The Bar T Five and how Church should be!

    
     Recently Laura and I were in Jackson Wyoming for her successful shoulder surgery. While there we were able to take a ride by covered wagon into the mountains and have a meal with a hundred plus other people prepared on Dutch ovens, followed by a country concert, with audience participation and lots of laughter, provided by the Bar T Five Ranch in Jackson.

While bouncing along the trail (the wagon wheels were actually tires) I noticed some interesting things.

1.They seemed genuinely glad we were there, from the first cowgirl who welcomed us as we drove in, to the last, glad you came and whoop and a holler!

2.The staff was very organized; no need was not met from refilling the drinks, to walking with the elderly up the trail to where supper was served.

3.Even though their service i.e. business…. deals with thousands of tourists each summer and has for more than thirty years, they had the amazing ability to make you feel like you were the first folks they had ever seen, the very first ones to climb into their wagons with the rubber tires pulled by pairs of stout horses:)

4.They honored the Lord with their final song, a moving and heartfelt “How Great Thou Art” that filled the cool mountain air with a sense of deep appreciation to the one who makes life...life!

As we made our way home to our night’s accommodations, I thought are our Churches like the Bar T Five? Are we genuinely friendly, does our organization reflect careful planning and a serious focus on putting our best foot forward?

Do we care for each other and take the time to make sure everyone feels valued, even if we have to slow down to accommodate the elderly who are walking with us on the trail of life?

His message (Life eternal found in the Lord Jesus Christ) is timeless, the hope we have in the Lord, life changing! I am afraid sometimes we seem to mail it in, content with the knowledge that our Wagon Ride and meal (Salvation) has been paid for, and our need to step up and serve Him with passion is optional…it’s not!

We will never forget our time at the Bar T, I hope people can say the same thing for the right reasons when they are guests at the  Church we attend. I hope the ones who have been a part of HillTop Baptist Church for years, feel welcome and valued and needed, just like you would (Like we did) if you were at The Bar T Five Ranch, in Jackson Wyoming!

Enjoy this wonderful video and the incredible Grand Tetons of Wyoming!