The Poems of a Cowboy Preacher


Book Description

Lee Brock was born in Lamesa, Texas, in October 1923. His parents were cotton farmers on the plains of Texas where he learned about hard work, wind, windmills, horses, cattle and the beauty of nature. In school he learned to express his thoughts about his life in poems. He was saved, baptized, and called to preach in a revival at Seminole, Texas, in 1938, and a spiritual element was added to his poetry. Thus began a lifetime of poetry writing from the perspective of a cowboy preacher. Lee graduated from high school in Hermleigh, Texas in 1941 and was ordained to preach on December 7, 1941-the same day that Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enrolled in Wayland Baptist College in January 1942. There he met Frances Patterson, and they married eighteen months later. He attended Baylor University for two years before graduating from Howard Payne University in 1947. He pastored churches in Rockdale and Thorndale while going to school and after graduation moved on the field at Mountain Home, Texas. It was ranch country and the cowboy helped the local ranchers with their work while he ministered to their spiritual needs as pastor. But in 1952 under the leadership of the Lord he moved to Camas, Washington to start a new church. As a bi-vocational pastor, he helped the people move from Sunday meeting in a Seven Day Adventist Church (who meet on Saturdays) to having a nice building on the outskirts of town. Several leaders in the Northwest Baptist Convention today came from that church. Lee's ministry stretched over fifty years and across pastorates in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Williams Lake, British Columbia, The Dalles, Oregon, Goldendale, Washington and Rufus, Oregon. People were blessed by his leadership, his loving spirit, and, of course, his poetry.




On the Trail


Book Description

As a pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church I have discovered that there is little material designed specifically for cowboy churches or cowboy ministries. Although I have been in the ministry for 14 years I had never considered writing a book however the Lord had other plans. In October of 2009 I broke my leg while competing at a 40 and over bull riding which required surgery. I do not believe that it was God's plan for me to ride a bull at the age of 46 but this book is an example that the Lord will use every situation we are in for good if we will allow Him to use us. During my time of recovery I started writing poems and short stories about my rodeo days then it turned to cowboy poetry. In the beginning it was a way to pass the time and deal with my situation. As I continued to write I began to relate my poems to scripture and it was then that the Lord truly began to use them to reach others. After sharing a few with my church I discovered that they could be a useful tool in cowboy churches and ministries or those in the western culture. This book of poems and proverbs is just another example of the Lord's Grace and Mercy in my life; it is because of His love that I am On The Trail




He Holds the Reins


Book Description

As a pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church I have discovered that there is little material designed specifically for cowboy churches or cowboy ministries. Although I have been in the ministry for 16 years I had never considered writing a book however the Lord had other plans. In October of 2009 I broke my leg while competing at a 40 and over bull riding which required surgery. I do not believe that it was God's plan for me to ride a bull at the age of 46 but my books are an example that the Lord will use every situation we are in for good if we will allow Him to use us. During my time of recovery I started writing poems and short stories about my rodeo days then it turned to cowboy poetry. In the beginning it was a way to pass the time and deal with my situation. As I continued to write I began to relate my poems to scripture and it was then that the Lord truly began to use them to reach others. After sharing a few with my church I discovered that they could be a useful tool in cowboy churches and ministries or those in the western culture. My first book of poems and proverbs On The Trail was just another example of the Lord's Grace and Mercy in my life. He Holds The Reins is a continuation of that Grace and Mercy. Now that I am On The Trail with Christ I allow Him to take the reins of my life while I ride toward heaven on the narrow trail.




Cowboy Poets & Cowboy Poetry


Book Description

This book offers the first in-depth examination of a distinctive and community-based tradition rich with larger-than-life heroes, vivid occupational language, humor, and unblinking encounters with birth, death, nature, and animals in the poetry.




The Gentleman Cowboy


Book Description

These poems, accompanied by stories that tell the thoughts behind the poems, are so filled with local color, you will find yourself right there with the author...wanting to join the author on any of those rides across the ranch that inspired the writing of these poems and stories. The author has lived a life filled with adventures. Even Hollywood wants to retell many of those adventures. This book gives you a much deeper insight into lessons learned through good and bad choices. You will find yourself in many places, physically and mentally, thinking over what you have read. You will look out through the author's eyes...off a mountain top...across a beautiful valley. Or you may look up into the night sky at all those stars and shiver thinking about, "How big (is) our God?" These are poems that come right from the heart. Each time you read a poem you will gain from that reading no matter how many times you read it. Then as you read the story that accompanies the poem you will be drawn even closer to this person that has learned the Lord has much to offer. Each poem is a Testimony to the blessings of life. See if you can count all you gain from this book; it has to do with living and learning. It is not hard to figure out the author is very close to animals especially horses. Everyone has a heart for horses and the love of the heart returns through the stories in this book. We have all heard or read that God is Love. You will find as you read through these poems and stories an undeniable recognition of love felt by the author; inspirations that can only be given to us by God. A Father that loves us so much that He was willing to give His Son to die to us. This book is able to take you in any direction you want to go. You may want to use it to get you through the day or use it to make the day go away. You decide how to use this book. You will find this book is your friend, to enjoy any place, any time, and with any one!




Good Poems for Hard Times


Book Description

"The book is full of strong, memorable poems that stick with readers like a friend during a long, hard night. " - The Christian Science Monitor Here, readers will find solace in works that are bracing and courageous, organized into such resonant headings as "Such As It Is More or Less" and "Let It Spill." From William Shakespeare and Walt Whitman to R. S. Gwynn and Mary Oliver, the voices gathered in this collection will be more than welcome to those who've been struck by bad news, who are burdened by stress, or who simply appreciate the power of good poetry.







Saddle up With Jesus


Book Description

Saddle Up With Jesus is a book about life touched by the Master’s hand. Most of the poems are centered around a cowboy on a cattle drive., his experiences and his conversation with the father about them. They describe him praising his heavenly father, faith in his miraculous power, spending quiet time with him, and sharing him with others. Last but not least the poems describe living with Jesus. They touch on the Bible, different people, church, sorrow, times of testing, cowboy gear and heaven. All of them are pictures in words of our daily ride through life with Jesus. Finally, the last poem in the book is a sharing of how some people in the world view our heavenly father. The title of the poem is “What Would I Do Without Jesus?” I don’t know the answer to the question nor do I want to know the answer to the question. I always want to be found in the saddle with Jesus.







Cowboy Psalms


Book Description

There are a few things that every Christian cowboy can't get enough of-relishing in wide open spaces, breathing in the fresh air, soaking up the clear skies, bonding with the Big Trail Boss, and rediscovering His beauty in nature. This poetry isn't for the cowboy who is all hat and no saddle. Get ready to ride the Chisholm Trail, bust a bronc, get the feel of the old days, or remind yourself of God's grace. Cowboy Psalms captures the true cowboy's way of life. This inspiring collection will offer you insight into the bond between a cowboy and the Big Trail Boss, and you just may discover the cowboy that lives in everyone. Saddle up your horses for a trail ride, but don't forget to pack Cowboy Psalms next to your canteen and chow.