From the Home Place

September 21, 2025

Today is another Sunday, what will you do with it? Will you play golf, go fishing, go shopping, mow the lawn, visit family or friends, OR will you go to church? Perhaps you will join others and go to church, which church? Why go to that church? Will you go because pastor’s sermons always make you feel good about yourself? Perhaps you will go to church today because that’s what you have always done, and you feel a need to check that box as a part of your “spiritual” duty? Or perhaps, you are going to church because of the meeting after the morning service – a meeting to vote on buying or selling property, a meeting to vote on hiring or firing a pastor, or maybe a meeting to decide to continue as a church or to lock the doors and sell the building? Why will you attend “your church” and not one of the other churches near you? Why even go to church?

Well with all of those questions, I do hope that you will go to church today, and not for any of the reasons listed above, but that you will attend church today to be encouraged and challenged in your walk with God. Also, I hope you will take time to pray: to pray for your pastor before you even leave your house, asking the Holy Spirit to guide his heart and his tongue. Praying that the Holy Spirit will help you to have a humble heart, with a hunger to feed upon the living Word. Praying that the Spirit will guide your conversations as He uses you to express His love to those around you.

You see loved ones, I believe that going to church begins at home, in prayer, so that when we get to church, our spirit is ready to join the Holy Spirit in glorifying the Lord Jesus. Regardless of your reason for going to church today, may the primary reason be to express your love for Jesus, and to invite others into that love relationship.

Revelation Chapter 19, verse 7 reads, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” Yes, this passage is speaking of a future event, yet it seems to me that the “bride” should be making “herself ready” even today. If you are truly Christ-follower and not just a church attendee, then you are a part of that brideship. You and all other Christ followers of all past, present and future generations comprise the Bride of Jesus.

The reason we go to church can easily involve things like fellowship, service and even meetings after the service, as long as all elements are preparing the bride to meet her Groom. Otherwise, I fear that we are only attending another social event.

Summary: Begin with prayer for your pastor, for musicians, for teachers, for attenders, and especially for yourself, that all will be done for the glory of the Groom (Rev.19:7), and that HIs bride will continue to make herself beautiful!

In our culture, we have made weddings all about the bride, in God’s culture the wedding is more about the Groom! So I ask this last question, “Shouldn’t the bride of Christ be more interested in making herself ready for the Groom, than doing the business of Sunday morning church?” Remember, you, as a Christ-follower are that bride, and you are to get “you” ready to meet the Groom.

So today, pray, put on your Sunday-best and prepare to meet Jesus, at the local church and in heaven! Today, may we each spend some time in His presence, worshiping and preparing to live eternity with our Bridegroom!

Preparing to meet the Groom with you, Neal

September 19, 2025

Now you have to know right up front that I’m not a “Trekkie.” I’ve never watched a complete episode of Star Trek, or any other science fiction program, so I have little idea of what I’m talking about for the next sentence or two. Supposedly, there is a “black hole” in space that swallows everything that gets near it. It’s this giant vortex of no return, according to science fiction. I have no idea if such a place really exists in space, but for now, let’s step back into reality.

I would highly suggest that every Christian should spend a great amount of time reading the little-read book of Ecclesiastes. It’s in the Old Testament and is considered one of the Books of Wisdom. Though there are a myriad of truths are buried within this book, like most treasures, you have to dig for them. I am of the strong opinion that the book of Ecclesiastes holds many treasures for the soul of all humanity.

One such treasure is found in Ecclesiastes 3:11, which informs the reader that God has “placed eternity in the heart of man.” If you will, God has placed a “black hole” in the heart of every person ever born. He has given us a longing to get ready for eternity. You see loved ones, every person is a physical, emotional and spiritual being according to God’s design.

The physical is the body in which you travel across this ‘ol ball of dirt. It’s that part that each of us has been born into and we preside there until our death, at which time we each enter into eternity. The emotional, often called the “heart” or the “soul” within the Bible, is that part of you that makes you, you. It’s home to your will, your character and to the particular inner characteristics that make you unique from all other humans.

The spiritual is often the most neglected portion of our humanity. It is where the “God connection” resides within each of us. It is that hole within the soul (heart) of everyone. A hole, a place that exists for us to get to know God. The problem is, we humans have a sin nature. The sin nature also resides within my soul, and it desires to please only self.

Stated simply, within the soul of every person is a “hole,” a space, a vacancy, that desires to be connected to God, but our soul desires to fill that vacancy with anything and everything except God. Literally, we are soulish (selfish) people.

Since the beginning of time, humanity has attempted to fill this vacancy with everything except God. Things that I believe can be placed into the two main categories of: lust and pride. Lust can be physical or emotional. To “lust” is to have a deep, driving desire for someone or something, and wanting it now! Pride is that part of each of us that convinces us that we “deserve” whatever we lust for.

The Bible clearly teaches that each of us is born into sin. We naturally sin against God, leaving a gap (a hole) in our relationship with our Creator. As stated earlier, we then attempt to fill that hole with the things of our world. The painful part is that the ruler of this world system (Satan) will do his best to help us find a myriad of other things to fill that vacancy with. The problem is that none of those things, or people, of this world can fill that void for us. The void can only be filled by God Himself, the one who created it in the first place.

Now our enemy will do his best to convince each of us that “if only” can fill it. If only we had this or that, or if only we looked like this or that, or if only we could learn a greater truth, or if only we were to find the one thing that could make us really happy then life would be perfect.

News flash, there is no such thing as a “perfect” life here on this earth. I have read of many people who possessed millions of dollars and all sorts of earthly treasures, yet they died fearful. It is reported that shortly before Rockefeller’s death, he was asked how much money he desired, to which he responded, “Just a little bit more.” Riches cannot fill the void.

I know of a man who owns hundreds-of-thousands of acres of land. When asked how much land he planned on owning, his response was, “Just that which joins me.” Owning things does not fill the void. Nothing of this world system can ever fill the void! Yet, when we realize that we are an empty person we quite often become a bitter person because of the constant pain of emptiness.

The bock of Ecclesiastes, and every other book of the Bible, declares that only God can fill that emptiness. The amazing thing is that when we invite God to fill our spiritual void, then and only then, does our life find meaning, purpose and fulfillment!

So today, I must ask, “Do you know God?” If not, Jesus has made it possible for you to know the only One who can fill that void that exists deep within your soul. As I’ve shared in the last two writings, asking God to be our dance partner through faith in Jesus is the only way to truly enjoy your journey within this world. Dance with God, follow His lead, visit with Him and trust Him to help you discover the real you! Then I can cheerfully write:

Finding genuine fulfillment in God with you, Neal

September 15, 2025

Miss Deb and I enjoy getting together with friends and playing a card game we call “The Game.” I haven’t time to explain it here, but if you want to come over some evening, we will teach you how to play it. But in The Game, as with most other games, people have to take turns in play. Often when we are playing The Game with a large group, everyone will get to visiting, laughing and carrying on, 11+ and then someone will ask, “Who’s turn is it?” Meaning, that it is the next person’s turn to play.

Today marks the half-way of another month. This date, this time in creation, is a day that you and those around you shall never experience again. Chew on it, those who are alive today are the only people who will ever experience today. For sure, there are years before that none of us experienced, and there will probably be years after us that none of us will experience either . Now, do you have a sense of just how important today really is?

This is “the day which the Lord has made.” He has given you life yesterday and today, but there are no guarantees about tomorrow. With this day the Bible tells us to “rejoice and be glad.” (Psalm 118:24) Will we? To “rejoice” means to celebrate, literally to “shout in exultation.” – “Well this is just another day of work and struggle,” one might say. That same person could possibly continue, “With all of the pain and the uncertainty of this world, I see nothing to celebrate about.” Yet, if you knew this was your last day on earth, would you find something to celebrate about? I’ll bet that you would gather your family together and you would spend time celebrating each of them. You would celebrate that you were blessed to know them. Why wait?

The second unusual phrase describing this usual day is “be glad.” In another words, God wants us to be happy! To which our cynic would again quip, “What is there to be happy about? With the pain and suffering around me, the wars, the fires, floods and earthquakes, and with all of the hatred and confusion around me today, how can I be happy?” To which God responds, “Today is the day I have made for you, ‘rejoice and be glad!’”

The simple truth we are all aware of, but seldom live like we know it is this, “We all get only one life to live.” You live your life and then you pass your stuff on to another generation with this note attached, “Now, it’s your turn.”

I was born April 26, 1953. I have lived approximately 26,427 days, but today is intended by my Lord, to be a special day in my life because it is a day that He has given to me to “rejoice and be glad.” Every day of your life is a special day, because it is a gift from God, do we live like it? Do we live each day as one more opportunity to “celebrate” life with a good attitude and actions that tell the world around us that we serve an amazing God?

On January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot and four of his missionary friends were all murdered by the Alcha Indians of Ecuador. Jim had lived 28 years before his life on earth ended, but it ended. After Jim’s death, his wife Elisabeth Elliot took her turn, and once again attempted to reach the same people who had murdered her husband. By God’s amazing grace, these Indians accepted Elisabeth and many of them came to know Jesus as Savior!

Shortly before his death, James Elliot made this statement, “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose”. Jim was speaking of knowing Jesus as Savior and investing our lives for the cause of Christ. You see loved one, when we get to speak with others about the saving grace of Jesus, that is truly a day to “rejoice and be glad.”

Perhaps we have so many “ho, hum” days because we do not invest those days by serving our Savior in some way. No, I didn’t say that we are to live every day as another church day. Far from it! We are to live each day, even church days, as a special gift from God, so “rejoice and be glad.” A phone call, a note, a few minutes in conversation with someone who needs to hear your voice of hope – that is a day to celebrate! You see friends, it’s the people around us and the Holy Spirit working within and through us, that makes today a special day. For none of us know if there will even be a tomorrow.

So, may I suggest that you lay aside your agenda for today; ask God something like this, “Well Lord, what do You want us to do today?” Yield yourself to His leading, and see what comes about. But above all, “rejoice and be glad” that you get to see today to its end. Celebrate today, for “tomorrow has enough trouble of its own,” as Jesus said.

For somewhere in the future, often way too soon, our lives will draw to a close. And then at death’s door, we will whisper to the next generation, “Now, it’s your turn.” To which I say, “Why wait?” Let’s tell them that now. Today, take a moment to speak words of encouragement into the life of someone younger than yourself. Somewhere in the conversation, let them know that you have learned to “rejoice and be glad” with each day, “Now it’s their turn!”

Enjoying our turn with you, Neal

September 13, 2025

Dear readers, I will always attempt to speak truth with and to you because of my respect for you and because of my love for God. Today, I’m going to jump into a topic that I feel rather inadequate to discuss, so we all need to pray for wisdom and discernment as I write and as you read. I know that some will disagree with my statements, and that is fine. I just ask that you disagree from a biblical view and not just from a view put together from hear-say or theory.

In reference to the “end of the age,” Jesus made this comment in Matthew 24:4, “See to it that no one misleads you.” For the past fifty years, many have been misled by false teachers. Some of those false teachers have been pastors, and in my opinion, many have come from our college and university campuses. For all of my secular higher education years, I read from their books and have listened to their lectures of how “only ignorant people believe in the God of the Bible and in absolute truth.”

In my mind, it is these two statements that have been driven into the minds of young people for at least half-of-a century, to the point that the majority of Americans now believe these two statements to be true. Oh yes, it begins way before college-age students are indoctrinated to turn against God. It begins in grade school when the state teachers are required to teach the “facts” of evolution. So called facts that spit directly into the face of God.

Let’s just say that you as parents take you little one to Sunday School at a church of your choosing. A church that loves your little ones and teaches them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. That God Himself spoke all of the world around them into creation. Your child hears these amazing stories from a Bible teacher and comes home excited about what they have learned.

Fast forward a couple of years and they enter public school, where now their loving teacher begins to explain the “theory” of evolution. A teaching that was not declared to be absolute truth by the man who developed it. He himself said that it was his personal theory, and near the end of his life stated that, “I might have been wrong.” This theory was adopted by those great professors who have taught our teachers for decades that this theory is absolute truth and that they should teach it with confidence. Not only are they now equipped to teach this theory by their institutes of higher learning, but they are now required to teach by their state government.

So these dear teachers teach your child about evolution, in direct conflict with the “stories” their Sunday School teacher taught them. Now you child has to make a very serious decision, which teacher is telling them the truth, they one who teaches them five days a week, or the one who teaches them for a few minutes once a week.

I pause here to remind each of us of the old Native American statement, “Inside every person there is a white dog and a black dog, which one is the strongest? The one you feed the most.” Five days a week versus one hour per week??? As I stated earlier, the theory of evolution is in direct conflict with biblical teaching.

Now, if the above story describes the experience of your little ones, and quite likely the story describes your life as well, now we have a conflicted mind. A conflicted mind that has been the ploy of Satan since the time of creation. Genesis 3:1-2, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had created. And he said to the woman, “indeed, has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” (Note the “?” at the end of the statement.)

Satan planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind, and that seed of doubt still grows today. You see my friends, a person either follows God, or has doubts about God, nothing new. The part that greatly concerns me is this: In today’s culture, I am told that I need to accept opinions and lifestyles that do not align with biblical teaching, but then when I refuse to do so, I’m branded as the one who is the “enemy” of higher learning.

Where does the “tolerance” go when a person like Charlie Kirk openly says that we need to follow the God of the Bible instead the god of this world? It is at this point in the life of the United States of America, that the conflict started in Genesis 3 is lived out and the murder of Genesis 4 is carried out!

I return to where we began two days ago, we are a conflicted nation. And as with all conflict, I shoot at the solder of the enemy. It seems to me that therein lies the problem, we see different opinions as an enemy instead of realizing that Satan is our true enemy.

Declaration, I am not angry at public school teachers who get their orders from a federal system that threatens to withhold financial assistance if local schools and teachers don’t play by their “Big Brother” rules. And parents, if you want your child to love God, you must work hard at balancing the time and truth ratio that your child receives.

I’m simply stating what I believe men such as Charlie Kirk stated, “I am not your enemy.” Satan always has been and always will be the enemy of anyone who desires to follow God. This is a spiritual war, not a physical war, though it is played out in the physical realm. It seems that the only decision is which dog will I feed the most? “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Feeding the white dog with you, Neal

September 12, 2025

Everyone knows, when your horse bucks you off, get back on and go again. That is, after you catch him again. Most often if your horse bucks you off, he will then run away and leave you stranded. It may be that many Christians are feeling like their horse bucked them off, and run away.

It’s normal to feel like God has failed us when things go bad in our world. In fact, there are even times that it feels like He has dumped us off and then ran away from us. However, the truth is that we fell off, and He is standing right there waiting for us to get back on.

Romans 5:3-5, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope.” This is the Apostle Paul’s response to getting bucked off.

Please note, “hope” is the final outcome, however there is a very intentional process for getting to “hope.” First, we have to recognize the “tribulation,” the trial – getting bucked off, as a good thing, if we allow the Holy Spirit to help us. In this illustration, the Holy Spirit is that person riding with us, who goes and gathers our horse for us to get back onto.

So, tribulation comes, what we do with it is up to us. I’ve never known a good cowboy who hasn’t been bucked off plenty of times. Trials will happen to each of us, and they will make us better or bitter, our choice.

O.K. back to Romans 5 – After we stay with the process, we prove that our character is developing into the character of Jesus Christ, and now we get to “hope.” In this passage “hope” is a sense of assurance that the Holy Spirit is riding right alongside of us and that He is there to help when life bucks us off.

Yesterday, we looked at the hopelessness of our society. To finish our equation: sin = fear = hatred = hopelessness. Because our culture seems to be very sin focused, they need to see Christians as people of “hope.” Our neighbors need to see and hear that we are a hopeful people! So, now, remember how we become hopeful – through trials that produce a Christ-like character as we get back on again and again.

Through my years of working with horses, there was always that one that I knew was going to try to buck me off sometime during our day of work. Yep, life today seems to be that same way doesn’t it? All we can do is stay attentive and be ready for it when it happens, because if that is the only horse we have in the corral, that is the one we have to ride today.

So, my friend, pull your hat down tight and enjoy the ride. Who knows, today might just be the day that you actually ride the bucking bugger! But if not, be sure to get back on and keep riding, praising God that His process is at work within your life!

Getting back in the saddle with you, Neal

September 11, 2025

As we remember the events of this date, once again the hearts of Christians are saddened. It grieved my heart greatly to hear of the death of Charlie Kirk. If you will recall, in my last writing I stated, “I believe persecution will come to America, it’s just a matter of ‘When?”” Well, I guess that question has been answered for us.

But just like 9\11, this attack was unexpected and driven by hatred. Here is my two cents: In Genesis Chapter 3 we see that the human reaction to sin is fear, (v.10) by Chapter 4, that fear has transformed into hatred and we read of the first murder ever committed (v. 8).

It seems that today we continue that same cycle. America tends to be a breeding ground for sin. The result of rampant sin is extreme fear. It would appear that we Americans on the average are fearful of everyone and everything. Yet, Jesus states “Fear not” over 300 times in the Bible. Why? Because fear leads to hatred and hatred leads to murder in the name of personal freedom.

Just like in the many events of history, people walk away from actual truth and adopt a pretend truth. You see, there is actual truth – Jesus stated, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus also declared that He came to earth “to bear witness to the truth.” Again, a person without real truth, will soon adopt sin as truth, leading to a fearful life, leading to hatred, leading to violence against those who speak truth.

George Orwell once stated, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” Well, here we are.

So, as born-again Christians living in America, are we going to continue our Sunday morning holy huddle and then retreatc to our homes? Or, are we going to gather to worship the living God, to be encouraged and strengthened by other believers and truth-filled lessons, and then walk into our communities with courage and a boldness to do our part in advancing the kingdom of God? Remember, just before leading Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua was challenged to “Be strong and courageous.”

Our strength comes from the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not our education about being courageous Christians. Jesus told His first disciples, as well as us, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The Greek word used here for “power” is “dynamin,” from which we derive our English word dynamite. Dynamite can be used for great good, or terrible evil. It’s time that we Christians begin to use our God-given power for the good of those around us and for the glory of the amazing God we serve!

The “courage” comes from being in right relationship with God and realizing that we have the “power” to do anything He calls us to do. “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” It is time to live the TRUTH with courage!

As a dear saint once said, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”(Joshua 24:15) Joshua was challenging his people to choose between that which their culture called truth and that which their God called truth. You too get to choose which one you will follow.

Choosing biblical truth with you, Neal

September 9, 2025

Tuesday, 5:30 a.m., 43 degrees. The weather man is predicting a 55 percent chance of rain today. But then toward the bottom of the page he lists the amount as “o.o4 inches.” Fifty-five percent sounds good, but the four-hundredths sure isn’t going to amount to much. If we get any, it won’t be enough to help with the drought that we are experiencing.

That’s the way with the false religions of today, they sound good, but don’t amount to much. They make big promises of bringing healing into your life. They predict that your family will be stronger, and your life will have real meaning, as long as you give your check to them on a regular basis.

Yet as we plant Bible-based churches across the west, we are seeing many folks stepping away from the false religions and embracing Jesus as Savior. It is truly an amazing thing to step out of the darkness and into the light!

Though we may not see people come to Him by the hundreds here in the states, across the world that is exactly what is happening. However, those conversions are usually coming with great persecution. In many countries, to follow Jesus costs a person everything, including losing family and friends. Yet, many are turning to Jesus as Savior!

Just like the forecasted rain, I believe persecution will come to America as well, it’s just a matter of “When?” The good thing about persecution is that it makes stronger Christians. I think that is what Abraham was speaking about when he said, “I will not give anything to my God that cost me nothing.” Up to this point it has been a free meal to follow Jesus in this country. Though, as we have been told for years, “there is no such thing as a free meal.”

It cost Jesus His life to establish His church, but to join it costs us nothing. So today’s question is, “Is that really what Jesus said?” In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verse 23 we read, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ You see, the cross has always been a place of death! It was for Jesus, and it is supposed to be for His followers as well.

In the Greek language the word “deny” is an interesting command. To “deny himself” literally means to “disown” self. I am to give ownership of myself to someone else, and we seem to be really good at that. We American Christians often give ourselves to things that are ungodly: lust, fame, fortune, self… With our easy access to most anything a person could want, it is extremely easy to satisfy self rather than “deny” self.

You see my friends, the problem is that we tend to be very selfish. So rather than denying myself, I pamper myself with all the pleasures of this world. As a result, our faith tends to be weak. Jesus does not tell us to “deny” self because He doesn’t want us to enjoy our life, He gives us that command so that we can get self out of the way and focus upon the Savior! And when we “deny” self and focus upon the Savior, true joy and happiness invade our lives. That’s what it looks like to step away from a false religion and into the truth of Scripture, we become self-less!

You see, it is going to rain, the question is “When?” Persecution is coming, the question is “When?” Stronger Christians are coming to America, the question is “When?” May today be the day that we “deny” self and embrace the Savior

Denying self with you, Neal