World Champion Bull Rider Conquers More Than Bulls
Who is Scott Mendes the bull rider?
Scott Mendes is a world champion bull rider who rode some of the fiercest bulls of his era, including Bodacious. After watching a friend die at a PBR event seconds before his own ride, he asked whether he was ready to meet his Maker and answered no. He walked away at the top of his career to renew his mind and follow Christ, and now leads Western Harvest Ministries.
Scott Mendes
Scott is a World Champion Bull-rider who rode some of the fiercest bulls of his time, including the world’s most dangerous fighting bull, ‘Bodacious’.
Scott‘s career took off, but his life took a drastic turn after witnessing his friend’s death at a PBR event, just seconds prior to his turn in the arena.
That’s when it hit Scott:
“That could’ve been me, and if that were me would I have been ready to meet my Maker? The answer to that question was: No”.
At the time, Scott had been struggling to live out his Christian life in the world of Rodeo, which was fraught with all kinds of temptations .
Paul Cole, President of the Christian Men's Network, has spent his ministry calling men to discover real manhood in Christ.
Walking away at the top of his game
After the death of his friend, Scott decided to dedicate his life completely to God.
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“I knew the only way I could fully follow Christ was to renew my mind and that meant walking away when I was at the top of my game.”
That same posture, renewing the mind instead of relying on willpower, is at the center of how men break free from pornography today.
Today, Scott has no regrets. He leads several projects that impact culture with Christian values, including Western Harvest Ministries where he ministers to and trains young people who come to his camp.
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Writing at the intersection of faith and neuroscience to help men and women break destructive cycles and walk in lasting freedom.
More articles by Jeremy Wiles →Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the bull Bodacious?
Bodacious was known as the most dangerous fighting bull in the world, and Scott Mendes rode him. That alone puts him among the toughest competitors the sport has produced. He spent his career on the fiercest bulls of his era. Which makes what came later more striking, because the decision that actually defined his life had nothing to do with courage in an arena.
Why did Scott Mendes walk away from bull riding at his peak?
A friend was killed at a rodeo event just seconds before his own ride, and the thought that hit him was that it could have been him. He asked himself whether he would have been ready to meet his Maker, and the honest answer was no. He concluded that fully following Christ meant renewing his mind, and that meant leaving at the top of his game.
Does he regret leaving his career behind?
No. He has said plainly that he has no regrets, which is worth sitting with if you are facing a decision that looks like it will cost you something you worked years to build. What looked from the outside like throwing away a championship career turned out to be the start of the work that actually mattered to him.
What is Western Harvest Ministries?
Western Harvest Ministries is one of several projects he now leads that bring Christian values into the culture. Through it he ministers to and trains young people who come to his camp. The pattern is worth noticing. A man who walked away from a platform ended up with a different one, pouring into the next generation rather than performing for a crowd.
What does renewing your mind have to do with breaking free from porn?
Everything. Renewing the mind rather than leaning on willpower is exactly how men get free from pornography, and it is the same posture that turned this man's life around. Willpower is a short rope in a long fight. Learning to think differently, with God actually rewiring how you see, is what produces change that holds up over years rather than weeks.
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