The Music Of My Life
Voices of the ridge
Songs Written by Rina Lynn for the book series ‘Prepare For The End.’
Music by SUNO

Some were written just for me
Some were written for my characters in my new book series.
I just had to share!

Have you ever found yourself in a place where others were always deciding your life?

Maybe someone’s words, imposed a persona on you, that you took up,
with no ability to know who you really are, or your value.

You didn’t own your worth, talents, or accomplishments, and instead, let other people’s voices and opinions, determine who you are.

I did. I spent a while working through it,
and when I decided I had to learn to shut other voices out,
and believe in myself, and who I knew I was, and then could; I wrote a song about it.


Come and meet them in the book series.
You’ll love them!
They have heart, soul, endurance, and a faith that will test your own.

Prepare For The End Series (5 book series) Kindle Edition

#Rina Lynn # Free Book # Total Freedom # Abuse Recovery # A Safe Haven # Prepare For the End # Help A New Author # Force Of Nature # Own Your Bravery # Get It Now! # NOT Your Momma’s Christian Fiction! # Songs Of the Ridge #Show Me #Cowboy Day # The Music Of My Life
https://youtu.be/dBy_HtgvAlU

HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion

A Rope That
Reaches
HEAVEN
A cowboy never rides out without his rope — and a believer should never ride out without prayer.

Mark 11:22–24
|
James 5:16–18
|
1 Thess. 5:17
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

✦ Saddle Up
No Cowboy Rides Out Without His Rope
Walk down the line of saddled horses at any ranch in the country, and you'll see the same thing hanging off every saddle: a rope. Not because trouble is guaranteed that day — but because a cowboy never knows when he'll need it, and when he needs it, nothing else will do. The rope pulls calves out of bogs. It catches what's running away. It drags what's too heavy to carry. It's the tool that extends a man's reach far past the end of his own arm.

A cowboy would sooner ride out without his hat than without his rope. It's checked, coiled, and hung where his hand can find it without looking.

Friend, prayer is that rope for the believer. It is the God-given tool that extends your reach past everything your own two hands can do — all the way up into the throne room of heaven. And this morning, the Word of God wants to show you what that rope is made of, how it's thrown, and why it should never leave your saddle.

✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
Believe That You Receive
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

Mark 11:22–24 · NKJV

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

James 5:16–18 · NKJV

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 · NKJV

✦ Part One ✦
✦ Mark 11:22–24
Faith Is the Arm That Throws the Rope
Notice the order of Jesus' words in Mark 11. Before He says one thing about asking, He says: Have faith in God. Faith comes first — because faith is what puts power behind the prayer. A rope lying coiled on the saddle horn catches nothing. It has to be thrown, and thrown with intent, by an arm that believes the loop will land.

A young hand learning to rope throws timid — half-hearted loops that fall short and collapse. Why? He doesn't yet believe his throw. But watch an old roper. Smooth, committed, full follow-through — because a thousand catches have taught him that the loop goes where he sends it.

"A timid loop never caught a calf, and a doubting prayer never moved a mountain."

Jesus says pray like that. Believe that you receive. Not a wish flung at the ceiling. Not a maybe muttered out of habit. A full-armed, committed throw of faith — aimed at a God who is good, who is listening, and who is able. That's not arrogance, and it's not a magic formula for getting whatever we want; John tells us confidence in prayer rests on asking according to His will. It's confidence in the One catching the other end of the rope. The mountain doesn't move because your throw is perfect. It moves because your God is.

✦ Part Two ✦
✦ James 5:16–18
An Ordinary Man and an Extraordinary Rope
James makes a statement that ought to stop every one of us mid-stride: The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Avails much — not a little, not sometimes, not symbolically. Much. Real weight moves when a righteous man throws that rope with fervor.

And then James gives us his example — Elijah. A man who prayed and the sky shut for three and a half years. Prayed again and it opened. But don't miss the phrase James tucks in there: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. Same doubts. Same fears. Same bad days. This is the same Elijah who ran scared from Jezebel and asked God to let him die under a juniper tree. Not a superhero. A plain man with a strong rope.

"God doesn't need a special man. He needs an ordinary man who actually throws the rope."

That word fervent matters too. It means prayer with your whole arm in it — earnest, persistent, engaged. Elijah didn't mumble once about rain and walk off. First Kings says he bowed to the ground and sent his servant to look at the sky seven times. Six times: nothing. He kept praying. The seventh: a cloud the size of a man's hand — and then the sky went black with rain.

Some of you are six throws in on something and thinking about coiling up the rope. Don't. The cloud may already be rising past the horizon where you can't see it yet.

✦ Part Three ✦
✦ 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Keep the Rope on the Saddle, Not in the Barn
Three words from Paul: Pray without ceasing. Not "pray when it's bad." Not "pray on Sundays." Without ceasing — prayer as the constant companion of the ride, not the emergency kit you dig out after the wreck.

Too many believers treat prayer like a fire extinguisher — mounted on the wall, glass unbroken, touched only in catastrophe. But the cowboy's rope isn't emergency equipment. It's everyday equipment. He uses it constantly, for big jobs and small ones, until throwing it is as natural as breathing. That's the prayer life Paul is describing: talking to God in the truck, at the gate, over the fence line, in the waiting room — a running conversation with the One who never leaves your side.

Keeping the rope within reach

First Light

Throw the first loop of the day before your boots hit the porch — even three sentences of honest prayer aims the whole day.


All Day Long

Short throws, all day: gratitude at the gate, intercession in the truck, help in the hard moment. No ceremony required.


Last Watch

Coil the day back up with God before sleep — confess it, thank Him for it, and hand tomorrow's weight to the night watchman who never dozes.

"Prayer was never meant to be your last resort. It's your first rope, your best rope, and the only one long enough to reach heaven."

And remember what Jesus said about the mustard seed — faith doesn't have to be huge to be real. A seed's power isn't in its size but in what it's planted in. Your little faith, planted in a limitless God, throws a rope that no mountain, no drought, no diagnosis, and no locked door can withstand. So ride out this morning with the rope on your saddle, cowboy. Throw it early. Throw it often. Throw it with your whole arm. Heaven is holding the other end.

✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Honest gut-check: is prayer your everyday rope or your emergency kit? What would "praying without ceasing" actually look like woven through your normal day?

Jesus said believe that you receive. Where have your prayers become timid loops — asked without any real expectation that God will act?

Elijah was an ordinary man who kept praying — seven looks at the sky before the cloud appeared. What have you quit praying about too soon that God may be calling you to take back up?

Faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains because of Who it's planted in. Is your confidence resting on the size of your faith — or on the greatness of your God?

✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father,

Thank You that prayer is real — not a ritual, not a formality, but a rope that runs from my saddle all the way to Your throne. Thank You that You hear, that You act, and that You invite an ordinary man like me to come boldly.

Forgive me for the timid loops — the prayers I've thrown halfway, expecting nothing, and the seasons I've left the rope hanging in the barn until trouble hit. This morning I'm putting it back on the saddle where it belongs.

Grow my faith, Lord. Teach me to pray like Elijah — an ordinary man, praying earnestly, refusing to quit at the sixth look when the cloud is coming on the seventh. Give me a praying life that runs all day long: first light, fence line, and last watch.

And for the mountain in front of me right now — You know the one — I'm throwing the rope this morning with my whole arm. I believe You are good, I believe You are able, and I trust Your answer, Your timing, and Your will.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

✦ Cowboy Motivational Quote ✦
"A cowboy never rides out without his rope, so don't you ride out without your prayers. Throw 'em early, throw 'em often, and throw 'em with your whole arm — because that rope reaches all the way to heaven, and the Lord's never once let go of His end."
— Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

HC Cowboy Ministries

Cowboys & the Cross Podcast

Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ

HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion

PROOF
of the Brand
On a ranch, nobody cares what you say you can do. They watch what you do. Heaven watches the same way.

2 Corinthians 9:13
|
2 Corinthians 9:6–8
|
James 2:17
|
Matthew 5:16
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

✦ Saddle Up
Talk Is Cheap on a Ranch
Every outfit has met him — the new hand who shows up talking big. Claims he can rope anything with four legs, ride anything with hair, and outwork any man in the bunkhouse. And every seasoned cowboy responds the same way: nobody argues with him. Nobody debates him. They just hand him a rope, point him at the herd, and watch.

Because on a ranch, the proof isn't in the talking. The proof is in the doing. Within one gather, everybody knows exactly what that man is made of — not because of what he claimed, but because of what they witnessed.

The Apostle Paul understood this principle down to his boots. In 2 Corinthians 9, he's writing about a collection being gathered for the suffering believers in Jerusalem — and in verse 13, he says something remarkable about what generous giving actually does. It proves things. It testifies. It shows the watching world that a man's confession of Christ isn't just talk — and it makes people glorify God. This morning, let's ride through it.

✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
The Proof of This Ministry
...while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men.

2 Corinthians 9:13 · NKJV

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 · NKJV

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:17 · NKJV

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 · NKJV

✦ Part One ✦
✦ The Obedience of Your Confession
Your Life Is the Proof of Your Words
Look at Paul's phrase: the obedience of your confession. The Corinthians had confessed the gospel of Christ with their mouths. But Paul says their giving was the proof — the demonstration that the confession was real. Their open hands backed up their open mouths.

That's brand-inspector language. When cattle come through the sale barn, the inspector doesn't take the seller's word for whose stock it is. He reads the brand. The mark on the hide is the proof of ownership — visible, verifiable, burned in. Paul is saying your life carries a brand the world can read, and generosity is one of its clearest marks.

"Your confession tells folks whose you claim to be. Your conduct shows them whose you really are."

James says it even harder: faith by itself, without works, is dead. He's not saying works save you — salvation is by grace through faith alone. He's saying living faith always leaves tracks. A horse that never leaves hoofprints isn't standing still — it isn't there at all. And a faith that never produces obedience, generosity, or love isn't dormant. It was never alive.

Cowboy, this morning's question is simple: if a brand inspector examined your life — not your words, your life — whose mark would he find on it?

✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Liberal Sharing
The Law of the Chuckwagon
Paul praises the Corinthians for their liberal sharing with them and all men. Not careful sharing. Not calculated sharing. Liberal — generous, open-handed, more than required.

The old West had its own version of that. It was the unwritten law of the chuckwagon: nobody who rode up hungry got turned away. Stranger or friend, hired hand or drifter, you got a plate and a place by the fire. Homesteaders left the cabin unlocked with firewood stacked and coffee on the shelf for whoever might pass through in a storm. Neighbors showed up at branding time without being asked and never sent a bill. That generosity wasn't weakness — it was the backbone of survival in hard country, and it was a matter of honor.

"Nobody ever rode away from a chuckwagon hungry — and nobody should ever walk away from a Christian empty."

Notice too the reach of it: sharing with them and all men. The Corinthians were Gentiles giving to Jewish believers they'd never met — across every line their culture drew. Chuckwagon generosity didn't check your background before it filled your plate, and neither does gospel generosity. It flows to the brother in the church pew and to the stranger on the road, because it isn't responding to the worthiness of the receiver. It's reflecting the character of the Giver.

What liberal sharing looks like from the saddle

Your Provision

The paycheck, the harvest, the extra — held with an open hand, ready to feed whoever God sends up your trail.


Your Time

Showing up at your neighbor's branding — the hospital visit, the fence that needs two men, the widow's truck that won't start.


Your Fire

A place at your table and a seat by your fire for the lonely, the drifting, and the ones nobody else invites.

And here's the promise that funds it all — verse 8: God is able to make all grace abound toward you... that you may have an abundance for every good work. The rancher who shares his hay isn't gambling; he's trusting the God who grows the grass. You cannot out-give the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

✦ Part Three ✦
✦ They Glorify God
The Glory Rides Past You to Him
Now catch the destination of it all. When the Jerusalem believers received the Corinthians' gift, Paul says they didn't throw a parade for Corinth. They glorified God. The generosity was so clearly the fruit of the gospel that the praise sailed right past the givers and landed on the Giver of all things.

That's the exact target Jesus set in Matthew 5:16 — let your light shine so that men see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Not glorify you. Him.

"A good hand doesn't work to get his name talked about. He works so the brand he rides for is respected in every county it's known."

A cowboy who rides for a great outfit understands this instinctively. When he does his job with excellence, folks don't just say "that's a good man" — they say "that outfit hires good men." His work raises the reputation of the brand. And when you live open-handed, keep your word, show up for your neighbor, and give like God's supply has no bottom — the watching world doesn't just conclude you're generous. They conclude your God is real.

That's the proof of the ministry. That's the obedience of your confession. That's a cowboy's life preaching a sermon his mouth never has to finish. So ride out this morning with open hands — and let every gift, every favor, every plate filled at your fire send the glory right on up the trail to the One who deserves it.

✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
If someone examined the proof of your life this past month — your giving, your time, your open hands — what would it testify about your confession of Christ?

The chuckwagon law fed stranger and friend alike. Is your generosity reaching "all men," or only the folks who are easy to give to?

Paul says God supplies "an abundance for every good work." Is there a generosity God has been nudging you toward that you've been holding back on out of fear of not having enough?

When people experience your kindness, does the glory land on you — or does it travel past you to your Father in heaven? How can you aim it higher this week?

✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father,

You are the great Giver — You gave Your own Son before I ever gave You a thing. Every acre, every animal, every dollar and every breath I have came off Your supply wagon first.

So this morning I'm asking You to make my life the proof of my confession. I don't want to be the hand who talks big at the bunkhouse and comes up empty at the gather. Let my giving, my time, my table, and my fire testify that the gospel I claim has actually taken hold of me.

Teach me the law of the chuckwagon, Lord — nobody turned away, nobody sent off empty. Stretch my generosity past the easy people to all men, the way Yours stretched all the way to me. And when I'm tempted to grip tight out of fear, remind me that You are able to make all grace abound, and that I cannot out-give the God who owns it all.

Most of all — let the glory ride past me and land on You. Let folks see the work and praise the Father. That's the brand I want my life to carry.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

✦ Cowboy Motivational Quote ✦
"Any man can claim a brand with his mouth. The proof is in how he rides, how he gives, and who gets fed at his fire. Live so open-handed that when folks see your tracks, they don't praise the cowboy — they praise the God he rides for."
— Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

HC Cowboy Ministries

Cowboys & the Cross Podcast

Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ

Is your conduct reined in? For those of us who were privileged to grow up on a farm and have been exposed to horse riding, we should know that the bit, headpiece, and reins to a horse are essential horse tack (horse gear or equipment) to control the animal. All work together to form a means of communicating with the horse. Bits work by applying pressure inside the horse’s mouth. Depending on the bit used, it may apply pressure on the horse’s TONGUE, the roof of the mouth, and the corners of the mouth. This designed metal bit provides CONTROL to the “horse rider” (equestrian/jockey/cowboy or girl) where it guides the horse precisely in doing what is required. In terms of humans, we do not wear bridles, but we are called to exercise bridled speech that is restrained, carefully considered, and disciplined as it would direct our conduct in the end,; just as with the bridled horse. Applying the reins, we shall arrive where safely intended. Where there are no reins applied, the end could be disastrous for the rider.
In Scripture James 3:3 we see the reflection and caution: We put a bit into the mouth of a horse to make it obey us, and we are able to make it go where we want (as described above). Therefore, reign your tongue. Be careful of what you say and how you say it. You are a Christian and need to be a good representation of Christ. The words you say literally have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and CAN MAKE OR BREAK THOSE YOU “TRANSPORT” OR GUIDE. Keep that in mind when you are speaking. When you use your words carelessly, it can damage your testimony and hinder your ability to reach others for Christ. Choose your words wisely and always speak with love! Working on encouraging others and building them up rather than tearing them down (1 Thessalonians 5:11). It is the prayer of SATM – Southern Africa Truckers Ministry that you shall take hands with fellow believers and us in being watchful of what we speak and how we express ourselves. Colossians 4:6 instructs us that our speech should at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you]. When we follow these guidelines in terms of our conversations and interaction with those around us, we shall reap the consequences which could be to our benefit if applied.

HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion

The Code
✦ ✝ ✦
and the Cross
The cowboy code isn't something you signed once. It's something you live every sunrise — and so is following Jesus.

Lamentations 3:22–23
|
Luke 9:23
|
Psalm 25:4–5
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

✦ Saddle Up
The Code Was Never Written Down
The old cowboy code was never printed in a rulebook. Nobody signed it. Nobody swore it before a judge. And yet every hand on every outfit knew it by heart: keep your word. Ride for the brand. Finish what you start. Take care of your horse before you take care of yourself. Do the hard thing when the hard thing is the right thing. Never leave a man in trouble.

Here's what made the code powerful — it wasn't a one-time decision. It was a daily practice. A cowboy didn't live the code by having agreed to it once back in his youth. He lived it by getting up every single morning and choosing it again. In the rain. In the dust. When the boss was watching and when nobody was. The code was renewed at every sunrise, or it wasn't a code at all — it was just a memory.

Friend, your walk with Jesus works exactly the same way. And this morning, the Word of God has something to say about daily renewal that every code-living cowboy will understand in his bones.

✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
New Every Morning
Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23 · NKJV

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

Luke 9:23 · NKJV

Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:4–5 · NKJV

✦ Part One ✦
✦ Luke 9:23
Jesus Put the Word "Daily" in There on Purpose
Look carefully at Luke 9:23. Jesus didn't say take up your cross once. He didn't say take it up when you got baptized, or the day you walked the aisle, or that summer at camp when you got serious about God. He said take up your cross daily.

That one word changes everything about how we understand the Christian life. Following Jesus isn't a decision you made — it's a decision you make. Past tense faith is like a past tense code: if it only lives in your history, it doesn't live at all.

"A cowboy doesn't ride on yesterday's saddle time, and a Christian doesn't walk on yesterday's surrender."

Every working man knows this rhythm. You don't feed the horses once and call it done for the month. You don't check the fence line one time a year. The ranch runs on daily faithfulness — small, repeated, unglamorous acts of showing up. Nobody applauds you for feeding at dawn. But everything alive on that place depends on it.

Your soul runs the same way. Daily surrender. Daily prayer. Daily time in the Word. Daily choosing His way over your way. It isn't glamorous, and most of it happens where nobody sees. But everything alive in your walk with God depends on it.

✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Lamentations 3
His Mercies Beat You to the Barn
Now here's the part that keeps daily renewal from becoming a burden — because if this were all on you, it would crush you. Jeremiah, writing from the ashes of a destroyed Jerusalem, in one of the darkest books in the Bible, suddenly lifts his head and declares: His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.

Catch what that means. Before you got up this morning — before your boots hit the floor, before you had one good thought or made one right choice — God's mercy was already up. Already waiting. Already new. You don't renew your walk with Jesus by manufacturing fresh commitment out of your own grit. You renew it by meeting the mercy that got there first.

"You didn't beat God to the sunrise. His mercy was saddled and waiting before your feet ever hit the floor."

Yesterday's failures? Covered by this morning's mercy. Yesterday's victories? They were His grace too — and today comes with a fresh supply. That's why the cowboy code and the Cross fit together so well: the code demands daily faithfulness, but the Cross supplies daily mercy. One without the other either crushes a man or coddles him. Together, they build him.

✦ Part Three ✦
✦ The Code & the Book
The Cowboy Code Was Always Pointing to the Book
Ever notice how much of the old cowboy code sounds like it was lifted straight out of Scripture? That's no accident. The men who carved out the West carried Bibles in their saddlebags, and the code they lived by grew out of the Book they read by firelight. Look at how they line up:

1
Keep your word — your handshake is your bond.

"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'" — Matthew 5:37

2
Ride for the brand — be loyal to the outfit you serve.

"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." — Luke 9:62

3
Finish what you start — see the job through.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." — 2 Timothy 4:7

4
Take care of your horse before yourself — put others first.

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal." — Proverbs 12:10 · "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." — Philippians 2:4

5
Do the hard thing when it's the right thing.

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." — James 4:17

6
Never leave a man in trouble.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." — Galatians 6:2

"The code will make you a good man. Only the Cross can make you a new one."

But hear this clearly: the code, as good as it is, can only shape your conduct. It can't save your soul. A man can keep every point of the code and still be lost without Jesus. The code tells you how to ride — the Cross tells you Whose you are. Live the code because you love the Christ, not instead of knowing Him. And renew both every morning: pick up the code with your boots, and pick up the Cross with your heart.

Psalm 25 gives us the daily prayer for it: Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Not "showed me once." Show me — today, fresh, again. That's a man renewing his walk. That's a cowboy living the code. Same posture. Same sunrise. Same faithful God.

✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Is your faith running on a decision you made years ago, or a surrender you renewed this morning? What does "take up your cross daily" look like practically for you today?

Which point of the code comes easiest to you — and which one does the Lord keep bringing back around because it still needs work?

Lamentations says His mercies are new every morning. Is there a failure from yesterday you're still carrying that this morning's mercy has already covered?

The code shapes conduct; only the Cross saves. Is there any part of you that's been trusting your good living instead of your Savior? What would it mean to lay that down today?

✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your mercies didn't run out at midnight. Thank You that before my boots hit the floor this morning, Your compassion was already new, already waiting, already enough for whatever this day holds.

Lord, I take up my cross again today — not because yesterday didn't count, but because You said daily, and I believe You meant it. Renew my walk this morning. Where my faith has gone stale, breathe on it. Where my commitment has been coasting on old decisions, bring it back to a fresh surrender.

Help me live the code the way the old-timers did — keeping my word, riding for Your brand, finishing what I start, putting others ahead of myself, doing the hard right thing, and never leaving a soul in trouble. But keep me from ever trusting the code instead of the Cross. My good living doesn't save me. Your Son does.

Show me Your ways, O LORD. Teach me Your paths. Today. Fresh. Again.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

✦ Cowboy Motivational Quote ✦
"The code ain't something you signed — it's something you saddle up every morning. Same with following Jesus. His mercy is new at every sunrise, so meet Him there, partner. Live the code. Carry the Cross. And ride today like both of them matter — because they do."
— Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

HC Cowboy Ministries

Cowboys & the Cross Podcast

Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ

HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion

Ride Into
the Storm
God never told you to outrun the hard things. He told you He'd ride through them with you.

Isaiah 43:2
|
Mark 4:37–40
|
1 Cor. 15:33
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

✦ Before the Thunder Rolls
Every Cowboy Knows That Sky
You've seen it. That sky in the west that goes green and purple, where the clouds stack up like a wall and the wind shifts direction without warning. The cattle get nervous. The horses feel it before you do. And every man on the range has to make a decision in that moment — do you ride toward it, or do you run?

A seasoned cowboy knows you don't always get to choose whether the storm comes. But you do get to choose how you meet it. And the worst thing you can do when a fast storm rolls in is panic, scatter, and run — because running blind in a storm is more dangerous than standing your ground in one.

This morning, God has something to say about the storms of life — the ones that come at you fast and hit hard. He's not calling you to be reckless. He's calling you to be faithful. And He's got a word about who you bring with you when you ride in.

✦ The Word ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
What God Says About the Storm
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:2 · NKJV

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:37–39 · NKJV

Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

1 Corinthians 15:33 · NKJV

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:17 · NKJV

✦ Part One ✦
✦ Don't Run
God Said "Through," Not "Around"
Read Isaiah 43:2 again carefully. God didn't say if you pass through the waters. He said when. He didn't promise to relocate you to storm-free country. He promised to be with you when the water rises. That's not a small distinction — that's everything.

Too many of God's people spend their whole lives trying to route around the hard seasons. The difficult marriage. The financial wreck. The illness, the loss, the betrayal. They pray for a way out instead of asking God to walk them through. And in doing so, they miss the very thing God was trying to build in them in the middle of the storm.

"God didn't promise you calm weather. He promised you His presence in every weather."

Look at Jesus in that boat in Mark 4. He didn't turn the vessel around when the storm hit. He was asleep — not because He was indifferent, but because He had no fear of what the storm could do. When His disciples woke Him in a panic, He didn't rebuke the storm first. He rebuked their fear. "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Then He spoke to the wind and the water — and they obeyed Him.

The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them.

That's the lesson, friend. When the storm hits fast and hard — when the sky turns on you and everything gets loud and dark — don't turn tail. Ride in. Because Jesus is already in the boat, and He's not losing any sleep over what's coming at you.

"The disciples wanted out of the storm. Jesus wanted them to discover who was in the boat with them."

Riding into a storm doesn't mean being foolish. It means trusting that the God who made the storm can calm it at any moment — and that until He does, He's using it for something you can't yet see from where you're sitting.

✦ Part Two ✦
✦ Choose Carefully
But Be Careful Who You Bring With You
Here's the other side of this — and don't miss it. Riding into the storm takes courage. But riding into the storm with the wrong people can get you — and them — killed.

Every experienced cowboy knows that when a storm rolls in hard and fast, you don't hand a green-broke horse to a nervous rider and send them out together. A panicking rider on a panicking horse in the middle of a storm is a disaster waiting to happen. You choose your riders the same way you choose your horses — proven, steady, and trained for hard conditions.

⚠ The Warning

Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:33 are blunt: evil company corrupts good habits. This isn't about being better than anyone else. It's about recognizing that the people riding alongside you in a storm will either steady you or scatter you. Their faith — or their fear — is contagious.

When you're in a season of trial, the voices closest to you have enormous power. A person who speaks doubt into your ear every mile will wear you down faster than the storm itself.

Think about Job. God let the storm come — and Job's wife told him to curse God and die. His friends sat with him for seven days in silence, which was the best thing they did. The moment they opened their mouths, they added to his burden instead of lifting it. They weren't bad people — but they were the wrong riders for that storm.

Think about David running from Saul. He didn't run alone — but he ran with men who were mighty, loyal, and battle-tested. He didn't bring the palace gossips into the wilderness with him. He brought warriors.

Who belongs on your ride?
Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron. That means friction is part of the process — but it's supposed to make you sharper, not weaker. The right riding partner in a storm challenges you toward faith, not away from it. They pray with you, not just talk at you. They point you back to the Word when you're ready to quit. They don't have all the answers — but they know Who does.

✦ Bring Someone Who...

Prays more than they panic. Speaks faith when the sky goes dark. Stays when it gets hard. Points you to Scripture, not just sympathy. Has ridden through their own storms and still trusts God.

⚠ Be Cautious of Someone Who...

Adds fear to an already fearful moment. Has no anchor in God themselves. Wants to talk you out of trusting. Bails when the storm hits hardest. Uses your storm to pour out their own bitterness.

"You can't control the storm. But you can control who rides into it with you."

This isn't about casting people out of your life. It's about wisdom. There's a difference between who you love and who you take into the storm. You can love someone deeply and still know they are not the right person to ride beside you in a crisis. Love them. Pray for them. But choose your storm riders wisely.

✦ Ride It Home ✦
✦ Application
Before You Saddle Up This Morning
Maybe you're looking at a storm on the horizon right now. Maybe it's already on top of you — the clouds are black, the wind is loud, and everything in you wants to run. Don't run. Ride in. The God who told Isaiah "I will be with you" doesn't break His word.

And as you ride in — take a hard look at who's riding with you. Not to judge them, but to be honest. Are the people closest to you in this season building your faith or draining it? Are they iron that sharpens iron, or are they pulling you toward fear and doubt?

You were not built to ride alone. But you were also not built to ride with just anybody. God gives us people — faithful, storm-tested, Word-grounded people — for exactly these moments. Lean into those relationships. Be that person for someone else. And let the One who calms the wind and the waves be the lead rider in everything you face today.

"Ride in. Hold on. Keep your eyes on the One who owns the storm — and choose your riders like your life depends on it. Because it might."

✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions to Carry Into the Day
Is there a storm in your life right now that you've been trying to ride around instead of through? What would it look like to face it head-on with God beside you?

When trials hit, is your first instinct to run, to freeze, or to pray? What does that reveal about where your faith is rooted?

Who are the two or three people you turn to first when life gets hard? Are they riders who build your faith — or do they pull you toward fear?

Is there someone in your life right now who needs you to be a faithful storm-rider alongside them? What would that look like practically this week?

✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Lord God,

The storm is real. I won't pretend it isn't. The wind is loud and the trail ahead is hard to see. But I am choosing this morning to ride in — because You are in the boat with me, and You have never lost a storm yet.

Give me the faith to stop running and start trusting. Remind me today that "through" is not the same as "alone." You said You'd be with me in the water, in the fire, in every hard place — and I am standing on that promise right now.

Lord, give me wisdom about who I bring into this season with me. Show me who speaks faith and who speaks fear. Guard my heart from voices that lead me away from You. And bring alongside me the iron that sharpens iron — people who love You, love me, and will ride hard toward You no matter how dark it gets.

I trust You with the storm. Have Your way in it. Do what only You can do.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

HC Cowboy Ministries

Cowboys & the Cross Podcast

Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ

HC Cowboy Ministries · Cowboys & the Cross Podcast · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ
Cowboy Morning Devotion

Walking in the Light
No cowboy rides well in the dark. Neither does a soul.

1 John 1:5–10
|
NKJV
Rev. Joseph Holmes · HC Cowboy Ministries

✦ Before the Sun Comes Up
Every Cowboy Needs Light
Any man who's ever saddled a horse before dawn knows the value of a lantern. In the dark, you can miss a loose cinch, step in a hole, or lose the trail entirely. You might be moving — but moving wrong. And out on the range, moving wrong can cost you everything.

The Apostle John opens his first letter with one of the most straightforward declarations in all of Scripture: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. No shadows. No blind spots. No hidden ditches. Pure, unbroken light.

This morning we're going to ride through 1 John 1:5-10 verse by verse and let it do what God's Word always does — show us where we are, show us where He is, and show us the trail home.

✦ The Scripture ✦
✦ Holy Scripture
1 John 1:5–10 (NKJV)
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 John 1:5–10 · New King James Version

✦ Verse by Verse ✦
✦ Breaking It Down
Riding Through the Passage
Verse 5

"God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

John isn't being poetic here — he's being precise. God doesn't just have light. He doesn't just give light. He is light. That means when you walk with Him, you walk in absolute clarity. No shadows, no half-truths, no dim corners where sin can hide. Out on the ranch, a man who carries a lantern lights up everything around him. That's what it means to carry the presence of God.

Verse 6

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."

John goes straight for the throat here. A man can say he knows God — can wear the name, use the language, sit in the pew — and still be walking in darkness. John calls that what it is: a lie. You cannot claim the bunkhouse and sleep out in the storm at the same time. Fellowship with God and fellowship with darkness are mutually exclusive. One of them is real. One of them is a story you're telling yourself.

"You can't claim the bunkhouse and sleep out in the storm at the same time."

Verse 7

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Here's where the passage turns from warning to wonder. Walking in the light doesn't mean being perfect — it means being honest. It means stepping out of the shadows and into the open where God can see you, where your brothers and sisters can see you, and where the blood of Jesus can do its work. The blood doesn't cleanse the man hiding in the dark. It cleanses the man who brings his mess into the light.

Verse 8

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Every honest cowboy knows a horse that won't show his faults during a tryout is one you better not buy. Something's being hidden. John says the same about a man who claims sinlessness — the truth isn't in him. Self-deception is one of the most dangerous conditions a soul can be in, because the man who doesn't think he needs a doctor will never go to one. You have to own the wound before it can be healed.

"You have to own the wound before it can be healed."

Verse 9

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

This is the golden nail that holds the whole passage together. Confession isn't groveling — it's agreeing with God about what's true. When we confess, we step into the light and say: "Lord, You're right about this. I've been wrong." And God, who is both faithful and just — meaning His forgiveness isn't soft sentiment, it's grounded in the finished work of the Cross — cleanses us. Not partially. Not conditionally. From all unrighteousness. Every bit of the mud gets washed off.

Verse 10

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

John closes hard. Denying your sin doesn't just deceive yourself — it calls God a liar. The whole counsel of Scripture testifies that all have sinned and fallen short. A man who says otherwise isn't humble — he's proud and dangerous. The Word of God has no room to take root in a heart that's already full of itself. Pride closes the door. Humility opens it.

✦ Application ✦
✦ Ride It Home
What This Means Before You Ride Out Today
Friend, this passage isn't a list of rules — it's a description of how God designed the soul to function. We were made for the light. Sin is what drives us into the shadows, makes us hide, makes us put on a face and pretend everything's fine while we're dying inside.

But here's the beautiful thing about walking in the light: it's not about being perfect. It's about being honest. God already knows everything you've done, everything you're carrying, every crooked thing you've tried to keep out of sight. He isn't waiting to be surprised. He's waiting for you to stop hiding and just come to Him.

Confession is not weakness. Out on the ranch, the cowboy who can look his boss in the eye and say "I made a mistake, here's what happened, here's how I'm fixing it" — that's a man of character. That's the kind of man the outfit trusts. Confession is that same honesty with God, and He responds not with condemnation but with a clean slate.

"Ride into this day in the light — honest before God, clean through the blood, and walking in fellowship with the One who lights every trail."

So before you ride out this morning — before the work starts, before the noise starts, before the day gets ahead of you — take a minute. Step into the light. Let God see you as you are. Confess what needs confessing. Receive what only He can give.

Then ride out clean.

✦ Reflection ✦
✦ Sit with This
Questions for the Morning
Is there an area of your life right now where you've been walking in the shadows — avoiding the light of God's Word or the accountability of other believers?

What does it mean personally to you that God is not just a source of light, but is light itself? How does that shape the way you approach Him in prayer?

Is there a sin you've been minimizing or excusing rather than confessing? What would it look like to bring it honestly before God today?

How does the promise of verse 9 — that He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse — change the way you feel about coming to God with your failures?

✦ Morning Prayer
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father,

You are light, and in You there is no darkness at all. This morning I step out of the shadows and into Your presence — not because I have it all together, but because You told me to come as I am.

I confess that I have sinned. I've walked in places You didn't lead me. I've said things I shouldn't have said, thought things I shouldn't have thought, and done things I knew better than to do. I'm not hiding it anymore. I'm bringing it to You.

Thank You that You are faithful and just. Thank You that the blood of Jesus Christ — shed on that Cross, risen from that grave — is still enough. Still powerful. Still able to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Every bit of it.

Set my feet on the trail today. Let me walk in Your light — honest, clean, and close to You. And where I've been riding alone in the dark, Lord, lead me back to the light of Your Word and Your people.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

HC Cowboy Ministries

Cowboys & the Cross Podcast

Rev. Joseph Holmes · Riding for the Brand of Jesus Christ

We at TruLight Ministries are currently busy with our 14th Episode of our 4th Educational Radio Drama Play -

WHAT IS A Educational Radio Drama Play ???
well It's Like an Audio Movie.

and in our 1st Play, we portrayed what Happened the 3 Days Jesus was in the Grave and what Happened in the Underworld,

Our 2nd and 3rd Plays is About End time Prophecy events, the 1st one covers the Bible Prophecy events that still have to Happen and the 2nd - the Bible Prophecy events that have already taken place,

Our 4th Educational Radio Drama Play is about the Doctrines of Demons currently preached around the world, This Western Cowboy theme Radio Drama will have 25 Episodes, but 13 Has already been released, Follow The Sheriff of the Church, His Horse Justice and later His companion Merci in their Travel as they address False Doctrines of Demons currently defying the Church. experience Radio Drama like never released before - on this Link https://sheriffofthechurch.co.za/the-sheriff-of-the-church-i-tell-you-tru-radio-drama/

THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
Life Lesson on Clingmans Dome.

By Hal Steenson

April 12th, 2026

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Looking at those old vacation photographs, I was reminded of how hot it was that week, even in the Great Smoky Mountains. I was wearing shorts in that picture, and with my skinny legs, that was a rare occurrence! The photo showed some of us sitting on a concrete bench trying to catch our breath. We were on our way up the walkway that led to Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies.

From Gatlinburg, Tennessee, it was a 16-mile drive through the forest to Newfound Gap, and then another seven miles before we reached the Dome. The temperature from the Gap to the Dome usually drops about 20 to 30 degrees, but that blistering July day, the heat seemed to actually rise. And after we reached the Dome parking lot, we became aware that there was another quarter-mile uphill walk to the Dome Observation Tower, and it seemed to be at a 45-degree angle!

Every time we went there, we always took several pictures on the way up, but very few on the way down—probably because we stopped more to rest on the way up, and scurried back quickly on the downhill trek. It was always fun to tease the groups headed to the Tower who were only a short distance from reaching it, by saying, “Hey, don’t give up, you’re about halfway there!” Many of them looked as if they would cry! And it was during one of my complaining moments that God decided to give me a “checkup from the neck up,” and a real life lesson.

We were about halfway up the trail, and boy, was I complaining. This was a National Park, so surely they had money to install some easier way to get up that hill! I couldn’t understand why they didn’t have a tram to shuttle people up and down this mountain. At least they could offer golf carts to fat people like me! I would be happy to pay for a ride to the top.

Then it was time for God’s lesson, and it came from behind us. Someone was laughing. No, two people were laughing, and they were laughing hysterically! What in the name of pinecones could be so funny on this mountain? Nothing about this experience was funny to me. And not only were they laughing, but they were also making all kinds of strange noises. There were squeaking sounds like wheels turning, and stomping sounds like a soldier marching in combat boots.

I turned around just in time to see a tall lanky country boy taking long strides, almost running up the path in a pair of cowboy boots—pushing a wheelchair, and laughing at his wife, who was having the ride of her life as they headed for the observation tower.

I heard him politely asking, “Excuse me sir. Excuse me ma’am. We’re coming through.” And she would laugh even harder.

I might add that she was no frail little thing, so his work was cut out for him, and he was loving every minute of it. She laughed, and he laughed, as they headed to the top of the world.

At first, everyone else on the path was shocked, but then they began to laugh and rejoice with that couple. I laughed a little, too, then looked for a hole to climb into and hide! How many people have heard me griping and complaining? I wondered. What do I really have to nitpick over? My wife is healthy and walking by my side.

Why wasn’t he complaining? It may have been because they were both too busy enjoying life to concern themselves with unimportant things. It may have been because they were too much in love with one another that day to have thought about anything else.

Maybe he got up every day, looked at her, and said, “Thank God you’re alive!” to which she responded, “Thank God that I have you!” and then they both laughed.

My name is Jason Curtman, and I’ve been in radio since 2011, beginning with a nationally syndicated show and later spending over a decade helping build a Dallas-based network. Along the way, I came to believe radio should be more than noise—it should shape thinking, strengthen communities, and preserve principles. In 2025, I set out to build something different: a station grounded in strength without anger, conviction without outrage, and clarity without chaos. That vision became Liberty Heritage Radio—a place where heritage matters, conversations are thoughtful, and listeners are challenged, not manipulated.

Launched in November 2025, Liberty Heritage Radio blends American oldies with original programming like Cowboy Cantos and American Considerations, alongside our flagship show Those Who Show Up Decide with Chez Sanchez. This station exists to elevate discourse, not inflame it—to engage, not shout. It’s built on the belief that thoughtful voices still matter and that showing up shapes the future. Be sure to check out the schedule page at https://www.libertyheritagebroadcasting.com/schedule