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Some words about how God brought about Blanco Cowboy Church.......
It started many, many years
ago in the heart of a cowgirl who had a burden for the lost and deep
spiritual hunger for God.
In the spring of 1996 while visiting a cowboy church service with her
family, she answered an alter call asking God to use her as His vessel to
reach the lost and unchurched cowboys and cowgirls in her area with the
Gospel message of Jesus Christ. During the following summer months she
continued to seek God interceding for all of the cowboys and cowgirls
with wounded spirits who would not go to an organized denominational
Church and who would not welcome the Church to come to them.
Then on a beautiful fall
morning in southeast Texas, she made a decision to stay home and go into
her prayer closet and spend the day in God's Word. She watched her
husband and son-in-law load their steer roping horses in the trailer and
head out to a steer roping. She then declined a much cherished invitation
from her daughter to go with her to a barrel race to watch her run
barrels on her new horse. Instead she waved goodbye to all of them
and as the dust settled on the country road she headed for the ranch
house eager to spend the day in God's Word. Late that evening as
the sun set in the western sky, God gave her a Vision.
God showed her a big barn
cowboy church on a beautiful plot of land near a highway. There was
a large covered arena and a huge parking lot with beautiful large oak
trees. There were many young people on horseback, meeting at the
arena to learn God's Word and learn how to be champions for
God in and out of the arena. They were being discipled and becoming
disciples to lead others to Jesus. The front of the barn church had
huge barn doors and she saw so many cowboys and cowgirls trying to get
into the filled Church that they could not get the doors shut. Over
their heads she saw people sitting on hay bales covered with colorful
saddle blankets and a huge water trough sitting up front on the right
side of the altar where people were lined up all the way to the back of
the Church waiting their turn to be baptized by the cowboy preacher.
She saw a country western
gospel band on the stage area inside the Church with a steel guitar
player, drummer, two fiddle players and several other guitar
players. Everyone was singing songs of praise and worship to the
joyful cowboy gospel music..."making a joyful noise unto the
Lord", calling down
the Glory of God... in a joyful "House of Prayer" where the
Holy Spirit was always residing in the people; God confirming His
presence by His signs and wonders. God showed her this place where
the wounded in spirit could come as they were and find Agape Love
(unconditional Love just like God loves us--with no condemnation, no
judgment), a haven of Peace and comfort where people could come and be
loved unconditionally and find a personal relationship with Jesus and be
born again; then be discipled so they could go and bring in the lost to
be saved and discipled and on and on reaching the lost. God showed
her that it was a place where they felt Loved and comfortable to
come as they were with mud on their boots and dust on their hats.
There was a porch on the front of the barn church with big cedar posts
holding it up and tie racks for their horses. There were shed rows
on each side of the barn that housed the Sunday School classrooms,
chuckwagon kitchen, bathrooms and Pastor's office.
God also showed her a row
of bunkhouses built like an old western town and extra horse stalls built
on the back side of the arena to extend hospitality to cowboys and
cowgirls traveling through the area who needed a place to rest their
weary bodies and tired horses before hitting the trail again. It
was
a place where Jesus is Lord and His hospitality welcomes them in.
On the back side of the property stood a large covered pavilion with BBQ
pits and several RV hookups beside a dry creek bed. Located right
in the center of the land was a gushing water well with pure, plentiful,
sweet water. There was
a large parking area filled with pickups and trailers amid large oak
trees. There was a highway on the front of the property with a big
sign saying, "WELCOME...Jesus is Lord."
Blanco Cowboy Church was
birthed on that day in 1996.
The cowgirl continued to
pray and praise God, seeking out many prayer warriors to join her in
praising God as they waited for God to manifest His Vision.
Three years later God
brought His Vision into reality on February 3, 2000.
In April, 2003 God
continued to show His Power, Glory and Faithfulness when He led the
cowgirl to His plot of land with the big oak trees, the dry creek bed and
the water well in the middle.
"On April 2, 2006 God brings another part
of His Vision into reality as the 40' x 70' pavilion is dedicated and
put into use for God's people beside the Arena.
At this writing the
pad for God's Barn Church is being
prepared for His building as God continues to order our steps. We
joyfully give God the Praise and Glory for what He is doing at Blanco
Cowboy Church and reverently remember Psalm 127:1: "Except the Lord
builds the house, they labor in vain who build it."
Matthew 9:35-38: "And
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and
curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity. When
He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them,
because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and
helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His
disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are
few."
We would love to have you
come and join us "as the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the
laborers are few."
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