A Little More about Me …
I’m an ordained minister and pastoral counselor with over 35 years of experience walking with people through some of life’s hardest and most meaningful moments.
I have seen the way horses help people become more aware of what they are believing. This led me to develop Equine Assisted Discipleship ~ a powerful and tangible way of experiencing connection with God through the lived relationship between horse and human. Horses NEED safety. I NEED God.
I have seen the difference in the horse/human connection when the person feels whole. That security in Christ affects everything.
Today, through Beautiful Brokenness and New Life Horsemanship, I continue to guide others into a deeper experience of connection, trust, and Abundant Life in Him.
Rescued. Redeemed. Reconciled. It’s a done deal, because it’s His deal.
I love to share this message through writing books and music, and speaking.
A different way of relating to your horse ~ and a deeper awareness of God’s presence.
What if all Creation speaks of the glory of God?
My first horse, Black Jack, was a Christmas gift from my parents when I was 11 years old. I had longed for a horse my whole life. I had no trouble loving Black Jack. I knew I was supposed to love God more, but He seemed distant and scary.
That first year of trail riding and learning to jump felt like a dream but then Black Jack got sick with a deadly disease called African Horse Sickness.
My parents suggested a prayer meeting and I agreed. There was no other hope. That night 12 adults gathered around me. They prayed for Black Jack, and for me. The next morning I raced to the barn to find Black Jack standing up, munching on hay. Healed.
The veterinarian was speechless with no answers.
But I knew in that moment, that Jesus is real, He is powerful, He is good.
My horse helped me experience the heart of the Rescuer.
I am convinced that God created horses, and everything else, so we would see and feel His heart for us.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
God was never asking me to strive for connection with Him.
He was inviting me to live from it. From His Abundant Life. To be His.
The first time I saw a horse save a person was in 1992.
I had a 10-year-old student who had tried to end his life.
His parents were heartbroken. They asked me to pray.
But Jesus invited me to do more than pray.
I asked if I could tutor “Timmy” (not his real name), and they said yes.
Timmy began spending his days with me—Monday through Friday.
And somewhere along the way, he fell in love with a little bay mare named Flicka.
Flicka had her own story. She had been abused… and rescued.
Timmy had a story too. Fear. Shame. Silence.
And slowly, in that quiet space, both stories began to come into the light.
I made sure Timmy felt seen and heard.
And somehow… Flicka did too.
And then something began to make sense.
When I shared Jesus with Timmy, the idea of rescue was no longer abstract.
He had seen it.
He had felt it.
He was living inside of it.
I spent the next thirty-five years doing this work—quietly, one person at a time.
I watched the same thing happen again and again.
I saw people able to see their need for Jesus through the horse’s need for safety. People identifying with the unconditional love of the Savior through their compassion and love for the horse they had chosen. I saw, over and over again, deep connection with Jesus which brought transformation.
This became more than something I witnessed. It became something I could no longer ignore.
What I saw in that arena—again and again—was not just about horses.
It was about connection.
Safety.
Presence.
The same things we are all longing for with God.
In 2010, Beautiful Brokenness Ministries was born and the dream for The New Life Horsemanship Academy began.
And now, after 2 years of Beta-testing resulting in students from around the globe, I am beyond thrilled to see The Academy come to fruition!
Horses are my secret Love language with God.
Are they yours too?
If something in you is stirring… you’re invited to explore it.
I will see you in the round pen!