From the Home Place

June 3, 2026

Well, even with several chances for rain, we didn’t get any of it. Today, we will start with 47 and reach 81 this afternoon. The weather man is predicting no rain for our area today, so maybe we’ll get a some moisture?

Yesterday I traveled an hour north/east of our house to help a friend brand a batch of calves. The wind blew so hard that I reverted to a cap instead of my Stetson. All of the time we were branding we had lots of wind and just enough rain to make us hustle to get done. When we loaded up to come home, the sun came out and the wind idled down – but it was still a great day to be in the middle of cattle.

Miss Deb volunteered at our local museum during the morning, so when I got home, I started studying for lessons this Sunday. I spent most of the afternoon and a good part of the evening in study, it’s always good to spend some extended time with my face in a Bible. I’ve been at this Bible reading thing since 1982 and I still discover new truths every time I open it.

Yesterday, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to a cool correlation between an Old Testament truth and a New Testament truth that I had never noticed before. I’ll be sharing that nugget with the folks in Guernsey on Sunday!

May I encourage you to sit down with your Bible and a notebook and spend a block of time reading and writing. It’s always a good idea to write down the special nuggets that you find so you won’t forget them at a later date, and perhaps someone else will read some of your writings someday after you have graduated to heaven.

When you find those special golden nuggets within the pages of your Bible, write them down and then tell someone else about your findings. The more avenues we use to share God’s amazing truths with others, the more likely we are to remember and apply them. For you see my friend, find a nugget doesn’t do much good unless you share it with someone else.

I think that is the way our Heavenly Father has designed this thing to work. He has recorded His workings in and through the lives of all kinds of people in the Bible so that we can read and study about those adventures. Perhaps, He also wants us to share our findings with those around us, just like He has first shared with us.

Yes, there are times that God’s word is intended just for you on a certain day, however if you don’t share that blessing with other people, they may never know of that passage when they need it to help them make it through a trial that comes into their life. I am of a strong opinion that too often when we don’t share what God is teaching us; we quite likely end up robbing someone else of their blessing. Maybe I should have just said it this way, “When we don’t share, we don’t care.”

Yesterday was such a day for me, I shared something the Holy Spirit was working on me with, and the guy I told about it said, “Wow, I’m so glad to hear that because I’ve been struggling in the exact way.” We were able to have a great conversation about a circumstance in our lives, and before long we had gathered a crowd of guys interested in the same topic.

So, whatever golden nugget the Lord might present you with today, be sure to tell someone else about it. The treasure of God’s word is meant to be shared; He designed it that way. In Isaiah 6 and several other places as well, God says, “Go and tell this people.” To fulfill His command, you don’t have to be a teacher nor a preacher, just be you, talking about what God has revealed to you. Who knows, it might not be too long before you gather a crowd of folks who are curious about your findings.

Sharing and caring with you, Neal

June 2, 2026

At 4 a.m. the temp is 48 degrees, reaching for 76 for a high. Yesterday as I was walking home from the funeral that was held on the far east side of Lusk, it rained enough that my shir felt wet. By the time I hustled myself to the center of town, everything was dry, no rain at all. That has been the pattern since January.

For whatever reason, the rains go East or South or West or North of us, but here in the center of town we haven’t received an inch of moisture total for this Spring. But our Lord is blessing those around us with some decent moisture, and we praise His name for His great blessings.

As seems to be the normal for funerals anymore, there was a slide show. I appreciated yesterday’s family for playing the slide show before and after the official service. It has been my experience that unless I knew the person really well, the hundred+ pictures contain a whole bunch of faces I don’t know, doing things I’m not familiar with, in places I’ve most likely never been. But you see, the slide show isn’t really for me anyway, it’s for the family members to enjoy one last summary of a life lived.

If we were to stop right now and I was to ask you to summarize your life using 50 words or less, what would you say? What would those closest to you say, keeping the summary under 50 words? It would most like be difficult for most of us to do that until we really thought about it. I’m of the opinion when push came to shove, we would all get it done with way less than 50 words.

To summarize the life of a friend or family member, I’m thinking that we would probably use a phrase like, “She genuinely cared for those in her life.” Or perhaps, we would say something like, “He showed respect to everyone.” Someone would quite likely comment with this, “She loved the Lord and her family with all of her heart.”

As Jesus challenged His disciples when He asked, “But who do you say I am?” maybe we should all think of a couple of phrases we would like people to use when they summarize our life in 50 words or less? What would some of those summaries sound like?

I’ll let you chew on that for a bit while I mention a couple of verses out of 1 Perer 3:8-9 that are a summary as well. Peter writes, “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

You know, if we were all to allow those two verses to summarize our lives, I reckon the folks at our funeral wouldn’t have any trouble giving a 50-word summary of our lives. If twenty people were able to give a one-sentence summary of your life at your funeral using such words, would that not be a life well lived?

So, maybe today is the day that each of us should start diligently working at living the summary Peter gave us for proper conduct, not just to improve the words spoken at our funeral, but to improve the words spoken about us today. Peter even gives us the motivation for tackling such a task, “For the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

Do you desire God’s blessing? If so, then take an honest run at developing the actions mentioned in 1 Peter 3:8 and 9, and then, watch the blessings come to you and through you. Not only will you receive the blessing God’s word clearly states, but you will also be a blessing to be around during the rest of your journey across this ‘ol ball of dirt!

Summarizing our lives well with you, Neal

June 1, 2026

Good morning! It looks like we are at 43, headed for 73 with a chance of an afternoon shower.

Allow me to share of the joys of living in a Wyoming community: Yesterday, Miss Deb sang on the praise team of one church while I preached at a different church, we then jumped into our car and drove fifty miles to meet with another church family. It was quite enjoyable to get to visit with several old friends while there. The fun part of old friends is that the conversation just picks up where you left it the last time you saw each other.

When we arrived back home, Miss Deb and Coffee went for a walk while I watered flowers and plants. Along the way we both caught up with text messages and phone calls. We then plugged in the water fountain in and all three of us sat on the front porch, by the fountain, and soaked up some sunshine and fresh air.

Before supper we took Coffee for her daily ride in the “buggy” (Miss Deb’s side-by-side) and ended up at our local hospital where we popped in to visit some very dear friends there. What a blessing to get to encourage them for a few minutes and then back to our place. After supper we watched a movie on the box and relaxed for the first time in the day. Sometime after 9 the Red Head (that’s Coffee) suggested that we go to be, so we all got ready to call it a day.

I worked on a Sudoku puzzle for a few minutes, Miss Deb read a bit of her book, Coffee gave each of us here “good-night” hugs and it wasn’t very long before sleep found each of us – the end of another day, the end of another month. But you see my friends, it wasn’t the activities of the day that made it special, it was the conversations we enjoyed as we traveled through the day that made it a good day.

Today will find us both busy around people again. Miss Deb will be volunteering at the local museum, and I will attend the funeral of an old roping buddy. Today, there will be plenty of conversations for us to enjoy as we go opposite directions. Yep, most all of our days are invested in being a part of the life of other people.

You see my friends, it would be much easier to just stay home and live at a much slower pace, than it is to be constantly on the go, involved in the lives of others. But as I’ve often said, “No contact, No impact.” If we as Christ-followers don’t spend considerable time doing life with others, we really don’t have much opportunity to impact their lives with the joy of Jesus.

I would encourage each of us to see the people we cross paths with this week as opportunities to share the love of Jesus with. Oh, for sure, some of those folks might stretch us a little more than we would like, but then, each of us needs to be stretched every now and then. We all need to learn to be kind and considerate of all people, not just those we enjoy being around. After all, itsn’t that what Jesus did for us?

Long before we loved Jesus, He loved us; perhaps He wants us to do the same for the folks He brings into our lives this week. Some will be old friends, some will become new friends, some will stretch us before we consider each other friends, but every person is a divine appointment from God, and whether we realize it or not, each person will be someone we will impact. We will leave that conversation with the other person being glad that we “bumped” into each other, or glad that they got away from us. You see, I believe that the people we cross paths with today, this week, this month, will actually be divine contacts that we get the opportunity to have positive impact with.

Sometimes, the other person doesn’t really need your contact, but you need theirs. There are people that the Holy Spirit will bring into your life this week as an avenue that He uses to speak into your life. There are times that the Holy Spirit will use someone in my life to remind me that I should not talk or act like the other person does, and yet other times He uses the kindness of another to remind me to be kind and considerate. Yep, even us introverts need other people in our lives.

So, with another week, another month in our sights, may we each be the kind of person we would like to visit with. May we each leave every conversation with the other person feeling blessed that our path’s crossed.

Remember, No Contact, No Impact!

Learning to enjoy people with you, Neal

May 31, 2026

At 4 a.m., the temperature is 46 degrees and the birds are happy. The sparrows are already singing because we were blessed with almost a quarter of an inch of rain yesterday evening! There are reports of many receiving over an inch of rain at the same time, Praise the LORD! Today’s high is to be around 75 with a slight chance of rain this afternoon and a repeat for tomorrow.

Please stop and grab your Bible. As you read Ephesians 4:1-6, note that there are several interesting facts about these verses when kept within their chapter context, but for today, we will focus upon just one of those facts. Ephesians 4:1 tells us to “walk in a manner worthy of” our “calling.” The “calling” to salvation and service both come from God the Father. Often, we hear a person say something like, “When I found Jesus.” Loved ones, God calls us to salvation in Christ Jesus. In a real sense, believers go from sinners to saints primarily because of God’s calling, not our finding Jesus.

In verse 1, Paul is challenging each of us to “walk” – live our lives in such a way that others will see our life transformation and open their spiritual ears to hear the call of God. In the book of Romans, Paul indicates that many will hear the call, but few will answer the call. You see, once we are called by God to come to Jesus, we still have to individually answer the call. With all of the noise and buniness of our world, Paul would indicate that not everyone who receives the call will come to Jesus for salvation.

Yet for those who do, he now challenges us to “walk”, to live our lives in accordance with God’s call. When a person answers God’s call to come to Jesus, such a person is to now live for the Savior, not for self. It seems to be at this one point that many miss the mark. Too often we attempt to add Jesus to our already overly busy life, often adding more frustration and failure. Instead, we are to allow Jesus to become Lord of our life, thus giving purpose and clarity to life. Remember, Jesus invites us to “walk” with Him in a manner that reveals Jesus. Satan would tempt each of us to live our lives in such a way that people notice that we are so awesome since Jesus decided to walk with us.

In verse 4-6 we read of the number “one,” mentioned seven times. When a person is reading the Bible, it is important to notice that which is repeated. Here, the seven mentions of “one” would be considered to be extremely important.

Within these verses we find the sources of the “one” that Jesus prayed His disciples would experience. That they would “be one” in the say way that Jesus and the Father are one. In America we celebrate individuality, in the Bible Jesus prays for oneness. And that oneness should be revealed within His body, the church. With all of our prideful clamoring to be number one, we the church, too often fail to reveal the true One.

The people around us need to see the humility, the joy, the peace and the unity of walking with Jesus. You see my friends, I’m of the opinion that many church families too often show, pride, judgementalism, fear and separation instead of oneness. Too often we fail to “walk” with Jesus when we use words like “can’t” or “won’t.” Our “one calling” challenges us to be available, moldable, and dependable as our Lord invites us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”

As we go to church today, may we each do our part to be the church! A people of “one” revealing the One!

Seeking oneness with you, Neal

May 24, 2026

Yesterday, Miss Deb, Coffee and I helped a very special young lady move into her little house in a new town. This dear girl is starting a new job in a town she knows little about, living in a neighborhood she knows even less about. Starting over again, new town, new job, new home, new church. The last part seems to be the hardest. This young lady’s heart is filled with the joy of the Lord, and she really wants to find the church where God wants her to be but, how does she go about such a venture?

This town contains an abundance of churches, each with its own story. Some are really old, some are new, but when a person asks around about the different churches of consideration, it doesn’t take very long before it turns into a Clint Eastwood movie, you know – The good, The bad, and The ugly.

Why is it that it is really difficult to find a church that lives under the full authority of Scripture? In John 17 we find the real “Lord’s Prayer.” Here, Jesus is praying to His Heavenly Father. It would appear that the most important thing on the mind of Jesus Christ during this prayer is that His disciples be different from the disciples of other religious groups of His day.

Jesus prayed this in verse 22-23, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity…” It would appear that the primary concern for Jesus concerning those first disciples is that they display His “glory” by living in “unity.”

Now we travel from Jesus’ prayer in John 17 to the beginning of the “church” in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit now indwells all born-again believers, and the church appears to have the bond of “unity” that Jesus prayed for. Each one who has excess, sells it, shares with those in need and all are in “awe” of what God is doing! Perhaps this thing called “church” should have ended there, but it didn’t.

Turn with me to the book of Ephesians where the Apostle Paul turns from the doctrinal truths he has been teaching in the first three and one-half chapters, to Chapter 4 where he teaches us how to correctly apply biblical truth. First, you have to grasp verses one and two of Chapter 4 to understand 4:3 where we read, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Dr. D.L. Moody once skillfully preached this whole chapter to his congregation; with quite effective results I might add. Dr. Moody began the series with these words, “Any time you slide two Christians together in a pew, you create friction.” A statement that has been lived out for centuries within the church.

The great coach, John Wooden once declared, “Sports do not make character, they reveal it.” It is with that in mind that I would adjust Dr. Moody’s statement to read, “Any time you slide two Christians together in a pew, your REVEAL friction.” It appears to me that the reason Jesus Christ diligently prayed for His disciples of all generations to reveal “unity” through “love” is because we do not possess either on apart from the working of His Spirit.

Again Ephesians 4:3, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Unity is as unnatural as selling you possessions and giving the funds to someone else is unnatural. However, when the first Christians were so excited about what God was doing within them, they wanted to reveal His love to those around them, so they loved one another, just like Jesus had prayed for.

But it wasn’t very long before unity was replaced by disunity within the body of Christ. Why? May I suggest because we have turned “church” into something we do in the flesh instead of in “the Spirit.” In an effort to remain in control of our lives, even spiritually, we have learned to trust humanity over trusting the Spirit. After all, fully trusting the Spirit could be costly!

In Hebrews 13:5 we are told, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content…” So, the Bible tells us to love God with all we are and have, yet we are warned that the love of money will breed discontent, which when you slide two discontent people together in church, they reveal how unloving people are who trust in self and stuff rather than in the Spirit. All of which painfully reveals just how little we allow the love of Christ to dwell “richly” within us so that it can work through us to reveal the “light” of Jesus to a very dark world.

Ephesians 4:13, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man…” So, one has toa ask, “Do we lack maturity because we lack “knowledge.” I think NOT! I would suggest that we lack maturity because we lack obedience to the knowledge we all ready possess..

Have not money and power been the downfall of humanity and the division of many churches through all generations? Jesus said it this way, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other…You cannot serve both God and wealth.”

Perhaps we should be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit.” A church that really loves God and each other is the kind of church I am praying for our special young lady to find. I know that such churches exist and I thank their pastor for his excellent leadership!

Pursuing “unity” within the local church with you, Neal