"Bronc-stomper"

For sure an old bronc-stomper,

On the JAs was ranch raised,

A Palo Duro hero,

Pretty set in cowboy ways.

And then he got an invite,

To a thing they called a demo,

Planned to start a horse, of course,

A whisperer, the memo.

He stood there as the horseman,

Moved the colt around and round,

No plan to throw the houlihan,

Or choke him to the ground.

Roped a foot but only pulled,

Enough to check his stride,

Then shook it off with hands so soft,

And saddled up to ride.

The old man had a mental flash,

Of those feisty four year olds,

That bit and kicked and pawed, that’s it,

From memories long untold.

He thought this way’s much better,

When the pony didn’t buck,

He moved right out without a doubt,

And not just ‘cause of luck.

But the quiet, slower way to go,

From what was done before,

Introduced, by some deduced,

To ease a cowboy’s chore.

Bronc-stomper grinned and shook his head,

Amazed by what he saw,

Looking back, and it’s a fact,

Thought about a young outlaw,

A blue roan that escaped ‘em all,

Till they caught him on the fly,

At a water hole where they were told,

He’d be when things got dry.

He’d been the worst they ever had,

To try their best to tame,

The need for speed was obvious,

And Blue Boy was his name.

And never could they get him rode,

And later sold in town,

No doubt you know, for a rodeo,

To throw the riders down,

Should we have whispered to him,

Was what went through his mind,

When he shook hands as other fans,

Did their best to find,

A better way to get their mount,

To do what they should do,

It worked for some, not everyone,

But that’s typical, it’s true.

The old man humbly thanked the one,

Who put the clinic on,

They laughed a lot because they got,

The grace to get along.

They shared that equine passion,

That some folks never know,

The saddle times, horizons fine,

On horses fast or slow.

The stomper and the whisperer,

The old and new together,

The legacy and prophecy,

Bound by horse and saddle leather.

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.’” (Matthew 13:52, NASV)

Jesus affirmed the value of God’s revelation under the Old Covenant, including the fact that God’s law is eternal and applicable to all. But He also affirms that the New Covenant will bring salvation for law-breakers as well as the power of the Holy Spirit for disciples to ultimately fulfill it. The treasure of both old and new, as in the bronc-stomper poem, instructs every authentic believer in Jesus Christ. We are able to draw from God’s great storehouse of truth, beginning with His earliest revelation.

Lord, help us value all You have revealed to us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.