Friday's Frenzy

Within two years Arnie had gone from riches to rags. Everyone he trusted seemed to have left him once his money ran out and he no longer could buy their friendship. All but one guy, Moose, and he hadn't met Moose in any bar or at any party. Moose was different, they had met one night at a shelter where Arnie was looking for a place to stay for the night and Moose was there to drop off some supplies and to volunteer his time and help those he could. After they talked for a while Moose directed Arnie to a pig farmer that usually hired people, the pay was poor but it may give him a start to get back on his feet. Moose tried to talk to Arnie about his life and that maybe he needed to seek God's help to find his way out of this mess he'd gotten himself into, Arnie explained to Moose that his life was too messed up and he needed to fix and clean up a lot before God would ever have anything to do with him. Moose explained to Arnie that just like a dead man cannot take a bath, neither can any of us repair the mess of our lives till we accept Jesus into our lives, then and only then Jesus can and will do the cleaning in us if we will let Him. We are as dead men untill we

come to life in Jesus and then the cleanup and hope begins. Arnie had had enough and thanked Moose for his kindness but he'd heard enough and didn't need to hear anymore. He got himself into this mess and he would get himself out and he sure didn't need God to do it for him.

Arnie found the pig farmer and after working in the pig pens for several months found he was not able to even eat as good as the pigs got to eat. He fell into such a brokenness that he wished he could just die. One day as he was cleaning the pig pens the delivery wagon pulled up to the pens with the slop from town for the pigs. There was a new man at the reins of the mules that pulled the big slop wagon. Arnie saw him coming and knew that at the speed he was driving those mules he was not likely to make the corner before the pig pens and this was not going to be nice to watch. When that wagon tried to make the corner at that speed, the driver lost control and the entire load ended up in a pile in the ditch on the opposite side of the road that it needed to be on. Arnie rushed over and there lay the driver covered in pig slop with his dog licking his face. There was no real damage but what a mess, so Arnie helped the driver up and introduced himself, the driver told him he was Larry and that he had told those guy's that loaded this wagon that it was top heavy but they wouldn't listen. So once they were almost done the cleanup, Arnie's boss came riding up to them and told Arnie he was fired for helping the driver and not doing his job. He told Larry that he also was fired and to never come back again. So both walked away, no jobs, no money and no hope. When they came to the fork in the road where Larry had to make his way home to his family, Arnie just decided to continue in another direction so they said their goodbyes and Larry also said something that finally this time seemed to mean more to Arnie than ever before, he said, "Arnie, go with God and you'll find the hope and direction you are looking for." For the next few days Arnie walked alone, hungry and thirsty and he soon realized that he was walking in the direction of his father's farm.

After weeks of walking and scavenging to eat and survive, Arnie was near his father's home. He was a broken man and he realized that even the pigs where he worked ate better than he did. He had come to the point in his life that he knew he was a failure to everyone, his father, family and most of all to God. Was his choice to come back home futile and hopeless, was he finished even with his family? He had disgraced his father and mocked his mother and brother and now would they ever even let him just be a hired hand and do whatever work that needed to be done by the hired help? to be continued tomorrow......

We all have come to a point in our lives that calls us to look at where we have come from, who we have harmed and the bridges we have burned. To make amends is never easy but needs to be done or we will always be on the run looking for a new start that never goes anywhere.

At the Battle River Ranch we hope to give you that chance to start and learn how you can make a difference in your life and the lives of those who are in your life. Today we went to the World day of prayer in Kindersley and The Good Lord once again opened doors with people from our past that we would never have expected and we hope to tell more about what comes from that miracle in the next few days.

Romans 13:10 "Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to it's neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."