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Cowboys of the Cross

Welcome to Cowboys of the Cross: your resource for Christian cowboys. Cowboys of the Cross has been providing cowboy church for the rodeo and cowboy community for more than 15 years. The website is your source for stories of faith and encouragement as well as devotions and news and information affecting cowboys of faith. Cowboys of the Cross leads cowboy church at rodeos and bull ridings in both Ontario, Canada and across the north and southeastern United States.   MORE ABOUT US HERE

Welcome home!

Welcome back friends and to the new design for the Cowboys of the Cross website.  The software we relied on to maintain our site is no longer supported and it took us awhile to get everything moved into a new system.

The new site should now be smartphone and tablet friendly while still bringing you the same great content, updated every second Thursday.

The site will still feature faith-based or encouraging stories, devotions  and teaching series to help you dig deeper into your faith, testimonies, photos and more.

Cowboy Church Services:

Join us for a short service before the event starts:

April 13 and 14

Roanoke, VA, PBR Velocity with Scott

Saturdays in April

Van Wert, Ohio bull riding with Alan

 

“I can do all things” means so much more than you think

by | April 10, 2018 | Behind the Bucking Chutes | 0 Comments

By Scott Hilgendorff/Cowboys of the Cross                 Almost every Christian in rodeo and bull riding knows the verse: Philippians 4:13-- “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” While the wording varies from Bible version to Bible version, it's one of the most common verses quoted by athletes. That's because when it's taken out of context, it can be encouraging to someone trying to succeed. We mistakenly take this verse to mean that God will give us the strength to...
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New stories and devotions every other Thursday

In all your ways...

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths — Proverbs 3:6
A Cowboy of the Cross believes God comes first and strive to follow His leading from a desire that comes from the knowledge of the cost of our salvation, paid for by Jesus Christ through is death on the cross. Through a saving and repentant faith in Jesus and the knowledge of his resurrection, we know God has forgiven our sins and will take us home to Heaven when our time here is done. Through God’s grace, we’ll get through the mistakes we make and grow more like Christ with study of Scripture, time in prayer and learning to hear God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Meet Michael Damien Moore, the newest member of the Cowboys of the Cross team

Michael Damien Moore is a bareback rider from Athens, TN and the nephew of rodeo producer Mike Moore. Originally from Alaska, Michael has started leading cowboy church, largely at rodeos in the ‘south’.  The hat he is wearing in the photo was his father’s. You’ll see why that’s important in a minute. This is his story…

    From a young age I knew something had been significant about my life. I was saved around eight years old when my Sunday school teacher asked who believed in Jesus. I remember raising my hand and being called to the front of class. I knew Jesus died for my sins – not that I knew how real death really was – and that he was raised to life again. That’s the best I could remember and that it felt like my conscience was following me around telling me to wonder literally, what would Jesus do.

     I also felt set apart like I was apart of something greater than myself that was not just an association. I later found out we call this being sealed by the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit truly was a comforting person that time in my life, through Him I asked many questions and sought these answers up until I would get distracted fighting with my brother and sister while my mom tried to raise us alone.

       I just want to say this as forward as I can, my dad killed himself while I was home at the age of Four in Cowparas Cove TX. My dad, Marvis “Buster” Moore, was stationed at Ft. Hood as the 142nd Signal Battalion Command Seargeant Major. He was well respected and he was my hero. This event has stuck with me my entire life but I have truly given this burden I carried for so long over to Jesus Christ. With the help and leadership of the Holy Ghost I have learned to address the issues that had stemmed from being fatherless.
     I’m 28 now and God has been so good to me as a son. His chastening proves that he cares how close I am in Him and in fellowship. God has given me hope through His Son’s blood and the Holy Spirit’s restoring power to carry on. I am just merely a sinful man that belongs in the mire of my disobedience and sinful flesh to wallow in, yet I am saved and have promise in Jesus’ name. I believe that He died for my sins, was resurrected in three days and seated at the right hand of the Father and will come again.
       It’s been a long life, more had followed after my dad’s death with institutions and programs for troubled youth and juvenile detention and medications. I mean the list is endless. At the age of 18, I had even attempted to take my own life. However, I realized not long ago that I have a heavenly Father who I know, and that knows me. In every situation, my God has given me the endurance I need. I hope to use my experience to help someone in need. I started riding bulls and bareback broncs because my dad did all three rough stock events, but I hope through rodeo I may spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and get other cowboys to leave their old self behind with all the drunkenness, lust and strife to become a new creation in Jesus Christ. I have sinned no less than you and deserve the same consequences, I just want everyone to believe that there is salvation and no condemnation in our Lord Jesus for those that believe in Him. We have been forgiven.

Meet our Teachers / Preachers and Site Contributors

Scott Hilgendorff

Scott Hilgendorff

The Team

Scott heads up Cowboys of the Cross, a ministry dedicated to bringing cowboy church to rodeos and bull ridings across North America but with a focus on discipleship. The ministry evolved out of Riding for Christ Ministries, the name which Scott operated under for more...

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James and Jenn Douma

James and Jenn Douma

The Team

Hey everyone, my name is James Douma. I have been involved with the rodeo for the past several years. I am a full time firefighter in Ontario during the week and ride bucking horses on the weekend. I am married to an amazing woman named Jenn and together we have a...

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Michael Damien Moore

Michael Damien Moore

The Team

Michael Damien Moore is a bareback rider from Athens, TN and the nephew of rodeo producer Mike Moore. Originally from Alaska, Michael has started leading cowboy church, largely at rodeos in the 'south'.  The hat he is wearing in the photo was his father's. You'll see...

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Josh McCarthy

Josh McCarthy

The Team

Howdy! My name’s Josh McCarthy and I compete in saddle bronc riding in the PRCA and I’m the youngest of five from northeastern Wisconsin.  I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday. I accepted Christ into my life when I was little but I didn’t...

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Alan Burt

Alan Burt

The Team

       My name is Alan R. Burt and I live in Defiance, Ohio. I came to Christ at a very young age, around seven years old. I remember hearing the gosple after a church youth program Thursday night somtime in the wintertime. I sought out one of the leaders and asked...

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Jim Bull

Jim Bull

The Team

I grew up always praying before meals and hearing that our friends that passed were in heaven. However, I never felt I knew who God was and definitely didn't have a relationship with Him. I lived my life thinking if I seemed like a good person, then I must be a good...

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Jesse Horton

Jesse Horton

The Team

I was 'raised Christian.' I can't remember a time before I was 10 years old that I wasn't a church-goer, though I remember several years of my teens where my family didn't attend church. I confessed my sin and my need for Christ when I was eight years old, but I do...

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Contact Us

 

Phone: 865_293_2668

 

Email: Scott@cowboysofthecross.com  (or use the Subscribe form)

 

Mail: Cowboys of the Cross, 3710 Warden Branch Lane, Gatlinburg, TN, 37738