"Old School Cowboy"

He was just an old school cowboy,

Who came lookin’ for some work,

You could tell he was no plowboy,

No cowboy chore he’d shirk.

His horse, a big, tall buckskin,

Long as any train,

He hopped him off the truck he’s in,

No halter and no rein.

Said he’s from New Mexico,

Last year he lost his wife,

Since then things had sure been slow,

Grief cut him like a knife.

So here he was from off the road,

Ready to rope and ride,

Promised he would pull his load,

Without an ounce of pride.

And as the months turned into years,

Old Hollis showed us how,

With horsemanship he had no peers,

And husband to a cow.

With patience and with dignity,

He taught the cowboy way,

Just like a priest in ministry,

Yet so few words to say.

Many a boy looked up to him,

A mentor for to be,

And though some thought their chances slim,

He made a difference, see.

And then one cold November day,

No Hollis could be found,

We thought it strange he chose this way,

To leave without a sound.

The cowboys found him way up high,

Lying ‘neath a tree,

His buckskin grazing there nearby,

A note he wrote to me.

Said I’ve been sick for quite some time,

No good to let y’all know,

Dig right here, the view is fine,

And the wind will always blow.

Take old Dan and make him yours,

He still has miles to go,

And all my gear and hackamores,

I’ve had since long ago,

Take what you want and give the rest,

To the good hands on this place,

Tell ‘em I said do their best,

And seek the Good Lord’s face.

And there we laid him in the ground,

Then bowed our heads in prayer,

Gathered there without a sound,

And thankful to be there.

And now when I look back it seems,

Old Hollis is with me,

The Good Lord speaks to me in dreams,

And often there I see,

We’re riding side by side again,

As partners and as friends,

Though he has crossed to heaven’s plain,

Where God’s cow herd he tends.

I know one day I’ll join him there,

With all who’ve gone before,

I cast on Christ my every care,

Spur for that golden shore.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others…” (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV)

The best way to learn anything is to have a mentor who knows what he’s doing. By watching and imitating someone who knows, you can save yourself a lot of trouble and gain expertise faster than you think. Jesus taught the multitudes but spent time with twelve and even more with three. Paul told Timothy to entrust to reliable men the things he had been taught by the apostle. And so it goes. The process of multiplication through mentorship is God’s way making disciples. Who is mentoring you? Who are you mentoring?

Lord, help us pass on to others what You have entrusted to us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.