Sunday Mornin' Hope : Of Buffalo and Wolves

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles (Matt 10).




This past Thursday some friends and I got back from a 12 day ride. We saw many wonderful sights, ate too much food, and enjoyed God's wonderful creation. His presence was so awesome (and is). On some days we would be riding thru canyons or near rivers or across mountain ranges. Around every corner was a picture perfect scene. You're welcome to check them out on my Facebook- Dino Hutchings. We were in the thick of Buffalo when we arrived at Custer State Park. They were all over our campground entrance. A few of the dominant males were doing that 'snortin courtin' thing for the ladies. If you're in a car, this is pretty cool. If you're on a bike behind a loud Harley, you have major reason to get nervous. Some buffalo get excited at Harley pipes. I encouraged the Harley in front of me to go around the young male in the road. He encouraged ME to go ahead and added a few words. We waited. I kinda felt like last nights dinner in the fridge and the buffalo got the munchies. There we sat very still till they moved on (closed the fridge door).

A few days later we were in Yellowstone riding the loop. Down below in the valley were several hundred buffalo. They were snortin and chasing each other like college kids on spring break. Buffalo Roy (our resident experienced rider and buffalo irritator, but that's another story) said "There's a wolf in the middle of the herd, and it's chasing the smaller young buffalo. The big males are snorting and head butting the wolf !" The wolf was persistent, but so were the buffalo. They weren't going to lose one of their own to this wolf.

As you become friends with like minded people on various forums you accepted and encouraged. Eventually a wolf will enter the herd and try to cause trouble. If left alone, they might destroy the forum by isolation and attacking one at a time. A forum is a place to exchange ideas and experiences. There is no way you will ever understand or agree with all the posts. That's what makes a forum interesting. Mutual respect for those with other perspectives is the only way this will work. But when you identify a wolf (or troll), you need to band together and get it out. It is like a ebola virus. But in this case, the troll comes in nice and friendly. It might offer help and free advice. Then you wake up and the forum has been removed because of terrorism.



Jesus said "16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."


In other words, WATCH for those who come to cause trouble. Do what the buffalo do and meat them head on. They are usually pretty easy to recognize. They come to disrupt and eventually destroy the group. Don't ignore a wolf in the herd. Report it. Band together before other wolves begin to destroy the herd.



In life we need to be always on our guard. God has blessed you with many wonderful people. Guard these relationships with prayer, kindness, and a watchful eye. Listen to the needs of others and laugh at yourself when you dump your bike. God gave you gifts in the form of children. They are on loan to you to teach you to stop worrying and enjoy life. He also loaned you a wonderful best friend to teach you faithfulness and forgiveness. Most of all He gave you Jesus Christ and loaned you the most precious gift : time. Spend it wisely. Live for Him and stay eternally in the joy of the Lord. I'm praying for you.

thanks dino

Thanks dino. I like that fourm analogy.