From the Home Place

April 17, 2026

Starting at 27 degrees, moving up to 41 with 47 mph wind gusts. The talk of getting some wet snow has gone away.

Yesterday Coffee and I traveled to Wheatland after we dropped Miss Deb off to teach in Guernsey. All of this area is in an extreme drought, but the Wheatland area is the worst I have seen so far. They have actual sand dunes where there is usually green grass. The ground is so dry that it is literally blowing away. The problem is that once that sand gets to blowing, it acts like sandpaper and cuts off all of the grass in front of it, thus increasing the amount of blowing sand. Yesterday I saw sand drifts four feet deep! It will take lots of moisture before that grassland will ever recover. “Heavenly Father” please send measurable moisture to that area and the rest of Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and South Dakota. Thank You, Amen.”

Between fires, wind and drought, much ground that produced grass and hay is no longer usable. That will mean that many cattle who should remain in production will be going to the sale barn. Loss of sustainable income means that many farms and ranches in the areas mentioned above will be forced to sell. If the ground is no longer usable for agriculture, what will it be used for?

Here’s another “drought” related fact for you. Enrollment in most seminaries and bible colleges is down twenty to forty percent, creating a drought of qualified pastors and church planters. As such, we continue to close around six-thousand churches in America every year, leaving a deficit in those areas. Even though we are planting around twelve to fifteen hundred churches each year, many parts of America are left without a spiritual influence. Thus, I would suggest that this is a major factor in the present declining condition of America. We have a spiritual drought as well!

It would appear that there is one more drought in America – it is reported that most Americans have lost their “hope.” One author writes, “America has become hopeless.” So, with a physical drought, a spiritual drought and an emotional drought, can this land sustain life? Yes!

God tells us in 1 Chronicles 7:14, “When my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Once again, we find that the condition of a nation rests upon the shoulders for God’s children – those who have a personal relationship with Him, not just know about Him.

It seems that God will heal our “land” – “area, nation, territory” – when Christians “humble themselves,” “pray” and “seek” God’s presence and turn from “wicked ways.” When we do our part then He will bring an end to the spiritual, emotional and physical droughts we are dealing with today. It would also seem reasonable to assume that until all of God’s conditions mentioned here are met, He will most likely not change our conditions.

Few things will humble a person more than to lose their home, faith and hope. Perhaps it is time for each of us to pay attention to God’s ways and not mans?

Humbly approaching God with you, Neal