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| Fred G. Ellis in the studio recording his new CD. |
Christian
Cowboy Ministries: An Interview with Fred G. Ellis
by Gina
McKnight
Social
media allows us the opportunity to connect with amazing people. One person in
particular, Fred G. Ellis, shares uplifting and motivating messages, enhancing the
social media experience. Sincere, witty, and wise, Fred brings humor and
intriguing passages to my news feed. Fred is the Executive Director of Christian Cowboy Ministries,
a non-profit that brings God's Word to prisons, as well as Cowboy Church to
those looking to enrich their faith. I enjoy reading Fred’s poetry and
passages. I think you will, too…
Welcome, Fred!
GM: Fred,
you have a large following and many fans. As a poet, you write of your faith,
being a cowboy, and life in general. Please share one of your poems...
FGE: I
have included this poem published in Humorous
Cowboy Poetry by Gibbs Smith in 1995 and my most recent poem The Last Ride which is in my new CD, A Drifters Savin’ Story.
Dear Mr.
Forman,
I
told you I was from the city the day that I was hired,
So
why in only three short days this note that I am fired?
Something
must have gone astray as your temper blew.
Oh,
please give me one more chance to make a buckaroo.
I
bought a big hat, red bandana and a leather vest,
Soon
I’ll have the boots, chaps, spurs and all the rest.
I
will learn the famous cowboy grin and talk the cowboy talk.
A cob
between my cheeks I’ll place to master the cowboy walk.
I’m
sorry for committing a horrible greenhorn sin:
Rest
assured you’ll never see me milk your bull again.
The
next time that I saddle — I know that I will pass;
The
saddle horn will not be faced toward the horse’s tail.
Let
us start anew; all the damage has been done.
Besides,
it wasn’t all my fault I branded your left bun.
I
have promised all the hands, if I ever chew again,
Before
I spit—I’ll look around and check prevailing wind.
This
is all I’ve ever wanted, to cowboy I have yearned.
I beg
you, Sir, let me stay, my lessons I have learned.
Keep
me on; don’t ship me off like some steer to the slaughter,
For
if you do, I promise you, I’ll come back and marry your daughter.
The
Last Trip
Once again,
he’ll take a trip to the tack room in the barn,
He’ll
sat beside his Slick Fork and let it spin a yarn.
The
bat wing chaps he wore for years hang upon their rack.
They
seem to say as he looks their way “You ever comin’ back?”
The
Jingle Bob’s are silent now, their tune will play no more.
His
spurs retired long ago to the nail by the door.
He
dawns the ol’ gray Stetson and again the past appears,
He
pictures pards and horses that filled up eighty years.
The
memories it holds inside have value more than gold
And
they became a poke full when he started growing old.
He’ll
shut the door one last time knowing he’ll not be back,
God
had tightened His loop of life and is takin’ up the slack.
The
visions in this cowboy’s life God will soon erase
As he
beholds the Son of Man and looks upon His face.
As he
walks back toward the cabin one memory lingers on,
The
day he gave his life to Christ in a cool morning dawn.
He
preached salvations message to a thousand hands or more
Praying
each would heed the word of God and look toward heaven’s door.
He
thanked the Lord for the life he lived as he sat upon the porch
And
wondered why the hands today are afraid to carry the torch.
copyright
Fred G. Ellis 2018
GM: Appearing
in prisons with your message of hope, music, poetry, comedy, and more, you reach
a lot of people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to know a real
Christian Cowboy. What message do you bring and how has it impacted your
audience?
FGE: In
every prison show I state, “I’m first a child of God, second a Cowboy and third
a nuisance but I’m not going there.” This opens their minds to three facts; I
believe in Christ, I am a cowboy and I enjoy humor. My message is threefold.
One, God cares for them enough to send a Cowboy with a humorous show to provide
laughter in a place where there is very little. Two, I try to encourage them to
seek the salvation of Christ Jesus who will give them comfort during their
incarceration and the promise of eternal life and a home in heaven with Him.
Third, I show them my love for God and my desire to serve Him by obeying His
call when He directed me to minister in the prisons and they too can reap the
blessings of God by obeying His will for them. It is difficult for me to say
what impact God has made through this ministry. God has never asked me to keep
a tally as you would with livestock and I don’t ask, I just go when the gates
are open. We have seen men and woman come to know the Lord during a show and I
have been thanked with the deepest and most sincere thank you’s for caring
enough to bring the show inside the walls. I’ve also been recognized by some
after they have been released and always with the same heart felt thank you’s
for my shows in the prisons. It is really not for me to know the impact of my
prison shows, only that God has used the talents He gave me to reach inmates
for 23 years
GM: Of
all the places you have visited with your message, which venue has had the most
impact?
FGE: That’s
a tough one as every venue has had a special impact on me in some way. I
believe the venue having the most impact was my first solo show at the Little
Baca Theater in Springfield, Colorado. I was supposed to perform with a cowboy
singer but the person called me and said they could not do the show for reasons
I won’t go into and would I call and cancel the show. I informed the party they
had to call and tell them they were not going to do the show because I had
committed and I was not going back on my word. I was not sure I could do a 90
minute solo show as I had only been preforming for about year and that was at
cowboy poet gatherings but I have always been full of try and keeping my word
to folks. The outcome was truly a gift from God. Not only was the show well
received but I was invited to stay at the home of one of the oldest ranch
families in that area. I never stayed at their place but did return for more
shows in Springfield. I believe God used this to show me it was Him who gave me
the gift to entertain folks and that started my years of doing one man shows.
GM: You
are a Cowboy (I've seen photos of your horse). When was your first encounter
with a horse?
FGE: My
first encounter with a horse was when I was 3 years old. His name was Little
Red and he had a leather head and broomstick body. You got it - a stick horse.
My first ride on a real horse came when I was 4. My grandma took me to some
kind of event and they had pony rides so she paid for two or three rides as I
remember but the smell and feel of that horse never left.
GM: Tell
us about the horse(s) you currently stable and how they influence your
ministry...
FGE: I
currently own 3 horses, Bonnie, Buck and Josie. Having been an outfitter for 18
years my wife, Elaine, and I started a horse program for the children of
inmates. We took the kids on week long horse trips in the mountains of
Colorado. The program lasted eight years and Bonnie is a horse from that
program. As for their influence on the ministry. They give me a time to rest
from shows and preaching and reflect on the horse programs we had through
Christian Cowboy Ministries.
GM: What
advice do you have for novice horsemen/horsewomen?
FGE: My
advice for novice horsemen and horsewomen. Save your money for feed and as soon
as the banks are clamoring for your business invest in an ice cream shop. Just
kidding. My advice is do not get a horse that is beyond your riding ability. As
horses go from un-trained to green to trained, so a rider must take the same
steps. Also take your time in learning. Fast is good in horse races but not in
learning the basics of riding. Last but not least. Learn to read your horse’s
mind during each and every ride. They will tell you everything about themselves
if you watch and listen.
GM: What
does horsemanship mean to you?
FGE: To
me horsemanship is earning the trust of the horse but in order to do that you
must first understand their world before you can teach them about yours.
GM: What
exactly is Cowboy Church and how can I participate?
FGE: What
exactly is Cowboy Church? I have been asked that question more times than I
have preached in one. Originally, they were set up to have a worship service
with no denominational rituals, just some old gospel songs and a message
straight from the bible. The service most often ended with a roping, penning
and other events in the life of a cowboy. Note-some of the Cowboy Churches
still have competition after the service. The first to attend these were
cowboys, cowgirls and ranchers. Today I would say there are more Cowboy
Churches being pastured by non-cowboys looking for some venue they can preach
at and attended by non-cowboy or AG folks who fell more at ease worshiping in a
very informal setting. The name Cowboy has always drawn attention and so it is
with Cowboy Church. The main thing to look for is if the preacher is preaching
from the Bible and his or her words are accurate. The rest depends on if you
feel at home attending.
GM: As
a motivational speaker, what is the most important concept that people should
remember for success and good living?
FGE: As
one who is born again I naturally would say the two things to insure success
and good living would be accepting Christ as one’s Lord and Savior and living
in God’s will for their life. In my spiritual messages and motivational talks I
always try to send the idea that success and good living are not a result of
goals one sets but rather the accomplishments they achieve. Often not reaching
goals can lead to a life of discouragement. Example; You set a goal to be the
number one barrel racer or calf roper but in trying to reach that goal you
never had the horse that would take you there. After a time you become discouraged
and quit with the feeling you were a failure and should not have attempted the
sport. On the other hand if your desire is to achieve recognition as a barrel
racer or calf roper and are recognized as one of these you have achieved what
you wanted and will have the satisfaction of your accomplishment. With this
attitude one will more often than not win their share of events. No matter the
educational level, financial level or societal level the end result of one’s
life accomplishments will depend on them and what they do with the talents they
have. This goes for Christians and non-alike. Remember, just because someone
rides a horse different than you do does not mean you’re wrong.
FGE Finial
Comments:
I was
blessed with being a slow learner in school and told at least twice a week I
would never make it. No one told me what it was so not knowing I achieved far
more than I realized at the time. My dream as a three year old was to be a
cowboy and that dream materialized when I was in my 40’s. While I was never
given credit for being poetic or a poet in school I found a home in Cowboy
Poetry which lead to my two different one man shows, recording of two cassette
tapes, three CD’s and a book which has been sold out. I still travel around the
country doing my shows and just recorded a new CD of my spiritual cowboy poetry
titled ‘A Drifters Savin’ Story’. I have not written a book since we stopped
using stones to write on but hope to have one out in mid-November. On top of
all this God called me to a ministry in the prisons and guest speaking at
various churches. If it sounds like I am proud of what I have achieved, I am
not. I am content in knowing God has blessed me for using the talents He gave
me to make an impact for Him on others.
Connect with Fred…
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| Fred's new CD cover and "How I dress most of the time." |
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| Fred speaking at a private party. |
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