Be Thou My Vision

H ere on Long Island our local wholesale buying club is called BJ’s. It’s like Sam’s and Costco. Pretty much everyone I know buys at these wholesale monsters. The prices are usually better, but the catch is they require buying in bulk. The problem comes in when you don’t have the space to store all the loot that seemed so appealing and desirable in the store. Who has the space to store 18 roles of paper towels, 36 roles of toilet tissue, oatmeal in bulk, or all the other things we lug in? A few months ago, while shopping for groceries in BJ’s, I spotted a big package of frozen chopped spinach. The big bag contained 3 “smaller” bags that each contained about one pound each. One of my planned meals for the week called for frozen spinach. So, why not buy enough for future meals that might per chance call for the spinach. Great idea, right? There is, however, one complicating factor. When I lived in Tennessee, we had three, yes three, refrigerators, and 2 freezers. It was gre...

I’ve always loved the story of David and Goliath. Since early childhood the story has been read and taught to me by a variety of teachers. I have studied it numerous times myself. It’s one of those stories that we all love, hero versus villain, the underdog triumphs. The small, young David goes up against the mighty giant Goliath. I always wondered what in the world would possess him to just march right out there on that patch of desert armed with a slingshot and five small stones to face such a formidable foe. What was he thinking? In a recent study of the life of David, I realized what I had been missing. David had been sent to the battle field not to fight, but just to deliver lunch to his brothers, the real warriors. While there, he was so incensed by Goliath’s continued taunting of the Israelites, that he took responsibility for what must be done. In I Samuel 17:32 he said to King Saul; “ Let no one lose heart on account of this Phillistine; your servant will go and fi...

Recently there has been a couple of construction projects going on at and around the barn here at the Ranch. Along with any construction project there always comes an inordinate accumulation of not only scrap wood and discarded plastic, but as always empty water bottles, cans, and various food and snack wrappers. It seems to be a necessary evil of any building project. So what’s the problem, you ask? Well, anyone that knows me knows that I’m somewhat of a control freak and I like things neat and in order. I love everything in its place. Even at the barn I like all my barn stuff tidy and in its place. It makes life easier, especially when I’m dealing with multiple adolescent boys. It’s one of my barn rules. Put everything where you got it! So as the clutter accumulates so has my frustration level. I know all that stuff is a common by-product and that the end result will be these much needed new structures, but in the meantime even moving the horses from place to place mean...