The Vertical Self by Mark Sayer

The Vertical Self takes a good look at the identity of people today, Chrisitian and nonChristian alike. At first I had problems getting into the book and some of the early examples seemed too simple and made up. As I got into it, though, I found insight on the identity, or lack of, our culture seems to be facing. For the most part, I liked the book. The author is very insightful into the culture and observant of the many people he passes on the street. His observance of the people, knowledge of their behaviors and responses to their actions give him the credibility to write such a novel. Some of the examples he uses, such "Jim is yada yada yada" I am unsure whether I like them or not. Although they do provide excellent insight and connection to readers, I could have enjoyed a simple explanation instead. His use of popular images as examples of today's culture and identity add depth to the novel. The difference between vertical and horizontal is laid out in plain sight in this book, and does provide a good history of cultural self and relations to identity. I enjoyed the book and am glad I received it from booksneeze.com and would recommend it to any reader interested in learning more about the identity of today's people.

The Hole In Our Gospel review

"The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, World Vision's president, calls us as Christians to a higher standard in our walk with God. Using his own story weaved with the call in the Bible to help the poor, Stearns points out how one should do as God has called them to do. The book is well written and transitions well from Stearns's life story into Biblical and other references. Stearns's own story sets up a visual for the other sections of the book. This is more than a motivation, self-help book for the Christian walk, but a book which shows the journey involves more than what one wants. Stearns's use of his own life story shows that every person is human and it can appeal to anyone, regardless of one's beliefs. Its focus is on Christians who are comfortable with their padded pews and calls them to rise. Several examples of how Jesus asks for Christians to help the poor, because by helping even the least we are helping Him. Jesus had a great love for the poor and Christians should share this love. I recommended this book if you are ready for the next step in your walk.

New Book

So started reading this book, "The Hole in Our Gospel" the other and I cannot put it down. It's by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. So far it shows how he came to World Vision by following God's call for his life. His story weaves in with how we, as Christians, should live our life following God and doing His will. I can't wait to read more tonight.

Cold weather and job hunt

With the last few months of school, riding has become scarce. Sometimes I allow 15 minutes to just spend with the horses. Since I brought Bullseye home, he has quit biting. Right now I'm on the hunt for a job. I know God has the right one in store for me, but searching for one is difficult. If all else fails, there is the Navy. I won't get to see Bullseye at all then. Maybe that isn't where I'm supposed to go, but it is an option. Right now I seem to be mostly working, looking for a job and on occasion riding. Saturday, I rode Star up the road, but it was freezing. I didn't want to chance riding Bullseye up the road in that weather. Last week it got down to the 20s and lower. There were several threats of snow, but it never came. Last time it snowed, the horses had a blast running around in the pasture. I have a ton of pictures, but they were with my old camera.

Rain, rain, rain

Every chance I thought I had to ride this week was interrupted by rain. We need the rain, but at the same time why won't it rain when I'm busy. Yesturday I was sure I had a chance for a good long ride because the farther from Auburn I got, the clearer the sky look. When I got home I made lunch, which was a chore in itself since the microwave didn't want to heat, and then laid down for a power nap with Brutus. Thirty minutes later I woke up to heavy rain and thunder. I stared out the window for a minute. I'm sure Brutus thought I looked confused, because in a way, I was. I just went back to sleep. When I woke up it had cleared mostly, so Ruby and I hopped in my car and went down to see Bullseye. He was happy to see me until I tried to get on his back. After struggling a couple times to pull myself up, I led him to a fence. I think I need to work on my pushups, because it shouldn't have taken much more to climb on. Or I'm going to teach him to bow down and let me step on. I've seen it done; how hard could it be. It was a short ride because Alex wanted to go swing dancing later. Other than trying to bite my foot, Bullseye was a good boy. Tomorrow, Hope and Star are returning. They've eaten our pasture down too low. I like having them at the house, but that's OK. We're going to need grass.

Bullseye

Bullseye about a year ago.

Who is Bullseye?

A little more than two years ago, my dad found this young horse who belonged to a man who knew nothing about horses. This little boy had been spoiled rotten. Whenever he didn't get his way he bit or kicked. When he got his way he bit or kicked. I messed with him at their house for two days, the start of his training. By the end of the weekend he didn't kick anymore. He stopped biting until this summer when he hit his terrible three's, going on four's. Our neighbor Al gave him his name. He said he looked like he'd been shot and the head and the blood dripped down his forehead. Graphic description of his blaze, but it was a good name. Bullseye turned four last month. We've been through a lot and I believe we have a lot more to go through. Better late than never to begin documenting this guy's life.
I have two other horses, Hope and Star. Both have their own quirks and personalities and are in their teens. Bullseye's former owner said he'd been taken from his mama too young. He adopted Star and Hope as his mothers. Hope takes the responsibility as mother seriously. After the initial putting him in his place, she allows him to act as the baby. Star, on the other hand, doesn't like Bullseye. Both allow him to do whatever he wants, so of course he tries to walk over them. At this time, I have him at a friend's pasture alone.
After a six month hiatus, where Bullseye wasn't handled by anyone, I began a serious riding program at the beginning of the summer. Our farrier said he had muscles he never used before, and I didn't like having a lazy horse in the pasture. For two weeks I spent about two hours riding only Bullseye, teaching him things I should've done during the hiatus. By the end of those two weeks, he was close to perfect. The rest of the summer I rode him about 45 minutes everyday until classes started back.
Saturday was the last chance I rode him. He was up to his usual tricks. Sometime this summer, probably when we took him to another pasture for two weeks and he wasn't touched, he learned to buck. The beginning of the ride was a long series of bucks until he decided I wasn't coming off. His brakes don't work very well either, but the one-rein stop has been perfected so I helped him realize he only had to trot when I nudged him faster. We ended the ride with a hose down, which included a through cleaning. He wasn't a big fan of that and bit my shoulder. I lounged him for a few minutes, ended on a good note and went home.