"Hometown Rodeo"

They took me to the rodeo,

When I was just a kid,

The sights and sounds and pageantry,

I’m glad that’s what they did.

The horses, cattle, cowboys,

The flags and cheering crowd,

The ropin’ and the ridin’,

Everybody clappin’ loud.

And sometimes the stars would come,

Roy and Dale and Clint,

Festus and Miss Kitty,

So many of them sent.

And to me it seemed unreal,

‘Cause after it was through,

We’d go home back to the ranch,

And do what cowboys do.

So life was in the shadow,

Of our rodeo each year,

And I looked forward to it,

And never had a fear,

That there would ever come a day,

When the rodeo was through,

And though there were some lean years,

It’s something they still do.

And later I’ll load horses,

From Texas hit the road,

And head to Alabama,

Where I have always showed,

That I love that rodeo,

Where friends and family meet,

I can’t wait to see ‘em all,

A horseback there to greet.

And this year we will praise the Lord,

At Cowboy Church and all,

Point each one to Jesus,

And on Him they can call.

It’s time for home town rodeo,

And I’m soon on the way,

We’ll cowboy up and have some fun,

Let’s rodeo today!

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father…” (Colossians 4:17, NLT)

Whatever we do or say…that’s a tall order! But Paul’s counsel is that all be done with a view toward representing Jesus well. Maybe the Lord is speaking to you about your work or place of employment, and how you represent Him there. Perhaps the Lord is dealing with you about how your represent Him to members of your immediate family. Maybe, like our rodeo, you’re attending a special, annual event with friends and family. How shall we represent Jesus there? It makes all of life a mission, and all about Jesus, no matter the particulars. Whatever you do or say…

Lord, help us to represent You well, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Stephanie Roundy, used by permission. Thanks, Stephanie, and God bless you.