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Photo Credit: Linda Owen

Ron Moore sits on a bale of hay and talks to his "cowdog," Will. Scratching the Australian Red Heeler's ears, he asks, "What's your favorite Bible verse, Will?" Will leans forward and "whispers" something into his master's ear. Moore grins and replies, "Nope, Will. The verse you're thinking about is James 4:7, 'Resist the devil and he will flee.' It's not 'resist the devil and you won't have fleas!'" Will wags his stubby tail as if he understands—and Moore believes he does, along with the 180 other country folk who come to the barn-church on Sunday morning to hear Moore preach and recite "cowboy poetry."

Cowboy poetry is a North American tradition. There are gatherings held throughout the United States and Canada, which Ron and Will faithfully attend. Like most cowboy poetry, Ron Moore's is rhymed, metered verse written by someone who has lived in the cattle culture. However, Moore's performances are even more intriguing, because he does Christian cowboy poetry. He presents the gospel in a unique and humorous way "in order to encourage Christians to be bolder witnesses." Moore picks his guitar as background music for the poems and ballads, and between poems Ron and Will interact, as Ron tells jokes and quotes favorite Bible verses.

	"Lord, I pray that I love you, Like this ole dog loves me. Yeah, Will, he's the perfect example, Of the type of Christian I should be." —from "Man's Best Friend"

Will also does tricks on cue, such as praying and waving at the crowd.

During the week, Will helps Ron in his work with horses and cattle. He seems to know when it's Sunday, because Moore finds him in the bed of the pickup waiting to go to church.

Twelve years ago Moore's first poem, "The Master's Cowdog," was inspired by his dog's eagerness to attend church—even if he had to sit in the truck during the service. Moore's verses talk about Will jumping in the truck raring to go, long before the family was ready. "Later, as we worked with horses and cattle, Will was always right close and I began to see a lot of parallels between the life of a cowdog (and this cowboy) and the Christian walk," Moore explains.

As Will helped him to gather the cattle in the pastures and move them from one corral to another, Moore had his first revelation: "Lord, I pray that I'm as obedient as this old dog. Like Will, I'm not just your servant. You're my best friend, too. I want to work for you."

Moore presents the full gospel using lots of cowboy stories and analogies drawn from his lifetime experiences as a professional saddle bronc rider and horse trainer. Using imagery from the western culture, he parallels the breaking of bucking horses to God's activity in the lives of sinners. Horse bridles are equated to bridling the tongue. Heaven is called God's barn "that's big enough for all." Will's fleas are used to point out the "itch" that results from sin.

In his poem "God Doesn't Need Another Rabbit Dog," Moore relates a time when loyal Will left his work to chase a rabbit, ignoring his owner's calls. Moore kept riding through the brush, "doing more work than one man can do," until his horse went lame. When Will finally showed up, he had his tongue out, panting. "He had chased the rabbit all day long—but he knew he'd done wrong," says a line from the verse. Then comes the sermon message: "Do whatever God calls [you to do]. God doesn't need another rabbit dog; God needs a cowdog."

Actually, Moore's sidekick is the second generation of his dad, the original Will. "We had two litters from his mama Mae, and out of those puppies the Lord provided one little pup that had the exact same markings and build as old Will," Moore says. "When little Will received his father's mantle, he received a double anointing and has been very effective in getting the truths of the gospel across to folks."

Moore is the pastor of Thousand Hills Cowboy Church (www.1000hillscc.com), a Christian fellowship outside Kerrville in the scenic Texas Hill Country; and he is an evangelist who flies his plane to all parts of the country to perform his unique brand of poetry for events of all kinds—from worship services to family reunions, rodeos, cowboy camp meetings, and artistic gatherings. He currently has three cds out and is working on a fourth.

"I've talked to a lot of folks who haven't been to church in years," Moore says. "The Good News about Jesus is just as effective when preached to folks on hay bales in a barn as it is when preached to those on padded pews surrounded by stained glass. After all, it's not the method used to preach the gospel that saves; it's the message."

Linda Owen is a writer based in San Antonio, Texas.

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