Currently Watching Awake By Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher McDonald see related

Country Song

This is one of those that started in the middle of the night. You're about asleep, and your wife's been asleep for at least 15 minutes, and you finally groan in resignation and roll over to turn on your bedside lamp. It was just one phrase that bugged me. "Not every boy grows up to be a cowboy, not every cowboy lives to be a man." Stayed there in my journal for months, along with another poem about Easter. I finally finished them both one night as Mrs. Cowboy was reading a book.

I know plenty of men who aren't Cowboys, but they are real men. They may not have the job that most country boys would consider real men would have, but they are real men. They care for their family, they provide, they see ahead, the serve the Lord with all their heart. Those are some of the things that make real men. I also know some Cowboys that are nowhere near real men. They are selfish, driven by their britches (so to speak), and nothing more than immature adults.

Then I know people like my Pa, and like my Daddy and my friend Old Hat who have looked to God and raised their family according to His ways, and have the wisdom that real men should have. There really are Cowboys that grow up to be man, but it is the Lord that makes that difference in them. Here is a song that puts it a different way:

Not Every Cowboy (lives to be a man)

He's stuck in traffic, late for work,

And his Mustang purrs away

He chuckles realizing that he got his "horse"

But he missed the cowboy way.

Now it's his own boy wearin' the hat

And the boots and spurs and chaps

And ridin' trails in the yard at the house

And shootin' bad guys with Caps.

Then he wonders where the difference came

And he doesn't understand

That not every boy grows up to be a cowboy

And not every cowboy lives to be a man

He's been ridin' bulls and broncs for years,

And he cowboys when he's home.

But for all the rodeos and one night stands,

Danged if he still ain't alone!

He'd toss all his buckles and saddles

And say "Hang it all! I'm through!"

To have a family and teach 'em to live

Like he'd seen his Daddy do.

Then he wonders where the difference came

And he doesn't understand

That not every boy grows up to be a cowboy

And not every cowboy lives to be a man

He had his time behind a desk

And workin' the ranch at night.

His feelings are mixed to see those two grow up

Though he knows he raised 'em right

He spent so much time down on his knees

As a cowboy men must do

And prayed to guide them on the Lord's Good Trail

For to lead them to the truth.

He thanks God who made the difference come

And he prays they understand

How this kid grew up to be a cowboy,

And God shaped the cowboy into a man.

© Cowboy Christian 2008

Currently Reading White (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) (The Lost History Chronicles) By Ted Dekker see related

RLA

"No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

This one is a post of ignorance. Ignorance about myself and my gender. I have only met a few women who have this problem, so Ladies, if you do this, please tell us. We need to know!

Hello, my name is Cowboy, and I'm a fridge looker. I can't help it. I have a strange compulsion sometimes to look into the refrigerator. I have no idea why. I can just be finishing up a four-course meal and as I finish, I somehow find myself staring blankly into the fridge!

"Honey, are you still hungry?" Mrs. Cowboy might ask.

"No, I'm just lookin'" it's always the same thing. "No, just lookin'" if I say anything at all. Sometimes I just close the door and look guiltily at her and walk away.

I have talked to other men who do this and one woman. I cannot explain what makes a man do this, I am hoping that one of you might have a suggestion.

When you ain't hungry, you don't want a drink or a snack, what is it that makes us go and just stand and stare into the refrigerator?

Currently Reading Red: The Heroic Rescue (The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels, Book 2) By Ted Dekker see related

Part II

He who thinks he can write his own ticket with God might just end up on the wrong train. –Breath_Of_Dawn

Here we havethe prequel:  The Worth Of Man Pondered

and here is this one:

This poem is the partner to The Worth Of Man Pondered, which I posted on last week (you might want to review).  This is the rest of the story of the worth of man.

The Worth of Man Revisited

There is no worth in man alone;
Not in his soul, his life, his bones.
Yet hope remains for life's worth still,
'twas bought for man atop skull hill.

Is there one to champ man's cause?
To take the darkness, pay the clause?
"What is this darkness?" one might quest
"Why in man's souls to make unrest?

Why must it stay and linger there,
Cause mortals every pain and care?
What can man do to darkness rid
When light and life to souls are hid?"

It came to pass in days of old
When one man, Adam, took fruit to hold.
From then on darkness conquered light,
Until one came and took man's plight.

This darkness is, mistake it not
Borne straight from death, which sin has wrought.
But One has come to conquer sin,
And o'er the darkness victory win!

He paid the cost for worth of man;
Took the sin and death in hand,
And struck its head, one fatal blow,
And suffered death, His pow'r to show!

He rose again to conquer death,
To prove the worth of life and breath.
And to proclaim it loud and bold
That man's souls worth to Him was sold.

He says man's worth is free for asking,
Just live for Him and do His tasking,
And then true worth for life He'll give,
Then after death, man's soul can live.

Jesus Christ gave souls a home,
And worth in Him, in Him alone.
When mortal dies, soul takes its flight
To live fore'er in God's pure light!

So this is all the worth of man,
Found in his soul, not in his hand.
For worth of wealth and works will fade,
But man's true worth is in heaven laid.

© Cowboy Christian 2005

Currently Watching Tombstone By Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe see related

Buckin' Bronc' Blues

“Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction." --Barrel_Racin_chic’s xanga

I have no idea who wrote this song, and I can't find the lyrics on the internet, but I have it here on the site, and I'll type the words the best I can.  enjoy!  and if you want to hear it, just play this here sound byte:

He's A Killer

He's a Killer!

Killer Diller!

He's the grave yard filler of the west!

Now, I got a yarn I'd like to spin,

If you don't mind, I'll start right in:

It's about the meanest horse that I ever knew!

Well, I climbed aboard this honeriest brute

That ever jumped out of a chute

And with every jump, that critter tossed a shoe!

Well I grabbed the horn, and I grabbed some hair,

And really grabbed most everywhere,

And the way he screamed and bellowed was a sin!

Well, he made a jump and turned around,

I made a dive and I hit the ground,

But I bounced back up and I started in again!

He's a Killer!

Killer Diller!

He's the grave yard filler of the west!

Now, like I said, before I quit,

I grabbed the reigns and I pulled the bit

And I rode that ornery critter like a dog!

But the bronc, he turned around to me

And he said "Cowboy, you just wait and see--

I'm gonna wallow you just like a hairy hog!"

Well the crowd, they applauded out with glee,

And the bronc, he turned again to me

And this is what he had to say, and I quote:

"Well, you made a mess of things, ole kid,

You blew your top, and you flipped your lid,

And you you hadn't ought to have done it, and now you're through!" End quote:

He's a Killer!

Killer Diller!

He's the grave yard filler of the west!

Now, I don't know, but I've been told

That lightning flashed and thunder rolled,

And a cyclone hit the seat where I was sat!

Well, they picked me up, the doctor said,

They had to tie me up in bed,

'Cause I was crazy, goofy, looney as a Bat!

My feet went flat, my teeth fell out,

My hair turned white, and I got the gout,

And I finally wound up at the local park!

I'm all right now, I'm telling you,

But riding broncs, friends, I'm through!

From here on out, I'm pickin' my guitar!

My guitar!

My guitar!

From here on out I'm pickin' my guitar!

Currently Watching Amazing Grace By Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon see related

And The Horse Wins With A T.K.O.

The trouble with trouble is that it starts out as fun." Naomi Judd

There is a particular reason I will not use this horse's name here in this story, and it is two-fold: First of all, you can still go to the Nantahala Village and ride this horse. Second of all, I don't want to make any trouble for the Loftis's who own the place. They're good folks with good horses...for the most part.

When you own a riding stable in the middle of a touristy area, you are bound to get all sorts of adventurous people. One day, a girl scout troop came up wanting to ride, and I was the guide to take them. The ride went great and the girls really seemed to know how to handle themselves on the horses.

Now on account of insurance reasons, we are not technically allowed to take the customers on anything other than a walk, but that day I kinda bent the rules...after all, unless you work on horses all the time or are just plain scared of them, you want a little speed!

We came to a field near the end of the trail, and I let everybody get just that.

 Now, when we put everybody in the tour line, we would stress the importance of staying where you are in the line there's a great reason for that. Some horses do not like being last, and some don't like being followed. One particular horse did not like being followed, and the girl scout in the back of the line kind of forgot that. She kicked him up ahead of the next horse in line, and the ole boy started trying to kick th other horse! When a horse is trying to run and kick at the same time, what do you call it?

A Rodeo.

I'll have to give the 8 second hats off to the girl, but in real life, 8 seconds is just the beginning. She quit her ride and fell and hit her head on a rock. I also have to give a hats off to that scout master. I don't know if she ever did rodeo or not, but she was off her mount and to that girl quicker than a rich calf roper. And a rich calf roper has GOT to be fast.

We checked on the girl, and I knew it would be a long ten minutes back to the barn when she said "what happened?" The scout master checked her head and brought back blood, but it wasn't bad. I don't think it helped that the girl had blonde hair. You can see blood so much easier on yellow than you can on brown or black.

She asked the same question about every ten seconds, and the funny thing was...the answer never ever changed! "What happened?" "Well," says I or the Scout Master, "You got bucked off your horse." "Did I get back on?" (the mark of a real horseman. Even when she lost her brain, she knew she should have got back on. Of course...she could have looked straight down and seen that she was still on the horse...but we didn't push it)

I also thought it was humorous that the Scout Master was trying to cover everybody's hide. "All right girls. These things happen sometimes. Horses get spooked by snakes even when they're walking calmly down a trail, right?" They all seemed to agree that this was the case...I never disagreed.

So the storal of the mory is this: never taunt a cowboy to do things his Boss told him not to, and if you do not know the horse you're riding, ask before you pass!

Cowboy