Dark Horse
He's a dark horse in
the nighttime,
Headin' straight for the enemy camp...
Fischer (from the song: Dark Horse)
My first
book and now out of print as far as distribution is
concerned. This story is an allegory about a horse who
wanted to be white and discovered that true whiteness can
even be found in the darkest of horses. Only ninety
pages, it's a quick read that has some surprisingly deep
images of discipleship (i.e. following and leading).
from
Chapter 1
For as long as I
can remember, I had always wanted to be a white
horse. I wasn't all white, but my good ancestry
had left me more white than most horses I knew,
and fortunately, in the most important places.
Most of my face was white, and the white of my
right front leg ran up to my shoulder so that if
I stood at an angle . . . with my good leg out .
. . and my head slightly cocked . . . all you
could see was white.
It was a good sign,
I was told, and a mark of a leader.
It was for this
reason that when I came of age, I was sent to a
special ranch where they trained horses like me
to think, walk, and prance like white horses. We
learned how to make the most of our white parts;
even how to pose so as to show the most amount of
white (without looking unnatural).
This was harder for
some than others. I remember one horse that had a
beautiful white rump and tail and one white
streak between his eyes. His unfortunate fate was
always having to present himself backwards--not
to mention the strain on his neck from twisting
over his shoulder so that the white on his head
could be seen.
Life at the white
horse ranch was very ordered. We spent most every
morning exercising on a track--our muscles had to
be developed to their fullest for a more
impressive display. Then, after a brief rest, we
were washed, brushed and groomed by our trainers
for posing sessions.
Posing sessions
were boring, but the preening and doting
associated with them was something to which any
horse could easily become accustomed. During
these sessions, the owner of the ranch would
often come by and comment on our progress. I was
proud to be "one of the most promising
animals he had seen in some time." (I often
wonder now if he meant that, or if he told the
same thing to all the horses simply to build up
our horse pride.)
True or not, the
words worked on me. I began to form quite an
attachment to my own whiteness. I found myself
more and more aware of it, almost as if it were
glowing with a light of its own. But of course it
was easy to become white-minded at a school where
everything revolved around being white. |
for whom
Start with anyone who likes allegory and horses. Then add
those who have attempted roles of Christian leadership
and found how strong the temptation to "fake
it" is. This book has been used by at least one
major Christian college as required reading for all its
student leaders.
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