March Fence Post of Faith—2009

This last month a barrel mare that my middle daughter had ran thru High school rodeo passed away “Doc Budha” or “Boots” as everyone knew her, she had since been thru two other families since we had owned her.  I’m sure everyone has lost a horse at one time in their lives. A death of a good horse can cause stress in our lives.  There are many things that can cause stress.  In fact some are traumatic and have a drastic effect on us.  The loss of a loved one, an illness of someone close to us, friends moving, or even losing our jobs all have a negative effect on us.  These are extreme situations that many people encounter daily.  There are many others that are not as severe that add up to create a very stressful situation.  If you have children, helping them thru their adolescent and young adult years can be stressful.  Even helping parents through their later years can also be stressful.  Dealing with the daily reports of the weakness of our economy can be stressful, witnessing just how the economy has affected our retirement funds, investments, etc.  For some, daily living and dealing with the everyday things we have to face, such as farm payments, unpaid bills, problems with our truck or trailer, and relationship issues can bring on stress and anger at particular situations. None of us are immune to these stressors, but it’s important to see them and to try our best to deal with them the best we can.

  So how do we deal with that? Well for many Christians, the spiritual discipline of prayer and meditation can make a huge difference. I can’t say how much a prayer can change things but Jesus knew that and spent time in prayer daily. I would like you to break out your bibles and look up these scriptures:  (Mark 1:35) (Luke 6:12) and (Matthew 26:36).  They are short and at the same time, good for you.  These are key moments in Jesus’ ministry and when things became overwhelming, Jesus knew a prayer would bring him the comfort and strength that he needed. And it works for us, too.

       One of my Christmas presents was a little book of bible verses. I read a new one daily and meditate on the scripture I read each day. I have found that daily prayer can bring us the comfort and strength we need to see us through the difficult times of our lives. When we have trials and tribulations, a prayer can help ease the distress we feel in our hearts. When we take the time to meditate daily, we are strengthened and empowered to help others—to reach out in compassionate love to those around us and those in need throughout the world. Don’t underestimate the power of prayer that can come through those moments of quiet meditation and communicating with God. If you are looking for a time to pray, as you wake up in the morning spend a few minutes praying about all things in your life.

Speaking of things to pray for, let’s pray for a good year with Renea and the BarrelBash Productions. Renea has a new look on her web site, and yes there are over half a million reasons to plan to attend. I will not be able to attend Hutchinson, Kansas March 20-22 but if there is someone who would like to do a cowboy church service, please email Renea or myself. I will be attending Columbia March 27-29, to do Cowboy Church service. See you all soon, and don’t forget to pray.

Adios Jeff Metcalf