Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Power of Prayer


Lately I have been busier than ever with rodeos and basketball. Basketball is now over and I have so much time to get better at what I love most and that is roping. Lately I have been striving toward my goals. State is coming soon and I have been working but I believe not hard enough. So I started roping twice a day. Waking up 6 in the morning to go saddle three calf horses and pen a set of ten calves. I rope for an hour before school and now after I come home from school, I give goat tying lessons and then I rope all over again working on different things. My message this week is about Power in Prayer.
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" James 5:16
The quality of our prayer life then determines the quality of our relationship with God. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is listening to God. Prayer is enjoying the presence of God. It can take many forms - for example: worship, confession, thanksgiving, praise, petition (asking for things), waiting (silent, listening and sensing of God) and warfare (command). If we are baptized in the Spirit we can pray with the spirit, in languages unknown to us but not to God, 1 Corinthians 14:2,14.
Prayer is not simply saying words. It is not repeating formulas. God is looking for heartfelt relationship. There is power in prayer; it’s our one connection with God in which the devil cannot interrupt. To have a good relationship with God is to have good communication with Him. Not only is there power in prayer, but there is purpose in prayer. He is your Father, He is there for you unconditionally; put your all into the relationship with Him and it will pay off.
Life on Earth isn’t easy, we face obstacles, people and things stand in our way, and prayer is the way to reach God for help. He knows all, but you have to talk with him, confide in him, and ask of him. But in the end God is our anchor and he is what we have to hang on to when times are tough.
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Monday, February 21, 2011

Steer Roping

Why can it be so much harder to rope the horns when you are tripping than it is when you are team roping?  I might head 15-20 in a row without missing yet I might also run six steer roping steers and waved it off one, necked another, and flat out missed the third.  Why are there areas of our lives that seem so difficult?  Intellectually we can see that if we simply will do x, y, and z it will all work out, however, in the doing either x, y, or z always seem to go haywire.  It is difficult when you are doing all you can think to do and yet it isn’t working out.  I wish at this point I could give you an amazing Spiritual lesson that I could give you chapter and verse on what needs to happen next, I wish I could tell you how to overcome, but that would mean I had it figured out and I do not.  I still struggle with my tripping.  I may even be accused of having a bad confession by saying I still struggle.  But maybe that is the point as long as I am still struggling I’m not finished.  Maybe there are parts of life that are not going to come easy but if we are still struggling God can still come through.  All I really know for sure is the only way I have found to not experience trouble with my steer roping is to not steer rope.  Since that isn’t an option I guess I will rope the dummy again tonight, practice again tomorrow, keep seeking the Father, and get back to you when it is no longer difficult.
Improvement
·        Tripping horse is doing better
·        I am starting to get into fighting shape
Needs Improvement
  • Missed too many tripping steers

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Work Hard

We prepared the calves for the Ft Worth Stock Show and Rodeo this week.  120 head of big black fresh calves.  We had to flank and tie everything twice and breakaway everything twice as well.  It was hard, tiring work but it also helped me prepare for the WTEC. 
            I am amazed at the believers who don’t want to work hard.  They take Scriptures that speak of entering His rest as an excuse to be lazy.  Then they seem offended that they are broke and in debt, as if God did not intend for them to adhere to Proverbs 6:6-11.  Look to the ant you sluggard, who having no master and ruler over him still gathers his food in season” (in other words he works hard without being told to work hard) it ends with “a little sleep a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity will come on you like an armed man.”  I get tired at times as well and I want to skip going to the practice pen or I want to lie on the couch instead of doing what needs to be done, however, I know that when I get up and get after it I am usually really glad I did.

Improvement
·        Flanking and tying was really good
·        Cardio is starting to improve
Needs Improvement
  • Missed too many break away calves

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Iron Sharpens Iron

I love the Elite clinic!  The students are so motivated to improve.  They feed off of each others enthusiasm and work ethic and this makes the environment perfect for lots of improvement.  It says in Proverbs 27:17 “as iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.”  Practicing with the right people is extremely vital when you are preparing for anything.  The right people will encourage, motivate, inspire, and challenge you to be all you have been called to be.  On the other hand, the wrong voices in the practice pen can discourage, drain, stagnate, and frustrate your efforts to improve.  This is true for more than just practicing.   In life we need to check if the people we are purposefully surrounding ourselves with are encouraging, motivating us to grow, or are they stagnate and wanting us to stagnate with them.  In the areas of your life that you are trying to improve make sure you have the right people in the practice pen with you.
Improvement
·        Steer wrestling Improved
·        Cardio is starting to improve
Needs Improvement
Need to spend more time on my tripping

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Time

During any time of preparation I find it very helpful to take a break somewhere in the middle to let all that you are learning have a chance to settle and germinate within you.  You work hard in the practice pen trying to improve then you kind of hit a wall where it seems that you are not getting any better, and then you take a short break and it all goes better. 
            I see this in the details of my personal life as well.  I am made aware of some shortcoming in my walk and I begin to sow the seed to grow in that area but often I become discouraged when growth doesn’t appear to be happening.  I forget that there is a time element that takes place between sowing and reaping. 
            I am still roping a little and preparing a bit but I have taken it way back the same way a farmer may pull a few weeds, water a little maybe even work on his harvesting equipment, but the real work will have to wait a while for the seed to grow and mature. I know with my timed event prep it will go better after the break than it went the last day of practice before the break.  Now, I just need to learn the same patience in my personal life.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Helping Others

Week 8-9
Nov 15-28
                Helping Others
                I love getting to teach a steer wrestling clinic.  I find when I teach others I learn so much myself.  I have been teaching these clinics for 20 years now and I still learn something new at each one.  This year it was my steer wrestling that needed improvement.  I was taking the steers heads too low which was keeping me from making clean runs. 
                The Bible says to give and it will be given back to you good measure pressed down shaken together will men return it to you.  The schools give one of the best pictures of this for me.  I never have one that I don’t find myself being so extremely blessed by what comes back from my students.  This year one of the students that had been here for a couple of schools shared how god had turned his heart and had set his families course on a better path and to see this extremely tough Navy man changed by the power of God was so awesome for me and my family. 
                It really is true you can’t out give God!
Improvement

·        Steer wrestling Improved


Needs Improvement
  • Not getting to work on my calf roping as much as I would like
  • Work on my cardio

Drew Horner New Year

We went to Odessa for the rodeo, and it didn’t go so well.  I roped with Trey Johnson and Allen Bach at the Sand Hills Classic Open roping and didn’t make the short round.  Trey and I went out on our first one in the rodeo.  We made a good run on our second round steer and were 4.0 on him, which would of won the second round, but we got called out for crossfire.  I roped with Trey and Buddy Hawkins at the Waco USTRC roping and made the short round with Buddy, but we had a few legs that put us out of any money and points for the US Open tour. 

My main focus has been keeping my confidence up by making good solid runs and staying consistent.  My horses have been doing great at staying honest for me and giving me a good chance to catch and make consistent runs.  The consistency makes it easier on my partner to rope behind me because he knows where the steers back feet are going to be every time.  Its been a fun first couple of weeks, getting to practice with other ropers from time to time.  Hanging out with winners in our sport will help me to be a winner. 

I have been focusing more on my health lately.  I have been doing a little P90x in my workouts and mixing things up a little bit.  I have been eating gives me energy that I need whenever I compete.  I have been weak in reading my Bible everyday though.  I have been praying constantly and that keeps me in contact with Christ, but reading and actually studying His word keeps me in understanding with Him so I need to be more disciplined in that area.

It has been enjoyable so far, at least, for the first couple weeks of the year.  We got a long ways to go before it is over and I look forward to the next rodeo.  I always have to remember to stay focused on what really matters in life and that is my relationship with Christ.  Roping is fun, but it is not life.  True life is through Christ.