From the Home Place

October 18, 2025

We have been blessed with some good Fall moisture, but then that almost always means wind on the tail-end of a front. Here, it is 3:30 a.m. and the wind is howling outside. It sure doesn’t make me excited about working outside again today, but outside is where of the work is right now.

Allow me to wrap up the bull riding illustrations today. I mean, a feller can only take so much bull before having to move on to the next topic. As we also conclude our study of Colossians 3:1-4, I would like us to focus upon one small phrase that is really easy to skip over when reading. We find this little phrase hiding within verse 1, where we are instructed to “keep seeking.”

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking things above.” In the Greek language, “keep seeking” is verb, thus requiring action on our part. This word is also in the “imperative” case, meaning that it is a command, not just a suggestion.

So, let’s return to the arena and take a bit deeper look at bull riding. If a person is going to be a good bull rider, you have to train, train, train, and then train some more. A good bull rider has trained himself physically and emotionally to handle the demands of the event. The coveted ride may be only eight-seconds in length, but it takes hours and hours of training to be ready for those eight-seconds.

The Christian walk is much the same. Here in Colossians 3:1 we are told to “keep seeking.” The word “seeking implies a “deep desire” to fulfill the command. If a feller is going to be a good bull rider, he has to have a driving desire to succeed. If a Christian is going to live a life pleasing to God, that same driving desire is necessary. Neither bull riding, nor Christianity is meant to be a casual sport.

As I said, the phrase “Keep seeking” is an imperative in the Greek. God is commanding us to develop a strong desire for the “things above.” Once again words are important. Note the word “things.” It is plural in nature, meaning that there is a plurality of steps in learning to have a strong desire for the “things above.”

All of the good bull riders I have ever known, started as a kid, riding calves. Then when the want-to-be bull rider grows in size and desire, he will usually graduate up to riding cows and roping steers. After countless bumps, bruises and often broken bones, if the “desire” remains, our student will graduate to bulls.

If he has any brains, he will not start attempting to ride PBR class bulls, but instead he will begin to ride what we call range bulls. Just plain old everyday bulls out of the pasture. No fancy buckers, but they will introduce our young rider to the extreme power of a bull.

Now, let’s shift back to our young Christian. It usually takes time and training to become a strong Christian. Most Christ-followers will walk aways down the road with Jesus before they really experience the power of being “in Christ.” And once a person learns to walk with Jesus in humble dependance, then they have to “keep seeking” a deeper, more intimate walk with Him. It’s something we have to work at; it doesn’t just magically happen to us.

Remember the words of Philippians 2:12, “then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Yep, the Apostle Paul used the word “work,” implying the constant training to be successful at whatever God is calling you to do.

So, if you want to be a mature follower of Christ, then you had best “keep seeking the things above,” and working hard at it. (Remember, Ephesians 2:9-10 makes it clear that we are saved for works, not by works.) For you see my friends, up to the day we enter into heaven, there will always be something else to learn and experience in our walk with Christ!

“Seeking things above” with you, Neal

October 16, 2025

Yesterday we visited about keeping our focus “on things above,” by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in our lives. I know this looks like a really big job, and it is. In fact, none of us can produce the Fruit of the Spirit apart from the Spirit. It’s a God-sized life change!

We were at a high school rodeo when I was a freshman. One of the guys that I helped get out on his bull was having trouble find his “seat” just before he asked for his bull. We had pulled his rope and everything was ready to go, but he was shifting this way and then that way, forward and then backward. He was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I could tell he was having a little trouble finding his brave, and so could the stock contractor standing on the back of chute, adjusting the flank strap. Finally the contractor said, “Well you’ve done a fine job of riding this ‘ol feller in the chute, let’s open the gate and see what you can do out in the arena.

When the gate was opened, my friend immediately looked at the ground, and the next jump of the bull, my friend proved that gravity was still working. The clowns got the bull’s attention and my friend made it safely back to the top of the chute.

As I said, he was just a bit fearful of the task before him. It takes a lot of brave to tie yourself to 2,000 pounds of fresh hamburger! It also takes an equal amount of brave to fully yield your life to the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a gander at Colossians 3:3, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” You see friends, because of your faith in the Lord Jesus, you are “dead” in Him. Now that’s a phrase we are not accustom to. We like the phares that remind us that we are “alive in Christ.,” but here we are told that we are “dead.” You know, that thing we are all trying to avoid.

But you see, if we are dead in Christ, that means that we are already with Him in Heaven spiritually speaking. Right now, we are just waiting for the reality of said event. You see, verse 3 is in the “aorist” tense in the Greek language. This tense refers to a fact that is past, present and future all at the same time. That means we have died with Christ, we are dying with Christ, and we will die with Christ.

The moment you accepted Jesus as Savior, you were “hidden” with Him in Heaven, are being “hidden” with Him in Heaven each day of your life now and you will be “hidden” with Jesus in Heaven at the moment of your death. The word “hidden” is in the perfect, passive, indicative form. meaning that it is a fact that happened to you by God’s power, not yours.

Perhaps we would all do well to realize that we are already “hidden” with Jesus in heaven, now all we have to do is live like it here and now. Kind of like my friend put up a great bull ride in the chute, but now it was time to open the gate. For each of us, it’s time to open the gate, keep our eyes on the Lord and allow His Spirit to produce His fruit in and through our lives.

Let me encourage, at times the ride can be rough, but it really is an amazing ride! For according to verse 4, “you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” The reason cowboys attempt to ride bulls is because of the thrill of hearing the roar of the crowd! The reason we need to yield to the Holy Spirit is so that we can fully experience the “glory” of God, now as well as when you walk into His presence and you hear the God of Heaven declare, “Well done My good and faithful servant!”

Looking forward with you, Neal

October 15, 2025

Good morning dear friends. It’s cloudy, cold and wet here in Lusk this morning, it feels like Fall!

When I was right at sixteen years of age, a friend convinced me that I should attempt riding bulls. So I took a run at it. I had been riding cows for several years and thought that bulls couldn’t be that much tougher. WOW, was I ever wrong!

Bulls are so much quicker, stronger and meaner than cows! As such, every part of the rider’s body has to work in perfect harmony. When a bull really learns how to buck, the rider needs to be able to move his free arm, his feet, his shoulders, even his head in an exact direction at a precise moment. Move too soon or too late and the rider will get to test gravity.

As important as it was to keep adjusting all of those parts, it always seemed to me that the most important part of riding a bull was to control one’s eyes. When I first started riding, an old-timer instructed me to “Keep your eyes on the top of his head, wherever his head goes, his tail will follow.” To me the most important element of making a good ride, was to keep a great focus!

Thus, in Colossians 3:2 we are to “keep your mind on things above.” To me that means to keep my eyes fixed upon Heaven, “not on the things that are on earth.” Much like riding a bull, we are to keep our focus upon heavenly things, and make needed adjustments as the ride progresses.

So, one must ask what are the “things above?” May I suggest that at least a portion of the “things above” involve the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such thing there is no law.”

During our earthly journey, we are to learn to walk with the Holy Spirit in such a way that His fruit begins to permeate our lives. This is accomplished by keeping our eyes fixed upon “the things above.” In Heaven, we will be so in tune with the workings of the Holy Spirit that we will exhibit the Fruit of the Spirt in a perfect way!

Just like riding a bull, we have to keep our focus. Remember the wise instructions from an old friend, “Keep your eyes on the back of his head, for wherever his head goes, his tail will follow.” Well, the same is true of us, “wherever our focus is, our tail will follow.” In the words of Jesus Christ, we cannot serve both God and money. If getting rich is our focus, we will prove 1 Timothy 6:10 to be true, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Where your eye are, your tail will follow!

When Jesus was about to leave this earth, He told His disciples that He was going to send them a “Helper.” As humans bound to this ‘ol ball of dirt for a season, there are so many distractions. Satan and this world system will do everything they can do to cause us to lose our focus. One again, like riding a bull, if a rider looks at a distraction, gravity takes over. When we as Christians lose our focus, we too will fall. And that is exactly why we need the “Helper.”

By learning to walk with the Holy Spirit here and now, we are preparing to walk with Him through all of eternity, where we will enjoy perfect “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” the “things of above.”

Heaven will be a perfect environment, with perfect “fruit,” enjoyed by perfect people, all in the presence of GOD. So as Colossians 3:1 states, “Keep seeking the things above.” Because wherever your eyes go, your tail will follow!”

Learning to produce fruit here and now with you, Neal

October 14, 2025

A few years back, I started watching videos of a certain horse. He belongs to a lady that I consider to be my little sister, and as such, she and her horse have always been special to me. I watched video after video of Opus winning contest after contest. In my eyes he was a star! Then one day, I finally had the opportunity to see him in person. He was in a stall at a large horse show where he was competing.

I had been given clear instructions as to where this wonder horse was stalled, and that she would be showing another horse at the time we were set to arrive. As such I was to follow the directions and introduce myself to a horse I had longed to meet. I followed the instructions, walked down the long alley of stalls, each containing a beautiful horse, but none containing the horse I had come to see. Something wasn’t quite right, maybe someone else had him out for some exercise, maybe I had misunderstood the instructions???

The reality was, I had walked past the horse, twice. The horse that I had waited years to meet, the horse that I had watched in dozens of videos, the horse that I knew I knew, I didn’t recognize. I walked right past him, looking for him. I didn’t recognize the anointed one I was searching for.

The same thing that happened to me, also happened to the Jewish religious leaders during biblical times. Most of them didn’t recognize the Messiah (the Christ), whom they had waited for generations to meet, when Jesus stood in their presence. Because Jesus didn’t fit their pre-conceived notion of what He was to look like, Jesus didn’t do what they thought He would do, because Jesus came on the scene in a way they didn’t think He would, they too walked right past their Anointed One.

Per our topic on Heaven, I fear that many will do the same as the Jewish leaders awaiting their Messiah, and the same that I did awaiting a special horse, I fear that many will miss the door to Heaven because of their preconceived ideas.

Some folks think that being good will get them into Heaven. Others think that because God is so kind, He will allow everyone to enter. Some are determined that because their membership is in a certain church, they will be allowed in. Yet others think that if they give enough money, or if they serve the “less fortunate,” God somehow owes them entrance into Heaven. The reality is that folks with such ideas will walk right past Heaven’s door, while they are looking for it.

OK, lets understand one primary principal – Heaven is where GOD is. After all, if a person has even a smattering of religion in their life, they have most likely prayed, “Our Father who art in Heaven…” The entire Bible is filled with page after page informing us that Heaven is the abode GOD, yet many will walk right past the entrance, while they are looking for the entrance.

In John 14:6, Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one come to the Father but through Me.” Jesus is “the way,” the door, the entrance into Heaven, but most religious people of our day will miss finding Him because of their preconceived notions of what the entrance into Heaven looks like.

In Colossians 3:1-4, we are told twice to keep our focus upon “things above.” Why? Because if we lose our focus upon Heaven, we are quite apt to walk right past it, all the time looking for a different door than the One GOD has provided for us.

Even a good Jewish leader of the Old Testament would have told us that there is only one Messiah and that there will be only one way to enter into His presence – obedience. But then they would have told you that not only do you have to obey God’s holy Law, but you also have to obey their man-made laws.

Loved ones, may we not allow man-made ideas keep us from finding Heaven. Please, do not allow your preconceived ideas of how to get into Heaven keep you from finding the “One” who is “the way” into Heaven. Accept Jesus as your Savior, and when your time is up, He will take you directly to your Father who is in Heaven. For you see, if we keep our “eyes fixed upon the author and the perfector of faith,” we have already found Heaven’s door!

Keeping a biblical focus with you, Neal

October 13, 2025

I will be using the New American Standard Version for Bible quotes:

As we begin our study of Colossians 3:1-4, because of the “Therefore” in v. 1, we have to go back to Chapter 2 to determine the proper context of Chapter 3. Colossians 2:6 is a great start, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” I usually would not stack two “therefore” statements together, but here it seems to work.

As your reading of Chapter 2 has revealed, to become a Christian we place our complete faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His life, death, burial and resurrection are our hope! Through faith, by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8), we are now dead to sin and alive to Christ. As 2:6 clearly states, we are now expected to live lives honoring of the name of Jesus. Note the words Paul uses in verse 6, “Christ Jesus the Lord.” Christ – “The Savior”, Jesus – “The Anointed One,” – Lord – Master. Jesus is the anointed one who saves, as such He is the Christian’s Master, and we are to “walk” with Him, not that He is obligated to walk with us.

My, how often we seem to get this one simple task backwards. We tend to live our lives as if we are doing God a favor by asking Jesus to accompany us on our journey. There is a reason that I constantly refer to Christians as a “Christ-follower.” The Master leads, the servant follows. Read Colossians 2:7 once again!

Now note, verses 9, 10 & 11 all contain the phrase, “in Him.” It isn’t that you as a Christ-follower now have Jesus in you, the amazing fact is that you have been placed “in Him!” Remember that we have often mentioned that the first response to the first sin was “fear!” When I was a little kid, I was afraid of the dark. The ranch I grew up on, didn’t have any kind of light out in the corrals or barns until I was well into high school. As such, I spent several years walking around in the dark doing chores or checking cows during calving, totally afraid.

I wasn’t afraid of a boogeyman grabbing me, I was afraid of stepping on a rattle snake or into a nasty critter. (Well, O.k., there could have been a boogeyman there as well.) Instead of stumbling around in the dark, it sure would have been great to have had a light. The same is true of our life apart from Christ, we are stumbling around in the dark, filled with fear. Yet “in Him” we walk with Jesus, the Light of the world! (Jn. 9:5) Jesus tells us some 350 times in the Bible, “Fear not.” Why, because the Light gives clarity and security. 2 John makes it clear, “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”(v.10)

As a Christ-follower, now read Colossians 3:1-4 and pray that the light comes on! In verse 1 and again in verse 2 we are to keep our focus on “things above.” Look at verse 4, because we are “in Christ” “who is our life, we now walk by the Light, not by the darkness on the world, and as such we “will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Three phases: Salvation, sanctification, glorification! When you acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, you are saved, rhen you enter into the process of sanctification by learning to walk with Christ and you will be glorified with Christ in heaven!!!

Please note, you are saved through faith and faith alone, not by church membership, nor by baptism. The Bible makes it very clear that those two elements are to be a byproduct of salvation, not a means to salvation. “For there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

As a Christ-follower, you are to walk with Him until you are glorified in Heaven, all by His amazing grace!

Walking with Jesus with you, Neal

October 12, 2025

If I were to open a discussion on the present condition of the United States government, everyone would have an opinion. Everyone would be able to tell me exactly what they think should be done about the present shutdown, and probably with plenty of emotion expressed in said statement! But if I were to ask us to open a discussion on heaven, what would be the comments? Would said comments carry the same emotional energy as the previous question?

I’m sorry to say, that the comments about heaven would probably be way lighter in content and in emotional energy. The simple truth is that very few of us know much at all about heaven, the place where we claim we will spend eternity, while we know much about the world around us today.

When we get to heaven will we have angel wings? Will we spend all of our time singing and worshiping, or will we have other activities? Will we recognize our friends and family members who are also there? Will we have a body, or will we just be a conscious vapor? Will everyone do the exact same thing, the exact same way, for all of eternity? And I’m sure that you can add to the list of questions, yet the answers are extremely lacking.

But let’s be fair, of course we know more about the world we have lived in all of our years, and little about a place we have never experienced. When was the last time your pastor taught about heaven during a sermon series? Have you ever attended a Bible study about your eternal home? You see we all have a view on the known, and a faint opinion on the unknown.

Today, our Sunday School and small groups will begin such a study. We are going to look into the Bible for answers about heaven. I’ll admit, it is probably going to be the most difficult class I have ever taught, but I’m sure it will also be one of the most informative. After all, if we start knowing only 5% about heaven, an improvement of 50% will be significant.

So, for the next few weeks, we too will look into heaven through this blog, praying the Holy Spirit will roll back our misconceptions while opening our eyes to biblical truth!

For today, one verse: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4

Wow, there is enough said within these four verses to last us for several days. So here is what I want you to do please. Spend the next week breaking apart these verses. Study them one word, one thought at a time. Ask questions, pray for answers. Depend upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, “do not lean upon your own understanding.” Ask the Sprit to help us see the truth of these verses through His heavenly eyes, and not through our earth-bound eyes.

So for today, consider the first word, “Therefore.” As we have all been taught “anytime we find the word ‘therefore’ in a Bible verse, we have to determine what it is there for?” So, today’s assignment is to read and chew on the previous chapter to determine the “therefore”. As you read Colossians 2, focus upon your position in Christ and the truth He brings verses the opinion of man.

Please know, I’ll be praying for you as we delve into better understanding heaven, and I for sure would appreciate your prayers for me as I write each day.

Blessings, Neal

October 9, 2025

Teddy Roosevelt once commented that “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” A truer statement has never been spoken. There is just something about having a good horse around the place that brings rhythm. He will nicker at you the first time he sees you each day and will gladly let you visit with him while he is eating his breakfast, especially if there is a brush in your hand. A good horse is loyal, trustworthy and kind. Perhaps that is why we speak of having “good horse sense?”

If only we humans consistently revealed those same three characteristics. Being loyal means to be dedicated to another. Oh my, what this world would look like if more of us lived our lives for the betterment of others. Not because we are getting paid for it, but because it is just the right thing to do. Read your favorite Gospel and note how often Jesus speaks of “the least” of persons being blessed if they are loyal to Him. Note how often Jesus challenges us to live our life for others as a sign of loyalty to Him. Note how often Jesus invites us to loyally advance the Kingdom of God.

The second great characteristic in a good horse is that of being trustworthy. Perhaps the best way to appreciate this characteristic in a horse is to have to ride one who is not trustworthy. You know, that one who is always waiting for you to get too relaxed so they can blow-up. Or the one who waits for you to make one little mistake so they can try to pile-drive you out in the pasture. A untrustworthy horse will sure enough make a person appreciate a trustworthy one!

If you have someone who wants to ride one of your horses, you will catch the one that is trustworthy, knowing that you ‘ol horse will take good care of the dude. A trustworthy horse will always give you everything they can in an effort to please you – they won’t “cheat” you. If you have never had to ride a horse that you couldn’t really trust, you have been extremely blessed, and probably wealthy enough to afford only good horses.

So, this characteristic invites the question, “Are we trustworthy to God?” Can He depend upon us to always do the right thing as a reflection of His characteristics? Being trustworthy means that no matter what God might ask of us, we happily do our best to please Him. We never use words like “can’t” or “won’t.” He can depend upon on us to give our very best every time. And just like that trustworthy horse, God can trust His trustworthy servant to take good care of those He places in our care.

The last characteristic of a good horse is kindness. When a person learns to read horses, you will quickly recognize a horse with “a kind eye.” You can see in their eye that they want to be your buddy. When a kind horse looks at you, you don’t see any fear or anger in their eye, just a softness that says, “I want to be your friend.”

Of course, I saved the most difficult characteristic for last. How often do we look down our nose at another person? Or when someone walks into our space, we look at them with fear and a fair amount of resentment? When folks look into our eyes, do they see comfort, contentment and calm? When folks look into our eyes do they see us saying, “I just want to be your friend?”

Yep, the outside of a good horse is sure good for the inside of a person. I wonder if our Lord had this in mind when He said, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” I think Jesus would love to say, “The outside of My servant is good for others.”

Yep, I sure miss having a good horse around, and I reckon there are those in my life who would love to have a good Christian around. Perhaps we would all do well to have some “good horse sense” and treat others like we want them to treat us.

Ridding into the mission field with you, Neal