The Power Of Lavish

PRAISE

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

(Hebrews 13:15)

I don't reward my horses with treats for a job well done. Instead, I reward them with lavish praise. The fruit of my lips is sweeter and more rewarding than any candy! 

When it comes to horses, I am firm with my commands, but lavish with my praise when they do a job well-done. That's because there is power in praise. I don't praise my horses for the ordinary things that I expect from them, such as walking respectfully beside me on a lead-line, or staying out of my personal space. But I praise them lavishly for the extraordinary things they do. Things like bowing on command when I ask, or side-passing around the arena on cue - the extraordinary things. While some folks like to give their horses food treats for doing something special (and that's ok), I prefer to use praise as a reward. Heart-rendered praise is the fruit of our lips, and it is sweeter and more rewarding than candy!

Now, let's talk about the power of lavish praise when it comes to God. Why does the Bible tell us to praise God? Is God insecure? Doesn't He know how we feel about Him already? Besides, why waste time on praise when we've got so many problems to pray about, - right? The answer is simple, and yet, complex in its depth. Everything that God has done, everything that He is doing, and everything that He will do, is extraordinary. And because "He is" extraordinary, He deserves our lavish praise continually. But there's more. Within Godly praise lies the secret to power. When we praise God lavishly, we unleash His extraordinary power in our life. Godly praise has the built-in power to break chains, destroy strongholds, and make the impossible situations of our life completely possible. No amount of faith, hope, or even prayer can release the amount of incredible power that is found in one word of heart-rendered and lavish praise to God. Looking for some real power in your life? Start praising God lavishly. Why? Because God is all about doing the extraordinary!  

OLD COWGIRLS

AND

HORSES

A blog/diary of my life with horses, and a few other adventures along the way.

Thanks for reminding me, Lord, to enjoy the ride everyday!

This morning I woke up about 6:00. That's one sure sign I'm getting old(er). No time to waste anymore. The etched wrinkles on my face are another sign that time is passing. Somehow, I've convinced myself that wrinkles denote wisdom. Deep down, I know they're probably just from working out on the farm all day in the hot sun for years, and forgetting to use sunblock lotion. Bright and early, I saddled up Samson for our daily ride this morning, minus the sun-block. I just forgot. Oh well, I guess tomorrow there will be more wrinkles. All I could think about was getting on the back of my favorite horse, and enjoying our time together. And so, I saddled up and headed for the sand arena on top of the big hill.

I've learned that sitting high in a saddle on the top of a hill has its advantages. For one, I can see all around the farm. The color of the surrounding pasture early in the morning, and the sky coming down to meet the edges of the fields, gives off a pastel hue that resembles the mixed colors in a renaissance painting. And the wildflowers growing up the fenceposts with total abandon remind me of why I moved to the country years ago. It was about the horses, the space, the beauty, and yes, the freedom. So, why didn't I feel free this morning? It started with a critical eye, and suddenly the borderline perfectionist lying dormant inside me was wide awake.

 I had cued my horse for a gentle lope - the kind of lope I had enjoyed riding for years when showing western pleasure. At 16 years old, my horse, Samson, was still as good as he'd ever been, always willing, always full of heart. There, high on the hill, it was obvious to me. This was the day the Lord had made, and I was rejoicing in it. That is, until my eyes happened to notice the lower field. It no longer looked like a renaissance painting to me, but more like an abstract Picasso. The grass was overgrown and in desperate need of mowing, and the fence lines were in desperate need of weed-whacking. In an instant, I stopped enjoying the ride. After all, how could I enjoy the ride when the fields needed mowing? And what about those overgrown fence lines? I could feel my stomach begin to tighten, and the stress begin to mount. So much to do, so little time...

And then, a thought came to me, "You're being robbed." Robbed? Who's robbing you? You're robbing yourself!" Now, here I was talking to myself, and the fields were overgrown! Could things get any worse?  Then I realized something. Just the thought of all the stuff that needed to be done was robbing me of my "right now" time. Time with my horse, time to rejoice, time I would never get back again. And then it hit me like a slap upside my head. "Do I really want my life to end up like one of those 'I could have had a V8' television commercials?" I mean, what if I died tonight? Would it really matter that the grass was overgrown in the lower field? Would it really matter that the fences were in desperate need of weed-whacking? When I arrived in heaven, would my first thoughts really be, "Doggone it, I knew I should have mowed the grass!" 

I realized a simple truth this morning. Something that I've really known all along, but sometimes forget, just like that sunblock lotion. Call it a special V8 moment. Yes, mowing grass, and weed-whacking fence lines are important, but they're not the most important thing. If I should die before I wake, I know that somebody else will come along and mow the grass, and even weed-whack the fence. Shoot, they might even live in my house, and sleep in my bed! But nobody - absolutely nobody but me will ever have this one beautiful morning, atop this one perfect hill, just to spend with this one special horse. This is my time - my time to rejoice in the day that the Lord has made - my time to ride. "Thank you, Lord, and thanks for reminding me that everything else can wait!"   

Q & A

Each month I receive emails filled with interesting and great questions. I try to answer each email with a personal response. In this segment of our newsletter, I will share some of the special emails I've received. The emails have been shortened, and the names have been changed to protect the individual's privacy, and the innocent! 

Hi Susan - Just wanted to thank you for your newsletters. I'm in my late 70's and just got my very first computer a few months ago, so I'm enjoying your ministry and the horses! Used to ride a long time ago, but haven't in years. If you don't mind my asking, how did you ever get started using horses to teach about God and faith? What a great idea. Back in the day, you might have been known as a circuit preacher! My, how things have changed. Keep up the good work, and thanks again.

(Jane, Arizona) 

My Response To Jane

Jane - Thanks for taking time to email. And welcome to the world of computors! To answer your question, I've always been a cowgirl at heart, and I've owned horses since the early 70's. For a season, I was "horse-less" while living in Atlanta where I eventually met my husband. Together, we worked in church staff ministry, and also traveled doing evangelism, and mission work among Native people. Eventually, we moved back to my home state of Tennessee, and I was able to realize my dream of owning horses once again. Through the years, horses became more and more a part of my life and ministry, and a visual means for me to teach about biblical faith. I soon began to travel across the southeast pulling a horse trailer and two horses, and ministering at Cowboy Churches. I did demos, rode, preached, and even sang some crazy Patsy Cline songs on horseback. After all, you can't scare good ol' country folks that are willing to sit out in a cow pasture in 95 degree heat while sitting on hay bales and listening to some woman preach on horseback! Gets rid of those religious spirits real quick. Yep, guess I was a circuit rider of sorts, for sure! Anyhow, a few more years went by, and the Lord blessed my husband and I with a farm, and a place for my horses. That's also when He gave me the vision for a unique and different kind of equine ministry. A few years later, Susan Klaudt Horse Ministry and Natural Horse Faith-Man-Ship were born. Today, we're a one-of-a kind equine ministry that reaches hundreds of readers with the gospel all over the world through our on-line ministry and teaching newsletters. And that's how it all started!

Natural Horse

Faith-Man-Ship

(Teaching biblical faith using horses)

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