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Redemption for the Cowboy

By Z Peabody

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Prologue (Unedited Excerpt)

It’s better now, than never.

Service was long today, almost two-hours, and that’s not the longest sermon he’s ever taught. I know he got the Word of God out. And as always, at the end of his services, he doesn’t take tithes or donations, instead he encourages everyone to give to the poor. There is no joining the church, although there is baptisms.

I am here but a moment, the poor are here always.

He won’t take money in tithes because he says that the Word of God is free. Who is he to charge people to come and listen to the Word of God, Christ our Savior didn’t change.

People come as far as Huntsville to hear one of my father’s sermons, and he never disappoints them. He teaches with such fervent and praise that I can feel the Spirit of God like a warm blanket over the crowd.

So how does he provide well for a wife and two children? His second love is ranching. Our family owns this land outside of New Waverly, Texas. We own the Haylord Ranch, a cattle and horse rodeo ranch. My father is an eight-generation rancher, and he’s a Minister.

My father’s first love, before my mother, is teaching the Gospel of Christ. We have no brick-and-mortar church, but instead, we gather in a newly built barn, big enough for a gathering of about two-hundred Christ believers. The barn which also doubles as a wedding reception venue for my mother and sisters’ business.
Before the barn was built, my father held service under a huge tent. When the weather got too cold for services outside, we broke the main service into two services, and held them in our service garage, after we emptied out the large equipment.

My father is the best man on this Earth, that I know. That is why, what I need to tell him, will hurt me that much more because I don’t want to disappoint him.

It’s crazy to think that my father was in the same position with his pa that I am now. My pa wanted nothing more than to work the land and handle the stock, until one Summer he spent at a Theology camp sponsored by his family church.

To satisfy his father he would become a full-time rancher after my pa finished high school, but before he took up the reins alongside my grandpappy, he left for four years to attend the University of Texas to study Theology. But that wasn’t good enough for my pa, he didn’t want to just study religion, he wanted to study God, and to understand, and teach the Word of God, and that’s what he did.

Now, my father teaches and preaches the Gospels without taking tithes, and without a list of membership. It took my sister and I months to bring my father around to building an email list, so as to send out an email if services were cancelled so people wouldn’t have to drive all the way out here for nothing.

After each service, the crowd always helps fold the chairs and put them away. Now, standing next to him is my mother, a Jewish daughter from Jerusalem, where my father met her during his studies abroad. I think about my own time in Jerusalem. My sister, my twin and I, had gone to live one Summer with my mother’s family, and while we were there, we absorbed the teachings from the knowledge that my father had. For me, I ended up moving there for two-years to study. I came back home wanting to teach the Gospels as my father had. That was a year ago. Now, I still love the Lord, always will, but I don’t want to teach the Gospels as my father does.

When I was away, I missed my family, but most of all, I missed the ranch, and the animals. So much so, I found myself looking up degrees in animal science here at home, in Texas. I love the Lord. I breath the Word of God, but animal sciences is what calls to me too.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of asking my father to let me work with the hands taking care of the animals on the farm portion of our ranch. It is that dream that I want to happen.

“What’s got such a frown across your brow son?” I look to my left to see my mother and sister walking toward the entrance of the barn, and my father standing next to me.

“Oh, just somethings on my mind.” I say, and put a chair in its place, with the stack of chairs along the barn wall.

My mother turns, “I’ll get lunch started.”

As if he senses I need to talk, my father says, “I’ll hang back with Rem.”

When both my mother and sister walk out, my father turns to me, puts his arm around my shoulders, and together we walk out of the barn and we sit on the bench just outside the barn doors.

When todays Sunday service start, it was eleven in the morning, now it’s just past one-thirty. The sun is high, and the warm Summer winds will be weaning soon, it being early August.

“You finally ready to tell me about what’s been on your mind these past few weeks son?” My pa asks.

I’ve never known my pa to be an unfair father or boss. My pa has ever worked hard along-side the men and women that are employed on our ranch. I’ve always heard good things being talked about my pa, among the workers on our ranch and the folks in town, and especially from the people that come to hear him teach the Gospels in his sermons.

It’s his fairness toward others that I’m counting on toward me now. “Pa…. I got into… I registered for classes at the community college.” I blurt out.

He nods his head, leans forward to lean his elbows on his knees.

I continue on. “Pa, you have the gift of teaching the Gospel, but I don’t think I have that gift. I get that I’m only Twenty-four, but I know my right mind, and I think for me… animal husbandry is what I want to do with my life.”

I say and lean forward with my elbows on my knees, and wait for his reply, and when he doesn’t, I go on. “You told me you’ve wanted to be a preacher, as far back as you can remember…”

“You listened.” He says, smiling.

“Yes Sir.” I finish, “Pa, I don’t want to be a preacher, I want to work in animal science.” I blurt out.

My father just looks at me intently. He doesn’t blink, nor is there a look of shock on his face. His facial expression doesn’t give away how he’s feeling about what I just said to him.

In my twenty-four years, I have never seen or heard my Pa raise his voice to me, my sister, or my mother. Not even when I maybe needed a good talking too, my pa never lost himself to anger. 

My Pa is a big man. Standing over six foot four, with a big barrel chest and big in stature, my Pa is very commanding and at times intimidating, but in a quiet way. But all of that, my Pa is the most soft-spoken man, anyone would ever meet.

But the smile that he wore before we came outside to talk a minute ago starts to turn into a frown, and his once joyful eyes, look at me with a cold intense stare before he says,

“Well, I’m happy about that. We can always use as many degree with any type of animal science on the ranch. I much appreciate you wanting to look out for your future, but that’s not all that’s on your mind, is it son?”

“No Sir. I don’t want to work the ranch. I want to work along-side corporations to develop solutions. I want to change the world.” I say with such enthusiasm.

My Pa looks away, and stares off in the distance.

I want to work in the health maintenance and disease control of animals. But the best way for me to make changes is to get a corporation behind me with strong ties to government to make changes.

“What about the ranch. I thought you wanted to work the ranch?” He asks me, still not looking at me.
“I think I can work for the better good and make changes to ranching if I go to where I can make the most different.”

“Ranching is making a difference. We’re not just ranchers son, we take care of the land.” He looks at me.

“I understand, but I don’t think ranching is for me, right now. I want to sit at the table and help make the laws.”

“You don’t need to buy your way at the table son, you can make your own table. We have a research facility right here on Haylord Ranch.”

Now the Haylord Ranch is not just any old ranch. My Pa said as soon as my grandpappy retired, and he and my grandma moved down to their place near the Gulf. My Pa told me about his plan to use the Haylord Ranch name, to turn it into more than just a ranch, but a corporation, and he did just that.

“Yeah, but what changes are they making down there? They investigate, but they don’t try to change laws. They only do work for the ranch; I want to do work that will benefit the world.”

“The world is a big place son. May not always be a safe place.” He says.

“You taught me to never be afraid. God didn’t give us the spirit of fear.”

He smiles and nods his head, then he looks at me, intently for a moment, before he says. “Son, I wouldn’t want you to waste all that good God enthusiasm about the Gospels you’ve learned. When you got up there to teach a few Sundays back, I was shaken to my Spirit. You have a Spiritual gift son.”

“Pa, I will always love the Lord. But I have to find my way, like you did.” I say.

Now the decision is ultimately mine to make, as to what I want to do with my career life. But, I need my parent’s money for classes.

“Well, you make a good speech, and you’re your own man son. I won’t stand in your way…”
My Spirit is lifted.

“…but, you have to ask yourself, is this the calling of God, or of this of this world?”

“I’ve gone in prayer and fasting. I’m not wanting to do something against the Word of God. I want to help."

“Well then there is nothing else I need to say.” He says and starts to walk toward the house.
I holler out, “I’m asking for the money for tuition.”

He stops dead in his tracks, and without turning around, he hollers back, “No.”

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