I first met Bill Bunting at a Cowboy Camp Meeting in the Black Mesa country of far Northwest Oklahoma. I had never met a cowboy poet before, I had heard of them, I had even seen them on TV, but I'd never actually seen one in the wild. I don't remember what he drove up in that first day, but come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Bill drive up, he just kind of appears when you ain't lookin'. From that stoic and somewhat mysterious first impression, I've come to realize Bill Bunting is a true man of God, not just some religious free spirit. He is a man whose credibility was realized through suffering and enduring the process necesssary to be made conformable to the image of Christ. While Bill's message through poetry was burned into his soul through the fiery trails of life, he never lost this unique insight into the western way of life, proving beyond a shadow of doubt he is a true cowboy at heart. The fact that the Lord will allow a man to retain his western heritage while adding the profound insight and wisdom of the kingdom of God to get His point across to a whole segment of society, proves to me there is gold here worth mining. Whether you partake of Bill's work a little at a time or all in one sitting, it will be time well spent as your spirit recognizes the truth of the word of God flavored with the aroma of sage, saddle leather, and gun smoke.
Bill Bowman: Associate Pastor
Immanuel Baptist Church
Skiatook, Ok
