As a pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church I have discovered that there is little material designed specifically for cowboy churches or cowboy ministries. Although I have been in the ministry for 14 years I had never considered writing a book however the Lord had other plans. In October of 2009 I broke my leg while competing at a 40 and over bull riding which required surgery. I do not believe that it was God's plan for me to ride a bull at the age of 46 but this book is an example that the Lord will use every situation we are in for good if we will allow Him to use us. During my time of recovery I started writing poems and short stories about my rodeo days then it turned to cowboy poetry. In the beginning it was a way to pass the time and deal with my situation. As I continued to write I began to relate my poems to scripture and it was then that the Lord truly began to use them to reach others. After sharing a few with my church I discovered that they could be a useful tool in cowboy churches and ministries or those in the western culture. This book of poems and proverbs is just another example of the Lord's Grace and Mercy in my life; it is because of His love that I am On The Trail
On The Trail
Christian Cowboy Poems and ProverbsBy Brad CurtisAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Brad Curtis
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4520-9003-0Contents
Dedication.............................................viiFOREWORD...............................................TP1ξTP1TC1[PREFACE]TC1 xiiiOVER THE EDGE..........................................1DEATH IN THE DESERT....................................6BACK AT THE RANCH......................................10HONESTY IS NOT THE ACCEPTED POLICY.....................12THE DRIVE..............................................17THE CLOSING OF THE TRIPLE 6 SALOON.....................20THE BAR-SIN RANCH......................................23THREE DAYS' RIDE.......................................28RUSTLERS REDEEMED......................................31THE FALLEN ROUND UP....................................33SILENT SPURS...........................................34RIDING DOUBLE..........................................35THE PICK-UP MAN........................................36PROTECTOR..............................................38TRUE TREASURES.........................................40MY FAIR LADY...........................................43GOOD HORSES, BAD COWBOY................................45INHERITANCE............................................50CAPTAIN COWBOY.........................................53NEVER BE ANOTHER.......................................55LISTENING TO CHRIS.....................................58THE LITTLE PAINT.......................................61BROKEN.................................................63ONE BAD BUCKAROO.......................................64THE UNHAPPY TRAIL......................................66PARDNERS FOR ETERNAL LIFE..............................67SPRING CLEANING........................................69THE RANCH..............................................71THE STRAY..............................................73THE CULL...............................................75IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT..............................77COWBOY PAUL............................................79THE OUTLAWS............................................81THE LITTLE MARE........................................83TOP HAND...............................................85COWBOY PROVERBS........................................87
Chapter One
OVER THE EDGE I pulled up on the reins,
Slid him to a stop,
Sat back in the saddle,
Looking at a long, hard drop
Beads of sweat rose up
Beneath my hat's brim
Heart pounding
There at the valley rim
My bay shook beneath me,
As if to get my attention
Or maybe to relax and
Release some tension
Then he turned his head,
Seemed to look at me
Maybe to question
The challenge—did I see?
I looked all around
Just two trails to the other side
The choice seemed quite easy
Knowing the bay that I did ride
One trail around the rim
Was narrow and quite long
The other over the edge—
There was a lot that could go wrong
If I chose the narrow way
It would be a long trip
However, over the edge,
Half the distance I could skip
Wanting to take the shortcut,
I picked a spot to go over
This should not be that hard
For one who is a drover
The first step over the edge
My little bay did not want to make
Had to give him the spurs,
A gouge and a rake
So he took me over,
Headed down valley wall
Not much room for error
He seemed to be at a crawl
With every step
I just gave my bay his head
He knew where we were;
Sure-footed, well bred
Now rocks and dirt
Slid beneath my bay
He had brought me this far
Without even a sway
But about halfway down
I knew I had chosen wrong
It was steeper than I thought
Though my bay was strong
We were now in some brush
It hid the rocky trail
For the first time,
My bay felt a bit frail
When he slipped the first time,
I cursed and gasped for air
Then the second time,
I finally questioned why we were there
Now at that point
There was no turning back
The sun was going down,
The valley growing black
Then came the point
My bay drew to a halt
He knew what was ahead, and
We both knew who was at fault
I grabbed the horn,
With my split reins, I did whip
It was then my bay stumbled
This was the last slip
As my bay fell,
My mind began to race
I knew death was there
In darkened valley place
He rolled over me,
Then slid down the valley wall
Before I quit rolling,
His name I began to call
There on the valley floor,
I found my bay-horse friend
His eyes had that look
His life was near its end
He then looked up at me,
Not to blame ... maybe to say good-bye
There in that dark valley
I watched my friend die
As I gathered my things,
Saddle, tack, and gear,
I headed out of the valley
Looking back with a tear
As I stumbled walking,
There in that dark place
I came to a truth—
One I had to face
...