"Once Upon a Gather"

Once upon a gather,

We were saddled in the fall,

And no place I’d rather,

Be than on a cow hunt, y’all.

For the steers on native pasture,

Where they’d grazed for most a year,

Sometimes they scattered faster,

Than we could drive ‘em near.

And Dean and Sid and old R.C,

Whom we called Uncle Sweet,

They’re the ones who rode with me,

They’d oftentimes repeat,

Now this is how we’ll get it done,

As they laid out our plan,

All about the early sun,

And where the cattle ran.

We had to rope the wild ones,

And sometimes with canines,

And we sure had some fast runs,

To capture those bovines.

And I can smell the horse sweat,

I can hear the cattle bawl,

Can remember how it felt yet,

And the cowboys’ whistlin’ call.

And now it’s just a memory,

When we cowboyed way back then,

And I relive my history,

When I’m horseback now, my friend.

And those who ever did it,

Have ne’er a thing to prove,

Though posers won’t admit it,

The cattle they can’t move.

The real ones are the best ones,

Men of the horse and land,

They really are the blessed ones,

They rode out for the brand.

Could be you’ve seen pretenders,

Decked out with boots and hat,

But only just weekenders,

That’s all there is to that.

But those who rode the country,

And had to rope the cattle quick,

Might sometimes say it bluntly,

Fakes make ‘em kinda sick.

The real is like the air they breathe,

As natural as can be,

And only they one’s doubts relieve,

When they cowboy up, you see.

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that.” (2 Timothy 3:5, NLT)

The older translation says they will have a “form of godliness but deny the power thereof.” Being religious is full of posing and fakery. Unfortunately we don’t have to look far to see it. The clear warning is not to be a pretender but embrace the life of true discipleship. Also, Paul warns Timothy to stay away from the posers. That’s not always easy, but is no less necessary. Why? Because whether we want to admit it or not, we can be influenced by the wrong folks. The advice is clear. Don’t be one. Don’t hang around with one. Amen.

Lord, help us be authentic disciples through and through, in Jesus’ name.

Art by JaNeil Anderson, used by permission. Thanks, JaNeil, and God bless you.