Rodeo Round-up Revival wraps up

BONIFAY – This year’s Rodeo Round-up Revival came to a close Wednesday night as friends and family came to witness the progress made by those 55 children that participated in the three days of learning the ropes of rodeo and Jesus Christ.

“This isn’t your conventional church-type setting, because I doubt the church you’re used to has calf-roping and bull riding,” said Pastor of the Cowboy Church Jerrod Jenkins. “But Jesus says, ‘where two or more gather in My name, there am I with them,’ and we are here to worship Him.”

He said that Jesus wasn’t conventional either.

“Like when he put mud on the blind man’s eyes to make him see,” he said. “He wanted to make you think outside the box and outside the conventional realm of reasoning.”

The evening started with praise and worship with a local Christian band called “Consumed”.

After the praise and worship, Jenkins baptized eight children, one of which was saved during the revival.

“Our motto this Round-up was ‘Sold the Old and Do the New,’ which means we have sold our old life in preparations for the new one we have in Christ,” said Jenkins. “And that’s what these children here tonight have done and now they come before you to profess their faith and begin their new life as Christians.”

He explained that once you’ve sold something it was no longer yours to go back to, “and that’s what you should do with the old parts of your lives and be sold out for Jesus.”

He then presented awards to the “most improved cowboy and cowgirl” of the Round-up, Cody Hinote of Chipley and Brittney Williams of Graceville.

The message was a call to “take up your bed and walk.”

Jenkins started by reading John 5:1 – 8, which set the scene of a pool of water that was used to heal the sick, lame and wounded on certain occasions when the waters were stirred by angels.

It went on to tell about a paralyzed man who was living by the pool for 38 years, waiting for his turn to be healed.

“This man had been living there for 38 years, which meant someone had to take care of him,” said Jenkins. “And Jesus came upon him and asked ‘do you want to get well?’; what a question to ask.”

He explained that the question was necessary, because if that man were to be healed he would have to get up and get to work.

“Don’t you think it would be tempting to be taken care of for the rest of your life,” he said. “And that’s how it is in our life in sin; sometimes it’s so much easier not to work on getting your life together.”

He gave his testimony of his life in drugs and despair and his call to “take up his bed and walk.”

“It’s not going to be an easy road, but the Bible says that wide and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it,” he said. “Be one of those few who finds that road that leads to life.”

The evening was wrapped up with a show of the participants’ new skills in barrel racing, beginner horsemanship, bull riding and calf roping.

For more information on Cowboy Church contact Jarrod Jenkins at 863-634-9517.

For video and photos, go to www.bonifaynow.com under recent videos and photo galleries.