W. Todd Lindsay

I have worn a lot of hats in my life—cowboy, rodeo competitor, United States Navy sailor, educator, school administrator, husband, father, grandfather, and author. Looking back, I can see that every one of those experiences was preparing me for something I couldn't always see at the time.

I grew up in New Mexico with horses, cattle, family, and the cowboy way of life as part of who I was. Rodeo became one of my greatest passions. I competed as a steer wrestler for years and eventually found my way back to team roping. Rodeo taught me about competition, preparation, disappointment, friendship, perseverance, and getting back up when things didn't go the way I planned.

But some of life's greatest lessons happened outside the arena.

God Was Preparing Me All Along

There were times when I thought I knew exactly where I was headed, only to have life send me through a completely different gate.

I joined the United States Navy in 1988. I have often said that I needed the Navy more than the Navy needed me. It gave me direction, discipline, responsibility, and another opportunity to grow.

Later, God opened the door to education. What began as a career became a calling. I had the privilege of serving young people and families as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent. I learned that leadership isn't about the title on your office door. It is about the people God puts in your path and what you do with the opportunity He gives you to serve them.

Through it all, I kept being a cowboy.

There were horses to ride, cattle to work, steers to wrestle, ropes to throw, friends to make, mistakes to learn from, and stories worth remembering.

Faith, Family and the Cowboy Way

My greatest accomplishments aren't found on a résumé or in a rodeo record book.

They are found in my faith and my family.

My wife, Shelley, has ridden beside me through the victories and the difficult seasons. Our children and grandchildren have given my life a purpose greater than anything I could accomplish for myself.

And through every chapter, my relationship with Jesus Christ has become the foundation of how I understand my story.

I haven't always gotten everything right. I've broken a few barriers—in rodeo and in life. I've tried to take the reins when they belonged in God's hands. I've experienced victories, disappointments, laughter, loss, friendship, and seasons when I couldn't understand what God was doing.

But looking backward, I can see something I couldn't always see while I was living it:

God was preparing me all along.

Why I Write

That realization is at the heart of The Book of Todd: God Was Preparing Me All Along and The Book of Todd: From the Gate to the Crown.

I write because stories matter.

I want to preserve the cowboy stories, the rodeo stories, the family stories, the funny stories, and even some of the painful ones. I want my children and grandchildren to know where they came from. Through my Wyatt West books, I also want younger generations to experience the values and adventures of the Western way of life.

Most importantly, I want my story to point beyond me.

If someone reads about one of my mistakes, victories, broken barriers, or unexpected turns and realizes that God may be working in their life too, then telling my story was worth it.

My Story Is Still Being Written

I'm still a cowboy. I still love horses. I still love to rope. I still have dreams and goals, and I still believe there are more stories ahead.

I don't know everything God has written on the calendar for tomorrow.

None of us do.

But I know Who holds tomorrow.

So I'll keep riding. I'll keep writing. I'll keep loving my family. I'll keep trusting God. And I'll keep trying to use whatever time and opportunities He gives me for His glory.

Because as long as God gives us another day, our story is still being written.

W. Todd Lindsay
Author • Cowboy • Storyteller

Faith • Family • Cowboy Life • Legacy

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