From the Home Place

May 30, 2026

The Lord poked me in the ribs at 2:45 this morning. After a time of prayer, I opened some windows in the living room and began typing. The weather started with 55 degrees, headed for 77 with a 55% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. We had lots of clouds and lightning last night, but just a few sprinkles of rain. Maybe today will at least get the ground wet???

Today, we are headed for a branding! Though I don’t have a horse anymore, I still enjoy brandings. Oh for sure, they are loud, hot and hard work, but it really fun to be around cattle, horses and country folks again. Yet, I must admit, I really miss having a trusty steed to help with gather and to drag some calves to the fire. All of my life I’ve been blessed to ride some really good horse flesh, but I guess those days have passed me by.

One of the best things about having a horse around is having someone special to visit with, and to care for. Yes, Miss Deb fills that ticket most of the time, but there is just something special about having a horse as a good friend as well. I sure enough miss the ‘ol boys!

Branding today, preaching at a church here in Lusk in the morning and then Miss Deb and I will travel 50 miles to meet with another church family for a noon meeting. Monday will find me at the funeral of an old friend and Miss Deb at her weekly Bible study. Then back to our yard work and begin taking some old siding off of the house so we can put new on.

We will be doing all that along with getting ready for Bible Adventure Days to take place at our home church the following week. We will have a great niece staying with us during that time as well. She is such an adorable little gal, we are excited for her visit. The week after that our three teen grandchildren from Malaysia will be here for a visit – let the fun begin! All of that while traveling 50 miles each Sunday to teach and preach at another church for a couple of months. Oh yah, we also hope to build an addition onto the house in our spare time this summer.

And with all of that, it would still be really nice to have a horse around. As Teddy Rousevelt one said, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” As wild and busy as our lives are, a good horse sure would-be good medicine for a certain ‘ol guy, but I reckon I’ll survive anyway.

The funeral on Monday will be a reminder of the fact that none of us are ever too busy to die. As I’ve often said concerning our American lives, “We run, run, run, and then we die.” For each of us, life is busy, regardless of our age – yet there will come a day of rest. A day when we close our eyes on this ‘ol ball of dirt, and open our eyes in the presence of Jesus; oh, what a day of rejoicing that will be!

Are you ready for you day of reckoning? As the Bible clearly states, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10) And that my friends, is why we stay busy walking with the Lord through each activity on earth. For each of us there is death and then comes judgment.

Humbly walking with Jesus gives a person a special peace amongst the busyness of life, a real purpose for living, and a special anticipation about the day we stop living here and start eternity there! Yep, we run, run, run and then we die – are you ready for both parts of that scenario? Enjoying the busyness of today with the people around you, as you prepare for eternity with Jesus is truly an amazing way to invest the one chance you get at this thing called life. Like a good horse, ride it often, ride it hard and enjoy the company of a good friend!

Riding through this thing called life with you, Neal