The important question is not how, why, where, or when; the important question is “Who?” This book is a collection of scripturally-based true stories offered for the sole purpose of sharing how horses allow us to find a closer relationship with God. Woven into the fabric of the message is love, correction, wonderment, obedience, accountability, success, failure, birth, and death. But the heartbeat that gives each life is a relationship with the Lord.
The above paragraph is liftedfrom the ‘Introduction’ to the book Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace – Pursuing relationship with God, horses, and one another – by Christian author and writer, Lynn Baber. Lynn is an equine professional and director of Amazing Grays Ministry.
Two questions to those who know little about horses. Have you ever thought it possible that a horse could teach you profound truths about God, yourself and other people? Have you ever thought it possible that a horse could teach you how to strengthen your relationships with God and others? No, me neither! But I’ve just finished reading Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace where I discovered it definitely is possible to do both.
Until now, my horse knowledge was limited to Phar Lap, whose achievements captured the hearts of Aussies and Kiwis during the early years of the Great Depression, Makybe Diva, who won three Melbourne Cup races in a row a few short years ago and Black Caviar, whom the owners recently retired after winning twenty-five races in a row.
In reading Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace I was introduced to Bo, a five-year-old gray quarter horse gelding bred to work cattle, and Swizzle, a three-year-old gray quarter horse filly bred to be a reining horse. Bo and Swizzel were not bred to be race horses, they were bred to be grace horses – graced by Almighty God to teach us humans biblical relationship skills.
God used Lynn’s relationship with Bo and Swizzel to help her understand her relationship with Him and this she passes on to us, giving us opportunities to understand in a practical sense where we can be at with God too. How powerful the practical is over the theoretical! As Lynn says, lessons learned in the round pen, the show arena, the foaling barn, and in the moment of a horse’s final breath prove that God’s promises are true.
Christian bookshops are not lacking on the topic of relationship, neither are sermons preached from pulpits. Yet for all the talk, relationships with one another in the church can be extremely shallow; lots of theory, not a lot of the practical. As Christians we believe ourselves to be God’s loving and caring people, committed to one another, but often when the God-sent tests come we discover that it’s not so. More often the results of the tests show people to gather in cliques, while others get shown the door! What does that say about our relationship with God?
If every horse did that the world would be full of wild horses! If every trainer did that they’d put themselves out of a job. Is this the reason for “wild” Christians running around committed to very little? Is this the reason for spiritually ineffective pastors, teachers and people in Christendom? We need to know, but the good thing is we don’t have to become horse trainers or spend thousands of dollars on horses to find out.
Pursuing relationship with God, horses, and one another
Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace is priced at less than fifteen dollars, but the inspiring Holy Spirit-anointed information contained within its easy-to-read 310 pages is priceless.
Often I’ve said on this blog that God is not interested in religion, He’s only in interested in relationship – with Himself and with one another. That’s what we discover when we get serious with the Bible, that’s what will be cemented in your spirit when you read this book. I pray you will read it, the world is crying out for people to be real with them. Who better to do that than one who’s rightly related to the Lord Jesus Christ? “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” John 13:34-35.