National Finals Rodeo Ministry - November 29th-December 8th, 2008

Each year our ministry comes to a close with our work at the National Finals Rodeo. Our Fellowship of Christian Cowboys ministry team was in Las Vegas for the finals for a little over a week and, while Vegas is not an ideal place for a believer to vacation, we were truly blessed by the Lord's work. Our team was also joined for a few days by my brother-in-law, Curtis Wiebe. Curtis is married to Leslie's sister, Bitty, and farms near El Dorado, KS.

This year's ministry in Vegas was a little different than previous years. We did not set up a booth at the Cowboy Christmas trade fair as we've done in the past. Instead a couple from a Colorado Springs chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys used our booth space to sell thier "Christian Cowboy" themed products along with keeping up a display of our outreach material (New Testaments, Bible tracts, and Bible studies). I was a little apprehensive of this change but the couple proved to be an excellent crew for the booth. Not needing to man our booth freed our team up to move around the Cowboy Christmas gift show and make several important meetings and events throughout Vegas. As a result, we were able to follow up on and spend more time with some relationships that would ordinarily have suffered. I am still praising God for this provision and we look forward to continuing this partnership with that chapter next year.

We also had a new opportunity this year to hold a Cowboy Church Service for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. You probably remember that we have held a prayer breakfast for the pageant contestants in the past. This year we were asked by the Director of the Miss Rodeo America Association to hold a service for the family, friends, and spectators of the pageant. This was a huge opportunity for us. I believe that it was offered to us because of our faithfulness in ministering to the contestants at the prayer breakfast for so many years.


As you can imagine, when we have a new service it is sometimes hard to estimate how many people we will have or what kind of reception we will receive. With new ministries like this we sometimes have three people show up (like a few times at the American Royal Rodeo) or we can have fifteen hundred show up. We usually try to advertise the service with fliers, posters, and word of mouth and then we trust the Lord to bring those whose hearts have been softened. Around five minutes before the start of the service there were seven people in the room (and five of them were part of the service). That could be disheartening, but at the time the service was to start we were scrambling to find more chairs. The Lord provided the people! After the service we talked with quite a few who were challenged by the message and we are looking forward to keeping up those contacts this year!


Later in the week we held a prayer breakfast for the actual contestants of the Miss Rodeo America pageant. This is my fourth year organizing this event for the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. The prayer breakfast is held during the most intensive time of the pageant and the Lord usually uses it to encourage the contestants and calm their nerves. We had two quick praise songs and then a testimony from the reigning Miss Rodeo America. Amy Wilson, Miss Rodeo America 2008, shared how the Lord had used her over the past year to be a witness in the rodeo world. She encouraged the ladies to see all the opportunities that they have throughout the year to serve the Lord and make the most of them. Following the service we presented each of the state rodeo queens with a Cowboy New Testament, a Bible tract, and a copy of the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys monthly magazine The Line Rider. We let our new helper, Curtis, make the presentation!


We finished up the week with a Cowboy Church Service at the Cowboy Christmas gift show. This service is one that I look forward to each year because so many of the Cowboy Christmas vendors have become like family to us. We've built relationships with many visitors to this service and this is usually the only time we get to meet and minister to them face to face.


I would appreciate your prayers specifically for those who made decisions for the Lord in Vegas this year and for our faithfulness in following up with discipleship! I can't wait until next year...

Click here for more pictures of the Miss Rodeo America Cowboy Church Service...

Click here for more pictures of the Miss Rodeo America Prayer Breakfast...

Click here for more pictures of the Cowboy Christmas Cowboy Church Service...

First Baptist Church of New Castle - June 14th, 2009

I had the chance to visit the First Baptist Church of New Castle, CO this past Sunday before heading to the Rifle Rodeo Bible Camp. The pastor organized an outdoor service at a church member's ranch a few miles out of town and had a pig roast afterwards. This was a great time for me to fellowship with the friends that we have built there in New Castle and to encourage them with the Word! There were a few students from the church that are attending the Rifle RBC.

(On a personal note, this was the first pig roast I've ever attended. I spent more time asking questions about how to cook the pig in an in-ground pit than I did eat. That was pretty cool!)

Flint Hills Rodeo - June 5th-7th, 2009

I had the opportunity to share with our friends at the Flint Hills Community Church in ministering at the Flint Hills Rodeo in Strong City, KS. The Flint Hills Rodeo is one of the oldest outdoor rodeos in Kansas and has a history of being one of the first rodeos that many pro cowboys from the Midwest entered.

This is my second year of helping and it is the church's fourth year of putting up a booth at the rodeo. As with all rodeos, we are just now starting to get into the point where some good relationships are being built. We had the chance to encourage one of the rodeo's bullfighters. Keep praying that we can continue that relationship throughout the rest of the year!

For a few more pictures of the Flint Hills Rodeo Ministry click here...

FCC Rodeo Bible Camp Directors' Conference - May 28th-30th, 2009

Since their inception many years ago, the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys' Rodeo Bible Camps have been one of the greatest tools that the FCC has to impact this world for the cause of Christ. Countless lives have been changed (many of whom are at the top of their event in the PRCA standings) throughout the years. This year 17 local chapters are organizing and manning camps in five states.

In my ten or so years of teaching and preaching at RBC's I have noticed that each camp, while excelling at reaching their community for Christ, has unique strengths. I have always thought that the Kersey/Greeley, CO camp has shown incredible resourcefulness (literally building a camp out of a field every year - then tearing it down when it is all done), the La Veta, CO camp has shown tenacity (when it comes to making sure that every camper feels loved and goes home with something), the Colorado Springs, CO camp has shown diligence (in organizing some of the largest camps that we've had), the Rifle camp has shown endurance (with only a few people putting on a great camp), and the Pampa, TX has shown great faith (I can't tell you how many times the camp has had only a handful of students pre-registered but the Lord always seems to fill up the camp at the last minute). These are only a few of the great camps that have been going for many years. Each and every FCC RBC has a great story and a history of reaching our youth!

I have always thought that if we could get these camps (or at least the directors) together in a meeting that the Lord could use such a meeting for His glory!

Thanks to Harold Daniels (FCC Executive Director) and Charlie Kingsbury (Board Chairman) that meeting was a reality just a few weeks ago. The conference was held in conjunction with the Camp of Champions at Trinity Fellowship of Sayre, OK. The directors had the chance to visit with some world champion instructors, witness another camp's program, ask the FCC National Office Staff business questions, and share with each other some trials and praises from their years of experience.

I believe that the Lord has, at the very least, used this conference to build up a good relationship between the camp directors and the National Office. I know that the directors were blessed by the time together and I can't wait to see how the Lord uses this conference next year!

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Psalm 27:17).

Click here for a few pictures from this conference...

Eastside Bible Church Missions Conference - April 29th-May 3rd, 2009

At the end of April I had the opportunity to fellowship with our friends at the Eastside Bible Church in Morton, IL. As you might recall, I met Eastside's Pastor Steve Weber at the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2007 and the Lord has been building our relationship ever since. It was great to spend time with the church family and hear about the other missionaries that Eastside supports.

Emmaus Mennonite Church - April 24th, 2009

On April 24th, 2009 Leslie had the opportunity to share with the Emmaus Mennonite Willing Workers' group. The same day we held a get together at the Burns, KS community center to share details about our ministry with some friends and family in the area. Leslie's sister attends Emmaus and helped with both events.

Click here to see a few more pictures from this ministry...

Houston Livestock Show Cowboy Church Service - March 8th-22nd, 2009

Click here for pictures from our Houston Rodeo Cowboy Church Service from March 15th, 2009...

Click here for pictures from our Houston Rodeo Cowboy Church Service from March 22nd, 2009...