Rodeo ministry offers midday message amid the competition hustle
ABILENE, Texas () – In rodeo culture, it is customary to have a church service, most of which are held early in the morning before competition starts. However, with the compact schedule at the Texas High School Rodeo Finals, one group is catering to the schedule during the lunch hour with rodeo professionals for inspiration.
'Definitely a first' Texas high school rodeo competitors shelter through Sunday storms
It is a serene space to escape from the chaos that's outside, something rodeo professional Trey Johnson knows all too well. Johnson said he remembers his old high school competition days.
'When you're competing the same day, you only have a couple of hours to go and eat a meal, get back, and then you've got to prepare again,' Johnson recalled. 'When I was in high school, there weren't very many people who would show up. Usually, it was early in the morning, like 7:00, 7:30 in the morning.'
With the small window of time that contestants sometimes face, Crossroads Rodeo Ministries is offering a compromise: a good meal and something that is deeply rooted in rodeo culture – church. Founder Robert Till said that most of the time, contestants do not realize just how significant the church's influence is.
'There are 60 church services going on and 60 [rodeo competitions], they think, in their region. 'I go to my next rodeo and there will be a church service there,' but nobody's thinking how big this thing is,' Till said. 'It's different than the pressure in the arena. They were fishing for words, I just said an oasis. And they said, yes, it's just a place where they can come and let down, which for us makes them open. They hear the message.'
Texas teen follows in sister's footsteps on Day 1 of State High School Rodeo Finals
Johnson attended services all the time growing up in the competitive environment, but he said it wasn't until his adult life that he took them seriously.
'I had a car accident; I woke up and was going 70 miles an hour on a four-way highway with a truck and a horse trailer. It jumped a water corridor,' Johnson said. 'That night in that upside-down horse trailer, I just made a decision. I just want to know God, I don't want to be religious. I don't want to know just church.'
Gunner Link was born with just one hand, but that isn't slowing him down
Now, he and Till bring in big names in the rodeo world to help inspire competitors during their small break from the competition. Johnson said they cater to the lunch hour, one of the only times competitors can get a break.
'It lets you kind of stay. You can let down your guard, eat lunch, learn something, but then you dial back in and you're ready. You don't feel like you're rushing or behind the ball,' Johnson said.
A pillar of competition continues to be a place of recharge. The group will tie up their services tomorrow.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Ben Johnson (No. 1)
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an exciting 2025 NFL season, which features some new faces within the organization poised to get the franchise back to its winning ways. That starts with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, as well as overhauling the interior offensive line, adding pieces on defense and a potenital impactful rookie draft class. Every day from now right up through training camp, we're counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We'll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year. We've reached the end of our countdown, where it should come as no surprise that head coach Ben Johnson has snagged our top spot as the Most Important Bear of 2025. Background Position: Head coach Age: 39 Experience: 1st season 2025 cap hit: N/A 2024 recap Ben Johnson has played a key role in the Detroit Lions' turnaround from worst to first and, over the past couple of years, a perennial playoff contender. The Lions went 15-2 last season, where their only losses came to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (week 2) and Buffalo Bills (Week 14). They were a Super Bowl favorite all season, and with their high-powered offense, led by Johnson, they appeared somewhat unstoppable. But Detroit suffered a brutal divisional loss to the Washington Commanders -- where quarterback Jared Goff turned the ball over four times while the defense allowed 38 points (with seven coming via Goff's pick six. In three years as the Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson took an underperforming Goff and turned him into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Detroit's offense has been one of the best in the NFL over the past two seasons, including this season where they're averaging 33.2 points per game (1st), 409.5 yards per game (2nd), 6.2 yards per play (3rd), 263.2 passing yards per game (2nd) and 146.4 rushing yards per game (6th). Following the Lions' loss to the Commanders, Johnson had his pick of teams to choose to serve as head coach. But there was only one right team. 2025 outlook Johnson was the most-sought after candidate in this coaching cycle, where the Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars were all clamoring for his services. But, for Johnson, Chicago was always the team. Reports even indicated that he was interested in the job the previous offseason (when the Bears opted to retain Matt Eberflus). Now, with Johnson leading the charge, the expectation is Chicago will develop into a disciplined, talented football team poised to make an impact perhaps as early as 2025. The Bears do have the second-most difficult strength of schedule, but this is a team that should be able to compete with the right coaching staff now in place. No one is expecting Chicago to become a Super Bowl contender immediately, but it's not out of the question for playoff contenders to be the expectation. Big question: Can Ben Johnson get the most out of Caleb Williams in Year 1? Johnson was hired to serve as the head coach of the Bears, but he also has the incredibly important task of developing Caleb Williams into the franchise quarterback the organization believes him to be. One of the biggest draws to Chicago, for Johnson, was Williams, who he praised back during his time with the Lions. Now, Johnson has hitched his wagon to the former No. 1 overall pick and will look to elevate his game. It's something that's not going to be immediate; it will take time. But progress is the name of the game, and even at this point of training camp, the progress is already noticeable. Johnson has built this offense around Williams -- where he certainly had a hand in the overhauling of the offensive line and adding more playmakers to the roster -- and there's reason to believe the second-year QB can flash in this offense as soon as Year 1. 30 Most Important Bears of 2025 Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jets' Jermaine Johnson remains sidelined, but still expected to be ready for Week 1
Jermaine Johnson was fully cleared by doctors a little over a week ago. Johnson has been back around the Jets at training camp the past few days, but trainers still haven't given him the okay to make his highly anticipated return to the practice field. First-year head coach Aaron Glenn said on Saturday that they are being cautious with the pass rusher, but the expectation is still that he'll be ready for the regular season opener. 'He's going through the protocol of getting himself ready,' Glenn said. 'Everyone has their own protocol -- he understands and he's working his ass off to get back, but we want to make sure we have him for the long haul. 'I've said it before, Week 1 and Week 2 it's all good, but I want to make [sure] that player is ready for the long haul -- and it's not just about him playing, it's about who he is as a person, we just want to make sure he's all good.' Johnson, of course, suffered an Achilles injury in Week 2 last season. He has been making steady progress in his recovery over the past few months, but the team still decided to place him on the PUP list at the beginning of training camp. This is a huge year for Johnson, as he could potentially hit free agency for the first time in his career next offseason after having his fifth-year option picked up just a few months ago. Before the injury, the 26-year-old had established himself as one of the NFL's top edge rushers. He landed his first career Pro Bowl appearance after recording 7.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss, 55 total tackles, 56 pressures, 20 run stops, a pick-six, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. A return to that dominant form would be a ginormous boost for Gang Green's defense.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
C.J. Gardner-Johnson believes Texans have a 'Super Bowl-caliber' team
If anyone knows what a championship-caliber roster looks like, it's C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The newest member of the Houston Texans' secondary spent the last three seasons playing in the NFC Championship and a pair of Super Bowls. In 2022, he led the Eagles in interceptions but came up short in the big game against Patrick Mahomes in Glendale. The following season, his Detroit Lions couldn't excute a late-quarter drive against the San Francisco 49ers out west. Last season, after inking a three-year deal to return to Philadelphia, Gardner-Johnson once more impacted the Eagles' defense throughout the regular season, once again helping the NFC East franchise make it to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. The difference? Philly finished the job and then some against Mahomes in the Chiefs for their first title since 2017. All three teams were good enough to hoist up a Lombardi Trophy. So, when asked how good the Texans were entering the new season, Gardner-Johnson made it known there's a championship culture on the sidelines. 'This is a Super Bowl-caliber team,' Gardner-Johnson said of Houston's roster. 'You've got guys who go out there and show it week in, week out.' It's not shocking to hear Gardner-Johnson speak highly of his new team following a trade this offseason. When he arrived in the building back in April, his motto for the season was "championship or nothing," for the team that thought his services were needed. That's the goal for the back-to-back AFC South champs entering Year 3 under DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud. The Texans have won 10-plus games in each of the past two years, but it's accumulated to is pair of divisional round appearances against the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a touchdown-plus loss. Ryans, who played for Houston in its first-ever playoff games, knows what type of talent is needed to make it to the Super Bowl. He coached it in San Francisco before returning to the Texans in 2023, meaning he too believes Gardner-Johnson's impact is much more than just a name on the roster. "You're adding a Pro Bowl, All-Pro caliber player with a Super Bowl pedigree who's done it at a high level and brings others along with him. He's a true leader by example and by talking. He does a really great job of motivating guys, getting guys to go.' Houston's secondary could be the backbone of the roster this fall. Headlined by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans' back five have been the talk of training camp after winning most of their one-on-one battles in team drills over the past weeks. It's not just Stingley, who's locked into a long-term deal through 2030 after becoming the highest-paid cornerback this offseason. Second-year cornerback Kamari Lassiter looks more fluid in coverage and physical near the line of scrimmage. Fellow 2024 draft pick Calen Bullock has made at least one "wow" play in practice each day since pads came on last Monday. But Gardner-Johnson could be the spark to take them over the top. Jalen Pitre said one can notice a difference in both attitude and ability in practice with No. 23 joining the roster. "Just to add another guy who's gonna do the same thing is not gonna do anything but continue to uplift us and continue to motivate us. I'm thankful that he's on our team and he's going to continue to motivate, push and inspire all of us, offense and defense. He's for sure a dog."
