‘Horse whisperer’ visits Fayetteville FBC

By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@TheCitizenNews.com

The First Baptist Church of Fayetteville is one of five Fayette County churches celebrating 175 years as a congregation.

The church held a dinner-on-the grounds and added an unusual feature for a church, a “horse whisperer” who tamed a horse with Bible verses.

“A Sermon on the Mount” is a ministry of Miracle Mountain Ranch in Spring Creek, Pa. Headed by Lew Sterrett, its purpose is to help people understand how healthy relationships develop and how they can experience harmony and success in their own lives.

“We do this,” Sterrett said, “by showing how a trainer’s character wins a horse’s trust, which then sets the stage for future success in all areas of training. [We use] horses to illustrate biblical principles and demonstrate loving, successful horse and trainer interaction.”

A ring was set up behind the church and a “borrowed” wild horse provided locally was used for the demonstration. The mottled gray horse was appropriately named “Metal.”

As he began to tame the horse by settling him down and eventually standing still so Sterrett could approach him, it was pointed out that everybody wants to be loved and accepted but on their own terms. As God is master, Sterrett had to slowly show the horse that he was its master.

The horse must learn to give up its freedom and let his heart trust Sterrett. So too, must we give up freedom to do as we please, if we want to trust and draw near to God.

As the two-hour demonstration proceeded, Sterrett said, “Right now I don’t want to ride his body, I want to ride his heart. God does not want to conquer us, he wants to conquer our hearts.”

He further demonstrated that if we move away from God, he can’t help us. The “horse whisperer” never moved out of the horse’s sight and never raised his voice to Metal. Eventually the horse stood still, became accustomed to have a blanket around it, and then a saddle placed on its back.

The horse gave his heart willingly to the trainer, learning first the trainer could be trusted. So, too, Sterrett concluded, we must have the same relationship with The Master.

Lew Sterrett demonstrates a ministry of Miracle Mountain Ranch. He participated in the 175th anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, quietly breaking a horse using Bible verses. Photo/Carolyn Cary.