From the Home Place

October 8, 2025

From the first settlers who came into this country looking for a “better way of life,” to today, many a ranch family has had a milk cow. In the 50’s and 60’s most ranch families would have 3-10 milk cows around their place because selling cream was actually profitable. Twice each day, first thing in the morning, and the last chore in the evening, we would milk.

Back then, all of the milking was done by hand, so it took a while if you had more than a couple of milk cows, and it had to be done on a regular schedule or the cow would quit producing milk, she would go “dry.” After milking, the milk had to be poured into a separator, that would separate the cream from the milk. For you see, for 99% of the country folks milking cows back then, only the cream was profitable.

We would milk, then separate, then store the cream in 10-gallon cans in a cool, dark place. Around our outfit, each Saturday meant taking the cream and eggs to town to sell, that’s another story for another time.

Because a cow has to have a calf to become “fresh,” that is she would begin to produce milk, something had to be done with her calf. Because there was value in selling the cream, the milk the cow produced had to be separated, leaving the milk (without cream) for the calf.

It took a while to teach said calves to drink out of a bucket instead from their momma but learn they did. Such calves were commonly called “bucket calves.” Add one more chore: Not only did we have to milk the cows twice each day, and then separate the milk twice each day, but then we had to feed the bucket calves twice each day. And then after all of that, the milk pails, separator, and the calf buckets all had to be cleaned.

All of that was shared to get to this point, it seems like many modern-day Christians are very much like those bucket calves, they are getting the milk, but not the cream. You see the cream is where the good stuff is, the cream contains most of the fat, protein and minerals! Though bucket calves, and Christians, will grow on just milk, they do not grow as quickly, nor as big and strong as those who also get to eat the cream.

I would suggest that because it pays better, many preachers today are separating the uncomfortable parts of Scripture out (the cream) and giving their congregations just the milk because if folks leave church feeling good about themselves, they tend to leave more of their money in the offering before they skip off to enjoy the rest of their life.

Soon, just like the bucket calves, congregations begin to think that the milk is all there is. It’s easy, quick and filling, but the really good stuff is missing. After bucket calves eat their milk, they just lay around the corral, probably thinking of themselves as being equal to the range calves who are getting the cream.

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” You see loved ones, when a pastor separates out the “reproof” and the “correction” part of the Bible, he is also taking out the cream. That is why in verse 17 we read, “so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Go to most any church in America and you will hear a plea for more workers. Could the shortage of workers in the local church be due to the cream being separated out? You see my friends, we need to hear the hard parts of Scripture as well because “all Scripture” is inspired by God.”

So, if at church or in your personal reading of Scripture, make sure you don’t separate the cream (the parts that are difficult to understand and even harder to apply), because we need the cream to grow up strong and healthy, ready to do the “work” that God calls us to.

Last thought: Today we buy 1 or 2% milk with less cream in it, but our children seem to be unhealthier than ever before. It appears that kids today fight every kind of bug that comes along. Perhaps they need more whole milk, milk with the cream in it, and just maybe, they need to be licking more stock salt???

Drinking whole milk with you, Neal