From the Home Place

Today, I would like to give you a bit of insight into our “retired” lives. Last Thursday and Friday we spent ten-hour days working on the house. When we get help we go hard. But it sure is coming along. One of these days we will have time to post some pictures for you.

Yesterday we traveled 221 miles to take part in a Marriage Mentor Seminar. This is a ministry dedicated to strengthening marriages across Wyoming. Per Capata, Wyoming has the second highest divorce rate in the nation. This ministry is training folks how to walk with others to strengthen marriages using biblical principles.

Today we will drive 152 miles to preach at Esterbrook Community Church. If you have never attended there, do yourself a favor and make a day of it! The building is an old log cabin facility, but the people are some of the grandest people you will ever worship our Savior with, and the scenery is beautiful as well!

Tomorrow, a funeral and more work on the house. The rest of the week is spoken for, with several more road trips, appointments and meetings. Each day, we praise our Lord for allowing us to have a small part in expanding His kingdom within our community and state.

A portion of that work involves writing these daily blogs. It takes a little over an hour for me to write, Miss Deb to proofread and then post, each morning, if time allows. One way you folks could really help us is to go to fromthehomeplace.com for your daily readings. There is a subscribe box at the bottom of the page. You can also share from Facebook. We have invested heavily to be able to send these notes through this web page, as such, the more folks who follow us through this avenue, the further the message travels.

As of now, there are readers across several states and many countries. We do appreciate your cooperation, and thanks much for the encouraging notes. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will use these writings to strengthen the spiritual walk of each of us. When we grow, we glow for His glory!

For those around us who think that Christianity is a “crutch,” I say that Christianity is a blood relationship. A relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, plus an amazing relationship with other Christ-followers scattered all around the world! Following Jesus is a constant battle, because of Satan and his crew.

A Christ-follower has to be “strong and courageous” and fully dedicated to “stand in the gap.” Living a life that honors the sacrifice that Jesus made upon the cross is demanding and rewarding at the same time. It is amazing to be at peace with God through following Jesus, and to then enjoy the peace of God as we live out our earthly existence preparing ourselves and others to celebrate eternity with Him! Christianity is not a process that is used as a crutch. Christianity is a relationship that challenges the strong to be humble and the weak to be strong.

Christianity is anything but boring – I awoke at 3:30 this morning and spent an hour in prayer for today’s ministry opportunities, for our leaders, for other pastors as they open God’s Word to congregations all around the world, for our family and for you and your family as well. It is such a blessing to get to pray for folks that I haven’t even met yet, but by God’s amazing grace I will get to meet many of you some day. As I always say, “We will see you here, there or in the air!”

Thank you for reading and commenting. And yes, we sure appreciate your prayers as we travel many miles, attend meetings and gatherings of various kinds, and get to meet many of God’s amazing people. It is such a blessing to get to serve our King! Oh yeah, it is also a blessing to get to work on this “ol house and our own lives.

Have a great day of celebrating God’s amazing grace. Be a blessing as you are blessed. Encourage instead of discourage, and “let your light shine in such a way that those around you will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”

Running full bore with you, Neal