Cowboy Presents Horseback Ministry

POTOMAC - Jeff Deckard and his horse LilMan, a 12-year-old AQHA Palomino stallion brought the Word of God through his Cowboy Up for Christ presentation in Potomac July 12.

Deckard set up a round pen and spoke to the crowd of more than 15 in the meadows beyond Potomac School.

Cowboy Up for Christ is family run, with wife Paula, 18 year-old daughter Casey and nine year old son Payton. Home for the Deckards is in Clinton, Ark., where they have seven horses and three ponies. They breed horses as a hobby. Cowboy Up for Christ is a stand-alone ministry that is funded solely on donations.

"We are not affiliated with any other organization," said Deckard, a self-proclaimed head boss, preacher, farrier, Deacon of Bee Branch Baptist Church and baseball commissioner, husband and father.

The program is a combination of the love of Jesus Christ and the cowboy way of life.

"We use family personal testimony as well as biblical scripture to portray the relationship between Christ and ourselves as well as the sacrifice Christ made for us," said Deckard.

The ministry began in 2004 from a conversation between some cowboys. Deckard and his friends decided to throw some "clean family fun" into the rough cowboy lifestyle.

Their first event was the Weekend Roundup Cowboy Revival.

Monthly trail rides, play days, devotions and ranch rodeos soon became a big part of the ministry. Then came the Back to School Bash Youth rally in 2007 when the Round Pen presentations took off as well.

Together with God and his family at his side, Deckard presents anywhere from 10 to 30 Round Pen Ministries a year. The 2016 Montana Mission Trip included Potomac along with seven other Montana towns. This was the sixth trip for the Cowboy Up for Christ program coming to Montana.

The messages presented through Deckard's devotions hit home for many event goers.

"We get cards and phone calls as well as media messaging telling us how the message really did touch them."  It gives people a real visual of the Gospel and our relationship with Christ, Deckard said.  "It touches not only cowboys and horse people but challenges all who hear the message to look at their relationship or lack of with Christ."

Steve and Brenda Fawcett of Potomac attended the event. They enjoyed the similarities between LilMan and Deckard and their relationship with God. "Deckard stressed how important it was for us to obey God just like LilMan was to obey his commands," Fawcett said.

The main challenge Cowboy Up for Christ faces is funding which is solely run by God's plan and will for it according to Deckard. Another challenge is traveling with a stallion. Although LilMan was born and raised by Deckard, finding places to stay overnight with a stallion can be hard. "It always makes for interesting events," with LilMan being a stallion, said Deckard. Stallions need a very secure pen and can act up if they scent a mare in season.

Fawcetts noticed during the event LilMan was a bit distracted because he knew there was a filly (young female horse) across the road. "It was a perfect illustration, even though unplanned, of how we are with God," they said.  "Other things and people [can] distract us from doing what He's called us to do and our relationship with Him."

Deckard enjoys everything about cowboy ministry. "God allowed me to be a cowboy and tell people about Jesus, [which is the] best job in the world," he said.  They enjoy meeting event attendees and stay in touch with those who have become friends.

Although it is easy for ministries to go to the bigger cities, the Deckards believe it is just as important to reach out to the rural communities as well.

For more information contact Cowboy Up for Christ Ministry by calling 501-745-2252 or 501-253-2830 or visit their website cowboyupforchrist.org. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.