Canelo Cowboy Church

Words from the Pastor
I want to welcome you to the March Ranch Family Fun Day (RFFD). It’s so great to see you all here! And I hope that you have brought a friend with you. Everybody needs to know Jesus and what’s a better way to find Him than in a rodeo arena?
How many of you have been by Planet Fitness and seen their advertisement as a “Judgement Free Zone?” Isn’t that great? I haven’t ever been inside of Planet Fitness before but I hope that this is true! And I hope that this is the way that Canelo Cowboy Church operates also. I really do believe it is.
I always tell everyone that these RFFD’s are Judgement Free Zones because it doesn’t matter how good you are in your event, we’re just here to have fun! And everyone is here to help everyone else I believe. We’re all pulling ropes, sharing a better way to throw a loop, letting someone know how they may be able to shave a few seconds off their barrel or pole run…because that’s what we do.
But is this the case in everything we do? James tells us in his epistle that we can’t be a person that judges others by the way that they dress or how much money that they have, we have to look at each person through the eyes of Jesus. James 2:8-9 says this, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” Favoritism James says. Holding someone in higher esteem because they look the same way we do. Or they fit into our circle better. Or they aren’t homeless and on and on and on.
Remember John 8 where the religious leaders of the day brought a woman that had been caught in adultery to Jesus trying to trap Him by telling Jesus she needed to be killed? And Jesus simply bent down and wrote on the ground. Finally, He stood up and said in verse 7, “But let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone (John 8:7).” I certainly would not be able to cast a stone! I sin each and every day. And I think that each one of us do. So, who could do the stone throwing? The only one that could throw the stone was Jesus, and He had mercy on her!
On down in the 2nd chapter of James verse 13 he tells us, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” That is pretty straight forward isn’t it? God will not show mercy if you haven’t shown mercy to others, and He will show mercy if we have sown mercy to others, very plain and simple. The dictionary defines mercy like this: “Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” And if we know Jesus as our personal Savior, isn’t that what God has shown us? There is no reason that I could ever deserve God’s mercy. It is all about Him and His love for each one of us. It is about His Son dying for us on the cross so we could have eternal life with Him. So please, for Jesus’s sake, show mercy. You will be rewarded later!
God Bless You! Let us know if we can do anything for you. Naomi and I sure love all y’all! -Pastor Steve

Remember, tomorrow we have set-up for Ranch Family Fun Day at 8 am. We could definitely use your help! It only takes about an hour. See you there!

Words from the Pastor
March has started off to be a great month for Canelo Cowboy Church already and we are barely in our second week! Last Sunday we ordained two new deacons, Fred Keys and David Stiffey and an associate pastor, Cisco Baez. I wish all of you could have been here for the service. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and preaching of the word. It is just so good to see how God is moving in our church and in our community! So please keep the leadership in your prayers because the enemy would like nothing more than to tear down what God has been building here for the past 12 plus years.
I Peter 5:8 tells us this: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” In the 7th verse Peter tells us to, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” I know that I wrote those backwards, but I did that for a reason. When are you most vulnerable for an attack from Satan? I find that in my life it is when I don’t give everything to God. When I allow my anxieties and fears to float to the top and don’t allow the Holy Spirit to work in my life. Peter writes here to “Give all.” Some translations have replaced the word Give with the word Cast. In the Greek that pretty much what it is saying! Cast your cares or worries on Jesus! Or as Carrie Underwood sings it, “Jesus take the wheel!!” Don’t allow the cares and the worries of the world to pull you down and take the joy that Jesus so freely gives us in every situation! Be alert! Or stay awake! Do not even for a moment let down you guard and allow the enemy to infiltrate your thoughts! We have the power to resist Satan. Jesus has given us everything we need to have victory in this war, no matter what the battle looks like.
And now read verse 10: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” So after you have suffered a little while, God Himself will restore you, make you strong, make you firm and make you steadfast! God will do this for you because He loves you and wants the best for you.
Sometimes, what we think is in our best interest isn’t. You see, because God has a bird’s eye view of everything that is going on in our lives, He knows when we will need a little extra help. He can see the foolish moves we are going to make even before we make them. But still, He wants only what is good for us and His desire is that we will be strong, firm and steadfast. So, He had Peter write, “After you have suffered for a little while…” Trust Him to lead you. If we keep our minds and hearts on Him, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance when he is sneaking around ready to devour us. Trust Him! Proverbs 3:5 & 6.
Please let me know if you need anything. You pray for me and I’ll pray for you. Naomi and I love you all. -Pastor Steve