Musings of An Eclectic Cowboy
June 18, 2008
Crazy Alice
I am a huge John Wayne fan. Not only are his movies great but he epitomizes what makes America great. He has a presence that continues to effect even today's generations. Case in point, I was working an Elementary Church Camp several years ago with quite a few college aged councilors. And as I sat in on one of their bull sessions one day they were arguing on who would win some alleged fight. They were using all of these Movie and Comic Super Heroes and Villains like Superman, Batman, Freddy Kruger, Wolverine and even one of them used Pokemon. Their discussion was all in good fun but got rather intense until one of them said that no one could defeat John Wayne. With that everyone got quiet until someone else said except Jesus. Then the discussion was over. John Wayne is still bigger than life.
What I want to do today is share with you an analogy that comes from one of John Wayne's best movies. But I also want to give credit where credit is due. The thoughts on this are not mine originally. I first heard them from my good friend and brother Kyle Brock. Kyle, thank you for everything. This movie is one that my wife does not like because he dies in it but even with that black cloud it is one of the greatest movies of all times. John Wayne and The Cowboys is a great western movie were Mr. Will Anderson has to drive a herd of cattle to market. In doing this the only cowboys that he can hire are just that boys. And through this cattle drive these boys grow up and become men.
The scene that has always stuck out in my mind is the one that in order to join his crew each of the boys has to ride Crazy Alice. Crazy Alice is a wild unbroken filly that bucks with such ferocity that not just anybody can sit on her for any length of time. With the boys looking on wide eyed with fear Mr. Anderson ropes and snubs her to a post he reaches down and places a saddle on her. Now this filly is fighting for all she is worth, she is bucking and bellern' trying to get away but she is caught. Each of these boys have to show their sand and get up on Crazy Alice. And they do it each and every one of them get off of the fence and step up on Crazy Alice with Mr. Will Anderson standing right there in middle of the pen ready to help them if they need it. Now in Kyle's analogy, Crazy Alice is the World and John Wayne is Christ and we are the boys sitting on the fence. Each and everyone of us have to ride Crazy Alice no one not even Christ can take our place. We might get bucked off, we might get hurt or even killed but each and everyone of us have to do it. But through it all he is right there in that pen with us. He is there to help us through the hard times, he is there to pick us up when we get bucked off, he is there to advise us on how to handle the situation. He is not going to ride the world for us but he is going to give us every advantage that we can have to ride the world.
Today are you sitting on the fence? Are you sitting on top of Crazy Alice as she is trying to buck you off? Are you sitting in the dust all busted up and bleeding? Where ever you are look to Christ because he is the only one who can help you ride the world.
Today I have a YouTube Film clip from John Wayne and The Cowboys.
Vaya con Dios
The Eclectic Cowboy
Winfield Davenport