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Allen: In roping, people start off and get to a certain level fast. Even though they rope pretty good and get to doing a lot of great things they can also adopt a lot of bad habits. This is just like in life or marriage whether it is being a spouse, parent or coach. When you have a certain level of success it is time to recommit yourself to improvement. A lot of people have a certain level of success whether it is just messing around golfing, roping or even being a parent. It is not hard to be mediocre. A lot of people get to a point where they don’t get any better! The answer to that is being able to recommit yourself and desire to have a teachable spirit. In order to do that we have to embrace the fact that conviction is a good thing. Conviction is what brings truth in your life. Only the truth will help you get better. We also have to understand it is never comfortable to get better.

Clay: Getting better involves change. Every aspect of our lives is in constant change! Everything from our spiritual lives to our roping! With roping, in order to keep up with the times, a person has to be open minded and dedicated to getting better. We have to constantly watch and learn. We have to be willing to change and try new things that give us the ability to get better. Life is no different! In life we are constantly going through stages of change. The same thing applies spiritually! As we read God’s word and get more knowledge of who He is and how He created us to be, it becomes all about changing and maturing through God. We have to be willing to change and do what God wants us to do!

Allen: The Bible tells us “Do not conform to this world but transform by the renewing of your mind”. To truly transform you have to be truthful with yourself! It takes truth to help you get better. Whether it is in your job, marriage, children or your roping. I used to think conviction was a bad thing meaning I was all messed up and in sin because I felt convicted. Conviction sometimes actually keeps us from getting into sin and in trouble so conviction is actually our best friend because it comes from the lord. It is not meant to make us feel bad, it is meant to be a warning sign. On the other hand condemnation is what makes us feel condemned, bad and helpless. This comes from the devil.

Clay: That is a good point Allen. Conviction can help us to grow. It seems like spiritually over the last 20 years I have went through so many different changes. First it starts with obeying God. The patterns that we are in when we first start living for God are different. As we obey god’s word we start to have a new pattern in our lives. I can look back at the way I used to think and the things I used to do and I realize looking back over 20 years of time that I’m not the same. It started with my choice of being obedient to God and making changes. Like Allen was explaining in order to make those changes we must first be truthful with ourselves and know what we need to change. Now, it is just the way I think and the way I do things! It has become who I am. It all started with simple obedience to change things in my life.

Allen: I don’t how many times over the last 27 years at my schools do I here people say “I’ve been doing it this way and that is what I’m comfortable with!” I try to explain to them that it won’t feel comfortable and it will actually feel uncomfortable for a while, but after a while the old way of doing things will be uncomfortable. You have to have a lot of faith in what I’m telling you is the truth and if you want to get to that next level you have to spend a certain amount of time and commit yourself to sticking with it. Nobody wants someone else to tell them that there are areas in there life they need to work on. It is easier if you are the one looking for improvement. Not too many people are just going to come up and try to help you be a better father, husband, Christian or even a roper! You need to go out and seek that for yourself! The word of God is our best friend when it comes to life. Truth is our best friend when it comes to roping and our greatest asset if we want to improve. Even though I’m 48 I keep trying to find more and more things about my roping to get better. I know if I stagnate and don’t get any better I will be on my way down. It doesn’t seem like you ever stay the same you are either on the way up or down.

Clay: That’s right Allen. You see people around you stuck in ruts in different areas in there life. If you get to examining there lives you see that most of these ruts are places where people are not willing to change. It may be there not willing to forgive or give up bitterness or jealousy or envy. In order to do get out of those ruts you must first be honest with yourself to even know you are stuck in one of these ruts. If we are unwilling to change in those areas and give those things up and do what god wants us to do in those areas, it ends up hurting us. Gods all about trying to equip us with the things that will bring us success, peace, happiness and joy but we have to be willing to change and do the things that are necessary to bring it about. It may not seem like it at the time but these things are God’s desires for our lives.

Allen: Exactly Clay! God’s plan and perfect will for us is to be made more and more like Jesus everyday. Even though we will never be as good as Jesus, it gives us that perfect standard to work towards. Because we are direct sons of Him, when you become a Christian and born again you are in His family. You have that seed inside you and you have the ability to grow more and more like Him. If you are becoming more like Him everyday, you can bet that you are becoming a better father, husband, or even better at your job! If we do everything as unto the lord and dedicate it to the lord then that opens things up for God so He can help you in every area. There are times in your life where you have to ask yourself if you want to be better in a particular area. Then commit to getting better in that area. Commit to getting the truth about what will make you better. Remember God said that He will finish in you the work that He started in us! Don’t try in and by yourself but let the Lord help you to get better. Trey Johnson told me once to “do everything that I could do in the natural and then let God put the “Super” on it. That is where we get the Supernatural!”

	Pressing On with Allen Bach and Clay O'brien Cooper as told to JD Malone March 2006 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
Do you really want to get better…get Supernatural results! Allen: In roping, people start off and get to a certain level fast. Even though they rope pretty good and get to doing a lot of great things they can also adopt a lot of bad habits. This is just like in life or marriage whether it is being a spouse, parent or coach. When you have a certain level of success it is time to recommit yourself to improvement. A lot of people have a certain level of success whether it is just messing around golfing, roping or even being a parent. It is not hard to be mediocre. A lot of people get to a point where they don’t get any better! The answer to that is being able to recommit yourself and desire to have a teachable spirit. In order to do that we have to embrace the fact that conviction is a good thing. Conviction is what brings truth in your life. Only the truth will help you get better. We also have to understand it is never comfortable to get better. Clay: Getting better involves change. Every aspect of our lives is in constant change! Everything from our spiritual lives to our roping! With roping, in order to keep up with the times, a person has to be open minded and dedicated to getting better. We have to constantly watch and learn. We have to be willing to change and try new things that give us the ability to get better. Life is no different! In life we are constantly going through stages of change. The same thing applies spiritually! As we read God’s word and get more knowledge of who He is and how He created us to be, it becomes all about changing and maturing through God. We have to be willing to change and do what God wants us to do! Allen: The Bible tells us “Do not conform to this world but transform by the renewing of your mind”. To truly transform you have to be truthful with yourself! It takes truth to help you get better. Whether it is in your job, marriage, children or your roping. I used to think conviction was a bad thing meaning I was all messed up and in sin because I felt convicted. Conviction sometimes actually keeps us from getting into sin and in trouble so conviction is actually our best friend because it comes from the lord. It is not meant to make us feel bad, it is meant to be a warning sign. On the other hand condemnation is what makes us feel condemned, bad and helpless. This comes from the devil. Clay: That is a good point Allen. Conviction can help us to grow. It seems like spiritually over the last 20 years I have went through so many different changes. First it starts with obeying God. The patterns that we are in when we first start living for God are different. As we obey god’s word we start to have a new pattern in our lives. I can look back at the way I used to think and the things I used to do and I realize looking back over 20 years of time that I’m not the same. It started with my choice of being obedient to God and making changes. Like Allen was explaining in order to make those changes we must first be truthful with ourselves and know what we need to change. Now, it is just the way I think and the way I do things! It has become who I am. It all started with simple obedience to change things in my life. Allen: I don’t how many times over the last 27 years at my schools do I here people say “I’ve been doing it this way and that is what I’m comfortable with!” I try to explain to them that it won’t feel comfortable and it will actually feel uncomfortable for a while, but after a while the old way of doing things will be uncomfortable. You have to have a lot of faith in what I’m telling you is the truth and if you want to get to that next level you have to spend a certain amount of time and commit yourself to sticking with it. Nobody wants someone else to tell them that there are areas in there life they need to work on. It is easier if you are the one looking for improvement. Not too many people are just going to come up and try to help you be a better father, husband, Christian or even a roper! You need to go out and seek that for yourself! The word of God is our best friend when it comes to life. Truth is our best friend when it comes to roping and our greatest asset if we want to improve. Even though I’m 48 I keep trying to find more and more things about my roping to get better. I know if I stagnate and don’t get any better I will be on my way down. It doesn’t seem like you ever stay the same you are either on the way up or down. Clay: That’s right Allen. You see people around you stuck in ruts in different areas in there life. If you get to examining there lives you see that most of these ruts are places where people are not willing to change. It may be there not willing to forgive or give up bitterness or jealousy or envy. In order to do get out of those ruts you must first be honest with yourself to even know you are stuck in one of these ruts. If we are unwilling to change in those areas and give those things up and do what god wants us to do in those areas, it ends up hurting us. Gods all about trying to equip us with the things that will bring us success, peace, happiness and joy but we have to be willing to change and do the things that are necessary to bring it about. It may not seem like it at the time but these things are God’s desires for our lives. Allen: Exactly Clay! God’s plan and perfect will for us is to be made more and more like Jesus everyday. Even though we will never be as good as Jesus, it gives us that perfect standard to work towards. Because we are direct sons of Him, when you become a Christian and born again you are in His family. You have that seed inside you and you have the ability to grow more and more like Him. If you are becoming more like Him everyday, you can bet that you are becoming a better father, husband, or even better at your job! If we do everything as unto the lord and dedicate it to the lord then that opens things up for God so He can help you in every area. There are times in your life where you have to ask yourself if you want to be better in a particular area. Then commit to getting better in that area. Commit to getting the truth about what will make you better. Remember God said that He will finish in you the work that He started in us! Don’t try in and by yourself but let the Lord help you to get better. Trey Johnson told me once to “do everything that I could do in the natural and then let God put the “Super” on it. That is where we get the Supernatural!”