The Official Publication of The Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, Inc. May 2012  Cañon City, Colorado  Volume 23 - Number 5 Forever... moms photo: Galley family photo Album – See article page 3 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 Line Rider THE LINE RIDER is published monthly by the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, Inc., 3125 Maple Lane, Cañon City, CO 81212. Subscriptions: $45.00 suggested donation POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE LINE RIDER, P. O. Box 1210, Cañon City, CO 81215. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced except with the written permission of the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, Inc. Editors:Lynne Schricker & Linda Scholtz Printing: Esprit Graphic Communications, Inc. Kennewick, Washington The LR editors retain the right to edit submissions for content and space constraints Contents 8 may 2012 Feature Articles 3 SHERIDA GALLEY TESTIMONY 14 get involved with steer, Inc. I have the best job ever ... to be a mother and grandmother! A service arm to missions around the world... monthly columns 5 A Western Woman's Heart Oh deer! by Davalynn Spencer He will equip us to reach those high places... 6 7 11 12 Where I'm Led Drink from the Well by Dale Livingston I can’t trust this colt when the chips are down... Spotlight on Youth Yance Day by Elli Ouelette I always say I became a "bareback rider" when I started following Jesus. bits 'n' pieces Prayer Requests, Praise Reports & Chapter Events Bible Study Studies in I John Growing in Christ – 1 John 2:12-14 by Cory Young, FCC Board Member 15 You have known the Father. Down the Road A Helping Hand with John Kissel In life, we often find ourselves on our duff in the snow. in this issue... Sherida and husband, Dick, won their share in the mixed roping. Now Sherida, is rising early each morning, not to ride her horse, but to go pick up Ruby, her granddaughter. Like so many of our young people, Ruby’s mom, Jaedeanne, is having to provide for the two of them. Not an unfamiliar story these days and so there are many grandmothers helping with care for their second generation of children. A grandmothers’ influence can be a rich heritage. Our children are a gift of great value and a grandmother’s godly influence will last a life time. As Solomon said in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” testimony Sherida Galley I can't start my story without first telling you that I am so very blessed. I thank God every day for being sovereign and always knowing exactly what I need. I married my husband, Dick, in 1976, and we lived in Castle Rock, Colorado. Four years later my daughter, Jaedeanne, was born. From the moment that I saw her face, I knew that I was blessed by God. I began going to the Catholic church after she was born and we went as a family on a somewhat-regular basis. When Jaedeanne was 10 years old, we moved to Texas so that my husband's veterinary practice could expand. As I made new friends in our community, they encouraged me to begin going to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and soon after that I began attending Christ Chapel Bible Church. I was amazed at how much I was learning about the Bible and what God's will for me was. Meanwhile, Jaedeanne had completed her Masters degree in Biotechnology at Texas A&M and gotten married and had a good job in Dallas doing pharmaceutical research. Five years into her marriage, they found out that they were having a baby girl. What should've been a blissfully happy time was shattered when her husband left her when she was 6 months pregnant because he was having an affair. Jaedeanne picked herself up and dusted herself off and moved back to Fort Worth after her daughter, Ruby, was born. About the same time, my husband found out that he had Stage 3 to Stage 4 colo-rectal cancer. He endured several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries. To say that it was a difficult time would be the biggest understatement ever. By God's grace, his cancer is in remission and has been for over 2 years now. I feel as though Dick and I did a wonderful job raising Jaedeanne into a smart, for more, please visit www.christiancowboys.com 3 A Woman's Heart Oh deer! By Davalynn Spencer The Arkansas River cut through the sheer cliffs around us, its thin ribbon of water defying the granite walls. A narrow path shelved above the river, and on it our family strolled beneath an azure sky enjoying mild temperatures, fresh air and breathtaking views. when fruit trees don’t bloom and vines don’t produce. When fields are barren and livestock dies. When everything people depend on falls apart. What then? “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,” Habakkuk sings. The path is known as Tunnel Drive and it burrows through solid rock west of Cañon City, Colorado. Very few resting places edge the path, and vegetation is scant. So scant, that I was surprised to see a small family of deer nibbling among the rocks above us. My first thought was, “What are they eating?” and the next, “How did they get up there?” kind, compassionate, Christ-following woman. God has blessed me again by bringing Ruby into our lives. I have the wonderful opportunity to care for Ruby during the day while Jaedeanne is at work. I enjoy every single second with her and don't want this time to end. I get up very early every morning and come into Fort Worth - I get to play with Ruby all day long. We fill our time attending Bible study, going to ballet class, music class, zoo school, and playdates. We work on art projects, visit the park, and read endless books. I have the best job ever. What a great blessing to be a mother and grandmother! God could grant no greater blessing. I’ve often seen Rocky Mountain big horn sheep scale narrow ledges and I’ve marveled at their sure-footed ascent. But deer? The animals looked out of place as they scrambled up along invisible footholds. Shouldn’t they be trailing gurgling streams through grassy meadows in the lush flatland? Years ago I read a wonderful allegory called Hinds Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. I learned then that a hind was a deer. Hurnard references the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk who says, “The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places” (3:19 KJV). My own mother has been a huge inspiration to me - she taught me how to love, to be honest, and to work hard. I have seen my faith grow from the time that Jaedeanne was born. It has gotten much stronger in the last few years as well. Between Jaedeanne's divorce and Dick's cancer, the one thing that I could always lean on was God. When people say that they were born again, I don't feel like that describes me very well. When Jaedeanne was born, I feel like that was the start of my relationship with Christ. I have been learning and growing stronger in Him daily. It has been a constant process of daily renewing my trust in Jesus. Prayer and Praise have unlocked the faith in my life. Hurnard’s story rivals that of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The main character struggles to reach the high places of glory and joy and delight. Even here on earth we have seen such places that must mirror the grandeur of what God has in store for us. But living in a mountainous region allows one to experience a different kind of high place—one where nothing grows, or nearly nothing. One where the sun beats down on shadeless terrain and water is scarce. These are not places of glory. I pray that God will continue to protect Jaedeanne & Ruby, and that he will help me to set an example for them to grow and continue to please God. 4 The Line Rider When streams run dry and meadows burn in drought, the deer run to the high places where scraggly grass grows in the shadows of the rocks. God has given them the ability to make it up there and find food in a seemingly barren landscape. Thinking of those deer along that rocky trail, I turned to the prophet’s words and discovered they were from a song. It’s a song of praise, but not of glory and beauty. Habakkuk sings of dire times may 2012 for more, please visit www.christiancowboys.com “I will joy in the God of my salvation,” Habakkuk says, for “God is my strength” (3:18, 19). Israel’s shepherd king also declared: “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and enables me to stand on the heights (Psalm 18:32, 33 NIV). David wrote this after the Lord rescued him from his enemies, including a raging King Saul. Where did David hide from the imbalanced Saul and his soldiers? In the rocky wilderness. God sustained him there. When we are in the dry places and the grass is six inches under the dusty topsoil, no fruit ripens on the stalks, trees or vines, and our paddocks and barns are empty, God is still God. His promise is still sure. And as we trust Him, He will equip us to reach those high places and depend on Him to take care of us there. © Davalynn Spencer, 2011 Author of Always Before Me Contact Davalynn at [email protected] www.davalynnspencer.com blog: www.davalynnspencer.blogspot.com Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO | Photo by DC Spencer 5