Riding High Ministries
A ministry that is taking the Gospel of the Kingdom around the world!
Riding High Ministries at the PBR World Finals
Riding High Ministries at the
The 2009
"This is our eighth year at the
"We expect to have a couple thousand people at these services. It's our biggest outreach of the year." Held at the Mandalay Bay Fan Zone, these services are open to all. "We look forward to sharing our
For all ten days, RHM will have a booth at the trade show. People can stop by and pick up a copy of the new
"We just finished production in time to hand out copies at the world finals." In this thirty minute presentation, ten different riders give their personal testimonials. Woven throughout the video is an illustrated message of trust as Todd breaks a horse.
Also included on the
"This was an extensive project. We have 20,000 copies we are handing out for free. We're a hands-on ministry. Our vision is for this video to be put into the hands of
For RHM staff and
The
by Terry Ann Lidral
INTERVIEW WITH TRINITY FELLOWSHIP PASTOR ANDY TAYLOR
INTERVIEW WITH TRINITY FELLOWSHIP PASTOR ANDY TAYLOR
In 1989, Andy Taylor and his wife, Julie, began a church in Sayre, Oklahoma. "We started out with six to eight people. Now, twenty years later, a couple thousand people call Trinity Fellowship their church."
Andy's ministry is founded on relationship. His church draws people together. "In the beginning, the Lord had us to pray that He would bring us the people that nobody wanted."
Some of those people were pastors who had lost their church. Some were members of churches who had lost their pastor. Many were people who had lost their way. Andy accepted the job God had given him to help these people overcome their problems and turn things around. It's a job he's totally committed to to this day.
"The Father takes the people who nobody wants and turns them into people everybody wants. Now the Lord is also bringing us the people everybody wants."
As the church has grown, the foundation of Andy's ministry has never changed. "What the Lord is doing is simple. It's all about relationship. That pretty much sums it up."
The people of Trinity Fellowship are bonded together by this simple foundation. "We truly believe we have this relationship with God as Father. Therefore, we're not a congregation. We're a family."
People are drawn to Sayre, Oklahoma to join the Trinity Fellowship family. "Down through the years, we've had people moving in here so they could share in our fellowship."
When asked about his vision for the church, Andy uses the word simplicity. "The whole thing is one of simplicity - living in Christ; And the simplicity of living in relationship with the Father. He directs our lives."
"It's about the sovereignty of God. God's sovereignty gives us the values to live by. It's not money or social status that makes us rich. It's the people in our lives and our relationships with these people. We need to teach people to put the value on relationships."
Andy firmly believes that every relationship is destined to have its problems. "We need to adjust our minds ahead of time. There will be problems that we will need to work through. We need to be prepared for this." Again, it's about God's sovereignty. "God has given value to our relationships." For Andy, it's a matter of recognizing and appreciating their major importance in our lives.
"Our culture has taught us to run away from problems. If we don't like our church, we leave. If the marriage isn't working, we get divorced. If we're not happy with things, we go try something else we think is better."
Andy finds this lack of investment unacceptable. "People don't give themselves enough time to solve their problems. They don't commit to the importance of their relationships. I've been married to Julie for thirty-two years. It hasn't always been easy. Marriage is hard work. Like every married couple, we've had some problems." It's taking the time and making the effort to work through these problems that has made Andy and Julie's marriage stronger. "We're better because of facing and solving these problems together."
To Andy, the basic bonds of marriage can be applied to all fundamental relationships. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” Andy doesn't believe in throwing it all away, even if the problems may seem insurmountable. He has created a special program to offer support to those in the ministry who need help.
The Juniper Tree Ministry was founded to provide a resting place for those in the ministry who, like Elijah, are weary, afraid and frustrated. "One day Elijah was calling down fire from Heaven and the next, he was running for his life and he took cover underneath the juniper tree. Eventually, Elijah's call from God was restored and he returned to his ministry with an even greater purpose." Through the Juniper Tree Ministry, Andy hopes to bring those in the ministry who have fallen into sin or who are weary and discouraged to an understanding that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. "Our goal is to nurture them- restore them in love and ultimately see them return to the ministry with new purpose and focus as they fulfill their destiny in Christ."
For churches who are in need of leadership and direction, Trinity Fellowship offers covering and support. "Our vision for Trinity Fellowship is an apostolic vision. We currently have ten to twelve churches connected under Trinity Fellowship. There are twice that many churches and ministries that have an association with us."
Riding High Ministries is one of those ministries covered by Trinity Fellowship. "Riding High Ministries was one of the first groups to come under our covering. I met Todd Pierce twelve or thirteen years ago. We immediately became friends and have now grown to be very close friends.” Todd considers Andy to be a father in the Lord to him. Andy’s encouragement to Todd in ministry to the professional bull riders on the Built Ford Tough PBR tour, is that he is not just ministering to a small number of athletes but is involved in changing the entire ‘western’ culture due to the high profile nature of professional bull riding and its global influence.
As a means of carrying out the apostolic vision, Trinity Ministry Network was developed to offer fellowship, support and apostolic oversight to Riding High Ministries and the other churches and ministries coming under the cover of Trinity Fellowship. Trinity Ministry Network's essential priorities are to provide prayer support and to train and equip ministries. "We plant churches and we help churches. Some have already closed their doors and we help them get going again. Some have no pastors and we help them find leadership. We help people work through relational problems and work on conflict resolution. We put churches on a growth path. We provide and send out our people to do this."
Trinity Fellowship also offers intensive training in the ministry. Three years ago, Trinity Fellowship started the Convergence School of Ministry, an intense ten-day Summit for ministry leaders connected with Trinity Fellowship from around the United States and the world. Trinity’s ministry training summit drew eighty-three participants from sixteen states and four foreign countries. "It was a tremendous time of teaching, impartation, hands on ministry application, and the most important thing of all, relationship building. The schedule was rigorous and intense, but everybody made it through without faltering. Lives were profoundly touched, transformed and infected with the truth of the kingdom of God."
Andy looks forward to ongoing growth in the Trinity Fellowship family. "People see the simplicity of our vision and the value of simplicity in our relationship with the Father. There are a growing number of churches and ministries coming under the covering of Trinity Fellowship. We cover ministries throughout the United StatesMexico, Guatemala and emerging opportunities in Thailand. I have a heart to train pastors and leaders. I see a lot of opportunity to come." and in
For Andy Taylor, the ministry will grow founded on the value of relationships and the sovereignty of God. "It takes a chain of miracles on both sides of the table to get us to this place. God's sovereignty gives it value. There's no problem that's more important than our relationship with the Father and then our relationships with one another."
Interview with Cowboy Ministry Leader Cody Custer
Interview with Cowboy Ministry Leader Cody Custer
It was in 1988 that Cody Custer decided to fully commit his life to Jesus. "Up to that point in my life, I'd been walking a pretty hit and miss, up and down path." Then there was a bull riding accident. "My friend, Jeff Crockett, was killed at a bull riding event on
Cody went on to have great success in his bull riding career. In 1992, he earned the title of world champion. "Winning that championship had been a goal for me as far back as I can remember." It didn't live up to his expectations. "After winning the championship, it seemed like a curse. I'd always liked people. I liked being around folks. Now that I was world champion, everyone wanted my attention. They all wanted a piece of me. I got bitter and I didn't enjoy being around people any more."
In spite of the bitterness, Cody never lost touch with his relationship with God. "I had my faith in the Lord. I didn't go in another direction."
Lots of things happened following 1992 . "In 1993, the
The new
The first formal
A year later, church services were being held on a regular basis on the PBR tour. "The PBR allowed us to hold a worship service the last day of their events. I did a lot of them myself. And Mike Starkey was with us for a year. Mike had been a pastor at a church and had heard from the Lord that he should be involved in the
An injury changed Cody's plans. "At the
At the same time Cody was sidelined with his ankle, a bronc rider named Todd Pierce was leaving the rodeo circuit due to a career ending injury. "I knew Todd from my rodeo travels. Todd loved people and he loved God. I called him to minister the first couple of events for me. He never left."
Cody is happy that Todd has continued to minister in the
Cody retired from bull riding in 2003. "I continued going to PBR events as a judge and I ministered." Then, when Cody's life took him in other directions, he was confident that Todd was the right man to trust to handle the outreach opportunities with the PBR.
Cody believes that it is important for a traveling ministry to have a covering church to be accountable to. He also believes that it is important that the covering church have a pastor who understands the type of lifestyle the traveling ministry is a part of. "There's a church in
It was a message from the Lord that sent Cody and his family to live in
After the move to
A good friend helped Cody put things into perspective. "I was seeking God on where the next place was for me to go. In November 2008, my friend, Greg Scandrett sat me down. He said, 'Todd Pierce out of the picture. PBR out of the picture. What is the Lord telling you about Cody Custer?' It was at that time that I realized everything I'd been doing was preparation for bigger things."
Cody was already involved in the bigger things he was to do. "My kids were rodeoing and it's my personality to help out. God had positioned me in those rodeos and gave me a voice into the young kids' lives. What God tells me is that this is my place with the youth of the sport. He has transferred me to focus on young people."
The focus on youth includes Cody's involvement with many junior rodeos and bull riding organizations in the country. "This is the most critical age for little boys trying to be bull riders. It's a big responsibility to take care of them physically and emotionally. When I've taken care of the physical part, then I can minister to them."
The responsibility is something Cody embraces with enthusiasm. "It's cool how God has orchestrated this by putting me in the position I'm in. What the Lord shows me is that the greatest percentage of boys won't have a bull riding career. The Lord has told me success or failure will ruin a man if he doesn't have identity based on the Father's love. My focus has to be on these youths."
One of the messages Cody wants to get across is that God speaks to us if we listen. "The Lord speaks to little kids. When I was a little kid, I heard the Lord speaking to me. I don't remember what he said, but He was there. The scriptures say we're to come to Him as little children." Cody believes there's a practical reason if we can't hear God. "As we get older, the Lord's speaking to us but we put Him off and don't listen. We get tainted." Cody also believes we can begin to hear again. "When we listen, God takes us back to where we need to be."
"I'm trying to impart into these kids that they can hear God themselves. We've been told that we have to have a pastor to hear God. I don't believe that's the only way we can hear Him. God is continually hazing us back to Him. The story of the Prodigal Son shows us this. The father runs out to give his lost son a kiss."
Cody still has some input and leadership in Todd's life. But Todd is the visionary now. Cody's role in God's kingdom has moved on to the bigger things he was being prepared for. "I'm convinced that if we'll be an accurate representative of the Father, that we'll draw people to Him rather than push people away." And Cody wants us to remember to reach out to everyone. "Jesus hung out with the drunkards and prostitutes."
For Cody Custer, it's all about hearing from the Father and learning to be obedient to what He says.
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs -- heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ -- if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified forever." Romans 8:14-17
INTERVIEW WITH PBR SOUND MAN BOB HAMILTON
INTERVIEW WITH PBR SOUND MAN BOB HAMILTON
Bob Hamilton lives his life with a sense of humor. But there is one thing he's very serious about. "Being born again means something. On August 25th of this year, I'll be 24 years old in the Lord." Then he laughs and jokes, "My rebirth is on my mother's birthday so it makes it easy for me not to forget hers."
Bob doesn't consider himself to have had an especially religious childhood. "I grew up in a house where we went to church and I attended Sunday School. But it wasn't all that meaningful. I wasn't really religious."
Bob became a professional musician and worked in a record store. It was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with God. But it took some time and meandered around a very interesting route. "It all started when I went to work in the record store. There was a family from Mexico that moved in next door. The young lady and I hit it off. She only spoke Spanish and I only spoke English. We couldn't talk. We just knew we liked each other.
The problem was her father didn't approve of me and wouldn't let us have anything to do with each other. That was because she was Jewish and I wasn't."
Bob didn't get the girl, but he was hit with a curiosity about the Jewish religion. "I studied the roots of Judaism. I became a history buff.
It peaked my interest in how God had put things together." Bob didn't stop with Judaism. "I went on and studied all the religions and even astrology."
Then Bob made a change in his life that started him thinking about his own spirituality. "I got married. Then I got to thinking, 'I've done this thing. Now how do I feel spiritually?' As with everything else, the answer came in an unexpected way.
"I had a dear friend who was born again. He acted as a role model.
He helped me and other friends. One of our mutual buddies asked me to church one day." Bob isn't one to automatically buy into things. That day he made an instant decision.
"The pastor started talking about how we could get up and walk out of the church, get in our car, drive out onto the highway and get splatted by a truck. Then he asked what we were doing about getting to the other side.
Right then and there I bought in. On August 25, 1985, I was born again.
Now I celebrate two birthdays a year. I celebrate the day of my birth and the day of my rebirth."
Bob describes himself as an extreme person. "If I'm hot, I'm hot.
If I'm cold, I'm cold. When I was away from church, I got into some things." Bob pauses, then continues with a chuckle. "I decided no matter what, I'm better in church than out." In church, he would much rather be a participant. Just sitting around doesn't work for Bob. "Being a musician has opened doors for me to be involved in church so I'm not just sitting there."
How Bob came to meet Todd Pierce and become involved in the PBR church services is a key part of Bob's interesting story. "In the 1990's I was a manager for a Radio Shack store. The store did a lot of business with pagers. One of my customers was Jim White who is the assistant production manager of the PBR. Jim's wife usually came into the store, but one day Jim came in with a handful of pager pieces. We got to talking and Jim asked about a sound system for his youth ministry." Being a musician, in his spare time Bob just happened to be building a sound system for churches to use for their events. "Church groups seemed to forget they needed sound systems. I wanted to build one so I could make it available to them. Well, God says to me, 'I know you like your sound system, but I want you to give it to him.' Jim took the system and we became great friends. Even after Jim got transferred, we kept in touch." When the PBR was looking for a new sound man, Jim told them he knew just the person to contact. It was an opportunity Bob wasn't about to pass up. "Your calling is your calling and then you have what you make your living on. I'm the sound guy for the PBR and they pay me for that." Bob's calling is music.
So Bob hooked up with Todd Pierce and became the musician for the church services held at the PBR events. Bob's approach to music for worship doesn't include hymns. "I came right out of rock and roll so I go for the new stuff. Everyone plays hymns. I don't play them because I don't like to repeat the old things a million times. I want to play something in the service that's not like everything else." But sometimes Todd has his own ideas about the music. "Todd came up to me at the last service we had and said, 'I want to do something different.' What he wanted to do was sing Amazing Grace. The look I gave him must have been priceless. I don't even know Amazing Grace. But I played some chords and they sang. We did it."
"God has always dealt with me through my sense of humor." It was during a trip to a revival that God's humor answered Bob's prayers.
"I got the opportunity to go to a revival in Pensacola, Florida. It was an amazing place. People were flocking in from all over. The church was in a depressed neighborhood and had started out with 200 members until an evangelist came to town.
This evangelist gave a powerful message. The membership jumped to 2000 and eventually brought so many worshippers that two new churches were needed to accommodate all the people who came."
Bob heard about the evangelist and decided he had to go. "Fifteen of us converged on a three bedroom house for the week. We were amazed.
Every morning at six o'clock people started lining up in the parking lot for the seven o'clock evening service. The church doors opened at five thirty and there was a rush of people trying to get in and get a seat. I'd never seen anything like it." The worship began with some music and the pastor gave the service. Then the evangelist took over.
"He was a fiery speaker. After the people had returned to their seats from the altar call, there was praying and laying on of hands. Crowds rushed to the altar and there were groups of twenty people on a side that fell over when the evangelist waved his hand. This would go on for hours." Bob describes himself as a practical person and not one to fall over easily at the touch of a hand. "I'm 300 pounds and a realist. I'm the guy they never get over. If you're going to make me fall over, it's got to be God." This was God. "There were designated people laying on hands moving around the church up and down the aisles. Everywhere they went, they were surrounded by a crowd. I found myself really wanting to touch them and I began chasing them around the church. But every time I got close they turned and went the other way and I had to start pushing my way through the crowd and chasing them all over again."
Some people would stay down for hours. "If you weren't up by 2 a.m., you'd be carried out gently and laid on the lawn. At 4 a.m. the automatic sprinkler system went off. One of the popular questions was 'Have you got your sprinkler time?'"
When talking about the Friday baptism, Bob becomes almost reverent.
"It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. People would go down into the water and go under. They'd come back out shivering and shaking, overcome by the power of God. It was awesome."
One of the reasons Bob had gone to the revival was to ask God to help him overcome his pride. "I had an issue with pride a lot. I wanted God to help me with that. I'd go to the altar and ask for his help. I prayed and prayed." It was on the second or third day that God responded in a way that makes Bob laugh every time he talks about it. "I was bent way over the rail at the front of the church, all 350 pounds of me. There were TV cameras and people were all around. I was praying, asking God to take away my pride. All of a sudden, there was this light touch on my butt."
Bob couldn't imagine what was going on. He wasn't aware of what people were seeing from the back and he hadn't counted on God answering him through his sense of humor. "When I turned around and looked, I saw there was a cloth draped over my butt. Someone had come up and laid it across my backside to cover up what I'd been showing off to everybody. God had answered my prayers. So now, every time I get prideful, I hear God whisper, 'Not a good idea, Son.'"
Bob keeps the humor in his relationship with God. "That's where you find me. I can spot God's humor." But Bob never lets the humor get in the way of what's important in his life. On August 25th, Bob Hamilton is 24 years old in the Lord.
by Terry Ann Lidral
AN INTERVIEW WITH RHM BOARD MEMBER DOUG WRIGHT Part Two
AN INTERVIEW WITH RHM BOARD MEMBER DOUG WRIGHT Part
Two: Doug Wright - World Ministry Entrepreneur
Law enforcement was Doug Wright's way of life for many years. "I was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week." And then he was done.
"After 23 years of chasing bad guys, the Lord retired me unexpectedly." But it wasn't really retirement. "I was only retired for about two weeks. A friend hired me to help manage his company." This was the beginning of a new interest for Doug. It would take him in a new direction in his service to the Lord.
Outside of work, the Lord presented Doug with another interest. "A friend came home on furlough from ministry work in Tanzania, Africa. An easy going guy, Ken was exuberant about my helping raise funds to build an educational facility in Mbeya, Tanzania. It was a town located about 650 miles inland from the Indian Ocean." The idea of ministry work in Africa held special appeal for Doug. "I can remember telling my mother at a very young age that I wanted to go to Africa. I imagined hunting and hiking in the long grass fields with grass roofed mud huts dotting the landscape." In 1998, Doug made his first trip to Africa. "I got some time to hunt, camp and hike. I walked in fields with tall grass and saw many grass roofed huts." He also got to experience the local lifestyle. "I was invited to eat dinner with an African family. There was one small candle lighting the room. The floor was smooth dirt. Dinner consisted of rice and meat broth.
Ken said a quiet prayer between he and I. It was, and I quote, 'Father, please protect us from what we are about to eat.' It actually tasted very good. (Of course, I was very hungry.)"
By the time Doug made a return visit the next year, enough money had been raised to build a very nice two story education center in Mbeya. "The building houses class rooms, a library and a computer lab. It has ample office space. Plans have been made to install a radio broadcast room."
During his visits to Africa, Doug worked with Ken to start development of special ministry programs as a way for local pastors to give their families a better quality of living. "We began putting together ministry programs we referred to as 'Self Help.' Mission work, for the most part, relies on donated funds. It occurred to me and my brother Sam (who helped financially in mission projects and trips) that we could start small entrepreneurial enterprises and put local pastors in charge of them. With the revenue from the enterprises, the local pastors could support themselves and their families." It was the goal of the "Self Help" programs to make simple lifestyle changes possible so that the pastors and their families could remain healthier which would, in turn, enable their ministries to be more effective. "With just a little revenue, the pastors could obtain nutritious food and get the medical help they needed. The Lord helped Ken, Sam and I finance a Bible book store, purchase 86 acres of farmland, install a milling machine for grinding corn and release some funds for rice farming." The missionary assigned to the area was put in charge of monitoring the programs' progress with the understanding that if any of the enterprises were not profitable, the program was to be sold and the money moved to another program.
Doug went home to find the Lord had yet another interest for him.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10. "I returned home from Africa and it was as if the Lord said, 'Doug, you seem to like setting up these enterprises. How about we get you started in one?' That's how I got started operating and
owning my own businesses."
Like everything else in his life, the business Doug found for his initial enterprise was far from ordinary. "I walked in the door one day and said to my wife, 'Guess what I bought today? I bought a peat bog!' It wasn't the surprise she had expected." The peat business has made for some interesting gifts. For example, Doug presented his wife with a Nissan for their 25th wedding anniversary. "It wasn't a sports car. It had a grated top and no roof. She had no idea she was getting a fork lift."
And like his law enforcement career, running a peat bog company has been challenging. "I worked for a year by myself with only God by my side."
Doug still does everything from being a salesman, working the machines in the bog, mowing the lawn and whatever else is needed to keep the operation going. "Sometimes it's overwhelming. My lawn mower broke down. Then my tractor broke down. I wonder sometimes why I don't stay retired."
But it doesn't seem real retirement is in God's plans any time soon.
Doug has been joined by others to expand his initial single business venture. "It's gone from a peat bog to a three-going-on-four legged company." Along with his son, Colby Wright, Doug has partnered with Phil Prutsman, Jim Clark and Shannon Kelley in a Christian-owned organization that, with the help of countless volunteers, works toward a goal of supporting Christian ministries world-wide through monthly tithes to missions and churches. "Our organic soils for the company Creation Organics is manufactured at our peat bog in Shelton, Washington. We have worked for nine years together without earning a dime, putting all our earnings back into the business.
The hard work is paying off as the business continues to grow." Along with his peat company and Creation Organics, Doug has been involved in building the company AmeriZorb. This company has developed a one hundred percent organic containment clean-up solution made from peat that is totally environmentally safe. "Another company we've started is EF Recovery. The Lord gave me the idea for this company one day as I prayed for wisdom on how to market the AmeriZorb product."
Through his service to the Lord, Doug has expanded upon his childhood imaginations of world travel. "The Lord has allowed me to visit and work in Romania. Romania has extreme needs, as does Africa. There are the desperately poor, the poor in need and the poor carrying on normal lives." It is the hope of the Christian ministry in Romania to speak The Word of God to the children, and young adults, who may become the leaders in the future. "The youth of today will be the future leaders.
This is true, no matter what nation one lives in."
It was shortly after Doug returned from an overseas trip that Todd asked him to be on the board of Riding High Ministries. It was a perfect fit. When asked what Riding High Ministries means to him, Doug answered this. "What is Riding High Ministries about? It is about Kingdom. Our commission is to:
Go into all the world and preach the gospel. The gospel is about the Saving Grace of Jesus. About how Jesus came to earth, died for our sins, rose from the dead and returned to heaven. It is about spreading this good news in our neighborhoods, our towns, our cities, our states, our country and countries world-wide. The light of the world is Jesus. It is about bull riders who live for the Lord and want to tell the story. It is about retired cops who know their salvation is in Christ Jesus. It is about ministers like Todd Pierce sticking to the message of "Good News." It is about Terry and her call to help spread the news. It is about you. (You ask Who, Me???) Yes you! If you are not sure how or what to do; Pray. Ask God to show you what to do, and while you're asking; ask for wisdom and courage to make yourself available."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18
by Terry Ann Lidral
AN INTERVIEW WITH RHM BOARD MEMBER DOUG WRIGHT PART ONE
AN INTERVIEW WITH RHM BOARD MEMBER DOUG WRIGHT
PART ONE: DOUG WRIGHT -
At age 26, Doug Wright devoted his life to serve The Lord. "I grew up in a Christian household and, like so many kids do, from age 15 to 25, I decided to play around with the world's sinful mentality. By age 26, I was drawn, by the Holy Spirit, back into a walk with the Lord. I was re-baptized as I recommitted my life to Christ." According to Doug, "The Lord had put me in his woodshed. I received correction from the Lord in my life and then he put me into law enforcement."
One of the divisions Doug was assigned to in law enforcement was working with youth. "As a detective, I ran a gang / narcotic unit. During this assignment I developed a program we called Challenge. The program entailed giving challenge speeches to kids. These groups ranged from church youth groups to speaking at school assemblies. Challenge was a program aimed at trying to keep pre-teens and teens out of trouble. I explained that everyone has a calling. The calling is present in our life whether we choose to accept it or not. Real life stories were told. One was about a straight 'A' student who got into gangs and how he ruined his life. This particular student ended up failing all his classes. He went out one night to impress his gangster friends. He shot and killed another young man from a rival gang. I arrested the young gangster and he is now in prison. This example, and others, were used in an effort to make the listeners understand:
“Thirty seconds of foolishness can alter your life forever."
Doug had plenty of opportunity to see these life altering changes. His enforcement days were primarily in homicide, rape, robbery, undercover narcotics, and later running the gang/narcotic unit. It is work Doug has found challenging with both negatives and positives. "My life has been full of excitement. I've been in lots of scrapes. I've kicked lots of doors in. I've had some narrow escapes. Death and disaster mixed with everyday enforcement work made up my career. Many retire from this line of work as cynical men or women. One thing that helped me maintain a level outlook was the knowledge that I was never alone. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 "The Lord was always there with me. Even when I was flying medi-vacs in zero visibility off the
One of those things was the meeting of Doug and Todd Pierce. Doug had knelt by the body of a little girl and prayed that something positive could come out of the heartbreak. His family's friendship with the little girl's parents, after the trial, was the stepping stone to Doug being introduced to Todd and Leslie. That introduction was the beginning of a friendship born to serve The Lord.
"I knew Todd before he was a preacher. He was a rodeo bare back bronco rider. He'd call and say, 'I need a ride' and I'd go pick him up. I'd be double parked in danger of being towed while I went to find him. Todd, on one occasion, was asleep under his riding gear." Even when Todd was riding broncos, he was involved in ministering to other cowboys. "Todd was in a Christian cowboy group and his goal was to find those Christian cowboys for fellowship. When Todd got injured and couldn't ride broncos anymore, Cody Custer asked him to be a preacher." After Todd became the preacher for the Professional Bull Riders Outreach ministry, he asked a few friends to be board members on his newly formed Riding High Ministries. "I was honored to be there when it all started."
Todd's outreach to Christian cowboys in the
Having been a law enforcement officer, there is much for Doug to think through. "What is the purpose of law enforcement in God's plan for me?" Doug turns to the apostle Paul . "How did Paul take a beating and turn it into a positive? The Lord blesses us with positives and negatives in life. These lessons we learn need to be carried with us as positives to do God's work." Doug believes it’s about trust. This concept is easier said than done. "There are times I find myself asking: What's this about? What's the education I’m receiving from this set of negative circumstances? What if I’m tired of the calling and I don't want to live through any more lessons? I tell myself, trust The Lord. Deal with each day as it comes. The answer is in tomorrow."
What do a detective and a cowboy have in common? Durability. There are no guarantees in police work or bull riding. They are both exciting ways to make a living. But with the excitement comes an element of danger, the possibility of being hurt, maimed or even killed. And there is a toughness, a durability, to do what it takes to get the job done in spite of the danger. "I've kicked in doors not knowing what was on the other side. I've stood over dead bodies and vowed to find the killer whatever it took. A bull rider has to try to make the ride, then get off and get away from the bull, even with a broken leg or an injured knee. Whatever it takes."
Doug has the utmost respect for the durability of bull riders. "Bull riders work through extreme adversity. It's easy for them to get distracted and fall off. They get disillusioned. They get injured. They have to work towards the durability to get them through. This kind of character speaks to a lot of people."
Many of the bull riders turn to The Lord for their strength. These cowboys are what Doug calls "Durable Christians." "Bull riders are tough, masculine people. They face danger as a part of their everyday life. Like police officers, they never know what to expect next. When something bad happens, they take value out of the horror and the negative. They have to develop durability to succeed in what they do." Because of this masculinity and courage, they are good role models for today's youth. "Christians are often thought to be blasé chunks of cloth, all the same. And they're considered to be soft. Nothing could be further from the truth. The bull riders are great testimony to that."
But even Durable Christians like Doug need moral support and someone to listen now and then.
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2
Next week - AN INTERVIEW WITH RHM BOARD MEMBER DOUG WRIGHT: Part Two
by Terry Ann Lidral
JODY NEWBERRY ON HIS TRIP TO BOLIVIA
JODY NEWBERRY ON HIS TRIP TO BOLIVIA
Jody Newberry spent ten days traveling through the towns and jungles of the poorest country in South America. He went there to share The Gospel. It turned out to be an experience that changed his way of looking at his own life.
"I'd always wanted to go on a missionary trip to a third world country. I'd heard people talk about their experiences and it was something I wanted to do myself. When Todd Pierce called and asked me if I wanted to go with him to Bolivia, I didn't have to think about it. Todd was my first pick to take a missionary trip with." Along with Jody and Todd, the group from Riding High Ministries included DJ.Domangue and Mike Lee.
Jody's first impression of Bolivia was from 14,000 feet above sea level when the group landed in La Paz. "It's kind of a big city built in the ravine of a mountain. The air is really thin and it's kind of cold." It took a few hours for Jody to get over the effects of the high altitude. "I was amazed at how light headed and dizzy I felt. I wasn't gonna go and run up the stairs. After three or four hours, I felt back to normal."
The first two days were spent taking it all in and observing the Bolivian culture. Jody found it very different. "Women bundle up in elaborately colored blankets. and they all wear hats. How they wear their hats on their head, at what angle, tells if they're single, married or widowed. It's a traditional deal."
The traffic situation made Jody glad he wasn't driving. "I don't know how they find their way around. There are no signs. And there's no traffic laws or traffic police. It's crazy." About eighty percent of the vehicles are motorcycles. "We saw families of four on single motorcycles. Several times we saw a family of five riding together on one. There'd be the driver, the mother sitting on back with the baby, and three kids would be hanging off the sides."
After two days in La Paz, Jody and the rest of his group got on a prop plane and flew down into the jungle. "It was the best plane trip I've ever taken. In a twenty five minute flight, we went from 14,000 feet to 2- or 3,000 feet above sea level. It was as if the plane was dropping right out from under you. We could see a big river that went to the Amazon and the mountains were jagged and so big that they were snow capped. At the base of the mountain was green, lush forest. There was an airport right in the center of the jungle where we landed."
Going into the jungle villages, Jody saw a whole other side of Bolivia from La Paz. "People there are poor. They wear what clothes they are able to get. Their homes have roofs made out of braided palms. The walls are bamboo stalks and the floors are dirt." It was the horrible sanitary conditions that surprised Jody the most. "The basic hygiene and sanitary conditions we take for granted they don't know about. They don't know flies on food make you sick. They don't clean or sweep. They don't know about parasites."
One of the major health concerns is the dirty water the people of the villages have to use for washing, cooking and drinking. Samaritan's Purse International Relief, the organization Jody and the RHM group joined up with in Bolivia, are building and distributing water filters to educate and aid the village people in leading healthier lives.
Samaritan's Purse also provides cattle to villagers. Jody, Todd, DJ and Mike got to help distribute the cattle. Each family got two cows. The numbers passed out to the people matched the numbers on the cows' ears. "To receive the cows, each villager had to sign a contract to give the first two calves of the cows back to Samaritan's Purse. These calves are given to other villagers without cows. Each community was given a bull to complete the deal." At the end of the give away, the villagers put on a festival to symbolize the importance of the transaction. "There was dancing and singing. It was a real celebration."
The group from RHM got to experience life in Bolivia firsthand. "We stayed in a hotel that was a house with screen windows and cement floors. It had six rooms, two showers and two toilets. The water source was rain water collected in a tank that was lifted out with a bucket. That's what we used."
They ate with the people they visited. "We ate what they ate. I had soup twice. The first bowl had a chicken's foot in it. Each bowl of chicken soup had a body part in it like a wing, heart or a body organ. Whoever got the chicken foot or the chicken head got the bowls of honor." Other foods Jody was served were fried bread with cheese, hash and piranha. "We had fried bread with cheese for every meal. I was served hash with meat in it. It was gamey tasting stuff." Eating fish in the Bolivian jungle was a whole different experience. "They don't catch the fish and clean them the way we do. They catch it, take it out of the water, cook it and put it on the plate. I don't know if they ate the guts, but I didn't." The piranha were no delicacy. "Piranha are bony fish. You pick the meat off the bones and there are no filets."
Jody found the society very different from ours here in the United States. "These people are poor. They make do with what they've got. They do the same things in the same way over and over every day. Nothing ever changes. In our country, we have a chance to better ourselves. We can go to college and get an education. We can make a better life. These people can't do that. They know what they know and make the best of it. They're born into a social class and that's what they are."
For Jody, the reality of the society's poverty brought his ministry straight to the simplicity of The Gospel. "What was neat about it was it brought you right back to the simplicity. It was getting back to the nuts and bolts of the message of hope. I wasn't going to be giving any prosperity message. No way I could look at those people and talk about being rewarded. It's not about money, not clothes, not houses. It's the message of hope - hope of glory and everlasting life in the family of God. We are separated from God by our sins. The hope and excitement comes when we receive Christ and the gift of His salvation. This is what I shared with these people."
Jody got to present three formal speaking engagements while he was in Bolivia. These were given through an interpreter which presented somewhat of a challenge. "Normally, I can be talking and processing what I'm going to say next." Working through an interpreter breaks up the flow. "It's a sentence, stop and wait. It's tough to convey the feeling you're trying to project. The message is cut and dried and plain. You can't give a sense of emotion."
But there was plenty of opportunity for personal connection during the stay. The RHM group spent much of their time working side by side with the villagers and playing with the children. "We ministered all day every day interacting with the people. We ministered all the time that we were down there. We even ministered to the Samaritan's Purse people for encouragement." One of the projects they worked on was remodeling a church that had been started twenty years ago but never finished. "It had four walls, a roof, a dirt floor and holes for windows."
The large event of the trip was the bull riding and horse breaking demonstration in the city of Trinidad in an arena made especially for the performance. Mike, DJ and Jody rode bulls for a big crowd who had never seen bull riding before and Todd presented a successful breaking demonstration. After the entertainment, there were testimonials and ministering to the crowd.
Some things did go exactly as expected. Todd got run over in the arena by a bull. "I knew Todd was going to get run over before we left. I told Amanda, my wife, that it would happen. I'd seen Todd get run over that exact same way before. Todd is no bullfighter." Thankfully, Todd survived with only a bloody nose.
In Trinidad, on the Sunday after the bull riding event, Todd and Jody got to minister to a congregation of a local church. "We got up and went just to go to church. I sat down in the pew and a man came up and asked me to give a testimonial. Todd was asked to preach. There were about 40 or 50 members and there was a good altar call."
The guys from RHM did find a little time for some cowboy fun playing with the local wildlife. "We found a baby crocodile on a dirt road. Before we could catch him, he ran into the tall grass. We were wading around in waist high grass and we didn't know if the mama crocodile was right there under our feet or not." They finally caught the baby crocodile and commemorated the moment in pictures. Snakes were also a source of entertainment. " I tried to catch an anaconda. But it got away." How big was the snake? "It was a big sucker!"
Jody came back from Bolivia with a better objective of how the world works. His views have broadened. "My goals didn't change. My views of things changed. I saw poverty. My heart broke at the conditions the people live in. And then I felt sorry for us. Our society complains about what they don't have. These people have nothing. The kids play but they have no toys. My kids have lots of toys and they want more. It's not about being rewarded or what we can get. It's the simple message of hope. We can have glory and everlasting life in the family of God by receiving Christ and the gift of His salvation."
As for the time spent with Todd, Mike and D.J. - "The four of us went to Bolivia into the jungle together. It just makes you a little bit closer. It was a neat experience to have with these guys."
by Terry Ann Lidral
Videos from Bolivia courtesy of pbr.tv
http://www.pbr.tv/pbr/console.jsp?&id=2085
Bolivia Video Part 2
http://www.pbr.tv/pbr/console.jsp?&id=2084
Bolivia Video Part 3
http://www.pbr.tv/pbr/console.jsp?&id=2083
Bolivia Video Part 4
http://www.pbr.tv/pbr/console.jsp?&id=2082
Wiley Peterson Rodeo Bible Camp
"Seek first the Kingdom of God and all things shall be added." Matthew 6:33
When Wiley Petersen was asked by some friends at church if he would be interested in helping to start a Rodeo Bible Camp (RBC), he was happy to accept the offer. "I was interested because it mixed Jesus with rodeo, two things that are important in my life." For that first camp, Wiley was given the responsibility of finding an instructor with an impressive reputation and strong credentials. He went right to the top and asked bull rider Wade Leslie, the only man ever to get a score of 100 points on a bull, to teach the bull riding. That was in 1999, the year Wiley started riding in the PBR on the Challenger Tour.
Now, Wiley Petersen brings his own impressive reputation and strong credentials to the camp as one of the top bull riders in the world. But Wiley teaches a whole lot more than rodeo to the kids who attend the SEIRBC. RBC's aim is to successfully mix teaching devotion to God with competition. The goal is for the campers to leave with a sense of identity and self worth built through a relationship with Jesus gained from confidence and encouragement.
How does Wiley approach the difficult task of presenting devotion to God with the pressures of competition? Wiley gives this Bible verse as a foundation for his teachings. "Commit your ways to the Lord and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3 "The way I teach the balance of competition and devotion to God is by telling them to do their very best to win, but not for themselves. I tell them to work hard, praise God, and help others. God wants our best efforts. Winning isn't the most important thing, but we must have the attitude and effort to win and be the best for God's glory."
In amongst the rodeo sessions of the day's schedule are 2 one hour worship services focused on sharing the Gospel with the camp participants. For Wiley, keeping things simple is important. "We want these kids to see that it is all about spending time with the Lord in prayer and instruction." This instruction is centered around example and being available for talks. "We live out our faith and we give them every opportunity we can to talk to us and pray with us."
Team devotions gives the campers and adult leaders dedicated time together for this special interaction. "The kids are split into groups of about 6 with a Team Leader assigned to them. Each night they have devotions, prayer and talk about the things that are going on. The Team Leaders are essential to these kids' spiritual success."
Wiley's decision to trust his life to Jesus at the age of 18 gives special meaning to his work at RBC. "Most of these kids are younger than I was when I really committed my life to Jesus, so I have a strong desire to see them surrender to Him at a young age before they go and do dumb stuff like I did. When we follow Jesus, we tend not to find ourselves in self-inflicted troubles, and that is what I want these kids to see. I don't want them to waste even one day of their lives, because life is so short."
Each year there are many wonderful things that happen because of the camp. "Relationships are built and Jesus is shared with more people. I love to see kids' faces light up when you serve them and love them. Lives are changed every time we do this. We've had many young people come to Jesus through this camp. Even if there would've been only one it would have been worth it. Every year there is one kid who is out of his element a little bit. This year it was a kid, kind of scrawny and awkward, but with a good heart. He got on his bulls and lasted maybe a jump or two. He had to borrow equipment. On the last day of the camp, during the Rodeo, where the kids compete for the final time, this young man stayed on his bull for about 5 or 6 seconds. He didn't have very good form, but he hung on and just seeing the look on his face as he came back to the chutes was worth it all. He was on cloud nine."
Each year there are many wonderful things that happen because of the camp. "Relationships are built and Jesus is shared with more people. I love to see kids' faces light up when you serve them and love them. Lives are changed every time we do this. We've had many young people come to Jesus through this camp. Even if there would've been only one it would have been worth it. Every year there is one kid who is out of his element a little bit. This year it was a kid, kind of scrawny and awkward, but with a good heart. He got on his bulls and lasted maybe a jump or two. He had to borrow equipment. On the last day of the camp, during the Rodeo, where the kids compete for the final time, this young man stayed on his bull for about 5 or 6 seconds. He didn't have very good form, but he hung on and just seeing the look on his face as he came back to the chutes was worth it all. He was on cloud nine."
The favorite part of camp for Wiley is the fellowship. The most meaningful is to pray with a young person to accept Jesus.
Will Wiley be participating in RBC next year? "Most likely. Lord willing."
Wiley is also very involved with Riding High Ministry, and is on the advisory board.
"Whatever you do in word and deed, do it for the glory of God." Col. 3:17
by Terry Ann Lidral
Terry Ann Lidral
It has been through my association with the PBR that I have been led to a greater understanding and an acceptance of my relationship with God and his son, our savior, Jesus Christ. This may sound strange coming from someone who is simply a fan of bull riding and has never even shaken the hand of a PBR cowboy. I've never attended a PBRO service or an event sponsored by Riding High Ministries.
Todd Pierce was a name on the Riding High Ministries web page, someone who I could listen to in his web video without personal connection. But I did make a connection, not only with Todd Pierce, but with the cowboys of the PBRO, especially Wiley Petersen, Cody Custer and Lee Aiken.
I grew up in a household filled with God and love and simple country values. I was taught to revel in the beauty of the day the Lord had made.
My Mom and Dad took me and my sister to church every Sunday and we gave thanks for the things we had, modest by most standards but bountiful in our eyes. We had each other. We had love. And we had faith in the Lord. I went away to college and then got married, sure I could depend on my parents to maintain my relationship with God for whenever I needed to touch base. As I grew into an independent adult, I got caught up in an abusively destructive relationship with the family I had married into.
In desperation to keep myself and my husband, Karl, from being crushed under their hateful insults and accusations (fueled by dedicated alcoholism and vicious jealousy), I made every effort to impress them with professional achievements and associations with people they might think important enough to give me a little worth in their materialistic world. But I wasn't impressing them and I was so angry at being worthless that I lost even the second hand relationship with God I'd left to the keeping of my parents. It was only after our son, Arthur, became the target of the same hate aimed at me that I got the courage to walk away for good, helping Karl to leave too. Searching to fill the emptiness and restlessness in our hearts, we turned to church, attending regularly, but finding nothing to bring us into the presence of God and Jesus Christ. Wiley Petersen says it all on the Riding High Ministries web site: "Religion is dead. It's a relationship with a living God that gives us life."
Disillusioned and bitter, I found myself totally out of touch with God and foundering in a society of soccer moms, professional people and college professors where the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was either part of the yearly church calendar or something to avoid talking about entirely. To make matters worse, my parents' relationship with God seemed to be waning as they allowed themselves to be distracted and occupied by selfish individuals taking advantage of their giving nature. I had my husband and my son, and our bond as a family continued to grow stronger and stronger. Living in the Midwest, we began watching rodeo on television and never missed the yearly event that came to Davenport, Iowa. There was something about it that spoke to us through the opening ceremonies and the prayer that we couldn't explain. But we carried it with us inside. My son got hooked on bull riding. We never missed a bull riding event on television and we still have shelves of video tapes we've watched over and over. I found myself drawn to the cowboys, especially those like Donny Gay whose commitment to family friendly words and polite demeanor showed a depth of character I didn't see in the folks I associated with in my own daily life. But I was still missing the point.
When we moved to Maine in 1993, I got involved in education and began working with behaviorally and troubled kids. I don't know who got more out of the experience, me or the kids. I didn't realize it at the time, but God's love was working through me as I tried to bring a little joy and self confidence to these children who had been abused in one painful way or another. I couldn't see that God had a plan for me, even as I continued working with troubled children year after year. The PBR was making its debut and all three of us were set to become devoted PBR fans. As the PBR gained momentum, so did my love of the sport, even after Arthur graduated from college and got married. I started noticing that there was a difference in the riders who gave praise to God and Jesus and who displayed their crosses in plain sight. They had something special and it shone right through the television screen. I watched carefully for the riders with the crosses on their chaps and listened to their words of praise. I envied them their relationship with God but I wasn't sure what I myself was looking for.
My husband got into reading the Bible when he started learning the French language. He read the Good Book from cover to cover and then started all over again. His faith grew daily and he opened his heart to the word of God. I could see how it was making a positive difference in his life just like it did in the lives of the bull riders in the PBR and I felt left out. Why couldn't I find faith too? What would happen if I opened up and God wasn't there?
I finally got to see the PBR in person when the Enterprise tour came to Portland, Maine a couple of years ago. Arthur and his wife Karen had bought into the bull business long distance through the Fosters in Teague, Texas, fulfilling his lifelong dream of being part of bull riding. So, we spent a lot of time behind the chutes (that was back before the new restrictions) watching the bulls and the riders prepare for the event. I got this feeling of "right." And when the show opened with Donny Gay announcing, it was like old home day. Watching the riders take the knee in the arena and listening to the prayer in the opening ceremonies gave me a fullness inside I wanted to hold on to for the rest of my life.
But I wasn't ready to
accept it yet. Proving myself in the publishing industry had become a do or die goal, one which I'd convinced myself would finally give me that sense of self worth I'd lost to the insults of my husband's family and my parents'
growing lack of
interest in anything to do with my life. I couldn't see why every step I took in the direction of what should have been a successful book deal met with failure, at least that's the way I saw it then. The death of my literary agent, the inability to find another agent I was compatible with, my lack of connection with what it was the publishing world was looking for... What was making it impossible for me to land a book deal? I should have been asking who.
My son Arthur, and his wife Karen became involved in message boards with the bucking bull breeders and got to know members of the bull riding community who treated them just like family. So that I would better understand the industry, they encouraged me to read the message boards too. When I found the news about Lee Aiken's life threatening wreck, I took it hard, as if he were my personal friend. We had watched Lee whenever he was on television and the fact that he had a new baby who might have to grow up without her daddy broke my heart. I followed Cody Custer's updates faithfully, seeing the power of God at work in the relationship Cody and his wife had with Lee and Mary and the strength it brought to all of those who loved the Aikens. After that, I began to watch other cowboys, especially the bull riders of the PBR, to find Cody's kind of commitment to God and the strength he drew from it. I wasn't disappointed. I saw that many of the riders were devout in their commitment, but Wiley Petersen's strength in his relationship with the Lord really struck me. I could feel it all the way through the television.
(When I finally got to see Wiley at a live event, his faith shone through even stronger.) No matter what the outcome of his ride or his results at the event, Wiley had that confident demeanor that life was good.
Knowing Wiley was a leader in the PBRO, I began finding out all I could about its members. I became convinced that their faith in the Lord needed to be shared with more than just the PBR fans. And being a writer, I felt I could somehow be a catalyst. I was finally following the plan God had for me all along. I just had to open my eyes to see it. After communicating with Wiley Petersen about my idea, my sense of purpose deepened and I did open my eyes. I began faithfully reading the Bible with Karl and I accepted the concept that God did have a plan for me.
All I had to do was open my heart and let God in. He helped me see what's important in life - being the very best person I can be and trusting in the Lord and Savior to show me the way. I know that my life will never be the same. I'm not sure exactly what it is that God has for me to do, but I accept his will and bless His name.
by Terry Ann Lidral
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