‘Horse Whisperer’ lets Southwest Florida churches minister ‘outside the walls’

FBC photo by Marie Mosley

Paul Daily, “The Horse Whisperer” guides a horse while relating lessons to a life with Christ.

ARCADIA (FBC)—By any standard, the event billed as “The Horse Whisperer” wasn’t a typical church service. There were no pews, no pulpit, and no offering plates. In a dusty, round pen on a Sunday afternoon in Arcadia, it was just a man, a horse, and the simple message of God meeting us people right where they were.

Churches in the Peace River Baptist Association of Southwest Florida organized this “rodeo” style event to take the Gospel outside church walls to reach residents with a message that appealed to their rural roots and their cowboy lifestyle. “Jesus met people where they were,” said Eric Romick, pastor of First Baptist Church of Nocatee.

FBC photo by Marie Mosley

Paul Daily prays with people at a rustic altar in Arcadia after he delivers the Gospel message while calming a horse.

In Desoto County and surrounding areas, that means reaching rural communities with young families and a fairly large Hispanic population. Organizers hoped the “The Horse Whisperer” would attract those who might otherwise not step inside a church.

“This is the cowboy capital of this part of the state,” said Romick. “I think the fields are ripe here for this message.”

It seems Romick was right. On this day, nearly 400 pairs of eyes were fixed on Paul Daily, “The Horse Whisperer,” as he took an untrained horse and guided her with words, ropes and touch to the point of submitting to Daily riding her—all in the span of just two hours.

As Daily started his work with the horse, she frantically circled the pen, keeping her distance from Daily. He related the lessons the horse was learning in the pen to a man’s life lessons with Jesus Christ.

“I see a lot of myself in each horse I encounter,” said Daily. “I spend all my time running around the pen thinking I can figure out all the answers.”

Once the horse tired of circling, Daily began acquainting her to his touch and voice. In simple language, Daily explained how each part of the training demonstrates how God reached out to him.

When he first started doing this, he said he did whatever he had to do to control the horse. Then God got his attention.

“God asked me what I wanted to accomplish and I said that I wanted to make something valuable out of the horse,” added Daily. “God said, ‘That’s all I want from you, too’.”

With each act of submission by the horse, Daily relayed how God gently pursues each person and how He waits even when we push him away. As Daily waits for the horse to work through her initial reactions, God waits for us to stop reacting and start responding to him instead.

“God wants from us what I want from the horse,” said Daly. “I want her attention, then I want her trust.”

As the training came to an end, Daily worked to make the horse accept a saddle and eventually Daily rode her. After this final act of submission, Daily placed the saddle next to a wooden cross and offered the cowboy crowd a place to come and get it right.

As dozens gathered to pray at the rustic altar, Romick says several came to Christ and he feels that others will follow as God continues to impress the subtle, yet profound message of “The Horse Whisperer” on their hearts.

Romick believes this event is just the start of what God is doing in Southwest Florida to take church outside the walls. He and other church leaders want to find ways to reach the area’s Hispanic residents, and they are already considering a monster truck event for next year.

“Whatever it takes,” said Romick. “Those are three very important words to reach people the way Jesus did.”

Churches interested in Paul Daily’s, Wild Horse Ministries, can visit WildHorseMinistries.com or contact Daily at 318-992-4667.