October 9th, 2009
We all face fear. At times, fear motivates us. At times, fear paralyzes us.
Our fear can come from almost anything at any time. In some cases, the fear may be of disappointing parents who have set high standards and expectations on us. We are motivated to meet and exceed those expectations, and we are afraid we will let those parents down.
Another type of fear arises when you face a wild animal in the midst of nature. You meet a lion or maybe a skunk face to face. Boy! I tell you what . . . that will get some fear going in you! Because you know what the result of our encounter will be. Like hearing the buzz from a hive of killer bees that have been disturbed, and they are coming after you. That is fear getting into your heart, and you can feel it. You get this adrenalin taste in your mouth, your palms sweat, and your heart beats faster and faster.
This is what psychologists call “Fight for Flight Response”. Your body is pumping up the adrenalin to take care of two methods of meeting what is coming at you. You either fight it or flee from it. And sometimes fleeing is what we do. Some situations paralyze us with fear that prevents us from facing certain things. And others know that we are just not going to do them. Usually when thrown from a horse, the rider is told to get back on it . . . get right back on it.
Overcome your fear. If you don’t, in your mind, the fear will get bigger and bigger, becoming so big that you can’t overcome it. I have seen people who have gone through a relationship, and when the relationship breaks up, they are so hurt, so damaged, that they are afraid to get involved in another one. Without a doubt, in their mind, they know what is going to happen, and they know it will not be good.
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Tags: bible study, cowboy gospel, dealing with fear
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September 21st, 2009
Several months ago, a man in San Antonio was driving while under the influence of alcohol. He hit another vehicle. Traveling in the second vehicle was a family that included two young girls. The girls were injured but not seriously. The driver of the car that hit them was indicted for driving while intoxicated. The case is still pending.
I thought about this when I recently heard the tragic story of another accident that happened after the one I just mentioned. A lady traveled across the lane, hitting a vehicle with three young ladies who had been partying. It became a major uproar due to the treatment of one of the casualties. Paramedics showed up and, after looking at her, ascertained that she was deceased and put a tarp over her. As they went to the other victims, police officers told them that she was still breathing. One paramedic stated, “Well, if she is not dead, she will be.” It was a callous way of dealing with things. There was a lot of pain taking place. A couple of hours passed before the medical examiner confirmed that she was still alive. But, she did indeed pass away the next day.
The reason I bring up these two accidents is because in the first accident, it was this recently deceased girl’s father who had driven while intoxicated, causing the first accident. He is the one who caused extreme damage to another family’s life.
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Tags: Bible, Christian, Cowboy Church, Pain
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September 18th, 2009
Hi folks Welcome to the Rodeo, my name is Hank and I’m the Pastor of the Central Texas Cowboy Church. Our motto is ‘We’re not perfect….We’re forgiven’.
I wanted to start this blog – discussion – thing for a couple of reasons. I believe that as many people as possible should be exposed to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see I’ve discovered over my lifetime that you can walk away from Jesus, you can pretend He doesn’t exist, you can doubt to your little hearts content and yet once you make the decision to truly believe in Him and to trust in Him life really does become much more manageable.
I look at life as a series of events (much like a rodeo) and if I do my best with the gifts the God has given me, then it all works out. I have a book called “Welcome to the Rodeo – A Biblical guide to staying in the saddle when life tries to buck you off” that I will be using as a template for my postings. I will do my very best to have a new posting each week with the first one on Sunday evening 9-20-2009 after our final playday.
I believe that once you turn your life over to Jesus, then you will always be given the ability to handle whatever is thrown your way.
So saddle up partners – Welcome to the Rodeo
Hank
“Now devote your heart and soul in seeking the Lord your God.” 1 Chronicles 22:19
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