Saturday, January 17, 1998

Christian cowboys spreading the word on horseback

By KERRI GINIS / Odessa American

ODESSA, Texas -- As role models for today's youth, world champion team ropers Allen Bach and Jake Barnes share the importance of God in their lives.

They live according to Christian values and offer religious testimonials on the significance of accepting God at a young age. Bach and Barnes say God has blessed every aspect of their lives, including their rodeo accomplishments.

Barnes, a seven-time world champion team roper, recently gave a testimonial at the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo Christian Youth Night in front of an estimated 1,000 youth from around West Texas.

"We are trying to teach kids to learn from our mistakes. No matter what, God will forgive you for your sins," he said.

Barnes said when he was younger, he wished there were a Christian roper for him to look up to. Instead he drifted away from God and lost sight of what really mattered in life -- his faith.

"I finally decided to turn my life around," he said. "I turned my life over to God."

Bach, who has given testimonials at the last two youth nights, said he also has taken God into his life and follows Christian values.

"I have been a Christian in the rodeo for 20 years and God has blessed me all the way through," he said.

Bach said he is not a preacher, but does want others to know the impact God has had on his life.

"If I have the chance to stand up and tell kids what he means to me, I'm happy to do that," he said.

The Christian Youth Night was started four years ago after the rodeo's executive committee was looking for a way to increase participation at the rodeo on Wednesday night, which is when many people attend church.

The night was designed to bring together all Christian denominations in one setting, said Jay Lindsey, chairman for the rodeo's Christian Youth Night Committee.

"We don't promote any church over another," he said. "This is a Christ-centered program."

The SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo is the only pro-rodeo in the United States that holds a Christian Youth Night, and attracts youth from as far away as Clovis, N.M.

The night offers teens a chance to come together and listen to those who have accepted God in their lives and those who hold Christian ideals, Lindsey said.

"In the world we live in today, kids don't have role models," Lindsey said. "In the rodeo world there are Christian cowboys who walk the walk and talk the talk."

In previous years, many of the youth who have attended the event have learned how to avoid peer pressure and found ways to bring God into their lives, he added.

"The purpose is for attendees to see a person can be successful in life and be a Christian," Lindsey said.

"This is a wanted program aimed at the heart of kids," he said. Lindsey said many of the cowboys who participate in the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo are devout Christians who want to spread the influence God has had on their lives with others.

"They truly are role models," he said. "Christianity is the thing that makes them different."

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Distributed by The Associated Press