I preached my sermon on Palm Sunday yesterday. Spoke about why Jesus used a donkey's colt as opposed to a warhorse. All my talk about donkeys and their symbolism made me think of reviving my old Donkey Project from 2015.
I spoke yesterday briefly about the donkeys I encountered 2 summers ago when I camped on rancher Bill Lee's spread up in Spring Gulch. "Bandit" was the name of the donkey I trained with. I had planned on using a donkey as I ventured through the canyons of Clear Creek County to bring the Good News. I never did go through with the project; but, I am keeping the idea open.
I found donkeys to be highly intelligent, sensitive to criticism and resolute.
I also found out I could use certain counter-intuitive techniques to circumvent their stubbornness. For example, when Bandit suddenly sat his butt down and refused to continue walking, I learned that I could just say, "ok, do what you want. I'll just sit down myself and take a nap here alongside the trail until you get so bored that you get back up and start walking again." Lo and behold, Bandit would give me this disgusted look and clamber back up and start down the trail again.
Bill Lee doesn't allow anyone to ride his donkeys but you can rig up a carrier of sorts or use saddle bags to carry provisions or whatnot.
Another interesting thing about these weird animals is that most of them have two stripes of darker hair on their backs that crisscross like an actual cross which is bizzare due to the fact that a donkey carried Jesus on its back during his entry into Jerusalem to be crucified on a cross some 1984 years ago.
Who knows...If Amy and I are still in Idaho Springs this summer I may resurrect my idea to proclaim the Gospel in Clear Creek County using a donkey and dressed in vintage 19th century clothes.
I can become the 21 century version of that old itinerant country circuit rider from Illinois, Peter Cartwright.
Pics show rancher Bill Lee along with pics of "Bandit" and Circuit Rider Peter Cartwright (second to last pic).
Will see.
BR Schoenbein
Amy Schoenbein
Baby Schoenbein
April 10, 2017- Monday
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