, a time to stay, and a time to go, and how it is His peace hovering over us that often gives us direction. Even as the Israelites were dependent on the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night in the wilderness to tell them when to stay and when to go, I am dependent on God's peace and Spirit to guide me! God's answer to the many questions on my heart was clear, "Love me, and do what you want!" Sounds incredibly prideful right?! Let's break that statement down though...if we're loving God, and love for Him is truly leading us, what we want to do will be in line with His heart!

I flew home on a Saturday, June 28th. The next day at church our pastor preached something along the lines of the dreams that God has placed on our hearts, and trusting Him that He has put them there. I remember sitting in that pew and my heart racing with anticipation as the Lord said, "Go home and call Luke Jones today." You see Luke had not offered me a job, I was going to step out in faith and ask Luke if he had a position open to me. I went home from church that day, acquired Luke's cell phone number, and with my nerves quite on end called him. God blew the doors wide open for me to move to Allerton, IA. Not only did Luke offer me a position, but my seven year old mare, and eight month old border collie would be allowed to come with me. I was ecstatic!

September 6th, 2014 found me hiking to a secluded place on the Deschutes River and crying out to God for wisdom and direction once again. Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch had asked me to come back as the Volunteer Coordinator's Assistant once again for the 2015 season. They requested to know an answer by the 15th of September. I was completely uncertain of what to do. I had not committed to work for Luke Jones for a certain period of time. I told him that in the spring I would evaluate what I felt I was supposed to do. Was God only calling me to work for Luke for the winter months? Was I supposed to return to Oregon in the spring to serve at Crystal Peaks once again? Tears flowed as I sat on a rock with the river flowing briskly past and beseeched God for direction. My heart was to be able to increase my horse training skills for longer then just a quick three month jaunt. However, my heart was also to be exactly wherever God wanted me. That day the Lord asked me if He told me to if I would return to Oregon in the spring of 2015. I told the Lord yes, I thought the decision had been

made.

                                     

Saturday morning September 13th, 2014 found me in my little bedroom at Jeff and Kelsie Woodford's house crying out to God once again. The Monday and Tuesday following God's question to me if I would return to Oregon had brought complete unrest and confusion in my spirit. My heart ached! I felt like God was maybe saying that He wasn't calling me back to Oregon after all, but I was so afraid! What if my emotions were getting in the way? What if it wasn't really the Lord? What if Satan was just attacking me because God was calling me back to Oregon and he didn't want me to come? "Oh Lord," I pleaded, "You have directed me many times through giving me a scripture. This morning could you please confirm to my heart the direction I am supposed to go through your word?!" Trusting the Lord to speak to me I opened to where I was currently reading, Psalm 100.

 

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

I had read this particular Psalm many, many times in my walk with the Lord, but God's Holy Spirit spoke entirely new meaning into it for me this morning! The Lord shot down all the lies that Satan was hurling at me bringing confusion and uncertainty. I came to realize that God had asked me if I would come back to Oregon if He asked me to, He had not asked me to come back. He had asked me if my heart was surrendered, and now He was giving me a beautiful gift. The release to go pursue what I love! The Lord spoke to me through verse three of Psalm 100 that He is the one who created me the way that I am! He is the one who made me, who knows me better than I know myself! If He created me passionate about riding and training horses than He can use it! It is not my place to call it "less than" just because it doesn't look, or sound, or feel like being in ministry! The Lord said, "Rebekah, I have created you the way that you are for a reason! You can give Me thanks for this, and bless Me for making you this way! You don't have to be afraid, you can trust Me to use the way I have made you! Go chase your dreams baby girl, go do what you love! I have created you for this, and I will use it for My glory!"

Thus the adventure began! On Monday, December 1st, 2014 I began work at Luke Jones Performance Horses. My mare Sonador, and my dog Cinch finally joined me as we were all united for the first time. Previously Cinch was living in Oregon with me, and Sona was living at my parents place in Iowa. I will not return to Oregon this spring, God has released me to keep my future open to whatever He is calling me to as I pursue this avenue of increasing my skills with horses. My dream and goal is to one day train horses for my own clients as well as work with troubled teen girls. I want to teach teen girls more advanced skills with horses while incorporating the gospel and truths from God's word about relationships and a relationship with God. I know that working at Luke Jones may only be a piece of what the next months hold because I serve an awesome God who is constantly gently leading and guiding me! Wherever He says go I follow! I am blessed beyond words to be working at Luke's place for this season! I have learned more in two short months than I ever imagined that I would. I have been tested, I have been pushed, I have grown physically, spiritually and emotionally. God has made it perfectly clear that this is exactly where He has me to be right now! I pray that as I love Him the wonderful people He's placed around me will be drawn to His love!

Practicing roping the dummy, I didn't even know how to swing a rope when I arrived at Luke's! :-P

 Getting instructions from the boss. :)

Always busy, saddling, unsaddling, and moving horses!!

Always my favorite part of the day, riding my horse! There's just something about your own horse that is more amazing than any other horse! No matter how behind some of the horses that I ride she is in her training, she is still my favorite! ;)

 

Visits from family, another favorite!!!! I absolutely love being close enough to where they live for them to drop in for a day!

 

 

Ranch life, love it so much!

 

 This made me smile!! :) The Jones have a billy goat that they allow to run free. One day I left the door to my car open and had a voluntary passenger! ;)

 God is so good beyond what we deserve! We deserve nothing, and in Him we are blessed with everything! God blessed me with a border collie 10 months ago, little did I know that one day I would be working at Luke Jones Performance horses where lots of people in the area own border collies and work them on cows. I've been blessed with the opportunity to try working Cinch on stock some and have been told that he is as good a dog as any dog in the country. A gentleman named Mike, who trains cattle dogs, told me that he wished his well bred border collie would do the things Cinch is doing. There is a phrase that says, "Cinch to victory," which means, "The victory is sure." It was when I discovered this that the Lord impressed upon my heart that this was to be my dog's name. I am constantly blessed by the companionship of Cinch in my life and the things the Lord teaches me through his intelligent wanting to please me attitude! In Christ I know the victory is sure, and through this dog He has blessed me with I am constantly reminded of that!

 

One of the things I love about my job at Luke's is that it requires me getting up early enough that I see the sunrise more than I don't see it rise. No matter what the previous day has held, or what the day ahead of me holds I am reminded that great is His faithfulness, and His mercies are new every morning! His love is constant in a world that is constantly changing!

A Mother's Love

It takes a lifetime to learn the value of your mother's love,

It takes going out into the world to realize what your mother is actually made of,

When I was young and she dried my tears,

Sat up with me sick all night and calmed my fears,

I never used to think much of it, wasn't that a mothers job,

But now when I recall those days my heart begins to throb,

My mother gave her life for me so that I could succeed,

In Christ like example she met my every need,

When my world was spinning out of control,

She held my hand, she cried with me, she comforted my soul,

When advice I was needing, her Bible she was reading,

She'd gently steer me to the Father,

I'd find peace in being reminded I am His daughter,

Through all the years my mother has been so strong,

She's been constant, she's been steady, and I know she'll be there for me all my lifelong,

When I said I loved horses you didn't skip a beat,

You were always along for the ride, cheering me on from your ever watchful seat,

Now as I face this world and all it's pressures,

I realize like never before your love is beyond being able to measure,

I see pieces of you in me more and more each day,

And that is something I don't want to go away,

Who wouldn't want a piece of the strongest woman she's ever known,

I'm grateful a part of you has stuck with me as I have grown,

Now how to say thank you that is the question,

One that is beyond my comprehension,

I can never let you know what you mean to me,

But that you're my mother and I'm your daughter makes me forever happy!

Happy Birthday Mom!!! I love you!!!

God Speaks

As I sit and stare out the window God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I read His word and pray God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I listen to the radio God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I gaze at the sun sinking below the horizon God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I watch my horse learn how to trust me God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
As I lay in bed and reflect on the day God speaks to me;
He speaks to  me all the time!
As I meet people each and every day God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In moments of loneliness and sorrow God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In periods of happiness and joy God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
In His creation or in my bedroom God speaks to me;
He speaks to me all the time!
I'm so glad my Jesus is mine, for He speaks to me all the time!

-Rebekah Rehm

 

I wrote this very simple poem today as I was in my bedroom spending time with the Lord. I was thinking of all the different things the Lord has been speaking to my heart recently and suddenly it hit me that He speaks to me all the time!! I know that often I become discouraged and think, "The Lord speaks to others so much more than He does to me!" Or, "If only I could hear from the Lord in that way!" But I was so encouraged today when I stopped and thought of all the different ways the Lord speaks to me and how I personally hear His still small voice, and that is what inspired this poem! I'm so grateful that He speaks to me all the time!! How does God speak to you?

 

 

And after the earthquake a fire;

but the Lord was not in the fire:

and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:12

Life In Oregon! :)

 

   

 SO MANY times it is hard to believe that I am actually in Oregon at Crystal Peaks doing what I've dreamed of doing for SIX years of my life!!! But we serve a BIG God, and He has good plans for each and every one of our lives!! I'm so grateful that Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is the plans He has for me for this season of my life!!!

This is the "before and after picture!" :) The one on the left is before I left for work my first day, and the one on the right is after I got back from work my first day...sunburned, and as happy as can be! :)

 Little Bear one of our most beautiful horses at the ranch looking for a treat and therefore unknowingly posing for the camera! :)

 These pictures are from when we got to work with a group of kids that had disabilities. They really enjoyed their time around the horses and interacting with the ranch staff and full time volunteers!

 One of our full time volunteers Jessi showing how Little Bear can play big soccer! :)

 The kids trying some big soccer themselves! :)

 Jacobi sporting my pony tail holder...is there any place more appropriate for a pony tail holder than a pony's hair?! Lol

 My dear friend Blanche who's house I am living in this summer! She is a wonderful blessing to me!

 The gorgeous, breathtaking Three Sisters Mountains that I get to see most every day!

 Kade...adorable little guy, one of the staff member's at Crystal Peaks son.

 Doing a Friday afternoon Bible study with these three lovely ladies..

 Our calm picture...

 and our wild one! ;)

 My dear friend Jordi who I've gotten very close to since arriving in Oregon!!

 My first experience painting a horse with a sweet little girl during a session at the ranch one day!

Finished...a masterpiece!! :)

 Good times with my fellow full time volunteers...Ruthann in the middle, and Krista on the right!

Snuggling with Bear one of the staff at Crystal Peaks dog...it really helps when you're homesick!!!

My dear friend and fellow full time volunteer Karmel

 And our favorite part of the day...time to feed the herd!!

 Our Mississippi girl riding the ranger like a pro!

 Eating horses=happy horses! :)

 Fellow full time volunteer and dear friend Karen! She is like a mother away from home to me!

 Ready for Sunday morning church!

 Sunday afternoon, cowgirl full time volunteers at Crystal Peaks pictures! :)

 

One of Oregon's MANY beautiful rainbows, a reminder that God ALWAYS keeps His promises!! Every day I live in Oregon is a reminder of that! So many times He spoke to my heart that one day I would be here, and now I truly am!! Although it isn't all sunshine and roses...there is homesickness, and horsesickness for my amazing babies back home...God is teaching me SO MUCH, and I am growing each and every day!! The best part of it all is knowing that I am EXACTLY where God wants me to be right now! God is SO GOOD! He ALWAYS keeps His promises!!!

A Sweet Aroma To God

This morning I was sitting in our comfy blue chair in the living room next to a toasty fire crackling in the stove praying. As I was praying I stopped and got up to go check if I'd been successful in raising the temperature in the house at all by my fire, and found it to be so. Satisfied I headed back to my spot in the blue chair. As I walked past the stove I glanced at it and noticed the top of it was smoking. Knowing it isn't normal for the top of the stove to smoke I went closer to take a look. It was as I came up next to the stove that I noticed I'd left a wicker basket of poppouri sitting on top of the stove when I started the fire! Okay call me blonde if you want to, but the lesson God revealed to me through this is AWESOME! :-) Attempting to save the basket from fire I snatched it off the very hot stove top and immediately looked at the bottom of it. I found it a bit blackened, but in a far better state than I anticipated it would be! It wasn't at the point of catching on fire yet, but the poppouri in the basket was smoking. I caught a whiff of the poppouri and stopped in my tracks. It smelled AMAZING! I glanced at the stream of smoke spiraling towards the ceiling and breathed deeply again to inhale the scent of the poppouri. The scent was so beautiful, fragrant, sweet, and delightful that I stuck my nose over the smoke ascending from the poppouri and decided to just keep smelling it for a bit. I believe that the heat was actually causing the poppouri to smell even sweeter. Or perhaps the effect of smelling it as the smoke drifted off of it was what really got me. Yet as I stood there smelling it's fragrance I heard the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart, and the words He spoke to me gave me a revelation that sent me back to the blue chair in deep thought and amazement! You see I've been reading through the Old Testament this month, and just recently I've been going through the book of Leviticus, which as most of you know for a lot of people is one of the more difficult books of the Bible to read through! As I've been reading through the specifics of offering after offering, and how they are to be given, and why they are to be given I have come across this phrase numerous times, "It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord." I have thought about this phrase and wondered about it! When you think about the things that were being offered up to God by fire you wonder how it could be a sweet aroma to Him! The wool of sheep, the hair of goats, the feathers of pigeons and turtledoves burning does not smell that pleasant! In face I envision it having quite a nasty scent actually! But as I stood there sniffing the poppouri the Holy Spirit brought revelation to my heart, and this is what I am beginning to think. Perhaps it wasn't the scent of the animals being burned that was rising to heaven as a sweet aroma to God at all! Perhaps the aroma that God was smelling was indeed as sweet as the scent of poppouri drifting into my nose as these thoughts soaked into my heart. You see perhaps the aroma that many times in the Old Testament is mentioned as being a sweet one to the Lord is one that we can still live out in our lives today! Perhaps the smell that caught the Father's attention and caused Him to look down with pleasure was the aroma of His people's obedience to Him, their love, their praise, their worship, their adoration! Pondering this I sniffed the sweet scent still ascending from the poppouri yet once again, and as I did these thoughts rang true in my spirit and my heart cried, "Oh God, that my life would smell like this to YOU!!! That I would live in such a way that You can know the joy of this sweet aroma drifting off me towards You. That you can turn Your face towards me and gaze on me with pleasure as You delight in the fragrance of my life! Father, by Your enabling, empowering Spirit let it be! Teach me how to live!" The basket of poppouri is now setting cooling on the table, but the lesson God's spirit brought still lingers on in my heart! The joy I found in sniffing such a beautiful sweet scent was unique. It brought a feeling indescribable. If that is what my life smells like to God when I live in obedience and love before Him, then that is the deepest desire of my heart, to produce that fragrance for Him!

'Then he shall split it at its wings, 

but shall not divide it completely;

and the priest shall burn it on the

altar, on the wood that is on the fire.

It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering 

made by fire. a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:17

Another Horse, Another Lesson!

Toots came to the Rehm Ranch on October 27th, 2012. I received a phone call in the early afternoon from a friend who I'd trained a horse for this spring. He informed me that he was with a friend of his picking up a horse that had been sent to a trainer in South Dakota. This trainer was said to be a reputable trainer and thus the owner of Toots had sent her there in hopes of her being broken out nicely. After four months of phone calls and the trainer not answering his questions about Toots but rather avoiding them the owner headed up to South Dakota frustrated and set on bringing his horse home. What he found was not what he had brought there! Toots had lost 250 to 300 lbs and was not the same horse in temperament that he'd dropped off in South Dakota just four short months ago. As he loaded up Toots to bring her home his friend mentioned me, and he decided to give me a call.

 I was ecstatic when I received this phone call, for two reasons. The first reason was that God had spoken to me through a dream that He would give me four horses to train in the year 2012. As the end of the year neared I was wondering, "Lord are you really going to give me four horses? I've trained three this year, but where on earth is the fourth one coming from?" I should have known that God had it all planned out! I was overjoyed when I realized that God was bringing the dream He'd given me in the first place to completion. God always keeps His promises! The second reason I was really excited about Toots was because I felt like it was an opportunity for me to "rehabilitate" a horse! With my desire to volunteer at a non-profit ranch in Bend, Oregon that does just that someday I felt as if God was giving me an opportunity to prepare for that in yet another way! 

So the rehabilitating and training began. I consulted with Toots' owner and we immediately got her on grain and hay to try to put weight back on her. Daily I fed Toots, gave her TLC and began to teach her how to respond to the basic rule of pressure and release.

I could tell that Toots had some issues with reacting without thinking from the very beginning, but I had no idea to what extent. I felt that she was progressing along fairly nicely on her groundwork and I was soon riding her. 

 One afternoon I got home from work and went out to fetch Toots. I'd been riding her for a couple of days now in the round pen and felt that she was ready to progress to being ridden with the bit. I slipped the bit into her mouth and clipped the reins on and climbed onto her back. Part way through riding her I asked her to back up. Toots would back up well enough, but she resisted the bit and wouldn't drop her head and tuck her nose in like I wanted her too. I planned to take it in stride and address the issue like I always do. I kept asking her to back up not focusing on getting the actual steps backwards, but waiting for her to drop her head and tuck her nose before I released her. I got one or two steps quite nicely and rewarded her, then I asked her again, and that is when the totally unexpected happened. Without warning Toots flung herself into the air and came over backwards landing on top of me. I felt as if I was being squashed beneath the crushing weight of her 900 pounds and was sure I was going to be seriously injured! I grimaced beneath her weight as she rolled the full weight of her 900 pounds over onto my right leg before scrambling to her feet. I lay there shaking in shock and pain unsure if I was going to be able to stand up. Soon I was forced to when Toots started backing up towards me. Stumbling to my feet I limped to the house with my right arm and leg throbbing. I thought both of them would be broken for sure, in God's mercy neither of them were...just seriously bruised/sprained! 

As you can imagine although I did not cease to thank the Lord for sparing my life in this accident I also questioned Him as to why He would send a horse such as Toots to me! Clearly she must have had some pretty traumatic stuff in her background to respond to me the way she did and suddenly I didn't feel "qualified" for the job at all!

 God didn't respond with a loud booming answer, His answer came softly as I spent time at His feet and listened to His voice regarding Toots! One day as I was talking with a friend I realized  that Toots no longer trusts humans because they have not rewarded her when she did the right thing. Toots has lost the desire to please, she has closed herself up against humans because somewhere along the way she was not rewarded for trying! Because of this Toots literally disconnects her brain from me and what I'm asking her to do refusing to engage in the partnership I desire with her. Her attitude is one of, "There's never been anything in it for me in the past. I have never been rewarded for trying before, and I don't expect to be now!" 

 What Toots is failing to realize is that she's under a new master now, one who has her BEST in mind and will gladly reward even the slightest try! Yet I can not force Toots to trust me! As much as it pains me that she won't trust me I can not plead, beg, conjure, or convince her into trusting me! The only thing I can do is build a relationship with her and prove myself to her by faithfully rewarding and loving her! 

 One day Toots is going to realize my heart towards her, she's going to forgive humans and chose to trust again, and suddenly our relationship will charge forward like a rocket! But until then we are stuck! Me anxiously waiting, longing for Toots to realize how I really feel about her and recognize there is something in it for her, and Toots with a closed unreceiving attitude with no confidence in humans at all. 

As I was thinking about this the Lord spoke to me about my relationship with Him. Often this happens in my dealings with horses and I think that's because God knows that I understand best when He speaks in this way! You see sometimes I close my heart towards God and refuse to receive His affection because I'm afraid of Him rejecting me according to my shortcomings and my failures! I measure God by the way that others have dealt with me when I've failed them and come to the conclusion that He could NEVER love me after I failed Him AGAIN in that exact same way! Yet even as Toots I'm failing to remember I'm under a New Master who operates oh so much differently than my weak human friends!  

 You see in Romans it says there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, yet why do I daily receive more than my portion of condemnation from the Devil. Why do I close my spirit to His love and find myself trapped in the thoughts and ideas that I have of how God operates instead of the truth of who He really is? It is in this place that I feel the bitter pain of rejection and loneliness that is not actually coming from Him, but rather my own thoughts and ideas of who He is! Like Toots I'm stuck in a place of frustration and confusion unable to receive His love not because His love isn't extended, but rather because I'm refusing to trust that God is who He really says He is. 

 He took the bitter pain of my sin, past, present, and future on the cross and He left it nailed there and there is NO rejection from Him any longer! Does He correct me when I stray and sin? Absolutely, He will go to whatever lengths He needs to to take anything out of the way that hinders love! But what I fail to realize is correction and rejection are two totally different things! When God corrects me He doesn't reject me. But when I listen to Satan's whispers that He does and I close my heart to protect it from rejection I soon find myself far from Him wondering how on earth I'm in the place that I find myself! 

Perhaps it is time that I took the time to stop long enough and learn a lesson that God has been teaching me through a broken lil' horse that is learning to trust again. Perhaps it is time I realized that my Master's heart is good towards me, even as my heart is goods towards Toots! Perhaps I need to step back and listen the the words of a horse trainer to a broken horse, and maybe just maybe I'll find the words are not coming from me, but rather my heavenly Father! 

"Bekah, Don't you see that I love to reward more than correct? Don't you see that My love never stops for a moment, even when you fall short? When will you trust Me for who I am? When will you open your spirit to receive My love? Because I am just waiting, longing for you to trust!"