Week of 3/26

Crusader’s Devotional

03-26-2013/ Tuesday

Hello to all! Hope everyone had a good week and learned lessons of the good of God and the evil of the liar. I’ll tell ya, I feel sometimes like a newspaper reporter at a wild horse round up! A little dazed and confused and just trying to not get ran over. Let me explain one of this week’s lessons for me. 

My friend May and I went to a “western” supply store this week and I saw a lot more than I wanted. I saw eighty dollar pants, three hundred dollar pair of boots, City “dude” hats and almost everything you could think of marking ways that symbolized a lifestyle, but had no concept of the substance of the people they were trying to sell their stuff to. What I thought of most were all of the crosses I saw. I saw cross necklaces, boots with a cross on them, hats with crosses on them and belts and buckles covered with crosses. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the cross and people wearing them, but remember the old saying, “Never call him a cowboy until you see him ride?” Sadly, it seemed to me the cross has become a selling trademark rather than its true, much deeper meaning. 

I ask ya, does wearing a Denver Broncos jersey make you a Denver Bronco? Having and wearing nice clothes make you a person of class? Does wearing a cowboy hat make you a cowboy? Does wearing a cross make you a Christian? 

Being honest, I’ve seen some men with some sort of the cross on them so drunk he couldn’t hit the ground with his hat in three tries. I’ve seen women in their cross jewelry struttin’ like a turkey gobbler in a hen pen and heard both men and the women folk cussin’ so bad it would burn the grass for yards around while wearing the cross. It makes me think of my personal favorite passage, Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

When we wear the cross, it is saying that you are a Christian and that symbol means we must conduct ourselves in proper ways. Once you put that cross on, in any form, your actions and words are no longer yours. People will judge the Kingdom by your representation. 

“For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of uncleanness.”(Matthew 23:27). Atonement, through the Cross of Christ, means that God can put us back into perfect oneness with himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without anything coming between us any longer. Never tolerate, because of sympathy, what is not in good keeping with the Holy God. Place your words, actions and very thoughts under scrutiny of God himself. Think of that next time you put on your cross. Represent the kingdom well and make all Christians proud. Make people say, “I want to be like that.” Love all of ya. 

Remember: Don’t forget to live all the days of your life.

May grace and peace come to you and thankfulness for it to be given. 

In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of the Nazarene.

Cowboy Pastor: Ty

Week of 3/19

CRUSADER’S DEVOTIONAL

03-19-2013

Hey, Howdy, Hey! I pray that this week you were blessed by time spent with God and people of God. I’ll tell ya, what a difference it makes to receive the energy of another believer and how dried of energy and robbed of time we can become if surrounded by the secular and people of secular thinking. It got me to remembering of a time I received a phone call from a lady having “horse problems”.

When I got to her place, I saw a single sorrel horse standing in a pasture. As I drove by him, the gelding took no notice of my presence. Now, I knew that he knew I was there, but out of anger or rebellion, he was not going to give me the satisfaction of acknowledgement. I drove up to the house and out walked a woman. I’d say she may have been fifty –five years old and used to being outdoors by the weather on her face. Our opening conversation was all I believed I needed to know to get to the bottom of the “horse problem” (or should I say people problem). 

Seems about a year ago, her husband passed way. He had a horse that “Nora” felt would be just added work to her already busy list of things to do. So, Nora sold her husband’s horse and thought it would give her one less thing to worry about and more time with her horse. Nora’s horse, as she described him, was at one time, kind and gentle; a horse anyone could ride. But, now he was a “bucker”. He would pin his ears back when Nora came around and wouldn’t come around, even for a cookie. So, I went out to the pasture to talk with “Prince”. The problem was one a blind man could see. Prince was not a one horse kind of horse. He was lonely and lost between where he was and where he wanted to be. I suggested to Nora that she find Prince a horse friend. 

I received a phone call a couple of weeks later. Nora had allowed a friend to board one of his horses at the price of horse friendship. Well, long story short, Prince is back to being “a Prince”. See, Prince was not made to be alone and neither are you or I. 

When we are born again, we are brought into the realization of God’s purpose for our lives. Through the Holy Spirit and other people in our lives, God should be seen through us and to us. Just like Prince, a single log makes for a poor fire. We are to be with our own kind, drawing strength and courage to spread what was given to us. That way there are many logs to give off a great light in a world filled with darkness. Surround yourself with what is good and just. That is what you are made for. Live the life you know you should be living, not living by what is easy, comfortable or “because I can’t do anything about it”. Listen and live by what God has placed in your heart. That is what you were created for and to serve the One who gives all great things. There and only there does true happiness exist. 

Then you will be like Prince! He knew what he was made to be like. He is a herd animal and even if the world took no notice of it Prince knew he was not living the life he was made for. 

Christian character is not in doing good things, but by living in Gods likeness. If the Spirit of God is within you, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. 

I’ve learned for me, that being a Pastor, I’m not the Shepard, I’m the sheep dog. I try and keep the flock safe and well fed by God’s word. Like Prince, I know my place and I’m good with it. 

I pray you find your place and stand your ground.

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ of the Nazarene

Cowboy Pastor Ty

Week of 3/11

CRUSADER’S DEVOTIONAL

Good day readers! I hope this past week you found simple joys and overcame any difficulty that the enemy may have brought before you.

About two weeks ago, I heard a fella on the radio talking about the lack of moisture throughout the Eastern Plains. He said that to get our ground moisture to be were it should be, we needed 150% of our average snow fall and as it stands now it’s at 35% of a normal winter. After hearing this, I shut off the radio and began to pray for the blessing of the much needed snowfall. There is more at stake than snow packed roads, plows blocking the drive way or even having to shovel a path to the barn for feeding. The truth is, with no moisture the ground will not grow hay, corn, winter wheat, barley and other sorts of planted crops. Grazing live stock has little, if nothing to eat. Meaning that most times they are sent to market early; cutting into the already hurting profit of the families who work to produce the very food that feeds us all. May the Lord’s hand bless these people who it is not only their jobs, but their way of life.

Well, as it is, snow came to us on Saturday. The good kind too! Wet and heavy with water, the kind we need even more of. I heard folks say things like “Keep it in the mountains”, “I like it, but hate driving in it”, or “I can’t wait for summer! I hate snow.” Makes me wonder if they remember where they live, after all these are the Rocky Mountains and the High Plains. True, the horses stand in their barns and look for us to feed them inside their warm dry stalls. The snow makes pulling the feed cart almost impossible, making us carry one feeding at a time to each horse. Often doing this the feeder will take a misstep and falls flat on the carried hay flakes while spilling the bucket of grain, which brings laughter from others feeding but bringsthe thought of an apartment somewhere of the coast of Hawaii for the one who now is face down in the snow! But the whole thing made me think of blessings.

I, as many I’m sure, prayed for the snow. By the grace of your Lord,we received it and are thankful for it. Isn’t it funny how sometimes our prayers bring on hardships that later turns into the very blessing that we wanted all the time. It reminds of the Jewish people of the book Exodus. They wanted freedom from the slavery of Egypt, then when God granted them their prayers, they did not know how or what to do. So, then they complained about it. Their whiney, cry baby,belly-aching was, well, lets just say a setback. Instead of accepting their blessing and rolling up their sleeves and getting to work they wanted all the rewards without the praise of He who gave it.

How are we all handing our blessings? Are we hoarding them or are we passing them on so Christ can do his work through us? We are to giveof ourselves, pour ourselves out, so we can be trusted with the blessings that we prayed for. More will come to us so that more may be given.When we receive blessings, be thankful and remember He who gave it. Share your blessings and tell others of His glory and the loving God whom all good things come from. “BLESSED RATHER ARE THOSEWHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND OBEY IT.” (Luke 11:28)


I pray that each of us see the real blessings in our lives and have a thankful heart,


for He is where they come from. Go in peace and in love.


In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of the Nazarene.


Cowboy Pastor Ty

Week of 3/5

CRUSADER’S DEVOTIONAL

03-05-2013/Tuesday

Can you believe it? Another week has come and gone. How quickly time passes. It makes me wonder, are we getting the most out of it? Or is it “just another day”, lets just get through it and soon it will be Friday. I hope with all my heart that we are not riding this train of thought. Each day is a gift, for who knows what tomorrow may bring. None of us are promised a tomorrow, Life can turn on a dime. Prepare for tomorrow, but be thankful for today. I wish for us all to pray with humility and thankfulness to our Lord for ALL his blessings, including this very day. Let it not pass without a moment of kindness and love, with a thought of Jesus in our minds and a word of Jesus’ love on your lips. “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24).

Sunday was a very special day for me. If there was ever a day that made my heart smile it was one of them. I got to spend time with family and just being around them makes me feel “right”. After brunch, my son Nick, renewed his wedding vows with his beautiful wife Jess. Then a little later in the day, I got to spend time with some of the Crusader girls. We all got to go bare back riding on the horses and laugh and enjoy the company of each other. Then we got out the ATV and did some mudding. The ground was still real wet ( the wheels would just spin) so the area was not perfect for mudding but while waiting for turns on the ATV, some how a mud fight broke out. I must give credit where credit is due. The girls have pretty good aim! (Let me just say I think now I’ll buy a new hat). The laughter was well worth the price of a new hat!

I feel we must listen to what a person has to say, but feel the truth can often be seen in what a person does. Ya know, a person wrapped in themselves makes for a small bundle. How and where we spend our time tells a lot about a person, just as walking into a persons house tells a lot about them because you see things that are not said. Often times it is not what is said that we are remembered for, but what represents us and how we represent what we believe in. Mere words may get peoples attention for a short time but our deeds, our laughter, our uplifting presence is what brings memories of joy to others. As believers, living the life Jesus won for us leaves a very strong legacy for the next generation to follow.

We need believers who will not be swayed by the culture or afraid of criticism. We must live, laugh and love like there is no day but today. This alone will drive the devil crazy, I say so be it (Amen) he has been defeated already. He has been benched. Do not even allow him in the game. The devil is a punk and a bully. He does not even belong in our presence.



Remember: This life is not a dress rehearsal. There is no do over. Embrace the now, let up on the reins a little bit. Pray and enjoy what our Heavenly Father has given us, today .



Father, I pray that we all find our smiles. Life is short and I look forward to being with you, as for now. I choose to enjoy all your gifts and search for your wisdom. From a thankful heart, I praise your name.

In the name of Jesus Christ of the Nazarene

Cowboy Pastor Ty