Years ago, I was very confused when I was told that Crossroads Church would have a horse trained in real-time on stage during a service.
I was also a bit panicked as the church’s public relations director. Was this a necessary pursuit? What if a horse got loose and trampled someone and then ran rampant through the city on a days-long journey followed by live news cameras? (Welcome to the paranoid thoughts of a PR director.) The traditional term for training a wild horse is also “breaking the horse,” which sounds awful and very anti-Jesus.
After one viewing, though, my anxious thoughts were put to rest as I experienced some of the most life-changing moments I—and many others—have ever had in a church service. I saw previously untamed horses loved for the first time and then saw them respond in profound ways. And it wrecked me.
If you haven’t witnessed one of these ‘Born Wild’ services, you can check them out here. Our friend (and professional cowboy) Todd Pierce drives the weekend and uses the entirety of 45 minutes to love, train, and ride a formally wild horse in a manner reflective of what God longs to do with us.
That first viewing, I noticed God’s design of sheer strength and beauty in these creatures, which, if not for the interceding of a trained and loving wrangler, would typically run around aimlessly on plains. That didn’t sound too bad to me—until I learned that when horses are trained and work alongside humans, they’re more productive, become stronger, and live longer. They unlock abilities they would never have if left to their natural instincts.
The horses in these services usually enter the stage a little unsettled that some cowboy is leading them along (and thousands of nervous eyes are watching from seats). Over the course of the service, though, they comfortably respond to Todd’s gentle prompting. Their wide eyes relax, their prickled ears lower, and their gait completely changes. They react this way because what they’re experiencing isn’t forceful discipline or harsh breaking—it’s loving care that tenderly leads them to the best way to live.
This is meant to depict how deeply God loves us, how he wants to lead us, and the future we can have if we choose to follow him. 1 John 3:1 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Here, and in Todd’s demonstration on stage, we see God longs for us not just to be his creation—but also his children.
I have heard Todd teach in these moments about how God parents us, which has affected the words and tone I choose to use with my children. I have seen how Todd’s wisdom about marriage changed the trajectories of couples headed to divorce who received prayer after the service. I have seen someone watching online from New Zealand choose to dedicate his life to Jesus while chatting with our team because of these services.
I’ve heard so many stories and seen so many lives moved from ‘Horse Weekend,’ and I believe it’s by God’s hand.
Some may say the church isn’t designed to entertain, and I would say that the Gospel is such good news that it requires our best in how to communicate it to people who may not hear it any other way. Some are worried about the safety and respect of the horse, and trust me, as PR director, I’ve looked into it. The sound and lights don’t phase them, and they’re in the hands of someone with their best intentions at heart at a mental and physical level (I’ve got the expert opinions to back it up).
Every Horse Weekend at Crossroads, I see the heart of my God shining through in a beautiful way through his creation and the way he has taught his servants to care for it, plus a unique weekend to invite my friends and family to experience it with me. I hope you’ll get to see it, too.
To see service times and locations for this year’s Born Wild service, click here.
Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.
Reflections to share? Got an idea for an article? Email us at articles@crossroads.net
