Cowboy Understandin’

This post came courtesy of Kevin, at Campfire Cowboy Ministries

It doesn’t even surprise me anymore when I see angels disguised as children and cowgirls.

True happiness in life comes from takin’ what you like to do the most and doin’ it for God.

He died for me so I could live for Him….What’s so hard to understand about that?

God needs two things in order for you to hear Him: Shut your mouth and open your heart.

God’s got a plan for you. Contentment with the ordinary is what keeps you from experiencing the extraordinary.

“I’ve found that worry carries too big a price tag, grudges burn a hole in your gut, and being grateful stills a troubled soul.” -The Good Cowboy

My daughter says she will never drive a dually pick-up. It’s a truck with big hips.

God sent us cow dogs to teach us how to love unconditionally.

Prayers are just talkin’ unless you’re walkin’ with the Lord.

If you’re sittin’ comfortable in the saddle you are probably sittin’ still.

The West Texas wind is mosquito repellant from God.

If the roads in heaven are caliche, that will be just fine with me ’cause that’s the way they are in Texas.


They don’t let good cowboys and cowgirls in heaven. Only forgiven ones.

When you get to the pearly gates, will Peter yell “Ship him” or “Keep him”? (Hint..He’s looking for Jesus Christ’s brand on your heart and soul.)

We are not defined by what others think of us. We are defined by God’s love that lives through us.

Submitting to God isn’t like surrendering from a Kung Fu choke hold. It’s taking the time to have a cup of coffee with God and finally listening to Him.

God didn’t let cowboys go to Jesus’ crucifixion. They would have turned that hill into the little Alamo before they let someone kill their Lord.

If Adam would have been a cowboy, he would’ve shot that snake in the garden with some buckshot and then cut his head off and hung the body in a mesquite so it would rain. Sure would’ve saved us a mess of trouble.

Jesus has drawn a line in the dirt. Do you have the guts to follow the cowboy that conquered death? Leave your sissified life behind and let’s go live a life worth living.

Unfortunately, most people feel the same way about God as they do four wheel drive. They really don’t think they need it until they get stuck.

The greatest act of worship is havin’ fun and rejoicing in the Lord each and every day. So quit yer whinin’ and bellyachin’. It’s worse than watchin’ World Cup Soccer.

You wouldn’t feed your best horse moldy hay, so turn off the TV and hang out with your family or friends. It’s Omolene and oats for the soul.

Jesus is the pair of gloves we wear when dealing with the barbed wire of life.

When you get to the pearly gates, will Peter yell “Ship him” or “Keep him”? (Hint..He’s looking for Jesus Christ’s brand on your heart and soul.)

I hate a cowboy that doesn’t get back on when he gets bucked off. Unless he lands in a mesquite or a cactus and then it’s fine to roll around and scream bloody murder.

In my day, a man would stay with you on a handshake. –John Wayne, The Cowboys

I have many BS degrees from the School of Hard Knocks, but the one I want the most stands for “Be Still”.

I’ve seen sorrow, happiness, curiosity, and wonder all in the sideways tilt of a dog’s head. If they can say so much with so little why do we think we have to use so many words all the time?

I am not responsible for how you act, speak, or feel. Taking responsibility for you not only damages me, but is even more damaging to you.

You are either a liar or a communist if you don’t like Flintstone Vitamins. And I will hit you with my wife’s hardcover Amplified Bible if you touch the one shaped like a car.

Cowboy Wisdom: If ketchup can’t fix it, don’t eat it.

Put your big boy boots on and quit feelin’ sorry for yourself….either give it to Jesus or shut up.

A real cowboy is a man that has guts and a horse…and Jesus.

In my experience, people tend to be a little more careful about what they say if you are holding a long yellow hot-shot.

Jesus don’t use a high port bit or sharp rowel spurs to get us to do what he wants. He uses gentle pressure on your heart.

For all the small churches out there….Jesus says, “I only had 12.”

A day started with prayer and coffee will keep you going all day long. “Stay thirsty my friends.”

If God wanted us to work our way into heaven, He would have sent us post-hole diggers and a pair of gloves. Instead, He traded the killer buyer his Son for your heart.

Jesus won’t say, “Thou hath done a good deed my child” when I get to heaven. I’m pretty sure He’s gonna tell me, “Heckuva job amigo! Let’s go get some beans.”

A snake in your path is no cause for alarm. It’s a cause for 3,000 shotgun shells, a nitro pill, and the only time a man is allowed to scream like a girl and not be made fun of.

I’ve seen people scuff up their new boots so they look like they’ve been working. My boots are like that from walkin’ through crap, kickin’ myself for bein’ stupid, and usin’ them to take me and my horse where God wants me to go.

I’m gonna ride this day like the Man From Snowy River — a crack of the whip, a smile on my face, and goin’ where no one else dares to go!!

Many people stay lathered up in life because they are tryin’ to carry God around in their lives. We should trust in God and let Him carry us instead.

Opening your Bible is a lot easier than opening a stupid feed sack. You can start from either end and not mess up.

God made receiver hitches shin high to remind us to slow down.

I can sure relate to this new 4-yr old horse we are trying out. She ain’t very big. She ain’t very pretty. She ain’t very fast. But what I really love about her is that: SHE DON’T KNOW THAT! She thinks she’s big, pretty, and fast and I can relate to that.

Jesus said, “Out of your mouth flows the true nature of your heart.” My entire head is now covered in duct tape while I do some prayin’.

Gettin’ bucked off don’t hurt near as bad as admittin’ it was your fault.

When Jesus comes back, he won’t be in a Mercedes. He won’t be on a pogo stick. He won’t be flyin’ in on a lear jet wearin’ a three piece suit. He’s gonna be ridin’ a ranch horse for goodness sake. Tell me God don’t love cowboys.

“God, would you please saddle up and ride with me today. I keep gettin’ stuck in the same old canyon no matter how hard I try. I go south and it’s there. I go north and it’s there. But when I look up…it’s gone.”

I may have muddy boots, a muddy mouth, and a muddy brain, but God sends the rain that can wash all my mud away.

Like ridin’ a horse at night, Lord, I am going to trust you to guide me when the trail back home is dark. I’m shuckin’ you all the reins and I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the stars.

When I saddle up Monday’s, they always seem to have a little hump in their back. Thank goodness I have Jesus snubbin’ for me this morning.

“Dear Lord, today I pray that I don’t lose a stirrup or break a rein as I try to work your pastures.”

If Jesus would have chosen to come to Texas instead of Israel, his disciples would have been: Joe Dean, Larry Don, Ricky Bud, Tom Bill, Billy Bob, Jack Alan, Jay Simm, Cody Lee, John Wayne, Tom Dooley, Joe David, and Biscuits.

Let’s all squat down with our spurs on. Maybe a swift jab from behind will help us “Go Love A Knucklehead Today!” Lovin’ the lovely is easy….knuckleheads are whole different story–and that’s who Jesus talks about when he says,”Love yer neighbor”

If the “Devil Went Down to Georgia” is the favorite congregational hymn….you might be in Cowboy Church.

Heaven on earth is a child’s smile from the back of a horse.

Cowboys know that toughness is a result of enduring blisters that would stop most people from doing what needs to be done. Just like changing boots, be prepared to endure a few blisters when you try to change your life from broken down to brand new.

Christians and Cowboys are made of the same metals: Hearts of gold and guts of steel.

Tryin’ to push a little God into your life is like pushin’ a rope. It goes everywhere except where you want it to. But if you turn it around and put God first and let Him lead the way, your life will line up right behind Him just right.

You want to know why you keep landing in every cactus in the pasture? Because you think your life is about you.

It can’t ever be too cowboy and you can’t ever have too much Jesus.

When God made the world, he made a few people who would: choke up over loosin’ a good dog, who could love a horse just like a family member, and who would laugh until they cried when people fall down. He said that these people were good and He called them Cowboys and Cowgirls.

Originally posted here

Torn Rotator Cuff - Two Options

Warning - the first video shows a surgical procedure. The surgeon is shown cutting into the patient with a scalpel and the patient bleeds. This video may be too graphic for some viewers.

If you have a doctor tell you that you have a torn rotator cuff. There are two options for repairing it.

Option one: Surgery.
In the first video, we'll learn how the problem is assessed and treated with arthroscopic surgery.

Option two: Divine healing.
In the second video, we'll hear the testimony of a man healed of a torn rotator cuff at the Firestorm Conference in 2009.







His doctor told John that he needed surgery on his left shoulder for a rotator cuff. He experienced pain in this shoulder for 8 months and couldn't sleep on that side. At the Firestorm Conference, healing was released and John could lift up his arm part way without pain. When he went home that night before bed, all the pain was completely gone. He is still doing well today.

Blessed Be Your Name

Enjoy this expression of gratitude.

Music by Matt Redman.

Todd White - Rise Up

Here's Todd White.

I love this guy.

The Fall of Everything Big

Question: What do Wal-mart healing miracles, drug-resistant bacteria, tea part patriots, the Gulf oil disaster, church reform, The Finger of God film, bloggers, and bank failures have in common?

Answer: More than you think.

Stay with me through this message and I'll share with you my theory that the same divine purpose is behind the changes that are affecting nearly every part of our culture.

In our exploration of healing, I've begun to notice trends. This message is really about a series of trends that seem to be related. If you follow healing blogs, you're aware that many more people are getting involved in what we call street healing. These divine nobodies are in shopping malls, soup kitchens, gas stations and on street corners healing every kind of sickness. Healing is no longer confined to church meetings or to special locations like the healing rooms of John Lake. It's happening literally everywhere.

The second thing worth noting is that few of these healers have credentials. They aren't ordained ministers, pastors, deacons, or certified healing technicians. They certainly aren't doctors. And yet, they're healing people by the thousands.

For free.

For real.

The trend toward everyday people operating in divine healing isn't slowing down - it's gaining momentum.

Western medicine has likewise seen trends develop. Based primarily on surgery and drug therapy, there are serious problems on the horizon. Antibiotic drug therapy is a major component of medicine. Bacteria are able to adapt to drugs. There is now a very serious problem of drug-resistant bacteria plaguing the medical community. We have a number of bacteria presently, for which there is no known treatment. More bacteria are becoming drug-resistant every year. At some point in the future the medical community will be able to offer little in the way of treatment for what were once easily treated conditions.

In 2000, a large study was done that revealed a startling fact; the third leading cause of death in America is being treated in our medical system. An estimated 250,000 people die every year as a result of iatrogenic causes - or causes related to treatment. Only heart disease and cancer kill more people. Among the combined causes of iatrogenic death, drug complications (not related to dosing) was the leading killer, causing an estimated 100,000 deaths annually.

Today, we are unable to buy some of the drugs commonly used for treating critically ill patients. Due to supply problems, there is a nationwide back order on many drugs, including some that are the staples of treating cardiac arrest. Medical practitioners are stuck in an uncomfortable place. Our trusted drugs are either not doing their job or they're becoming harder to find. If the drugs we depend on are no longer available - how do we proceed with our treatment?

I see two trends going in opposite directions. Traditional medical treatment is in trouble. What I've mentioned here is only the tip of the iceberg. There isn't time to explain all the other problems that exist - there are many others. But the trend can be seen in just one example. Medicine is losing its place of pre-eminence in healing the sick. Doctors can't heal metastatic cancer with drugs or surgery. They can't heal HIV or hepatitis B or Lou Gehrig's disease or even fibromyalgia. For all the good it has done, medicine is extremely limited in it's ability to heal. What is does primarily is treat symptoms. And even that is now on a shaky ground.

As I walk the hospital corridors, I see proud practitioners in white coats, receiving kudos from grateful patients. We pat ourselves on the back for the great contribution we make to society. And never give any thanks to the One who created us from the dust. Herein lies our most corrupt moment. I believe this is why the ivory towers of medicine are crumbling. One day soon, street healers will compete head to head with doctors for the same group of patients. The divine nobodies will win the competition, for one reason; they consistently give glory and honor to God. There is a shift taking place in the world. Medicine is merely one example of it.

I had a dream a few weeks ago that spoke about the shift from large, well-known organizations and people to smaller and lesser known ones. In the dream, a hospital and a large fire department managed medical emergencies in a city. But they weren’t doing it well. A small volunteer rescue squad emerged that began responding to emergencies. They handled the responses without any problems. In another dream, people who operated in divine healing had attained the respect in society that is now given to surgeons. The process of healing had undergone great advances. The system was very advanced and efficient. Everyone was healed, without exception.

My wife had another dream about healing. In hers, a well-known person who operates in healing died in our house. I tried to resuscitate him for a few minutes but then realized it was time for him to go, so I stopped CPR and allowed him to die. My EMT partner and I removed his body from my house.

These dreams symbolize the passing away of an era; the day of the big guns is over. In the past we’ve made the big name healer, hospital or doctor the focus. In the coming days, God is going to use thousands of unknown people instead of just the anointed few. Don’t misunderstand my point. It’s not that well-known people like Cal Pierce, Curry Blake and Randy Clark won’t be involved in healing, they certainly will. But we are in a time when they are being joined by thousands of lesser-known people doing the same things.

In America, we've seen another trend develop - the growth of a new political movement called the Tea Party. In brief, it's a grass-roots effort to oust the political establishment from the luxury box it created for itself in Washington. Our government has become a lumbering, wasteful, behemoth of bureaucracy that spends too much and does too little. Career politicians who look out for their own interests have become the norm. God has been asked to leave the oval office, the house of congress and the Supreme Court. Washington has made itself the champion of every cause except righteousness. The Tea Party is one of many things God is building in America that will transform our government. In this shaking up of political powers, those who have dishonored God will be replaced by those who will establish righteousness as the principle by which they govern.

Magazines and newspapers worldwide are in danger of extinction. Colleges that teach journalism face the grim reality that there will be no jobs for professional writers in the future. They're victims of a developing trend... blogging. As silly as it may sound, the once highly esteemed world of journalism is being shaken to it's foundation by an untrained, often uneducated, but powerful group of writers who've hijacked public opinion through thousands of websites, blogs and social networks. Most magazines are barely able to make ends meet. Major magazines and periodicals long ago abandoned the ways of God, preferring to draw from and pander to secular culture. It's interesting that some of the most read blogs are ones in which God is in the spotlight. I believe the emergence of divine nobodies in the world of electronic writing is God's way of establishing a new system of information sharing that will bring glory and honor to Him. The shift once again, is from the large to the small.

It's no great revelation that Hollywood has done little to honor God. The stars of Hollywood have built memorials to themselves and the One who created all things was left off the guest list. Enter Darren Wilson, another divine nobody and the filmmaker who produced The Finger of God and Furious Love. These two movies and their creator are examples of a new kind of venture that will one day topple Hollywood's dynasty. God is raising up men and women who will produce the kind of entertainment that edifies us and glorifies Him.

In a similar way, the music recording industry is being radically changed. Gone are the days of big record companies, whose main concern was their profit margin. Today with digital recording and electronic distribution through internet portals, anyone can record and sell their own music. God has leveled the playing field and is giving favor to all those divine nobodies who choose to glorify Him in their music.

It's no secret that the church is undergoing major changes. I see a change of focus behind the reformation we are in. Like everything else that's being shaken, there are people and institutions that have misplaced loyalties and motives. Many churches have become monuments to men, instead of bringing people into relationship with God and giving Him the place of pre-eminence He deserves. These religious kingdoms of man are crumbling before our eyes. In their place will be many different expressions of faith. The ones that magnify God and not man will be the ones that shine brightest.

A brief survey of the world's financial situation reveals a frightening picture. Most nations are horribly in debt. Many large corporations are struggling to keep afloat in hard economic times. The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico stands as a painful lesson in corporate greed and lust for power. I'll spare you the sermon. God is weighing large corporations in the balance and many will be found lacking. They will fall and leave the Wall Street in shambles. I expect small companies will do rather well in the coming days. The smaller - the better. In hard economic times, flexibility and a lack of debt will keep companies afloat.

A look at the banking community shows a similarly grim picture. Despite the bank bailout, bank failures in America are on a record-breaking pace this year. It's likely that at some time in the future, the Fed will repudiate the debt it owes to the world banks. When we renig on our 13 trillion dollar debt, all hell will break loose in the financial markets. The world banking system will likely collapse. Our system of buying everything on credit has made us slaves; individually and collectively as nations. We've sold ourselves to the god of mammon, preferring to have what we want immediately, instead of allowing God to prosper us in His timing. This system is also crumbling as we speak. I'm not sure how commerce will be handled after the fall of Babylon. Perhaps we'll go back to bartering and paying cash for what we need. But I know this: The man- made kingdoms of entertainment, religion, politics, medicine, commerce and all other kingdoms are coming to an end. Nothing will stand in the coming days that doesn't give glory and credit to the One who rightly deserves it.

But not all who are wealthy and powerful will fall. Some have chosen the better part. A few businessmen have done something different from the rest that I believe will save them from ruin. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, the two wealthiest men in the world, donated 50% of their net wealth to charitable organizations and then challenged the world's 400 wealthiest men to do the same. These men, believers or not, have chosen to take up the cause of the poor, the sick, the afflicted, the homeless, the widow and the orphan, as Jesus commanded us all to do. I believe God will honor anyone in power who does as these men have done.

As I look at society and the way it's changing, I see the shift happening nearly everywhere I look. I believe it's a universal principle for these days. Try to find a place where the trend is not a transition from the large to the small.

The builders said, "Come let us build and let us make a name for ourselves," and the tower of Babel was built. God destroyed it and dispersed them. He's doing the same in these days to all who would make a name for themselves. In all that you do, if you give glory to God you will prosper.

"Silence is Deadly" by P4CM Poet Ezekiel

Please listen to this young man's poetry. It's amazing.

Transformations II

This is a video that showcases some of the communities of the world that have been transformed by God.

Quadriplegic Healed

This is a healing testimony from Eunice Bennett. The original story can be found on her website, here.

Hello Everyone- I am trying to write as soon as I arrived since the event that had happened in the Philippines is still very much fresh to my memory. I have promised in my last e-mail to give a detailed story of the events that were covered. This will be the first of the many.

This is a story of young lady who has been demonized and the result of the demonic oppression is the paralysis of her hands and legs. She is a quadriplegic. This lady does not own a wheelchair. It was agonizing to see on how she was carried entering the church building. Her patience was well worth it.

The morning session started with Al Bender, one of our speakers in our team. The realm of the spirit was prepared because of the heavy evangelistic message. After the first session was over, I was listening to the Holy Spirit on how He wants the second session to be conducted. One thing that He showed to me was the ground needs to be consecrated and to be declared as a holy ground. I requested for a bottle of oil to be bought as I will anoint the grounds and consecrate it as holy for the Lord. After I stepped into the platform, I poured out a bottle of oil at the altar. The Holy Spirit told me to declare boldly in front of them, that the fire needs oil if you want to see it explode. So the oil that was poured out was not only to consecrate the grounds for Him but to add more fire to what they already have. Then, I invited anyone who is ready to meet God at the altar to come. Everyone started to run at the altar. God was there. A few started to fall even though no one is laying hands on them. God is doing the work. Then that altar was filled with sick and demonically oppressed people.

I saw this young lady who was brought by her friends positioned right in front of the pulpit. They pushed the chair in front of me so she can be seen right away. I asked our team assistants who interviewed the lady earlier on what is wrong with her. RJ, one of the team assistants told me that she has been in a situation like that for 5 years because of a demonic oppression. She is a quadriplegic. She has a hard time moving her hands and legs and could not walk. The devil has so oppressed her and she was not helped at all by the medical world. I led her to confess about Jesus Christ and to repent of her sins. I made her declare that she belongs to Jesus! I made her repeat that line several times. There were moments that she could not say the word because of the oppression of the enemy. But I stayed with her and patiently give her an instruction on what to do. After we were done, I anointed her hands and started to move it back and forth. I did the same thing on her legs. After her hands start to move, I told her to stand up in the name of Jesus!

The following is captured at the video. I was giving instructions in English in some parts and in dialect most of the time, so I can be mostly understood by everyone in that congregation . See on how she made it! From a full blown quadriplegic to a walking person in just a few minutes.

Watch the video below.

Dry Well Gives Sweet Water

I received this testimony from Terry Chambers:

Yesterday, a man in our church called Linda and I and asked if we would come out and pray over his well, a well that is virtually dry. An hour before that, the Lord showed me the passages in Exodus about Moses sweeting the water with wood, and commanding water to come from a rock when hitting it with his staff.

So we went out and went down to the well. The Lord also gave me the scripture from 1 Chronicles 7:14. He acknowledged some things and we prayed for the well and for the land to be healed. We poured oil all around the well head, and laid a Bible on the cap and commanded sweet, abundant water to come forth.

This morning the man called us, crying and laughing and some one came out and did a static tests and the well is seven feet higher than it has ever been and the water is sweeter!! We were laughing and crying and praising God for his righteousness and blessing and love, what a day it is being with our Father. He is so awesome. The man asked if we would share the testimony. He said that certainly got his attention and increased his faith.

Have a great day in God everyone!!!

Healed Through a Stone

Tom Fischer does a few things in the video I really like. First, he's on the streets sharing the power and love of God with strangers. Second, he uses a stone to transfer the anointing to heal people. Third, he presents the gospel of repentance immediately after showing them the power of God.

Business Card Anointing

Paul's handkerchiefs healed the sick. Pete Cabrera did it with a spoon. This is crazy enough that it just might work.

Facebook Miracles

Are you one of those people (like me) who spends hours a day on Facebook? If so, you might want to pay attention to this.

I have a couple of friends who have seen hundreds of people healed through the 'chat' feature on Facebook. The first video is a small sample of testimonies from people healed when Roger Webb prayed for them on Facebook. To read them all, I had to pause the video then slowly advance it one story at a time. This is truly amazing. The second video gives step by step instructions on how to do it. Now you have a better reason to hang out on Facebook.

Hey - get busy!