by admin | Dec 13, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Chances are, Jesus wasn’t born in a stable. That doesn’t make his birth any less humble.
The idea of donkeys and cattle being gathered around is not as likely either.
Those ideas, while appealing to cattlemen, ranchers and cowboys, came along later and now, we grow up singing Christmas carols and songs that reference them and as kids, we grew up with television specials that depicted those kinds of images. Those images are everywhere from expensive pieces of art and home decor to jigsaw puzzles and Christmas cards. It’s understandable that we would make these assumptions when we consider the Christmas story.
I remember as a new believer, hungry to learn more from God’s word every day, that I was looking forward to adding reading what we call the Christmas story from Luke 2, into my Christmas traditions. Christmas morning, I opened my Bible and settled in to read through it. By verse seven, it was all but over in less than a minute of reading.
Luke 2:7 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
There was no urgent knocking on doors in effort to find a place to stay as Mary was in labor. There was no description of the stable or animals gathered around. The story does continue with an angel of the Lord appearing before shepherds and of their journey to see the newborn Savior but there are very few details describing that manger scene we can all picture in our minds.
The manger, a feeding trough, is our clue that there likely were animals present and Jesus’s birth most certainly was still humble, but according to Steve Mathewson from an article with The Gospel Coalition. Most English translations of the Bible use the word inn but the Greek word being used is “katalyma” which, in two other places of the Bible, Mark, 14:14 and Luke 22:11, translate to “guest room.”
In that time period, historical understanding tells us there was often a downstairs room where animals might be kept for their heat and to keep them protected and it’s likely because there was no room in the guest room where they hoped to stay, Jesus was born in a downstairs family room where a feed trough, a manger, would still be present to feed the animals brought in there at night.
It just doesn’t leave room for donkeys and cattle.
It doesn’t mean we should stop singing, “Away in a Manger” and “The Little Drummer Boy;” it means we need to remind ourselves how careful we have to be with God’s word. It’s easy to let our culture influence how we interpret scripture when it’s scripture that needs to influence our culture.
As we think about the Lord’s humble birth and being placed in that manger, a powerful scene from our Christmas stories of an angel of the Lord appearing to a group of shepherds, an ancient version of modern cowboys, to tell them of Jesus’s arrival.
Then, even more stunning, in Luke 2:13, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God…”
The shepherds went to see Jesus and from all their experiences, went home praising and glorifying God.
Whether or not Jesus was born in a stable, Jesus’s birth was still both humble and spectacular from the manger to the presence of countless angels before the shepherds.
These are details we know for certain from Scripture and are our inspiration to praise the arrival Jesus just the same as the shepherds this Christmas season, letting our celebration be one that praises God for what He did for us in sending a Savior to die for our sins. His death and resurrection gives eternal life to those repentant of their sins, seeking forgiveness through a saving faith in who Jesus was, born that day in a manger, and who he is now in Heaven.
by admin | Dec 3, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By PRCA Rodeo Photographer, Dave McKissick
Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
This verse has been a staple in my life the past few months. It has reminded me over and over that when afflictions or adversity come, the Word must always be the first place I look for answers and my guide on how to respond.
While I don’t enjoy the adversities, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to grow in my intimacy with Father through it.
For the past year I have been developing some discipleship material. Because the concept and principles of discipleship are so broad and interconnected it has been a very slow process. However, I believe that I am finally narrowing in on the true concept of discipleship, LOVE!
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The mark of Jesus’ disciples is love. Obviously, we are to love God, (Deut 6:5), our brothers (1 John 4:7-21), our neighbors (Lev 19:18), but we are also to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36)! The world tells us that we have many enemies and that we are to turn our backs on them or try to destroy them, but Scripture commands us to love them! No options, no exceptions!
Scripture tells us that our words and actions come from our hearts (Pro 23:7 and Mat 15:18-19). Therefore, the first step towards discipleship must be guarding our hearts, filling it with godly thoughts and allowing the Spirit to control our responses to the world. Apathy and inertia (I don’t care and if I did care, I wouldn’t do anything about it) are not love and they may actually be the opposite of love. Either way, they are tools that Satan uses to keep us from loving. He fills us with the hate of the world and convinces us that it is right to hate “them” because of what they have done or because they are different from us. But that is not how Jesus tells us to act.
We all have “those people” who we don’t want to love but we must, WE MUST, overcome those biases and prejudices that allow us to be comfortable in our apathetic inertia, or actual hate towards them.
Seeing people as anything other than God’s creation, someone who God loves and Jesus died for, indicates a prejudice/bias towards that person. That is not love. Let us not forget that at one time, we were all enemies (haters) of God. How did He respond to us? (Rom 5:8-10)
The Christmas story is the best love story in history. May this be the year where we start embracing God’s example to love our enemies and to love like Jesus loved.
by admin | Oct 14, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Be the reason someone asks you why.
Not, why would you get on the back of a bull or why you’d risk your thumb roping.
But… Why did you pay that guy’s fees when you know you aren’t going to see the money again?
Why did you help that guy change a tire when you were already late for the rodeo? Why did quit drinking? Why did you just now decide to apologize for your part in that fight we got into last year?
Let your faith in Jesus change you so much that people start noticing it and asking why. And then, most importantly, be ready to explain it with your own clear understanding of the gospel: God’s plan for salvation that changed you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
We know we aren’t going to be perfect the moment we have a saving faith in Jesus but God sees us as perfect anyway. When we have a saving faith in Jesus, that means the Holy Spirit is now at home in us and through that, we are now something new. Through the Holy Spirit, or sometimes we refer to Christ being in us as Paul says here, we begin a process known as sanctification; becoming more like Jesus every day. Whether we experience big changes all at once or little ones along the way, it can be different for each but proof to ourselves of our salvation is that we are different than we were before. When our saving faith is real, we are not left the same as we were.
Those changes are what people begin to notice and they may start asking different questions like why don’t we go to the bar with them anymore.
Sometimes our friends might feel like the changes we make mean we suddenly think we’re better than them or that we’re judging them when we start living differently from them. Sometimes they might see such a positive shift in our attitude that they want to know why or what happened.
Whether they approach us out of a negative or positive reaction, we need to be ready to explain it to them.
1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
The hope Peter is referring to is our understanding that a perfect eternity is waiting for us in Heaven no matter how hard life here can get. He wants us to be ready to explain it to others who see we look at life differently now as Christians. This is a major way that others can come to a saving faith in Jesus through us.
If you identify yourself as a Christian but nothing about how your life is changing, let me ask you the hard question: why isn’t it?
Then let us offer to help you dig deeper into your faith and find a closer, changing relationship with Jesus.
by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Social media gives everyone of us the ability to share our opinions. But does that mean we should? We are out there every chance we get expounding on what we think about issues. I mean, it’s our right after all, even when we don’t even know for sure if we’re right.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
To fear the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid of God but to approach Him with deep respect for who He is. Part of that is the source of all knowledge we should follow. A fool would ignore godly advice and instruction that they know comes either from their own reading of scripture or someone they know and trust is careful in how they teach it.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.
For Christians, the first knowledge or biblical truth we should master is the gospel, God’s plan for salvation. When we have a saving faith in Jesus, a desire grows in us to become like Jesus and we do that by seeking knowledge and wisdom from scripture. As we learn, when we know it’s biblically correct, it’s ours to teach to someone else as we build relationships with other believers. We should all have people we know and trust are wise in the biblical counsel we give. As we grow, we should also become that person who others can trust.
We have to always be aware of fools in all things. There are fools sharing all sorts of ideas about every subject and issue you can imagine that can lead someone to harm and into false ideologies. There are Christians who mean well, and some who don’t, that share ideas about their faith that can actually lead us further from Jesus instead of toward him.
We have to be careful who we follow and as Christians, before we post an opinion we are burning to put out there, we should ask ourselves some questions first:
Do I know this is true?
Does it edify (lift another person up)?
If someone believes differently from me but knows I’m a Christian, does this make someone else want to pursue Christianity or does it turn someone away?
If it’s a believer seeing it, does it draw them closer to Jesus or away.
If it doesn’t help, and just adds to all the noise, maybe it’s best left unsaid so we can be thought of as wise and not a fool.
Proverbs 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
by admin | Aug 11, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ, special to Cowboys of the Cross
To be a cattleman or cattlewoman, you must be an efficient multitasker.
Think about all the skills you have learned from hands on experience or continue to develop to be good at what you love doing. To be successful in this industry you wear many aprons, such as land and water manager, part time veterinarian, equipment operator, carpenter, mechanic, meteorologist and conservationist. Also, being a student of new ways of doing something means reading and studying, which is the goal you are striving for.
Living life with this mindset of continual learning has a Biblical principle to it. It reminds me of a passage
of scripture. The verse is 2 Timothy 2:15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)
In my study of this text, I so appreciate the insight I get from multiple study Bibles I keep on my
bookshelf. When it comes to our approach to the Bible we should, read it, study it and memorize it.
The Bible – God’s inspired Word- is our only conclusive source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding
ultimate realities. Correctly handling the word of truth is likened to a furrow being plowed straight for
planting and then harvesting a crop with a combine. The good workman must be accurate and clear in
his or her exposition of God’s Word, keeping to the road themselves and making it easy for others to
follow.
Another example of being a good cattleman is that you’re always learning to become
better than the day or year before and the reason to be in the Word is to have that better and best
relationship with Christ. That way you know in your heart the day-to-day decisions you make are the
right ones, no matter what the world is telling you contrary to the truth revealed in God’s Word.
The text calls us beyond a casual approach to the scriptures. Developing an attitude to learn so we can
grow into a deeper knowledge of God is sure worth having. The foremost thing you will find is that you are loved; yes, you. From that knowledge as the most fundamental truth, growing in Christ will take on new meaning. Ultimately, that’s an eternal goal worth striving for.
We take seriously what’s important to us, not a single cattleman with money invested
into their land or herd takes a casual approach to their operation. We receive a reward for stretching
ourselves when it comes to achieving growth. I believe it’s important to have knowledgeable resources
to draw from for your business in one hand and a Bible for growing in obedience to Christ in the other
hand. God bless you as you continue to do both.
by admin | Jul 17, 2025 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ
I feed my horse every morning before I head out for work. A few things come to mind that have really
been a blessing in my early morning adventure.
First, it’s been such a delight to be out there before dawn. The stars and the moon are truly amazing
without cloud cover and it’s a wonder to behold. When I look up there is no doubt in my mind that I’m
looking at God’s creation. Genesis 1:16 recalls the creation of sun, moon and stars. We can’t have a
bright moon without the sun and on a clear night the sky comes ALIVE!!! Almighty God really knew what
He was doing. The Big Dipper is one of my favorite constellations to gaze at. It will point you right to the
North Star. If you follow the two stars that make up the end of the dipper you will see it. It’s faint, so you
must train your eyes to look for it.
Secondly, I’ve been reading my Bible while I have my horse in one of the outdoor feeding stalls enjoying
his breakfast. It takes him about 20 minutes to finish his feed. I spend that time with my
Bible opened laying across the fence rail. If it’s still dark, I use a head lamp so I can read. I have found so many amazing
passages of scripture. Some whole chapters are exciting to read. Then I find these nuggets tucked in a
sentence that just catches my eye. One such instance is about having a willing heart and mind to serve
the Lord that’s found in 2 Chronicles 28:21. When I read that, I asked the Lord to give me a true heart of
worship and a willing mind to follow Him. That’s what I want!!!
Thirdly, one dark morning due to heavy cloud cover, I did not find my horse up at the feeding stalls like
usual. The light from the barn wasn’t much help. I thought to myself, “where is he”? as I went through
the gate and then looked for him momentarily. I was getting ready to pound on the gate with the brass
latch that we keep the gate closed with, it’s how I call him up when I need to. Then, I heard him nicker, I
know that nicker of his. He stepped out of the shadow. He was up there the whole time; I just didn’t see
him in the dark.
From time to time, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit whisper or nicker at me at just the right moment. It’s
always when I wasn’t expecting it. Most often it’s a particular verse in the Bible I’ve memorized, a
worship song on the radio or hymn I heard in church. I can’t necessarily explain it but it’s a faith builder
for sure.
This is why it’s so important to be in God’s Word as a regular habit, just because you love being in it. We
find proof of this in Romans 10: 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing the word of Christ. Jesus
also promised us the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Helper, to be with you forever. And a little down in verse 26 we read, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all
that I have said to you. (All scripture is ESV)
Do yourself a favor; spend time in God’s Word and you just might hear the Holy Spirit nicker at you.
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