Good Sunday Mornin'

[Shortgrass]

At one time, almost everyone in the sandhills fed with six horses abreast. A cart was behind the horses in which the driver had his position, and behind the cart was a pin in which a cable might be fastened to move the load of hay onto a sled. The pin would then be pulled and the tongue of the sled would be hooked to the cart by the same pin. The horses then moved their load to the cattle. By the horses being abreast, it was easy to watch the tugs. Tugs being tight or slack would indicate if each horse was pulling his share of the load. This is the origin terms like "slacker" to indicate someone that failed to "lean into" the task at hand. Having some experience with six abreast, I was quick to seize on one old farmer turned pastor who defined "fellowship" as being when all the tugs were tight. It was this illustrative definition that caused me to realize that fellowship meant more than sitting at the Masters table. It adds meaning to verses like 1 John 1:3 that say "that ye may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." Surely we have been called into fellowship with Him, and that may require more than pulling a chair up to the table. So I guess my question this week is "are you in fellowship?" Have your selves a good Sunday mornin' and a fine rest of the week too.

 

[bverellen]

Nice analogy!! That description really makes me take a look at whether I'm leaning into the load with others, or just slacking.



bart.

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[cowhunter]

Thank u for that message. It gives me the strength to get up and go to church this mornin. It so easy to feal bad when u got cancer and wait for everybody to get back from church. then feal good enough to go saddle some horses and go ride. That's not keepin my cable tight and sure bein a slacker. This kemo I take sure makes u feal bad. But I'm off it now. I got some radiation on my brain startin next wed. 10 to 14 days of it. Then back on a nother round of kemo to hold the cancer back while my brain heals. Then another scan. Then, hopefully, if the lords willin, off to maryland to the national inst. Of health for a stemcell transplant. I"ll be there 4 mos if I survive the transplant. There's plenty of farmin up there but I've only see a few cattle. There bad to get after foxs with hounds and chase them with these big old racey lookin horses. Jumpin rock fences and all. There real proper lookin folks so I have all ideays I won't fit in with that bunch. I'll pal up with somebody though. There got to be a scaterin of cow folks around bethesna. Yall please keep me in your prayers.

 

[Soapweed]

Thanks, Shortgrass, for another fine Sunday morning wake-up call. The analogy is great on all six horses working abreast and together to accomplish the task. Slackers don't help pull the load, but neither do horses that are always wanting to run away. :roll: :wink: It calls for teamwork, with God being the teamster and the rest of us leaning into the load at His command, trying to pull hard, getting along with the others in the team, and doing our best.

Cowhunter, our prayers go with you that you may have a speedy recovery, and that you will have the peace that passeth understanding as you fight the cancer battle. (Philippians 4:7) Hopefully you can find some other misplaced cowboys to hobnob with while you are at the Maryland hospital. There should at least be some computers there, whereby you can keep up with the folks at Ranchers.net. :wink:

If you like to read, you might enjoy the two books that Spike Van Cleve wrote. He was a rancher from Melville, Montana, and his books are FORTY YEARS GATHERINGS and A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT. You might especially get a kick out of some of the rib-tickling tales of Spike's experiences recuperating in hospital wards.