I can’t seem to get my mind off of my summer spent out in Wyoming… so I figured I wouldn’t stop posting more pictures of what I did there and the places that I experienced. It’s on my mind, so why not share it?

Turning our herd of 85 horses loose at the end of the day…

Coming back from a long but beautiful ride up Rosie’s Ridge.

The most photographed barn in the United States… Jackson Hole, WY.

I was thinking a lot today about what the next couple years of my life will look like. I’m not going to lie, it’s a little daunting thinking about the future… especially as I’m nearing the end of my college education (well, I’m a junior.. but college goes by fast). I’m starting to think about job internships and career options, and it’s scary to think about. My goal is to graduate from Covenant with a Business degree and then earn my CPA certificate. But there are so many steps and bridges to cross in between. I’m not sure if I want to just get a job when I get out and study for the CPA exam while also working… or if I want to go to grad school and get my masters in accountancy and then get my CPA certificate? What if I don’t pass the CPA exam (which a lot of people don’t)? What then? What about the whole money and finances issue? Where is the money going to come from to pay off loans, car, and my house/apartment when I get out? Where is God going to take me when I graduate? Should I go work in Wyoming for a year or two after I graduate? My thought process continues…

It’s been a pretty scary start to the semester too. I’m taking the fullest load I’ve taken yet while being at Covenant… and they’re hard classes. Will I be able to keep up with the work load? Will I be able to keep up my grades with the classes I’m taking? Another thing that’s been running through my mind…

I read the entry in Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest for today.. it comforted me and made a lot of sense, especially in light of all these questions (and more) that have been running through my mind.

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer… “Ask, and you will receive . . .” ( John 16:24 )… Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end.

God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.

I’m slowly learning that God is bigger than my fears and uncertainties in life… than my mistakes… than my failures… than my inability to truly be Christ-sufficient. Don’t forget to pray. God is SO much bigger than all of our problems… and He cares.

Just a few more pictures of life on the ranch and out West.

Me saddling up Sparky… one of our quarter horses.

My horse, Pepperoni, and I out riding in the back country of Wyoming.

It’s the start of my junior year… classes start on Thursday. Two days away. I’m excited about the classes I’m taking this year. Finally getting up into the upper level business and accounting classes. I’m also taking Intro to Relational Youth Ministry with one of the youth pastors from Lookout Pres. Church… it’ll be so good.

It’s going to be a very different year, I feel. Bets is no longer at Covenant. She started her first day at Belmont University today. She’s doing grad school.. getting her doctorate in physical therapy. I’m so proud… :) (just kidding, Bets.. but seriously)

My thoughts right now? (1) I feel like I should be studying, (2) am I really a junior?, (3) swing dancing on the new overlook/breezeway of Brock Hall is going to be incredible, (4) I can’t wait for Jazz on the Overlook, (5) i’m scared out of my pants about taking three Dodson classes this semester, (6) I can’t wait for the Covenant Scots soccer games to start this Saturday, (7) it’s strange having 300 new faces on campus, (8) I’m looking forward to fall on the mountain, (9) being an O-team leader is probably one of the most fun things you could ever do as a CC student, and (10) I need to download the rest of my pictures from Wyoming… I miss that place.

Tonight is my last night at home in Franklin. I’m heading back to the mountain tomorrow afternoon. I’m excited to be back at school. I’m excited about the classes I’ll be taking, the new students and friends I’ll meet, seeing all my old friends and the guys on Five Points, and just getting back into the swing of life.

I miss my horses back at the ranch a lot. It’s strange to go from riding a horse for 4-8 hours a day, for six days a week, for thirteen weeks… to not riding at all. I hope I can find a place on the mountain where I can either take care of some horses or go ride every once in a while.

My whole family is coming over for supper tonight… kind of as a late birthday celebration because they missed my birthday while I was in Wyoming. It’ll be fun to hang out with the whole family for a little while.

I’m counting down the days until I can be home again. I’ve been away for three months now… I believe it’s the longest time I’ve been away from my family for one time. It’s been an incredible experience, and I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything. I got to fulfill one of my life’s dreams by working with horses this summer.