Family can mean so many different things to different people. To some, family is the dreaded people you loath to see each once a year. Yet for many, family is the people you rely on the most. I was a little different growing up. I didn’t just have a mom, dad, and siblings; I had a whole church family.
I attended the very first Cowboy Church service, when I was eleven years old. I remember it very well. A small tent protected us from the sun. God sent a very light breeze to cool us off. There wasn’t very many people, just a few close friends and family. I remember it being so special. We worshiped God for hours.
Some Sundays it rained, some it snowed, yet our congregation kept growing. Soon our little tent was too small, and it was time to find a larger location. We soon had a huge youth group. These kids were my siblings in Christ. Whenever one of us had a problem, we all worked together to fix it. We had a range of kids from five to twenty. When one of us fell, we all picked them up.
I found my place in God’s kingdom, when we started a dance team. When I danced, the Holy Spirit would enter in my toes and come out my ears. I loved praising my Father in dance. I’m the most ungraceful person in the world! Yet when I danced for him, I could have been an Olympic ballerina.
I am now seventeen, and my favorite place to be is at church. How many teenagers can say that? Cowboy Church has grown me up to be an amazing child of God. Without my “family”, I would never know how amazing Gods grace is. I will praise him all of my days. Thank God for Cowboy Church.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
