From the Home Place

July 25, 2026

Good morning. It is going to be a scorcher today! Clear skies and a hot SSW breeze will make it feel close to 104 degrees. This afternoon there could be some clouds develop and a possible thunderstorm. Quite likely a storm will have “rocks” in it, but we hope not.

Yesterday, Miss Deb blessed me with a ticket to the local Ranch Rodeo here in Lusk. There were 66 teams competing in the richest Ranch Rodeo in the U.S.! Contestants from 9 different states are competing for thousands of dollars, saddles, spurs and bits and the title of being the best! The prizes are well worth the effort.

That sounds a lot like the ministry of your local church. Most towns have several churches competing against each other. Most towns have several different denominations, along with independent churches competing to win the prize – People.

There was a day in the American frontier that the one local church existed to bring “religion” into a community. As towns grew in population, that one church soon became two or three because the people could not, or would not agree upon just one form of religion.

Fast forward to today. Most small towns of less than 1,000 people will have two to five different kinds of churches. Some churches start out built upon biblical foundation, others upon tradition and denominational regulations, while some churches simply exist to make people feel good about who they are in their daily lives. And yes, churches today still compete for the prize of people, but it would appear that today’s prize has taken on something that those people bring with them – Money!

Attend most any pastor’s conference and you will find most pastors boasting about numbers concerning people and money. Yep, most pastors measure their success by the number of people that call their church home, and the size of their annual budget. If you so happen to be the largest in town concerning both measures, you are a successful pastor.

Yet, I have to wonder if Jesus measures the success of His church using those two criteria? Or could Jesus possibly use changed lives as more of a tool of a pastor’s success? By “changed lives” I mean the change that learning to walk with Jesus makes. Crack open your Bible and read about the lives of people who walked with God in the Old and New Testaments – their lives changed drastically the moment they realized what it looked like to be in the presence of God!

From Abraham being willing to sacrifice his “one and only beloved son,” to Isaiah volunteering for a task that he had no details about, to stuttering Moses being willing to lead a rebellious nation into a new land: all because God said to. Follow along from Joshua and Esther to Peter and John, and you will find people investing their lives in service to God, not just the ministry of winning at gathering people and money.

Go with a local pastor to a pastor’s conference today and you will find that person talking about how difficult it is to gain people and money in today’s culture. As such, that is why said pastor is likely attending this conference, to learn the latest method of gaining people and money. Oh, there may be that moment when we talk about serving God at such a conference, but that is usually a lead-in to how to gain more people and money.

You see my friends, in today’s church culture, we have often shifted from challenging people of to develop a deeper love relationship with God, to teaching them the ten-easy-steps of Christianity. There is an old adage that states, “some people use people to gain money, while others use money to gain people.” Well, in my opinion, that sadly describes most churches in America today.

However, I would add one more element in the list of things pastors tend to use. We often attempt to use God to gain people and money; and the simple truth is that God refuses to be used by anyone. No, you see, it has always been God’s idea to use pastors to reach people with the truth of His holy Word. You know, to “make disciples” of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I find it equally interesting that God is willing to use most anyone who is surrendered to His purpose and willing to use His process to change lives to look more like His Son, Jesus. Just like in the Old and New Testaments, God uses people who love Him to reach people far away from Him. Today God uses bankers, nurses, teachers, moms, dads and even children to reach into the lives others for His glory and for the good of all humanity. Why, I have heard stories of God even using broken down old cowboys to reach others with the amazing grace of His biblical truth.

I often wonder, “What will it take for pastors to get back to following God regardless of the number of people and the amount of money involved?” When will we “the church” return to prayer and fasting as the primary method of preparing to reach into a dark world with the light of biblical truth and Christ-centered lives? Now hear me well please, there are several pastors who have kept their focus upon serving Jesus as their primary purpose, may their tribe increase!

Many years ago, I heard of the missionary who went into an Indian village on the plains of Wyoming. The missionary gathered the people and told them of God’s amazing grace displayed through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Later, the Chief came to the missionary and offered to give two horse and blankets to his God for that grace. The missionary responded, “But sir, God doesn’t want you horses and blankets, He only wants you.” The Chief stood still for a moment and then replied, “You serve a very smart God, for He knows that when He gets me, He also gets my two horses and blankets.”

Perhaps we should forget about getting the horses and blankets and just lead people to Jesus? As Jesus told His first disciples as He prepared to leave a large gathering of people, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)

Returning to God’s purpose with you, Neal