September 29, 2026
Good morning! At 5 a.m. the temperature is a solid 49 degrees, looking to reach 71 before this day fades into the darkness of night. Last Friday was our last day of 12 hours of daylight for this year. From here on, the days will continue to get shorter and shorter until December 22, when we once again begin to add minutes to the amount of daylight we get to enjoy each day. The more serious issue is that the long-range forecast is predicting very little, if any, moisture for October for our area.
Fall cattle work is getting wrapped up, the kids are back in school and for now, there is a bit of calm in the land of ranching. After an extremely busy Summer and a rat-race Fall, both filled with busy, busy, busy; this is the time of year when most families can take a breath and start enjoying school, community and church activates.
For Miss Deb and I, Fall is when we attend sporting events as we can, we have more folks over for a meal and we both get busy building into the lives of others, as well as more time to work on us. Dr. Howard Hendricks once told me that “you can’t give away that which you do not possess.” In another words, he was saying that none of us can give out of a vacuum. Yet as we gain spiritual knowledge and truth, we are expected to share some of that with those around us.
I pray that this Fall and Winter will give you plenty of opportunities to build into the lives of others. Start a study in your home or use a tool like ZOOM on your computer to get involved in the lives of others. As we have talked about before, you have become a Christian not just for yourself, but also so that you can be encouraged by others, and so that you can be an encourager. People need each other; or as the Bible states it, “Iron sharpen iron.” We all need someone to help us stay spiritually sharp, and this is the season for such sharpening!
If you can’t find a group to join, start your own group. Find a topic and use a book and the Bible to delve deeper into that topic but be sure to take someone else with you on the journey! Please, do not allow “I can’t” to rob you from the opportunity of being sharpened. Besides, when we say “I can’t” the Holy Spirit says, “We can!” Trust Him to equip you with the tools needed to do your part in gathering a group of people for an amazing spiritual journey.
Remember, apply that which you are learning and watch the Holy Spirit begin to use your life for His glory! It is absolutely amazing how our Heavenly Father can use us once we start moving. Speaking of moving, for many of us, this is the season that we quit moving and start gaining weight. I’m suggesting that we fight gaining physical weight and work at gaining spiritual weight. The more spiritual weight each of us gains, the better we will be able to “stand firm” against our enemy. The more spiritual weight each of us gains, the more joy and fulfillment we will experience. The more spiritual weight each of us gains, the greater our Kingdom contribution will be!
So, come on, get involved in a study group! Why not jump into the deep end of the pool and host one? If you are not ready to lead, get someone from your church to do that part for you. After all, none of us will know what we are capable of until we say, “Here am I Lord, use me!”
Growing and going with you, Neal
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