And The Good News Is...
Nov.6, 2012
LEADERSHIP...
Election Day is here. What am I thinking about?
I'm thinking about my horse.
How powerful he is. How grand, how deeply attached I am to him. How his name means 'leader' and how very seriously he displays characteristics of what I look for in one. He lives up so highly to his name it seems like he was born with it. Born with those qualities and named for them because of his intrinsic proclivities to display a 'born to be a leader' attitude.
He is proud. He watches the horizon for anything. He is strong, capable, and at times quite electric. He is a horse I would trust to lead me through a forest of tightly spaced saplings because it would be smarter to turn loose of the reins, close my eyes and hug his neck than try and steer him through myself.
He knows better where to put his feet than I would so I let him.
I am thinking about him, now 8 strong years old. He has grown a hand or so in the last three years. His 17. 1h angular well-boned frame carries him through the field doing two tempis just for fun and makes him stand out among the others.
I am thinking about how glad I am that he missed being slaughtered by 30 minutes and forever grateful to the groom who saved his life.
As I am thinking about him, I begin to feel proud. Not because I own him, or rehabilitated him. Because just looking at him makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. He brings out the best in me, makes me feel safe and inspires me not to give up. The thought of what he has been through makes my deepest fears and woes vanish. So I don't give up.
His leadership in the herd inspires me to be a better person. His way of looking across the horizon reminds me to be present yet look to the future. His humble presence when realizes it's me at the gate, and then runs like he misses me, whinnying all the way, makes my heart burst open and I almost fall down with gratitude and disbelief.
Yes, my horse to me is a great leader. If I can be half as good as he is then I'm fine with that.
So on Election Day, I am thinking about leadership qualities.
The obvious thought of who will be running this country tomorrow meanders through my brain once every 30 minutes or so. With it comes not the usual wonderment of past elections. With it comes trepidation.
Americans better get ready. Cause who the voting public will elect will not be what people are searching for. Americans should be electing a leader not searching for a savior.
Neither candidate can save you from the last one, the one before or any of the domino effects since we
landed on this side of the ocean. Americans are searching for a savior, someone to save them from themselves, others pasts and mistakes made thinking the leader of the free world could actually save us from the last leader of the free world and we can take a deep breath and say whew when it's all over.
Searching for a savior and electing a leader are two very different things.
We already have a Savior.
Now it's time to elect a LEADER.
I pray whoever America has chosen as our next leader, that they lead our country with integrity through the forest of the future.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
And The Good News Is...
And The Good News Is...
by S.Johnson
copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved
"Yesterday's Muck"
How consciously purposeful to God I felt yesterday.
Lots done during the day, prepared a great healthy dinner for a friend, and some more breakthroughs in my horses and humans research project. I felt so blessed, so useful.
And I was graced with spending a lot of time outside in the fresh country air and sunshine! Sneezing all day through fall allergies, I was still happy for the sun and freedom.
Profoundly greatful and aware of how blessed I felt, it was obvious to me God was at work in my life.
In those " obvious" blessings, of course I had to make my way through a bit of muck. Muck never looks like a blessing. Yet, I call muck "fertilizer for the future."
Changing how you think about 'muck' changes what you do with it and how quickly you go through it!
I had to make many phone calls, and do some things I really would rather have not. However, they were all part of the mucking process. Mucking is a horse term meaning 'to clean or sift." You have to muck a stall several times a day to keep it healthy and clean. Why not your own day?
So my day is my stall and I just have to happily muck it out to get to the 'obvious' blessings. I like a clean stall. So does my horse! I even conduct a workshop called Holy Mucking.
Anyway, as I was walking from cooking to town to catch my ride home, God put me in a womans path, a woman who I had never met. I learned she teaches in a small town nearby. It had been a long and rough day for her.
Within five minutes tears were trickling down her cheeks and she was pouring her heart out. I was honored she felt the comfort to do that. I am comfortable with people "letting go" like that, as they always seem to know I can be trusted and I'm not going to judge them. It has happened with regularity since I was little.
As I listened and we chatted, she seemed to feel some relief. She wondered if she could pass me along to her student's parents? I laughed a little and said sure.We said our goodbyes and I shook my head as I continued on my way.
"God," I said, " you always surprize me. And you know how I love surprizes. Good ones, of course."
Somehow this made me think of other times He has surprized me. Like the opportunity He gave me to help bring an elderly lady back to life.
She died on the altar on Easter Sunday! And God gave me and another woman the job of jumping up and helping to revive her.
When she finally took a breath and turned from cold stone blue to a newborn pink, before she even opened her eyes, she smiled an angelic smile and said, sweetly with a little lilt, "Happy Easter!"
Quite a humbling and deeply moving experience. Incredulous to this day, yet none the less real.
These kinds of profound experiences all seem to have power to inspire me as well as drain me.
The rough parts are when I can really feel the mucking process, the sifting, the polishing. Like God's mucking my day to make sure He gets the clean and polished pearl or diamond he made me to be.The times when I haven't been as on target as He wants me, those have been painful reminders. Bouncing off Gods guard rails isn't fun. Yet, where would I be without them?
Funny, I always take the painful experiences personally. Complain? Admittedly, and 'arghhh,' yes. Question why with a resounding 'are You kidding me?!' Sometimes.
Yet, I never blame Him for putting me through them or take credit for the so called "miraculous" ones. Through grace, I always see them as a way God is cleaning my stall, and asking me to be here for Him. Seems God likes a clean stall, too.
Right God?
"Arghhh and duh."
Maybe He uses me to remind people about forgiveness, understanding and hope? Maybe they are His way of reminding me!! Lord knows I need reminding myself.
That seems to be why I like working with kids and people who communicate differently...people with special needs, wise old sages, people who need a bit of His 'obvious' presents...and horses, of course. Why I don't mind listening. After all, its not about me.
And, when I am conscious of the 'obvious miracles' or profound experiences and how God uses me on His behalf, I thank Him. I am in such a humble state, I find it hard to accept how He uses me like that and impossible not to thank Him.
When I'm am feeling the discomfort of His mucking me out, I am 'arghh' thankful anyway. I know that He is using those experiences as 'fertilizer for my future.'
S. Johnson
And The Good News Is...
Copyright
Oct.10,2012
All Rights Reserved
by S.Johnson
copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved
"Yesterday's Muck"
How consciously purposeful to God I felt yesterday.
Lots done during the day, prepared a great healthy dinner for a friend, and some more breakthroughs in my horses and humans research project. I felt so blessed, so useful.
And I was graced with spending a lot of time outside in the fresh country air and sunshine! Sneezing all day through fall allergies, I was still happy for the sun and freedom.
Profoundly greatful and aware of how blessed I felt, it was obvious to me God was at work in my life.
In those " obvious" blessings, of course I had to make my way through a bit of muck. Muck never looks like a blessing. Yet, I call muck "fertilizer for the future."
Changing how you think about 'muck' changes what you do with it and how quickly you go through it!
I had to make many phone calls, and do some things I really would rather have not. However, they were all part of the mucking process. Mucking is a horse term meaning 'to clean or sift." You have to muck a stall several times a day to keep it healthy and clean. Why not your own day?
So my day is my stall and I just have to happily muck it out to get to the 'obvious' blessings. I like a clean stall. So does my horse! I even conduct a workshop called Holy Mucking.
Anyway, as I was walking from cooking to town to catch my ride home, God put me in a womans path, a woman who I had never met. I learned she teaches in a small town nearby. It had been a long and rough day for her.
Within five minutes tears were trickling down her cheeks and she was pouring her heart out. I was honored she felt the comfort to do that. I am comfortable with people "letting go" like that, as they always seem to know I can be trusted and I'm not going to judge them. It has happened with regularity since I was little.
As I listened and we chatted, she seemed to feel some relief. She wondered if she could pass me along to her student's parents? I laughed a little and said sure.We said our goodbyes and I shook my head as I continued on my way.
"God," I said, " you always surprize me. And you know how I love surprizes. Good ones, of course."
Somehow this made me think of other times He has surprized me. Like the opportunity He gave me to help bring an elderly lady back to life.
She died on the altar on Easter Sunday! And God gave me and another woman the job of jumping up and helping to revive her.
When she finally took a breath and turned from cold stone blue to a newborn pink, before she even opened her eyes, she smiled an angelic smile and said, sweetly with a little lilt, "Happy Easter!"
Quite a humbling and deeply moving experience. Incredulous to this day, yet none the less real.
These kinds of profound experiences all seem to have power to inspire me as well as drain me.
The rough parts are when I can really feel the mucking process, the sifting, the polishing. Like God's mucking my day to make sure He gets the clean and polished pearl or diamond he made me to be.The times when I haven't been as on target as He wants me, those have been painful reminders. Bouncing off Gods guard rails isn't fun. Yet, where would I be without them?
Funny, I always take the painful experiences personally. Complain? Admittedly, and 'arghhh,' yes. Question why with a resounding 'are You kidding me?!' Sometimes.
Yet, I never blame Him for putting me through them or take credit for the so called "miraculous" ones. Through grace, I always see them as a way God is cleaning my stall, and asking me to be here for Him. Seems God likes a clean stall, too.
Right God?
"Arghhh and duh."
Maybe He uses me to remind people about forgiveness, understanding and hope? Maybe they are His way of reminding me!! Lord knows I need reminding myself.
That seems to be why I like working with kids and people who communicate differently...people with special needs, wise old sages, people who need a bit of His 'obvious' presents...and horses, of course. Why I don't mind listening. After all, its not about me.
And, when I am conscious of the 'obvious miracles' or profound experiences and how God uses me on His behalf, I thank Him. I am in such a humble state, I find it hard to accept how He uses me like that and impossible not to thank Him.
When I'm am feeling the discomfort of His mucking me out, I am 'arghh' thankful anyway. I know that He is using those experiences as 'fertilizer for my future.'
S. Johnson
And The Good News Is...
Copyright
Oct.10,2012
All Rights Reserved
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