7 Loaves

Life is a lesson…a continual lesson. A journey, for sure. The following was a “heads-up” to always be alert, because even the most seemingly mundane happenings can be part of a bigger picture…

Our group was large. Bruce, myself, and a few others scouted out the empty picnic benches at the local BBQ joint. I had nothing in hand to save our seats, but we figured there would be plenty of room to sit with the group when we returned with our food.

The busy order-line slowly meandered to the front, and we made our way to the counter.

You know when you meet someone and there’s some kind of connection? You’re not quite sure what it is, but there’s something. Our server looked us right in the eyes with interest, like he knew us. Though he didn’t. Yet a curious connection existed.

He took our order and then asked, “Would you like any bread?”
We thought for a moment.
“I’ll take a couple of slices,” I said.
“How about 7 loaves?” he smiled, waving a whole loaf of Wonder.
7 loaves?
OK, obviously, this guy was a jokester.
“6 1/2,” Bruce quipped back.
We all laughed, and then our server grabbed a stack of about 6 or 7 slices and held it up like he was offering us a prize at the fair. “How about this much?”
“Nah, I don’t want any bread,” Bruce grinned.
“Oh no, no. I just want a couple slices,” I chuckled.
He gave us an odd look.
 
Why would it be weird to him that we didn’t want a bunch of bread?

The strangeness continued.

We ordered drinks from the fountain machine, and he handed us the cups. He then told us, rather intently, about the water cups over by the fountain machine.
 
But we didn’t ask for any water. Oh well. Whatever.

We headed toward the outdoor tables with our meal. But every table we’d scouted out earlier was filled to the hilt with our group. There was no place to sit with them. How did all these people get their food and get out here before we did? Probably because we were goofin’ around with the bread-and-water-guy.

We found a table way over in “Siberia” away from everyone, feeling disconnected and disappointed.

We sat down, prayed over our food, and prepared to eat. I glanced up and saw someone else from our group, Larry (for honor, his name has been changed), who just arrived. I waved at him. He wandered over and stood by our table.

“Why aren’t you sitting with everybody?” he asked.
“No room, so we sat over here,” Bruce replied.
My mouth was full of brisket sandwich so I just nodded.
“Maybe we can see if this place has any chairs to pull up to one of the tables?” Larry suggested.
“No, it’s OK,” Bruce said. “We’ll stay here.”
Larry shrugged. We could tell that he really wanted to help us join the rest of the group.

But we soon realized that God had other ideas.

We invited Larry to join us. He hesitated, clearly not wanting to intrude in our space (Larry is kind of a timid guy). But he finally took a seat.

We chatted for a bit, and I noticed he never made a move to go get something to eat. And I started getting the sense that he couldn’t afford it. (Bruce told me later that he noticed the same thing and was going to give him the $20 in his wallet, but the Holy Spirit stopped him. Probably because of honor…God is not into embarrassing people).

I surveyed the brisket left over from my sandwich-making. “You’re more than welcome to these two pieces of brisket, Larry,” I said. “I can’t possibly eat all this.” Even as I said it, the “all this” sounded like a whole lot more than what was there. I again eyed the two measly pieces of meat on the wax sheet, almost embarrassed to offer him so little. I’d already chowed down on my sandwich and figured it would be kind of gross to offer him any of that.

He gratefully accepted the two pieces of brisket. So, I offered him the rest of my onions and pickles, and part of my buttered New Potatoes. I became aware that he was very sensitive of taking all my food, so I held back a couple pieces of potato.

Then Larry started to cough. He’d say a few words and then cough again. The coughing became more intense.
“I think I need some water,” he coughed.
Water?
Well, guess what? We knew right where that was!
“I’ll get you some,” I jumped up and headed for the fountain drink machine.
I handed Larry the water and a fork for his brisket.

God had Larry covered.

As we all talked it became clear that by divine intervention, we sat in “Siberia.” We weren’t supposed to sit anywhere but here.

My eyes drifted to Larry’s food piled on the wax sheet.

Whoa…what? I did a double-take.

I tried not to stare at the mound of meat. The mound. He had shredded the brisket with his fork, but there was no way those two puny pieces of meat could have made that pile. He had plenty to eat now!

We finished up lunch, prayed together about some struggles he was dealing with, and headed for “the streets” with the group to pray for people (that’s a story in itself and coming soon!)

On the drive home, Bruce and I discussed the events of the day, including the ‘meat mound.’
“I thought my eyes were playing tricks too when I saw that heap of meat!” he laughed. “And, as you made your brisket sandwich, I wished I’d have taken the bread that guy offered so I could make a sandwich too.”

Well, had we accepted the extra bread, there would have been plenty for everyone…with leftovers.

The next day when Bruce was reading his Bible, he was led to Mark 8:5…about the 7 loaves and two fish. Jesus took what was offered and multiplied it to provide what was needed. It also occurred to me later that I gave Larry two pieces of meat. I also pondered this: We had a “connection” with the counter-guy. Did the Lord prompt him to offer us that bread? Was that the reason he gave us a “funny” look when we refused it?

I’m sure whoever reads this will glean their own lesson. But for us? Our lesson was to graciously accept what someone wants to give. It may not necessarily be for our own need, but it could very well be for someone else God will put in our path who needs that “gift.”

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

www.ponyexpressministry.com

Book: Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled—https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement/dp/1512774812

 

Hope

www.ponyexpressministry.com

Book: Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled—https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement/dp/1512774812

Bison in The Badlands

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me”—Psalm 139:1-5.

The sound of thunder rolled in the distance, but there was no storm. Dust swirled into the night sky, but there was no wind. We drove on through the South Dakota Badlands, waiting for the unseen phenomenon to show itself. The darkness became a light shade of tan—we caught movement on the right. Huge shapes careened down the hills and through the draws, crossing the road in front of us. Bruce hit the brakes as bison of every size and shape flicked through our headlights like an old western movie. As quickly as the stampede pounded through, it disappeared, leaving us awed and bewildered. We had truly come to a wild land.
 
Arriving at the campground very late and trying to be inconspicuous in our diesel truck, we camped at the far edge where the tent sites bordered open land—wildlife abounded, and we wanted to be right in the middle of 'em. Little did we know ...
 
We woke up to a beautiful, crisp morning—and a mysterious sound of snorting, munching, and stomping. We wanted to see wildlife, but by the sound of things we were beginning to think we had gotten a little more than we bargained for.
 
I opened the flap of our tent and stared out at a world from centuries past. Everything from the twenty-first century was erased from view—by a couple of hundred bison! They grazed everywhere and all around our tent and truck! Two little curious calves stepped cautiously toward me as I held my hand out through the opening. I tried to touch their noses, but that was a little much for them, and they scampered off.
 
We were having great fun—until their mama snorted and pushed her nose against the back of our tent. Bruce and I looked at each other and realized we could be in a precarious situation. But as she didn't seem to be interested in trampling our tent, we again turned our attention to the thrill of the scene outside our little door.
 
We heard another ominous noise and were again pulled back to another uncertain situation. A humongous bull patrolled past us, swinging his head and grunting. And with every swing, he gave us the "stink" eye. Now I've hung out with animals, wild and otherwise, my whole life. I've never been afraid, but always respectful. But when I looked in that eye, instinct told me that this bad boy meant business. Bruce and I shrunk back inside our tent and prayed that this brute would move on. After a couple of passes he finally did, as well as the rest of the herd, and we crawled out of our tent.
 
We wandered over to the information post in the campground and found abundant literature, complete with warnings, about how dangerous these animals can be. Of course we read this stuff after the fact—ignorance was definitely bliss in our case. However, as I surely pushed the limits of my ignorance, I also thanked the Lord that my battery went dead as I tried to get a picture of the bull. If the camera bulb had flashed, that guy would have really been ticked off!
 
True to our "trail" experiences, epiphanies abound with the stories, and this was no exception. God understands the "stampedes" of life that threaten to overtake us, but He protects us before we hurl headlong into the midst of the fray. Likewise, when we push ahead against sane wisdom because of momentary excitement, God's gracious hand is evident when He brings our precarious plans to an abrupt halt, saving us from ourselves.
(Psalm 91:9-12)

www.ponyexpressministry.com

https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement/dp/1512774812/

Behind the Scenes

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”— Isaiah 55: 9. 

Twelve hours and counting, we drove on into the night. You’d think it would be somewhat easy finding a rodeo grounds in the West to hole up for the night with a horse ... not.

We were headed for the northernmost parts of Nevada to work and minister with the buckaroos (cowboys) on their remote ranches. Our original plan was to stop for the night somewhere in Utah, but we couldn’t find a place on our route. So, on we trekked into the evening searching the Internet and road signs for a rodeo grounds in Nevada.

Finally, our Internet search paid off. Struggling to keep our weary eyes open, we headed for the rodeo grounds in the small gambling town of West Wendover. As we drove around the fence, we prayed that the gate would be unlocked. Rounding the corner, the gate was wide open. “Thank You, Jesus,” we breathed in unison, and squeezed our big rig through the small entrance. We shut down our truck, turned our horse, Nocona, out into a cow pen, and settled in— for about 10 minutes.

I glanced out the window and spotted two sets of rig lights inching down the fence line and turning onto the grounds. Oh, please don’t park right next to us. Dog-tired, we just wanted some peace and quiet.

Bruce and I looked on as they pulled in— right next to us. The man stepped out of his truck and headed for our door. As I cracked it open and peeked through, my mouth dropped. It was our friends from New York who had recently moved to California! What were they doing in Nevada? Their entire family, horses, dogs, and the whole shebang were packed into two vehicles and two horse trailers.

“Jason? No way!” we exclaimed, throwing the door open. “What are y’all doing here?”

Jason grinned as we exchanged bear hugs and handshakes. His wife and their four kids piled out of the vehicles and ran to our rig. Through happy tears, our friends described the exhausting events of their evening.

They were moving back to New York to settle some things. Their day had not been a good one. Planning to stay in Utah as well, they called ahead to a horse motel, but it was booked up. They, too, prayed for a rodeo grounds to spend the night. Tired and hungry, they also figured they’d have to spend the night in their vehicles just to keep an eye on their horses.

As they crept around the fence line, the kids had spotted our rig. “That’s Bruce and Shara!”, “That’s Bruce and Shara!”
“Kids, no, it can’t be.”
“YES, it IS! IT’S THEM!” they insisted.
Sure enough, as they drove closer, they recognized our Paint horse, Nocona, and realized it was indeed us.

As we helped our friends unload their herd, we assured them we would be that “watchful eye” so they could get some food and a good night’s sleep in town.

God is so good! Greatly encouraged, we all continued our treks the next day knowing that the Lord is always working on our behalf, even when we can’t see what’s going on “behind the scenes.”  

 (Proverbs 16:9--A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.)

www.ponyexpressministry.com

Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled:  https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement-ebook/dp/B071SFQP2T
 







 

Angels Drive Freightliners

One of the cool things about traveling around the country is the people we’re privileged to meet and the testimonies they share with us. Following is an amazing true story from a friend we met in the West. She was rather shy in relating this story as she didn’t want to be labeled a kook. But I appreciated the encouragement I received from hearing it. I am a total believer in all the ways God can show up in our lives. There are no limitations with Him, and He will find us wherever we are, by whatever means He deems necessary. I’m renaming our friend to honor the fact that she is a private person. Other than that, the facts remain intact.

Before the life-changing inventions of cell phones and call boxes, traveling America’s roads was not just full of simple adventure, but a bit more like walking on the wild side. Pulling onto the highway meant facing potential dangers with few lifelines …
 
It was a far piece from the tiny, one-horse town of Rodeo, New Mexico to the big city of Denver, Colorado. Erin eyed her truck which was anything but reliable. But, it was all she had and her only choice to shuttle her to a new job and a new life.

Loading up a small suitcase, a plant, and her cat, she pulled out of the driveway for the last time and started the journey toward Denver. Gusts of snow flurried and stuck to the roadway as she gripped the wheel and leaned forward. The truck struggled and groaned, and she prayed. Somehow it chugged all the way to Glorieta Pass, northeast of Albuquerque. She caught her breath as the old pickup finally stalled and gave out.

The snow stopped falling, and Erin stared out the window at the clear, starry, empty night. No houses were visible in the inky blackness. She was totally alone. And it was cold. Really cold. So cold, in fact, that her plant froze, and she couldn’t feel her feet. She envied the cat with its thick, fluffy fur.

She grabbed her CB radio to call for help, but discovered, along with the heater, the it had died too. 

"What am I going to do?" she sobbed. "I’ll freeze to death out here!"

Suddenly a voice called through the CB, "We're on the way!"

Erin snatched up the CB microphone and tried to answer, but the CB was still dead.

Am I dreaming? she thought, staring at the radio and shaking her head.

Vehicle lights, reflecting in her rearview mirror, caught her attention. Two huge semi-trucks rumbled up. One of the big rigs parked behind her, the other swung around and parked in front. Both drivers jumped out and strolled to her window. Tentatively she cracked it open and peered up at the two truckers. 

“Are you OK?” asked the first man, the lines in his dark features deepening in concern.
“We heard your cries for help over the CB,” said the other man, his blue eyes piercing into hers.
Hmmm, the CB? she thought, but just replied, “My truck won’t start.”
The second man, who introduced himself as Lawdy Boy, strode to the front of the pickup and busied himself under the hood. Strangely enough, she trusted these men. She opened the door.
The first man, who called himself “Midnight Cowboy,” crouched and reached for her feet, rubbing the circulation back into them.

“All set,” came Lawdy Boy's voice from underneath the hood. “Fire it up!” Erin turned the key and the truck roared to life. Unfortunately, though, the head and taillights didn’t work.

“We’re on our way to Denver, same as you,” said Lawdy Boy. “I’ll lead out, and Midnight Cowboy will tail you since you have no lights.”

Funny, I don’t recall saying anything about Denver, Erin mused. Oh well. Relief flooded over her. She relaxed, knowing that if her truck died again, she’d have help. The two men hopped in their trucks, and the little convoy rolled down the road toward Denver. 

Bright lights from a truck stop gleamed on the horizon, and they pulled in. As she sipped her steaming coffee, she noticed her newfound friends never ordered anything, not even coffee.

They continued their journey; the trio stopping periodically at weigh stations. They figured out a routine: Erin drove around the stations, waited for her friends to pass through the scales, and met them on the other side. Before they hit the highway again, one of the men kindly rubbed the circulation back into her feet. She appreciated that neither of the men ever made a pass toward her—they simply helped her.

Sunlight peeked over the distant mountains as they pulled into the last weigh station. When they met on the other side, they hugged and said their goodbyes. “It’s morning so you should be able to make it safely to where you’re going,” said Midnight Cowboy. Erin thanked her new friends again, and they all pulled out onto the highway.

She traveled through the morning light, pondering the events of the previous night. She wondered at the fact that her friends’ rigs had no company names or writing on them anywhere. 
Lawdy Boy’s rig rolled ahead of her. But something wasn’t right. Her vision seemed to blur. She quickly glanced to the side of the road to double-check her eyesight. Shifting her gaze back to her friend’s semi, she gaped wide-eyed as it faded like a mirage and disappeared.  The open road and the bright Denver lights shown directly in front of her. I’m going crazy, she thought. She jerked her head up, peering into the rearview mirror. Midnight Cowboy's truck was still behind her. And then, just like Lawdy Boy’s, Midnight Cowboy's semi faded and disappeared.

Stunned, she drove the last few miles to her destination where the pickup promptly died in the driveway. She called a local mechanic who towed it to his shop.

“Where did you say you drove from?” asked the mechanic, eyeing her from beneath the hood.
“Rodeo, New Mexico,” she replied.
“That’s impossible,” he said, staring at her.
“But I did,” she insisted.
“Look, this truck couldn’t have gone five feet, let alone 786 miles.” He shook his head. “There’s an engine part missing.”

That evening, she related her entire adventure to her Pastor-friend, elaborating on the truck drivers who came to her rescue. “So, what do you make of all this?”
He grinned at her. “Did you ever think that you might have met up with some angels?”
“I never thought of that.” Her eyes narrowed. “But wait a minute, if they were angels, why didn’t they fix the heat too? Or the lights?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe you needed to stick with them to get you safely to Denver.” He chuckled. “At any rate, I know there’s more to this than just a couple of truckers helping a gal on a lonely highway.”

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”—Psalm 91:11.

 www.ponyexpressministry.com

*Exciting announcement!* Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled is now available in print and Kindle editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the WestBow Press bookstore.

https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement-ebook/dp/B071SFQP2T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496082052&sr=8-1&keywords=walk+like+a+warrior+book
 

The Art of the Ear: When God Speaks

“But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil”—Proverbs 1:33.

Giving God our ear. Hmmmmm. What does that look like? How does God speak to us? Many ask this.

For me, His voice has different “sounds”: He gives a strong impression in my spirit about a particular situation ... a gut feeling, if you will; The truths in His Word will come alive as I read and revelation hits me right between the eyes; He will move on someone to be His voice, giving me an encouraging word; He’ll give me a dream while I’m sleeping; Or, He may use pictures in His amazing Creation to illustrate His character.

When He speaks to me through His Creation, that’s incredibly cool. One time, I was out feeding the horses trying to work through some stuff in my head. I glanced up and saw the most magnificent full rainbow I’d ever seen— and a double one to boot. The colors were so vibrant and alive. I ran to the trailer and grabbed my camera. As I stared at that rainbow, profound thoughts eased my mind: Our Creator created incredible beauty out of mere mist; Every rainbow from the very first one is the same—the same colors, the same lines, the same form. They don’t change. He doesn’t change. His promises never change. In this world, we can’t count on anything. But we can count on Him—encouragement I needed right then and a word in due season. (Isaiah 52:7)

He used a gentle breeze to encourage an acquaintance of mine. She was reading her Bible outside, troubled by a circumstance she faced. The breeze kept blowing the pages to a certain scripture. Every time she tried to turn back to the previous spot where she was reading, the breeze would flip the pages right back to that other place. She finally looked down where the breeze stopped—there she found the answer to her problem.

He likes to speak through people to give His encouraging words. Years ago I was asked to sing at a trail ride in Texas. When I pulled up on the ranch, my heart was heavy. I had a new truck, two beautiful horses and looked as though I hadn’t a care in the world. But on the inside, I was hurting and scared. I had two jobs: one in an office, one on a ranch. A “friend” betrayed me and stole the ranch job—the one I had based my truck payment on. Single, with no other means of extra support, I was afraid of losing everything.

A few days before I drove to the trail ride, I prayed, “Lord, please make yourself real to me.” Until then, I did not believe the Lord really knew I existed—unless I hung out with people I thought were spiritual. Let me tell ya, the devil had deceived me good!

I parked my rig and made my way over to a big oak tree. I leaned against it, quietly watching the other singers on the stage. A man and his wife, whom I had never met, walked up. “I have a word for you from the Lord,” he said. That man “read my mail.” He told me, “The Lord said, ‘all your needs are already taken care of.’” I was floored. I had not told a soul what I was going through, not even my closest friends. How in the world did this guy know my situation?

One week later, I received some cleaning jobs that perfectly dovetailed with my day job at the office. The wages from the cleaning jobs covered my old ranch wages to the dollar.

Two months later, the same man gave me another word from the Lord: I would be given one job that would take care of all my needs. Within three months, I quit my cleaning jobs because the office I worked for offered me a higher position in another department with a lot more pay.

I have learned that He is always directing us with that still small voice of His ... or trying to. I’ve blown right over the top of it— more than once, I’m afraid. One time, He impressed on Bruce, my husband and me to clean up the pine needles under the high-line our horses were tethered to. We didn’t, getting distracted with some other project. Our “Hoover”-horse, Rocky, decided he very much liked the taste of pine needles, proceeding to suck up every strand in the area. He promptly colicked. We were way out in the National Forest with no phone service. Prayer and the painkiller Banamine played veterinarian. He was pooping pine needles for the next day and a half, but he pulled through.

In all my years with horses in the mountains, I have never seen them eat pine needles. I never, ever imagined that Rocky would do that. But it didn’t matter what I thought or what my experience was. The Lord told us to rake up the pine needles ... period. He knew what would happen. Lesson learned ... again!

Fine-tuning the art of the ear takes practice. Sometimes total resurrection. But it’s an art worth bringing back to life. It means laying down our own desires and agendas. It takes not just being hearers of the Word of God, but doers of what He’s asked us to do. (James 1:22-25)

And the reward? We can live a life of victory and peace, encouraging others in the same. (John 15:12-13)

Listen ... Listen ... Listen ...

www.ponyexpressministry.com

*Exciting announcement!* Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled is now available in print and Kindle editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the WestBow Press bookstore.

https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Like-Warrior-Inspirational-Encouragement-ebook/dp/B071SFQP2T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496082052&sr=8-1&keywords=walk+like+a+warrior+book