From the Home Place

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  • Start digging!

    November 29, 2025

    Wow, what a beautiful day! The wind in steady at 20mph, gusting at 46mph, the temp is 8 degrees and feels like negative 19. With an inch of snow, mostly in drifts, we need to attempt to find a bugle cow today. Some people just get to have all of the fun.

    This snap reminds me of a storm in 1968. We had fed everything really well on a Saturday morning, expecting the weather man to be correct about the “winter weather outbreak” he was forecasting. We pulled 25 head of yearling ewe lambs into the north corral at home for extra protection. That corral had a good wind break; the best we could offer them. These girls had their full coat of wool on and could stand a lot of cold. It would probably be a disadvantage to put them in a barn with all of that wool as they would get too hot and start sweating, which would turn their wool to ice in the extreme cold.

    Dad and I carried in plenty of extra wood, watched the ten-o’clock weather, which sounded like we were in for a doozie, and went to bed. At around four a.m. Dad charged into my bedroom and sternly stated, “Get your clothes on, we have a problem outside!”

    I scrambled to find all of the warm clothes I could find; remember, back then we didn’t have insulated coveralls and snow boots. I pulled a pail of Levis on over my long-johns and a coat, a Scotch cap and chore gloves. With five-buckle overshoes over my boots, we stepped out of the porch, into a three-foot drift of fresh snow!

    We pawed our way to the old shop where dad handed me a scoop shovel and told me it was going to be tough, but our yearling ewes were drifted under in the north corall. We pawed our way that direction, the wind was blowing at a steady 40-to-50 mph and it was still snowing hard. We finally found the top of the eight-foot windbreak that the girls had to be next to and we started scooping the hard-drifted snow as fast as we could.

    I can still feel the sting of the snow blowing against my face and the adrenaline rushing through my veins. We shoveled as fast as we could straight down to the ground, no sheep. We moved over about six feet to the east and started digging again, one of us from the top, one from the side. This time we found a lamb, which we assumed to be frozen stiff.

    We drug her into the previous hole we had made, and dad started beating on her with his scoop shovel. To my amazement, she moved and he told me, “Drag her to the barn and get her on her feet!” So I headed for the barn, dragging a 60-pound lamb, caked in show, up this snow drift and back down, up another snow drift and back down, again and again. We finally made it to the barn, I shovel several feet of snow out of the way so we could get the door open, drug my little friend inside and sure enough, she was ready to get up and take a run at living. I headed back to dad.

    We repeated that process with all 24 more lambs. After the last one was in the barn and on her feet, we finally stopped to breath for a few minutes. By this time there was getting to be a tad-bit of daylight, so we started morning chores. Milking, separating the milk, and feeding the saddle horses, milk cows and calves what hay we could dig out from under the snow drifts.

    Back to the house, mom had hot coffee ready. We both sat down long enough to drink our coffee and eat some pancakes and bacon. Dry clothes back on and headed out the door to check on our little gals in the barn. They were all up chewing on their hay, so we carried several buckets of water for them, after chopping a hole in the six inches of ice on the tank.

    After digging some more hay out for the critters in the big corral, we made our way back to the house, exhausted! We knew we needed to go feed the range cows and the rest of the sheep, but we couldn’t even try until the storm broke. Finally, about noon, we were able to head out to feed and check on the rest of our critters. They were all Wyoming-tough and smart about windbreaks. We fed all we could find and headed home for evening chores. I have to say, as crazy as that day was, “I still miss days on the home place.”

    That was a tough storm, but life is seldom easy. As Christians, we still have to deal with winter storms, and emotional storms. This ‘ol world is not our friend when it comes to trying to make a living in the ag industry. Yet, I’m grateful for those who are still putting food on our tables, and to our Heavenly Father for His provision and protection. This would probably be a good time to stop to praise Him for getting us through all of the storms we have faced over the years, and to ask Him to help us deal with this first bite of winter we are dealing with today!

    Life isn’t easier as a Christ-follower, but it sure is a blessing to know that our Lord walks with us through whatever kind of physical, emotional or spiritual storm we have to face. After all, He has promised, “I am with you always.” Oh, by the way, sometimes others need us to help dig them out from under their storms as well.

    Weathering life’s storms with you, Neal

  • Leftovers

    November 28, 2025

    The weather man is talking about being in the 40’s today, we’ll take it.

    Well, if you hosted Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, today you start dealing with leftovers. That can range from a sandwich or two, to trying to figure out what to do with a refrigerator stuffed to the top with leftovers.

    The problem with leftovers is that there usually isn’t enough of any one item to serve all of the relatives who are still at your house. You have a bit of ham, some turkey and stuffing, enough potatoes, green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes so that everyone can have some, but not everyone have the same thing. And then there’s that turkey carcass that looks like the buzzards have been picking at it. It’s probably in the refrigerator in the garage, along with all of the pickles, olives and celery sticks. Oh ya, down in the bottom tray of the fridge is still some of your homemade dinner rolls that everyone fussed over how good they “were.”

    In the garage fridge, is portions of most of the desserts you spent hours and a small fortune on, along with some stuff you aren’t quite sure “what that is.” Yep, today, we all get to eat leftovers. But you know, I like being able to pick and choose as I wish, make a sandwich and sit by myself somewhere quiet to enjoy my leftovers. The problem is, that this same meal may need to be repeated for the next two or three days. Or we put in freezer bags and find it again next year, just in time to throw it all out and start over.

    You see the problem with leftovers is that they usually are just that, left over. Not as good as the original, but still good enough. And that my friends, is how God feels when we serve Him our leftovers. You know, that couple of dollars that are left over after you have spent the rest of your paycheck getting ready for Thanksgiving. The time you have left over after you have worked all week, gone shopping or played golf all day Saturday, if there is an hour left, you give that to God, wishing you were still in bed!

    We American Christians are extremely good at giving God what is left-over, but we sure hope He always gives us the best He has to offer, especially when we have a “serious” need. To make any relationship real, we must spend time with someone. That seems to be the number one thing we just never have “enough of” to spend with God.

    He gives us twenty-fours each and every day, but we are so busy that we can only find a few minutes here or there to visit with Him. We have so many things that “I just have to get done today” that we can’t sacrifice any time for devotions right now, maybe I’ll have a few minutes later = leftovers!

    What ever happened to giving God our “first fruits” instead of what we have left over, if anything at all? Just chew on it for a minute, how much time do I spend watching TV, but no time for God? How much of my finances do I spend on personal wants, but I don’t have enough to give a proper tithe to God? How often is my schedule so full of things “I want to do” that I don’t have time to serve His kingdom?

    Loved ones, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a long “holiday season.” May we each end our year with a resolution that we are going to treat God like our honored guest around our place this season. We will give Him the time it takes to develop a deeper friendship with Him. We will give Him the tithe that we want to give instead of the left-over scrapings. We will invite Him to walk with us through this busy time of the year. We will not allow other things, events and even people to interrupt this space in our walk with our Heavenly Father!

    May we each give our Lord and Savior the best that we have to offer first, and then perhaps we will notice that there is plenty left over for everyone and everything else!

    Getting rid of leftovers with you, Neal

  • Thanks for Giving!

    November 27, 2025

    Good morning all! We are at 21, headed for 40 today. The gentle breeze shouldn’t blow anyone off the road today. I suppose the roads will be busy today with travelers, so stay safe out there please.

    Miss Deb and I are at home today. We bought a small turkey breast to put in the smoker for lunch, and I have a brisket in the smoker for supper with a friend coming by around that time. Looks like it just me and my two girls for the most of this day!

    Thanksgiving always brings John 3:16 to mind, “For God so loved the world that He gave.” Remember: “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” All by God’s design, and example. Our loving Heavenly Father has given us the greatest example of true love that anyone could ever give. Because God’s nature is to show genuine love, He is a giver.

    Stop and think about it: God has given you breath, the primary sign of life. Back in the 70’s I served as an EMT on our local ambulance crew. Every bit of education I received for that task taught me that if a person is found unconscious, the first thing I was to do was to check to see if that person was breathing. Why? Because breathing is a sign of life.

    When a baby is born, what is the first thing the doctor looks for as soon as the baby is born, is that little one breathing! And then there is the Genesis 2 account of how God created Adam with the exact form God wanted him to have, but then God breathed “the breath of life” into Adam’s lungs and we read that he became a “living being.” Without breath, there is no life. So stop all of your Thanksgiving hurriedness and thank God that He has helped your body to breathe today!

    Then ask Him what He wants you to do with your breathing body. I’m betting that the answer from God will sound quite simple, “Love!” All our Heavenly Father asks us to do with the breath that He has given us, is to love Him and those He brings into our path today.

    It stands to reason, if God gives out of love, He should expect His children to do the same. So, give that hug, give that food, give your time, give your breath out of a heart filled with love. And not the same love that you “love” food with. No, the love that God gives is a sacrificial love, so we are to give the same kind of love. We are to give to others because He has first given to us. Really, all we are doing is passing along that which we have received. We are the conduit through which God sends His love into all of the world.

    Note, God gave the best He had to give to you – His Son! That’s the kind of love that we are to give as well. We are to give everything and everyone that is precious to us as a love-gift to others. We are so blessed that our children and grandchildren will all be eating a meal somewhere else, with someone else, yet their love is crowded around our table!

    So today, if you are blessed to be at a table with your loved ones, may I suggest that everyone stop all of the business and take a moment to just breathe, praising God for the simplest of human functions, that which is the primary measure of life, breathing His love to others. Also, thank God for giving His best! Then enjoy all of the gifts of love who are seated around your table. Oh ya, then all of you who are together can also enjoy the food on your table. And we all know out there somewhere someone will say something like, “I’m so full that I can hardly breathe.”

    Enjoy this special day with the special people gathered with you, and Miss Deb, Coffee and I will do the same; each grateful that He allows us to breathe for one more day of Thanks for Giving!

    Breathing with you, Neal

  • My “adopted” one!

    November 26, 2025

    Well, that beautiful fall has come to an end. It’s 11 degrees at 4:30 this morning. Breezy, snow flurries, and 37 for a high today. I sure wish I had a wood stove!

    I’m just a little excited this morning, my “adopted” little brother should be here tomorrow about one o’clock in the afternoon. Jowell isn’t really any blood relative; he’s just the guy that I adopted as my little brother way back when. We have known each other for fourteen years now, but our hearts are so welded together that you would think we grew up together.

    Seldom do two men have so much in common: We both have a beautiful wife who has been our girlfriend for years and years; we both enjoy hunting and fishing; we both have the same work ethic; we both have great children and amazing grandchildren; we both are elk-aholics!

    The only problem is that we live over seven-hours apart. As such, Jowell is going to make the long drive to Lusk so that we can spend time together, hopefully hunting elk! If all works well, we are planning on finding a little puddle of elk so that we can both harvest a cow. As of right now it looks like we are headed sixty-plus miles to the north-west of here, pitching a tent and both of us learning to breathe again.

    By breathing again, I mean that we have both had a very busy year up to now, and we just need to spend some time together, allowing our hearts to speak to each other, enjoying time in nature and sharing plenty of laughs. We always find plenty to laugh about when we are together. I’ve always said that a person’s best friends are those that you have shared two emotions with: you have laughed together, and you have cried together, we have done plenty of both!

    I’m fourteen years the senior, and so much wiser (cough, cough), so it’s always up to me to find us a spot to spend time together. This time we will be way out in the middle of nowhere Wyoming, during the coldest weather we have had so far this winter, dodging snowflakes, eating sandwiches and cold meals, trying to stay somewhat warm, and just plain enjoying life together.

    I guess you could say we are much like David and Jonathan from the Bible. In 1 Samuel 18:3 we read, “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.” Though they were not really related, their hearts were fully connected! Do you have such a person in your life? Stats tell us that most women have 2-3 such women in their lives, while men have less than 1.5 soul mates. I am so blessed to know several men who I would consider fill the “.5” space in my life , but I know exactly who is my “1”.

    Like David and Jonathan, Jowell and I both love the Lord Jesus, so we will spend plenty of time in prayer and chewing on the Scriptures. We will tap into the wisdom each man possesses and talk about our struggles and about our joys. For four days, we will once again share life together.

    So again, I ask you, who is it that is so special to you that your heart aches when you are far apart? Who is it that laughs and cries with you? Who is it that causes your heart to leap with joy when you do get to be around them? Who is your “adopted” sibling? Don’t you reckon it’s about time that you tell them so?

    Perhaps this Thanksgiving week would be a good time for a long phone call? Tell that person of their value in your life, laugh with them, and yes if needed, cry with them. Allow God to reenergize that special connection!

    Spending time with my “adopted” sibling with you, Neal

  • Keep growing!

    November 25, 25

    If anyone is short on wind and cold we sure enough could send you some.

    In Philippians 4:11 the Apostle Paul tells us, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” As I have mentioned before a survey conducted by Barna Research revealed that 94% of pastors stated that the number one problem within their congregation is the issue of complacency.

    It appears to me that the difference between the contentment that Paul spoke of, and the complacency that Barna reports about is this: Contentment is being satisfied with what God has given me. While Complacency is being satisfied with what I have given God. Most often there is a world of difference between these two circumstances.

    The photo of the little man below seems to represent contentment quite well. It would appear that this little feller is completely content with the horse God has given him today. However, within five years, he will no longer be content to ride the mini, though he may still love his short-legged steed. For you see right now, the little horse and the little rider are a great match. I’m betting that in their minds, they are both as big and as capable as all of the sixteen-hand horses and adults around them, it’s a matter of perspective.

    When a person comes to Jesus for salvation, at that moment said person is content with what God has given them, salvation! However, as that person grows in their faith they will now have to decide to just stay where they started, or to make needed changes and to learn to use the spiritual gifts the Lord has given them. If this person says, “No, I can’t do that,” then they have become complacent. If this person says, “Yes, Lord, however I can serve you, I am willing and glad to do so,” then they are learning contentment.

    Just like our little cowboy in the picture below, his first horse was the love of his life for a season. Yet, I’m betting that this little guy grew and went on to ride other horses he loved as well. You see my friend, when we first come to Jesus, we are content just to know Him. However, I strongly feel that Jesus has no intention of allowing us to stay at that point. In 2 Peter 3:18 we are challenged, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

    God’s word expects us, even commands us, to never become complacent in our walk with Him, yet to always be content with what He gives us along the way. We all have different gifts to be used in a variety of ways. The use of said gifts and abilities brings joy to our Savior and a blessing to those around us. But we are to constantly be growing “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

    Friends, please, never allow complacency to disguise itself as contentment. Keep growing, keep going, for His glory and for the good of others. Always learning, always changing, becoming more graceful with every stage of your spiritual journey. The problem too many Christians “keep growing in knowledge,” but we seldom grow in “grace.” You see, grace is the proper application of “knowledge.” When the knowledge doesn’t result in growth, we now have complacency . The key to learning contentment in our spiritual journey is the first two words of this verse, “Keep growing!”

    Perhaps think of it this way: Back in 1972 when Miss Deb and I were married, I loved her. After 53 plus years of getting to know her better each year, I love her in a much richer way that I could ever thought possible back in ’72.

    Remember, Keep Growing; Keep Glowing; Geep Going for His Glory! Always content, never complacent.

    Growing in knowledge and grace with you, Neal

  • God is good!

    November 24, 2025

    Well, it looks like 24 at 4 a.m., 54 for a high, with 38 mph winds, and we have to drive 300+ miles today. Hang on Miss Deb and Coffee, it’s going to be a long day!

    Yesterday morning found us headed for church here in Lusk. The Lord has blessed us with a great fellowship! We get to attend Sunday School, where we are busy learning Bible Study Methods. After that hour of helping each other grow, we enjoy a half-hour of coffee and visiting with some really great folks. Then comes the worship time – great music, fantastic teaching and an opportunity to be stretched by God’s word and blessed by His people!

    It’s probably a side effect of getting old, but Miss Deb has this beautiful little red-headed girl that she has become best buds with, and I find my heart being attached to a short-legged feller. I can’t mention his name, but he is the cutest little guy I’ve been around for quite a while. He’s not quite two years old, travels a hundred miles-per-hour and is really starting to jabber. It makes me feel all warm inside when he gives me a couple of words and then off he goes to see what else is happening in his great big world!

    Our church family is very blessed to have so many short-legged critters running around. Yesterday, it was Miss Deb’s turn to teach the children’s story during the worship service. There’s usually a solid thirty-head or more of the little ones who gather at the front of the church to listen to a fantastic lesson taught by a variety of adults. As they gather and listen, I pray for all of those little hearts. I pray that they will draw closer to God during the lesson time, but also that their Heavenly Father will keep them safe and healthy. That He will give their parent, or parents wisdom as how to direct each arrow toward the target that God has created them for, and that we as a church family will rightfully assist in that process.

    Lusk is located in Niobrara county – big cattle country. In fact, Niobrara County is the least populated county in the least populated state in the United States, and we like it that way! This is a big county, and as such, there are several families who homeschool here. In my opinion, these homeschools are doing a fantastic job of developing some really sharp-minded students. These little ones are polite, intelligent and just plain fun to be around on Sunday mornings.

    I invite you to take a gander at the little feller riding his short-legged steed in the picture at the bottom of this page. Doesn’t this picture just make you smile on the inside? Note, this isn’t some city kid going for a ride. It looks to me like this isn’t even a future cowboy, he’s already there. Notice how he’s holding the reins correctly. Then look at his tack – there is a rope coiled and tied to his saddle – I’m betting he knows how to use that rope too. And his saddle, that isn’t some dime-store tack, it is a real saddle, I’m saying it is very much like Dad’s saddle. I just want to get ahold of this kid and squeeze the juice out of him. I’m betting this little feller is very much like my little buddy at church, a blast to be around!

    You see loved ones; there is just something extra special about a country kid who knows how to have fun outside. Working alongside of and learning from parents who value their children for who they are, these little lives are going to make great young adults in time. I know I’m extremely partial, but growing up in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming helps these children really understand the value of life. Especially when that training is centered upon biblical principles, family unity, manners and having fun! Yep, Miss Deb and I are plumb blessed to get to be a part of this little community.

    And by the way, for the most part, the adults around here are some of the best people you could ever be around as well. God has been very kind to us three, Miss Deb, Neal and Coffee – the dog that runs our outfit. Daily we praise our Lord for allowing us to live out the rest of our days in this place. Good country, good people, good community and a great God to serve, how blessed we truly are! I pray that you feel the same about the chunk of dirt you get to live on as well. Blessings upon you and yours!

    Living a blessing with you, Neal

  • “For this cause…”

    November 23, 2025

    Yesterday we discovered that God created Eve to be in “conflict” with Adam. Today we must work on “the rest of the story.”

    As God created them “male and female,” it seems that He created them to be in “conflict” one with the other. Why, because conflict has a way of bringing about needed change. For example, my flesh is in constant conflict with God’s nature, yet when I submit my flesh to the leading of the Holy Spirit, this Christian thing works really well.

    To understand what it means for me to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, let’s go back to the round pen, training a colt. As I have mentioned before, before I can train a young horse in the way he should go, the first thing I have to do is to get that young horse to yield his nose to me. God created horses, and humans, in a way that where their nose goes, the rest of their body follows. As such, a trainer has to get a colt to yield his nose to the rider before there can be real harmony between horse and rider.

    The same is true in the Christian walk. The first thing the Holy Spirit desires for me as a new Christian is that I yield to His control. When I yield (submit), there is real harmony between flesh and Spirit! The Holy Spirit does not desire that I submit because He is wiser and stronger than I am (yes, He is both of those), the Spirit of the living God wants me to submit to His headship because that brings harmony into the relationship. As such, there is purpose in the “conflict.” Christlikeness is that purpose!

    In the beginning, “He created them male and female.” The female was given to the male to be his completer, not just his competer. Yet she brings that completeness by bringing “conflict” into the relationship. For as we discussed, conflict = change and change = Christlikeness!

    Now we are ready for Ephesians 5:22, I hope. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.” Oh my gosh, I know I just said something really nasty, but please note, I didn’t say it, God did. Work with me here for a minute please, a wife is to submit to her husband “as to the Lord.” If a wife doesn’t first submit her nose to the Lord, she will never submit it to her husband.

    Why does a trainer request that a colt submit his nose to the rider, because without the submission, the horse will never reach its full potential! To become all that it was created to be, the colt submits its nose to the rider to bring about harmony. No stop and think about this picture: Who is really in control of the relationship between horse and trainer – the horse is! Without the horse submitting, there will always be conflict between the two.

    Why does God ask a wife to “submit to her husband?” Because she desires to be in control and the best way to harness that control is through submission. Remember, in Genesis 3:16b were God declares to Eve, “Yet your desire will be for your husband.” Then we must cross reference to Genesis 4:10 to better understand the word desire (the best way to understand a biblical reference is to look at a biblical cross reference). In Genesis 4:7b God is speaking with Cain when God says, “sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

    Once again we find our word “desire.” As sin desires to control Cain, woman will desire to control her husband, part of the curse. Yet, the New Testament says that the remedy is “Wives, be subject to your husband, as to the Lord.” It seems to me that the answer to this whole thing about submit is a four-part answer: 1) Submission to the Lord first is the key; 2) She is told to submit because it brings harmony to the conflict; 3) Because she is the one in control of said harmony; 4) She is the one strong enough to submit so that she can find her full potential in the Lord. Remember, submission is strength under control.

    Now God commands the husband, “Husband, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Husbands are to sacrificially love their wife, just as Jesus loves His bride. That means a husband is to put her first in all situations. Once again a four-part answer to why a husband is to love his wife: 1) Because God commands it; 2) Love covers a multitude of sins – love brings harmony in the midst of conflict; 3) His responsibility is to make the love of Jesus real to his wife; 4) He will be held accountable for the harmony within the home.(Gen3:9)

    So, both horse and trainer have distinct purpose in finding harmony and joy. One leads and one submits. Yet I can say as a trainer, there is no greater reward than for someone to say, “Wow, that is an amazing horse you have there!” Now, please note Ephesians 5;27, “that He might present to Himself the church in all of her glory.”

    Every godly husband is blessed out of his socks when others see his beautiful wife “in all of her glory!” As a female finds her full potential in Christ, she answers Proverbs 31:1, “An excellent wife, who can find?” The fortunate husband who has found a wife who first yields her nose to the Lord and then to her husband, because she is strong enough to do so, is the man who will declare: “I have found an excellent wife!”

    And by the way, harmony is the result of the Ephesians 5 passage, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” That “one flesh” is the definition of the word harmony. A home that enjoys harmony – emotionally, physically and spiritually – between male and female is a home of true joy!

    Celebrating every excellent wife with you, Neal (Because I have been given such a wife!)

  • But…

    November 22, 2025

    In Genesis 1 we read that Adam was alone in the garden of Eden, so God made a “helper” “suitable” for him. The word “suitable” literally means, “that which is opposite, contrary to.” (Young’s Bible Dictionary) WOW! Why would God give Adam someone who is so opposite, even contrary to him???

    To answer this question, one has to look up the word “contrary.” It means, “in conflict with.” WHAT?That answer just created another question: Why would God give Adam a “helper” who will be in “conflict with” him? Well, let’s back up just a tad, perhaps our all-knowing God knew that Adam and Eve would eat the forbidden fruit and would then enter into conflict – read Genesis 3:12-13 – the blame game started!

    Or perhaps our all-knowing God knows that “conflict” is the best way to get humans to make needed changes. Think about it, while talking with Adam, God speaks of the earth, “In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you.” Immediately after sinning man is in “conflict” with nature. From that moment on man has battled floods, fires, earthquakes, volcanos, tornados and hurricanes – he is constantly in conflict with nature. However, that conflict has caused man to build stronger buildings, flood walls and to learn how to keep a fire perimeter around his buildings.

    We can take this “conflict” one step further: When a person becomes a Christ-follower, the Bible shows us that there is a constant conflict between my “flesh” and the Holy Spirit. My flesh wants what it wants, and the Holy Spirit wants something better for me. My flesh wants to be independent, and the Holy Spirit wants me to be dependent. Yet, because of the conflict, when my flesh yields to the Holy Spirit, harmony comes upon the scene and joy abounds!

    Now back to God giving Eve to Adam to be in “conflict” with him. As a husband of 53+ years, I can tell you that Miss Deb and I most often disagree about what to do and how to do it. I think the key is in understanding that God created them “male and female.” Two absolute opposites apart from God’s intervention. By God’s amazing grace, male and female can learn to live in harmony and joy!

    If a male and female are drawn together just because of their physical pleasures, such a relationship is doomed. And then there is the attempt to make home improvements together. There is not enough time nor space to tackle that topic, other than to say that there will be conflict. Male and female will approach and fulfill tasks from two different spheres of the brain, and personal preference. Personal opinions seem to be the primary impetus of most “conflict.” Yet, as male and female we were created to need each other.

    I must agree, without Miss Deb in my life I probably would not understand the compassionate, loving, caring, nurturing side of God’s nature. Without someone helping me see the opposite side of things, my life, and my Christian experience, would have been extremely one-sided; and very boring.

    In 2 Corinthians 6:14 we read, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Remember, in the very beginning the earth was covered with darkness. God’s first creative action was to create light, and then He separated the light from the darkness – the two never were intended to go together. Why do Christians keep trying to prove this theory wrong by choosing unbelievers for marriage partners?

    As a friend says, “Who would have ever thunk it?” God created the perfect “conflict” partner for each of us as male and female. Conflict = Change; Change = Christlikeness; Christlikeness = Harmony in the home! You see, God does know what He is doing!

    Praising God for a conflict partner with you, Neal

    P.S. We will continue discussing this tomorrow.

  • It’s not a game!

    November 21, 2025

    Good morning all! It’s 31 degrees with heavy fog right now, headed for 51 for a high today. Looks like another great day for working outside.

    Around 1967 I played with riding bulls. Now that is a sport I would never suggest anyone to “play” at, but I did and by God’s grace, I survived. I never was very serious about it, in fact, I didn’t even like it.

    I would enter in a rodeo here and there, never really excited about riding. My friends were all “so pumped” to get on a bull, and most of them ended up getting hurt. I think maybe I was too afraid of what I had seen bulls do to cowboys.

    One bull that really terrified me belonged to a Wyoming stock contractor, so he was at a lot of local shows, was a big Brahma bull named Pale Face. He was a dark grey color with a white patch on his face. His routine was always the same: He would jump for the sky when the chute gate opened, hit the ground and start into a really flat spin to the right.

    I rode right-handed, so the spin was actually to my advantage. It was the lunge out the gate that worried me. Unless you were really stout, (which I never was), the lunge out the gate would slide a feller back off of his rope and the spin would cast the attempted rider off the back end of ‘ol Pale Face. The problem was that then he would hunt his cowboy down and try to stop his victim into the dirt!

    To ride Pale Face, you had to lean forward excessively during the first lunge, placing a cowboy’s face in an extreme danger of taking a bite out of one of the big brahma’s antlers. And then you had to stay way forward during his very flat spin, so he didn’t slide you out the back door.

    Well, I am very happy to say, I never did draw Pale Face, because I quit riding before I did. The odds were that if a feller stayed with it long enough you were going to draw him. And then the odds were very high that he was going to win and then the odds were extremely high that someone was going to get hurt, and that someone wouldn’t be Pale Face.

    So here is our lesson for today, as almost impossible as Pale Face was to survive, so is Satan and his tactics. Just like with bull riding, spiritual warfare isn’t something that anyone should “play” at. This is very serious business. I know, I’ve been there many times.

    I have to admit; it frightens me how many folks think the dark side is a playground. It is not! When we humans are in the presence of evil, that evil has only one intention – HARM! Demons are never there to play a little game and then everyone can skip safely through life. Demons imprint themselves upon humans, constantly attempting to “divide and destroy.” This is not a game!

    Be careful what movies you watch, be careful what books you read, be careful what you submit your mind and body to. Demonic influence is real, and very dangerous. There is a reason that the Bible tells us to “flee from evil.” Because that evil will influence a human every time. James 4:7 tells us, “Submit therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

    You see, just as I knew that sooner or later, I was going to draw Pale Face if I kept trying to ride bulls, I also know that the only way to “resist” the devil is to stay away from his influence. As a Christ-follower we are to “pursue righteousness.” The best way to prevent getting tromped by a bull is to stay away from trying to ride the bull. The best way to “resist the devil” is to stay away from any kind of evil influence.

    There is a saying among bull riders, “If you ride bulls, it isn’t a matter of ‘if’ you will get hurt, the question is ‘when’ will you get hurt and how badly will you get hurt.” If we mess with evil, we will get hurt, badly!

    Timothy encourages us to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”

    In pursuit with you, Neal

  • Silly Billy

    November 20, 2025

    As I’ve mentioned before, I spent a lot of time at my uncle Clayton’s place during my younger years. On this particular day he sent me out to check the water, salt and cattle in the north pasture. He instructed me to keep a sharp eye on Billy, the spotted horse that I was now “old enough” to ride. I must have been around eight or nine years old at the time.

    Billy was sure enough a good horse, he was just a tad bit mischievous. It was a good idea to not be daydreaming while riding Billy, or he would suddenly shy sideways leaving his rider on the ground. Billy was also known to attempt to drag his cowpoke off on a tree branch, or anything else he could do to leave rider behind while he ran back to the barn.

    So, Billy and I sat off on our first solo adventure. I was riding a saddle that was way too big for me, as such the stirrups didn’t come close to fitting my short legs. A situation I was used to because I didn’t have a saddle that fit me at home either. Well, we came to the gate, and I had to get off of Billy to open it. The dismount was without incidence; I was able to get the gate open (it was a rather loose gate) but now it was time to get back on.

    I held the reign as tight as I could and finally pulled my foot up to the stirrup, and then grunting and pulling for all that I was worth, I clawed myself into the saddle. The problem was that the whole time I was trying to mount my might steed, he was walking toward a grove of trees that was in the pasture we had just entered.

    I got into the saddle just in time to start pulling on the off-side reign, commanding Billy to stop! It was no use; Billy had the bit locked in his teeth and was in full control of our travel plans. Into the grove of trees we went, and I started ducking branches. One after another they came crashing at me until finally a large branch dethroned me to the turf. When I gathered my wits, all I could see was Billy’s tail flashing through the trees, headed for the barn.

    You see my friends, sometimes life is like that horse. It seems to grab the bit and off we go. I’ve often said, “sometimes life just happens to us.” We don’t have much, if any control, of what takes place and the next thing you know, we are dethroned.

    Over my years of walking with God, I have found it best to not ask “Why?” when life grabs the bit and runs off with me, instead I’ve learned to ask Him, “Lord, what are you wanting to teach me during this event?” Chew on this one, the “Why?” question is almost to blame God for my circumstances, it’s like asking “God why did you allow this to happen to me?”

    But you see, if we believe that God is sovereignly in control all of time, which He definitely is, then to question why is close to being defiant. Instead, we should accept what is happening and ask “What?” instead of “Why?”. “Lord, what are You wanting me to learn in this situation?” Simple truth, the Holy Spirit is always wanting us to learn something about ourselves, or something about Himself. Thus, He often allows uncomfortable circumstances to take place within our lives so that we will stop and ask, “What are You wanting me to learn?”

    The fact is that there are plenty of times when Satan is the mastermind behind our difficult situations. So then, the “What?” question is answered with God wanting us to learn how to use His power to stand against our enemy. See how much easier that was than spending the rest of our day attempting to figure out the “Why?”

    On the day we were talking about earlier, that is exactly what I had to figure out. I walked the half mile back to the barn, gathered Mr. Billy up again and off we went to check cattle. Oh ya, I had collected a two-foot-long little branch that had all of the leaves off of it. Now when Billy tried any of his tricks, I could spank his spotted behind. From that day on, Billy and I were able to accomplish any task we were sent on.

    Celebrating the victories with you, Neal