Prayer

Journal Entry 2

The cowboys and Cowgirls that were about to compete in the Velma Picnic ranch rodeo during prayer.

Growing up in a Christian area, I am no stranger to seeing people pray. You heard people pray for their health, to provide them with something they needed, or to bless them in some way. Living in England and traveling around the world for the past 7 years, I stopped seeing and hearing people pray as much. Not that it wasn’t happening, but I guess it really only happened behind the church doors. I remember the looks I got the first time I took my hat off in a restaurant in England to pray over my family’s meal, which is how I was raised. It was as if it made people uncomfortable. Oh well, that’s a them problem.

This past August, I was invited to photograph the Velma Picnic ranch rodeo in Oklahoma. Different ranches sent teams of their cowboys to compete and show their skills. It was a beautiful sight to see everyone line up and remove their hats for the National Anthem. However, for some reason, I wasn’t expecting a local cowboy to lead everyone in prayer. He prayed for everyone's safety , he prayed for a good time with friends, and even prayed for the protection of the animals that were going to be involved to the rodeo. I captured this image because not only were the competitors praying , but even the horses seemed to lower their heads in respect.

God bless Cowboys!

Nathan