Testing God - Post Four

So it seems our owner had another horse that needed to come to our stable. Seems that this horse was a “bad acter” and Trainer No. 1 was ready to wash his hands of him. The horse was labeled dangerous, and his latest exploit had been to flip completely over backward in the starting gate at Mountaineer Racecourse, getting himself scratched and hurting the jockey.

“Nope.” I said. “No way, no how. We do not need the liability, and we certainly don’t need the higher workman’s comp premiums that are sure to result.”

“Well, I told the owner we’d at least go take a look at him before we decide,” Jerry responded. “And maybe you could have a talk with him—see if he’ll tell you what his problem is.”

Perhaps now would be a good time to mention the animal communication thing. In a nutshell, it’s telepathic communication with non-humans. And it really, really works. (All readers may feel free to roll their eyes at this point.)

Without spending too much time on the history of the realization that I could do this, (in fact, anyone can) I had been studying and practicing this skill for a couple years at this point.

So under cover of night, we traipsed to the other trainer’s barn to see this killer horse. He was pretty easy to find—he was the sullen horse standing with his head down in the back of the stall. At the sound of our voices, he pinned his ears tighter and shook his head in our general direction. I stepped closer, and he rushed the webbing, ears flat against his head.

I jumped back, and looked at Jerry. “Still no,” I said.

Daily notes: I woke up today worrying. This is nothing new for me; I am a chronic worrier. Sometimes the worry crosses over into near panic. I wake up in the middle of the night fixated on something that will cost a lot of money. Repairs, bills due, medical or dental things that either we or the kids need. Collectively between Jerry and myself and the kids, we’ve had five auto accidents in just over a year (curses, Satan!) The accidents did significant damage to vehicles but nothing to the passengers (thanks, God!) Truth told, what I hope most to achieve at the end of this experiment is to put an end to my worrying. The Bible says in Philippians 4: 6-7

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
The Message



I’ve got some big bills staring me in the face right now. If I’m being brutally honest (and that’s what I promised that I would do) it’s all I can do at this point not to rob God. That tithe kitty that I’ve been praying about is looking mighty tempting. Perhaps not getting a quick answer about where it should go IS God’s answer—in the form of a character test.

I could use some prayers!

Also—one of the resources that I am using for the Testing God project is a small book called “The Miracle of Tithing—A Little Book of Answers to Questions about Tithing” by Mark Victor Hansen. You might remember Mr. Hansen as the co-author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. When I got this book, it was hard to find as it was out of print at that time. If you are interested, I would suggest checking online. There’s a lot of good stuff in this tiny little book!