Format: short form

Frank walked into “Miller’s Ranch” out in rural Arizona, looking to buy himself a good, dependable horse.

Old Mr. Miller said, “I’ve got the perfect one for you, but he was trained a little different — to make him go, you shout ‘Praise the Lord!’ and to make him stop, you yell ‘Hallelujah!’”

Frank chuckled and said, “Well, I’ve been married 40 years — I can remember two words. Let’s take him for a spin.”

Frank was grinning ear to ear, flying down the dusty trail, wind in his hair, feeling 25 again.

Then he noticed they were heading straight toward a steep canyon.

“Whoa!” he hollered — but the horse just kept running.

“Stop!” he yelled — still nothing.

Panicking, he tried every word he could think of, but that canyon was getting closer by the second.

Just a few feet from the edge, it hit him.

“Hallelujah!” Frank screamed.

The horse slid to a perfect stop inches from the drop-off.

Frank wiped his brow, looked up at the sky, put his hand over his heart, and said softly…

“Praise the Lord.”