Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Cow Chip Classic

        

What’s So Classic About Cow Chips? 

When I shook Jeremy Bennett’s hand in church, I glanced down at his bright red shirt and read: “Cow Chip Classic, 2006.” Don’t get me wrong. I was not a bit upset that Jeremy wore that particular shirt. I was thrilled he chose to spend his Sunday morning worshiping God and fellowshipping with other believers, regardless of what he chose to wear. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to find out what a Cow Chip Classic is…

            As a city transplant, I envisioned guys out in a field throwing cow chips like discuses at a track meet. The one who threw the farthest got a prize, like a new milking stool or a branding iron. Is that how it was? I asked Jeremy.

            “No,” he said, smiling politely. “We just raced across the field, dodging cow chips along the way.”

            I wrinkled my nose as I asked, almost afraid to discover, “Did you step in any?”    “A few,” he answered, still smiling.


Too Much Like Real Life 

            I smiled back at him, but I couldn’t help thinking: Why would anyone want to run through a field of cow chips? That’s way too much like real life!

            A few days on this earth are sunny and bright. The chickadees sing sweetly in the peach trees, the smell of new mown hay tickles your nose as you drive down the highway, and the price of gas is lower than last week. No cow chips in your field. But most days are like this…

            It’s raining again, all the chickadees in all the peach trees are either pouting or scrapping with each other, the only smell as you drive down the highway is a dead skunk, and gas prices are up again. Your field is full of those darn cow chips. You can’t help but step on a few.

            Life stinks sometimes. No matter how deftly you dodge between the cow chips, you cannot avoid them all, and by the time you hit seventy, eighty or even as young as fifty, you’re messed up and dirty. 
Told you So! 

            Jesus predicted as much when He told His followers, “In the world you will have tribulation (John 16:33).”  To His credit, though, He didn’t stop with there, or we may have said, “Thanks a lot, Lord. Tell me something I don’t already know.” His next words add a fragrant scent to our smelly situations: “But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” The Amplified version says, “I have deprived it of power to harm you.” Wow!       No matter how many times you’ve tripped or fallen in those cow pies, no matter how stinky your life has become, there is hope for you. If you trust in Jesus and His amazing promises, all the cow chips in the world cannot permanently harm you. He has deprived them of their power over you. He has overcome the world. For you!

            My word for that kind of love? Classic.

The above is an excerpt from my book, Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top.

And speaking of Cow Chips and Chuckles, my friend Nezzie is featuring me on her blog, Cow Patty Surprise today.

I hope you’ll take a peek at this fancy farm girl who can tickle a phrase faster than a mule can kick a fly. She’s one of the funniest, sweetest princesses I know, and I think you'll like her, too.



           

           

           

           

           

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for always making my heart smile.

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  2. I'm new on your site. Anyway, you make me smile and when I started reading about cow chips I couldn't have guessed where you're going with this...

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  3. Spending time in Oklahoma as a young-one, I can relate to the shirt and contest idea. Sadly, I actually competed in a cow chip throwing competition many years ago. The secret? Insist on chucking the dry ones.

    Off to read Nezzie's blog now.

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  4. Oh darlin', your talkin' to the gal who used to use cow manure as my favored medium 'stead of usin' mud in my mud pies as a little chicklett. Hence the name, COW PATTY SURPRISE.

    Thanks for the shout~out dear one and I do have to tell ya'll, this book is one FANTASTIC read.

    God bless ya dear sister, and have yourself one splendid day!!! :o)

    BTW: We have a little town not far from here that holds a 'Buffalo Days' celebration once a year. One of the big events is tossin' dried cow patties (or buffalo chips as they call 'em)
    Do we know how to have fun or what??? Heeehehe!

    'Just sayin'............

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  5. Love this one, Jen! Hopping over to Cow Patty Surprise. :)

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  6. Great blog...will be adding to my sidebar....

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  7. Thanks, everyone, for hopping into the field with us farm chicks! Buffalo chips, huh? That sounds a little wild for me--I prefer their wings!

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  8. When we visited our son last summer, I read in one of those tourist magazines about a restaurant where the owners had concocted a form of candy and called it cow patties. We roared. Hubby, being the only one who ever lived on a farm, laughed the hardest.

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  9. You have a knack for pulling lessons from the most unlikely places. This is a good one, Jeanette!

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  10. Quiet: I've seen those--they look gross, but I bet they taste yummy!

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  11. This was a fun read. I hopped over here from Nezzy's blog. I live in the country...and have plenty of cow chips to deal with
    the real kind
    and figuratively as of late
    such is life.
    thanks for the uplifiting giggle today.

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  12. So nice to meet you! I found your lovely site through our mutual friend Nezzy. How I love her and her site.
    Looking forward to being a new follower of your site and congratulations on your book I would love to read it.
    Maggie

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  13. I wanted to visit you when I read about your book at Nezzy's place....I have had to dodge a few patties but so goes life:)

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Oh, it's YOU! I'm so happy to see you here today, and look forward to reading your comments.