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Hi y'all,

welcome to the blog site for Cowboy Valley Church. Summer is here and I hope all of you who are reading this are enjoing your summer holidays. Each year CVC takes July and August off, this is so we get our bearings on the trail so we can be rested, ready rearin to go come September; and it is looking like this fall will be a busy one. We will be traveling to the BC High School Rodeos for our daughter, and at these rodeos we are hoping to host some Cowboy church services. This is exciting as we believe in serving the Cowboy Community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Until then we'll see you out on the trails or in the arenas cause that is where we are hanging out these days getting ready for the fall. If any of you need to contact me, you can send a note direct to blairbates@shaw.ca and I will do my best to respond in a speedy manner. Until then God bless and have a great summer.

Happy Trails

Blair

Welcome to Cowboy Valley Church Blog

Welcome to our Cowboy Valley Church Blog!

Check back often for the latest news and updates. I will keep the site current with church nights and events. If you have any questions contact us with the contact info we have provided on our website. For those of you who are curious, this picture was taken at the St. Anne Ranch in Trochu Alberta. This has been part of my extended family for several decades and it is the first homestead of the town of Trochu Alberta.

Happy Trails


Blair

Superman Story

Hello all, Superman story

I was thinking about an event that took place when I was about 3 years old, or at least that is what I was told how old I was. We were back on the farm in Alberta, and my Mom had decided to take us there once again to show my brother and I off to all of the family because we such good looking boys. LOL! Did I ever mention, my Mom was part of a family of 11 kids? Ouch! Anyways, it so happens on this day Grandpa had his horse out of his pen and by the farm house. Mom had told me that my little brother was crawling around the ground and I happened to be walking behind Goldie the horse. What happened next was something out of a modern day cartoon scene. As I happen to be walking behind Goldie, my brother decided to crawl underneath the horse…not sure where the parents were at during this defining moment for me but the next scene shocked my Mom, Goldie spooked, and as he spooked I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. As my Mom described the event she said she looked up and I happen to be flying like superman across the ground. Not sure what damage there was, Mom never said, but there was something that was firmly implanted in me other then a hoof print, and that happened to be the fear of being near a horse especially behind one. For many years I lived with a fear that I never understood. I remember as a kid I could hardly touch a horse for fear of something happening to me…..duh, ya think? The fear was real. I don’t remember the event but I lived with a fear. It was not until I had my own horse when I was a teen that this fear subsided overtime, though every time I walk behind a horse, or see any sign of horses hind starting to rise, you will not see me any where near the ass end of a horse. I still live with that fear in some ways, but I think the fear is a healthy fear or a respect for the power a horse truly has.

As I share this story I am reminded of some words that Jesus spoke Jn 4:18-21 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Fear is an interesting character trait for all of humanity. Fear can lead to punishment, such as a thief who fears the judge passing down the verdict for his crime, or we can have a healthy fear such as fear for higher authority such as the government, not to be afraid but to simply respect it for it’s authority over us. If we have ever been hurt by someone or were faced with an event such as mine when I was a child, fear can stand in the way of achieving life’ goals, or over coming that fear can literally grip our heart and cause us to live in fear for the rest of our lives. My fear of a horse has slowly subsided because the love I have for them. The love has overcome the fear. Jesus has come for us to know his love, and if we know his love, we too can overcome our fears.

Hello all,

Recently I came across an article describing multiculturalism in our country. Since I can remember we have always been taught to accept the diverse cultural dynamics of our land. In this article, the author had a great and valid statement,” We live in a country that spends billions promoting multiculturalism while one of Canada’ greatest cultures is not only right here but to paraphrase the immortal words of Will Rogers---they met our forefathers boat”; the North American Native. People, who have walked, rode, hunted, planted and lived on this land for thousands of years. Often discounted as unwanted, or not like white man; the tenacity of this nation has proven to all of Canada that our native land has something very special. Most western magazines pay homage and respect to the natives of North America and often express a respect and admiration for native culture and how it has shaped our land; articles of horsemanship, artistry, and a love for the land and horse. Drawing from these writings and related articles I have concluded that both the Cowboy and the Natives of our land share common ground….
1.Horsemanship
2.Respect for the land
3.Stockman
4.Connected to the land through the Creator(Manitou)
5.Story tellers,
6.Colorful outfits,
7.Artistry, paintings, sculptors, carvings
8.Hunters
9.Musicians
10.Dancing

The bible speaks of common ground between two other nations, the Jew and the Gentiles. Jewish people were the chosen nation of God, this resulted because of a promise that God gave to one man thousands of years ago because of his faith in God, but one problem, the Jews over time stopped following God. And as a result he sent Jesus to the land to save the people, but not just the chosen few, but all mankind and this includes the Gentiles. Gentiles are basically everyone who is not of Jewish descent. The common ground is this, both Jew and Gentile who call on God to be their Savior will be saved. Amazing, you don’t have to be part of a special or chosen nation; every one is welcome to know God. Knowing this truth brings to light that God does not show favoritism, or neglects the unwanted. On the contrary, he has made it clear that all nations are welcome to come to heaven and know the creator for eternity. I have included a small verse that speaks to this, it says “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Here is modern day version of those words….”there is no difference between the Natives and the Cowboys, the same Lord is Lord of these nations and richly rewards the Natives and Cowboys who call on him…” Cultural differences disappear when we discover the common ground in which we stand on.

Me and the Bull

Me and the Bull Story
One summer when I was ten I was enjoying hanging out with my Grandpa
on his farm in central Alberta. I remember very clearly my Uncle came
up to Grandpa informing him that their bull had escaped his pen and
was on the loose on the south field, primarily the grazing area for
the cows. Immediately my Grandpa informed my uncle to saddle up Goldie
the horse and he would take his truck(72 GMC classic Truck, very nice)
and meet him in the South field. Once there Grandpa drove up to where
the bull was. I remember this so clearly, being small I could not see
that far out of the window, I remember opening the door to follow my
grandpa out onto the field, when I opened the door and climbed out I
came face to face with this bull. Imagine this, small 10 year old
boy, 2000 pound bull, who would win that battle? He was huge, with large horns and gave me the eye and stared me right back into the truck. I did what most little kids do, screamed, got back into the truck. A few seconds later the bull was on the run again, but this time my uncle was chasing him down, the GMC truck right behind him subsequently the bull was chased into a water hole and was brought back to his pen. What a mess, my uncle was responsible for fixing three or four sections of fencing the bull ran through. This was one of those moments in life as a little kid I was faced with something huge, more powerful then me, showed no signs of mercy and I had no control over it. The only prudent thing to do was to listen to Grandpa and ensure I did not get in his way or the bulls. I came across a story this week in which Jesus had to face a bully named Satan. In this story Jesus was all alone in a desert, once there he was tempted to deny everything he represented not once but three times. Each time the bully tried to deceive him misquoting words from the bible to trip Jesus up, and in each case Jesus refuted this bully and in the end Jesus won that battle. Simply, he got on his horse and chased the bully down. All of us have to face many challenges and trials that may bring fear or temptation and in the end we must be willing to stand against it and win.