Bible Doctrines to Live By - Cowboy Camp Newsletter March 2009

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Cowboy Camp Newsletter March 2009

Howdy Friends!

I love wintertime. The pace has been a little less hectic and I have opportunity to adjust my life's focus a little with a little more time to look over the fruit of labor past; to finish jobs around the house that were left over from last year; to study and read several good books; to meditate on what choices were made and ones I should have made; to evaluate and pray and plan for the future.

Darlene's and my health crises are now faded into an unpleasant memory and we are thankful for that. However, we have been spiritually blessed and been drawn nearer and more intimately to the Lord.during the trials. We have enjoyed our daily walks in the woods with the "girls" (Daisy and Sassy) as healing therepy and we have found encouragement and strength as we sat on our "Prayer Log" in the woods and prayed each day.

Prayer List: We are thankful that now Spring has sprung; the last vestiges of winter snow disappeared last night and I gladly welcome temperatures reaching 40 degrees. We are renewed in vigor and hope for the future as we labor in the Lord's harvest field! We have lifted up our eyes to "look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35).

The coming days of Spring and Summer will be very important and busy in our evangelistic travel ministry. I believe that the return of the Lord is imminent and I am asking you to please intensify your prayers for us. Hopefully you'll place this prayer list in your Bible and remember us at the "Throne Room." Some dates will change as it becomes necessary to make ajustments...but please pray.

Add to that prayer list:

Casey Groeneveld and Pastor Larry Gabbard are both in need of your prayers.

Casey is a beloved brother who serves on our BDTLB Board of Directors. He is currently undergoing treatment for cancer by "chemo," radiation and possible surgery. We pray God for healing so that he may return quickly to his teaching ministry Have Bible Will Travel." A Get Well Card might cheer and encourage him. You may send it to him at: 698 Mapleway Drive,

Muskegon, Michigan 49441 - E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Pastor Gabbard fills a vital part in the ministry of our Cowboy Camps Ministry by instructing in cowboy skills, teaching the Bible and Cowboy Church. This year he will be the Program Director for our South Dakota Camp. This winter he had to have his shoulder surgically re-constructed. This means a rather long and painful recovery. A Get Well Card might cheer and encourage him if you let you know that you care at: 2547 3rd Avenue, Chetek, Wisconsin 54728-8850 - E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Darlene's Family stands in in need of your comfort and prayer. Darlene received a late night phone call on Sunday that her sister-in-law, "Beverly Carlson" went home to Heaven. I wish you had the opportunity to meet Darlene's family. They are a family united in saving faith and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beverly will be greatly missed! We will need to travel to Wisconson on Friday for the funeral and memorial service. I ask your prayers for our travel and Darlene's family and Arnold her brother.

Other Special Plans:

(1) We will be preaching in Evansville, Indiana for a special Tri-State Christian Youth Ministries Rally on the 3rd and 4th of April at which time we pick up The Street Preaching Bus and drive it home to Michigan immediately following a day of preaching at the Grace Fellowship Chapel. Please pray much about this because Darlene is a little concerned about driving our car with a trailer hooked to it as I must drive the bus to Grand Rapids. Please pray.

Help Wanted and Needed: a trailer hitch must be installed, a couple of seats added and safety belts installed and we were able to purchase a roof-top air conditioner that needs to be installed.

(2) Bible Buckaroo Gospel Team: Julie Spinning Rope

At the moment, we are busy recruiting, possably 8 young people to serve as my Bible Buckaroos Gospel Team to travel with me from June 1st to August 8th. My desire is to take the "Cowboy Gospel Team" to the streets this summer during the cowboy camps. There, the cowpokes would pass out gospel tracts, sing some western style gospel songs, recite cowboy poetry, perform some comic routines, demonstrate their cowboy skills and then, preach the gospel.

Over the years, I have used "Cowboy Skills" as a "hook" to grab people's attention and found it was easy to illustrate the gospel. I have taught hundreds of young people to do "Cowboy Skills" in hopes that they will use it for the sake of the gospel.

On June 9-12, this Bible Buckaroos Gospel Team we will be living like cowboys or cowgirls at the Wild Horse Ranch in Fife Lake, Michigan. There we will ride and rope and practice cowboy skills all morning. In the afternoon, we will learn how to witness for Christ without fear, and rehearse our "Cowboy Show" for the streets and at our six "Cowboy Camps" where they will serve as counselors.

Please pray that we will recruit just the right young people and that we will be able to raise the necessary financial support for these street preaching "cowboy" missionaries.

Thankfully, young people are being sent around the world for 10 -15 days of summer time gospel ministry at great cost. I think that is wonderful and needed. However, America is a mission field; who can doubt it! It will cost us about $2000 dollars for each Bible Buckaroo for two months of ministry. This cost will cover travel expenses, supplies and a small pay check for their service - only a fraction of what they could earn at a summertime job. Please consider helping them.

(3) Two New Cowboy Camps this Summer: Some will no doubt criticize or think us foolish for not folding our tent and await the time for the economic hard times are past and for prosperity to our nation returns. However, the fact is, hard times may be an instrument of God to attract people to a hearing of the Gospel of Grace and embrace it. Nor is this the time to apologize for or de-emphasize the truth of the Mystery according to the Apostle Paul. In my opinion, now is the time to intensify the labors to evangelize. I believe that "God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory." This may will be a time of great harvest.

Last year we preached earnestly and faithfully all over the country and in our "Cowboy Camps." God gave us fruit and encouragement for our hire. However, It was not without sacrifice and the supply of God's grace.

(4) Camper Sponsorships are Needed:

Two years ago, God laid it upon the heart of Brother Richard Zandstra to ride his bicycle across America in an effort to draw attnetion to the need for evangelizing and teaching young people about Christ. His efforts and prayerful appeal allowed us to give out more than $5,000 for camper sponsorships. These are young "wanna-be" cowboys and cowgirls who might never have heard the gospel or been saved had not many made a sacrifice to help. The same was true last year when 17 friends joined me in a fundraising Cowboy Santa Fe Trail Ride in Colorado. As a result, we were able to gave over $7,000 in sponsorships and hosted 100 campers and 45 adult volunteer staff during the summer.

With the addition of two more camps, Wild Horse Ranch in Fife Lake Michigan and SonSnine Ranch in Bangor, Michigan, we will increase our outreach to more young people for the gospel. This year we will need help and partnership in this gospel labor more than ever before!

(5) Cowboy Pancake Breakfast:

To raise money for Camper Sponsorships, we are sponsoring a: "Cowboy Pancake Breakfast" at Michigan Churches: Beacon Light Church (April 18th ); Rush Creek Bible Church (May 2nd) and Coopersville Bible Church (May 9th) - all in the Grand Rapids, Michigan Area.

These Cowboy Pancake Breakfast are to call attention to special needs and ask for your help! We are planning on having "Cowboy Scoot" and his "Cowboy Trail Riders" come and provide some country and cowboy gospel music for the breakfast and some of the young people will be there to perform some cowboy skills. Horse Haven Ranch Ministries will bring a couple of horses for the little cowboys and cowgirls to ride after breakfast. We hope to see you there... 8am until 11am.

(6) Cowboy Lee Web Site:

One of the best ways to keep informed about the work in the harvest field is to check my web page. There, you will see that I have added some new features in the last month. I authored a couple of Hit the Target

new studies and a new gospel tract that I believe you will find informative and perhaps worthy of passing along to a friend.

I had to dig into a box of old family pictures to get a picture of me (8 -10 years old) and I had to dig up some memories of my childhood to illustrate this my new gospel tract, "Hit the Target." I will send you a free copy of it if you request it.

When we were but small children my brother, sister and I were a part of my Dad's Wild West Show. This was very exciting but very serious business. You see, Dad had us hold small pieces of paper in our fingers and in our mouths to be trimmed, bit by bit, by Dad's bullwhip. Then, the tables turned and it was our turn to perform. Dad would get on his knees and hold paper in his hands and mouth for us to cut it out, in rapid fire, with a whip in each hand! That meant that we could not fail to "hit the target" - a miss by a fraction of an inch could mean the loss of an eye or serious disfigurement to the face. This was serious business but not so serious as when a person misses God's "target!"

(7) Buckaroo Book Store:

While on the Web Site ...Look in the "Buckaroo Book Store" web page and see the selection of books that we have available. The new tract is there too. Why not order some for distribution.

We have printer Darlene's study, "The Fruit of the Spirit" as a series in past issues of "Truth Aflame." It will soon be available as a booklet.

During the long winter months I also authored a small booklet, "The Perfect Storm." The first installment of it will appear in the next issue of "Truth Aflame."

A special thanks to all who have taken the time to read my rambelings, writen a letter, sent an e-mail or sent a ministry gift. I pray that God will cheer your heart and shower you with His Amazing Grace.

I remain, "Ridin' for the BRAND - LJC
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