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  • Trial or Treasure?

    6/9/2026

    At 3:30 a.m. the thermometer is holding at 58 degrees, with wind gust running from 20-48 mph! Today’s high will be in the upper 80’s and the wind will continue to howl. And in case you were wondering about the mega-storms yesterday, they all traveled east of us, leaving this area high and dry once again.

    Friends, this drought thing is really serious around here. As we are all aware of, Wyoming is the least populated state in the nation. Well, Niobrara County (in which we live) is the least populated county in the state. There are four times as many cattle within this county as there are people, and the cattle are quickly running out of grass. I know many ranchers who are buying extremely expensive hay to feed their cattle who should be out on summer pastures full of green grass. But not this year, there isn’t any green grass because we haven’t received any rain. As such, the old grass that was left from last year is also gone. This area is in serious need of lots of rain!

    In Matthew 6, we read about Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray effectively. In verse 8 Jesus tells these men, “Your Father in Heaven knows what you need before you ask of Him.” Quite simply, God knows of our need of rain, yet for whatever reason He is using this drought to teach us about Himself.

    In the book of Genesis, we find a man named Abram (later to be called Abraham). Abram was a man of great faith. A man who had left the security of his homeland to go to a place that was unknown to him, just because God told him to “go.” After a long period of time, Abram, his wife and their clan finally reached the land of Cannan, the place where God called them to “go” to.

    Shortly after arriving in the land God had promised to give to Abram and his descendants, God allows a drought to grip the land, forcing Abram to move his livestock and his people to Egypt in hopes of survival. While in Egypt Abram runs into more troubles and eventually returns to Cannan after learning some very important lessons about God’s grace and man’s tendency toward sin..

    Now, I’m not exactly sure why God has allowed a severe drought to grip this land, but I am quite sure that He has a purpose for it. God never wastes an opportunity to teach His children! One of the many lessons the Christians around here are learning is that they have been extremely blessed in past years as God has provided an abundance of green grass and hay for the cattle and other critters. Perhaps all of us have taken green grass (God’s blessing) for granted in the past?

    It may also be that we have failed to praise God constantly for His provision during the good years that came before this year. With the years of plentiful grass, and the high prices for cattle, most every rancher has been running the maximum number of cattle possible on his place. Well now with the drought, those excess cattle are going to market by the thousands.

    You see my friends, whether you are a rancher, or make your living at a 9-5 job, God expects us to be good stewards of His many blessings. In Luke 12:16-21 Jesus tells a parable that could probably be applied to our lives. Could it be that we have become so focused upon the good that God has granted, that we have possibly failed to prepare for the worst? The farmer in this parable kept enjoying the riches of his land yet failed to keep his life in a proper prospective of eternity.

    In the biblical past, God has used drought to move His people to places where He wanted them to be. Perhaps God is using today’s drought here in Niobrara County, Wyoming to once again move His people, not to a new location, but to a new understanding that it sure is easy to take God’s blessings for granted.

    Today, stop and thank our Heavenly Father for His many blessings, you know, like friends and family. Shower Him with praise for who He is and for all that He has blessed you with, especially for the great blessing of salvation in Jesus; and for His kindness of sending rain!

    Understanding that trials are often treasures with you, Neal

  • Blessings!

    At 5 a.m. it is 44 degrees, moving on up to 78 for today’s high. A ESE wind gusting to 37 will make travel a bit rough, as we head for Cheyenne for a doctor appointment, groceries and some building supplies.

    Yesterday was a great day for Miss Deb and I as we traveled to Guernsey to serve at Faith Fellowship. Faith is the church our Lord used to introduce both of us to Jesus as Savior, so it is always great return to the church where our journey of walking with God began.

    Our day there started at 8:30 a.m. with a time of prayer, then I was blessed to lead Adult Bible Fellowship, and then allowed to preach after that. We both enjoyed connecting with friends from years back make some new ones. The trip home was thankfully uneventful; Coffee was quite pleased to see that her people both came home safely.

    Yesterday’s adventure required a lot of study time prior to, and energy during, but what a blessing! I wonder if we often miss blessings because we are too busy with other details of life to notice the blessings from God that are right in front of our face. Yesterday I was blessed to visit with a sweet lady who has 87 years of life behind her. Her spirit is sweet, gentle, yet spunky. While visiting with this beautiful little lady, I was blessed to feel the excitement of life that was flowing out of her. Not only that, but then she sat in the front row of the church during the worship service, nodding in agreement and smiling, what a blessing!

    Our Heavenly Father also provided another blessing after the service as Miss Deb and I visited with a husband and wife who were first-time visitors at the church. We had no idea that it was their first visit, we were just excited to meet new people. After a lengthily visit, we all headed for our homes after a hearty “see you next week” as they headed out the door.

    And then there were so many other conversations of encouragement, each one a blessing. You see we could have done our “job” and left quickly because we needed to get back home. But instead, we were allowed to serve our Lord by using the gifts He has given us; plus, we were allowed to encourage as we were encouraged. What an amazing God we get to serve! Hopefully your Sunday was also a great blessing to you and yours.

    So, here we jump into another week; an extremely busy week around here! Yet I pray that we will not be so busy that we miss seeing the blessings of loving Father will send our way. Most often those blessings come in the form of people. People to be a blessing in your life, or people for you to be a blessing to. Enjoy the blessings!

    Gratefully walking with Him, with you, Neal

  • It’s fixer upper!

    June 5, 2026

    There’s a bright half-moon is shining in the sky at 5:30 this morning. The thermometer reads a pleasant 48 degrees with a high of 86 this afternoon. It looks like today will just be sunny and hot, no chance of rain.

    Yesterday was a long, hot day shoveling rock out front. Today, more rocks, a couple of post holes, some split-rail fence and perhaps a bit of relax later this afternoon. When you buy a fixer upper, there is always work to be done. Much like our spiritual lives.

    People come to Jesus at different stages of life, with different levels of spiritual knowledge, but we are all a fixer upper spiritually. Wherever we start following Jesus as our Savior, every one of us should spend the rest of our life growing “in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.” None of us will reach full maturity in Christ until the moment He calls us home.

    As a fixer upper, there is always something to learn about God, and something to apply in a better fashion as we learn to live a life that pleases our Heavenly Father. As we make advances in that process, we then find something else that needs to be renovated within our life. When it comes to following Jesus, change should be constant.

    It seems that even the best prayer warrior will say that they could still do better at prayer. No matter how you serve Jesus, it could be done better – most likely this improvement involves more about attitude than action? Regardless of the expertise of our Bible study methods, there is always room for improvement in how we study, and there is always room for improving how we apply what we learn.

    Every well-known Pastor and every high-quality Professor I have ever visited with says that they are “just beginning” to understand their Heavenly Father for who He really is and for how He really works within and through the lives of His people. You see friends, it seems that the more you know God, the more you realize that you really don’t know God.

    So, for each of us, there is plenty of renovation to be done with increased knowledge. Usually, we can start with better application of that knowledge, also called wisdom, and the constant adjustment of attitudes and actions. It’s my humble opinion that I don’t really understand a biblical passage until I correctly, consistently apply it, thus I’m always a fixer upper.

    Remember, Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we are all saved for “good works.” How we serve our King reveals a lot about how we view our King. When we are commanded to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.” The word “strength” is a verb, making it clear that I don’t really love God until I use my physical and spiritual “strength” to serve Him though His church, within my community, and properly manage His creation.

    Say it with me friend, “Holy Spirit, I realize that I’m a spiritual fixer upper and as such, will you help me to be a good student of Scripture, a victorious prayer warrior, and a lover of people.” For you see, the people that the Lord brings into our lives are usually the people that help us recognize our need for constant renovation. Sometimes those folks are far ahead of us in our Spiritual walk and they stretch us to keep growing – kind of like building an addition onto our old house. Yet other times the Lord brings people into our lives to be a good source to test our patience and kindness. It’s a simple fact; God uses people to renovate His people.

    You see, I can get to feeling really good about my spiritual walk, until He brings a certain person into my life to help me realize that I still have a whole lot of fixin’ to do!

    Working on our spiritual fixer upper with you, Neal

  • The power of a song!

    June 4, 2026

    We are starting this one at 56 degrees, headed for 83 with a 55% possibility of a little rain this afternoon. At 4:30 this morning it looks really dark off to the south/west of us, so most likely the rain will scoot west of us again, but we will see how it plays out.

    It looks like I will spend my day shoveling rock for Miss Deb’s landscaping out front. I’m not a real fan of trying to shovel 2″ rock, but a shovel and a wheelbarrow will be my friends for a day or two. You see my friend, life isn’t always easy. There are times that life is plumb difficult, both physically and spiritually.

    We, like King David and all other biblical persons, will all face physical and emotional trials that have spiritual implications. David is being pursued by King Saul back and forth across a vast region of land. Saul has only one mission, to kill David, the young man promised to replace him as the King of Israel. David, anointed by God for that position, realizes that He has to allow God’s timing for this transition to take place, so he does his best to just deal with King Saul.

    In one of David’s attempts to stay clear of Saul, David writes in Psalm 57 that he will trust in God “Until destruction passes by.” Loved ones, there will be times in our lives that we have to patiently wait for God to work, as we constantly deal with the possibility of our “destruction” as David stated it. In the Hebrew language this word literally mean that which is a “present threat” within our life. That threat could be a tornado or other natural disaster. It could be a physical or emotional illness that threatens our way of dealing with life. Or it could be a spiritual threat that we would most often call a spiritual battle, caused by unconfessed sin within my life, or within the life of a person who is attacking me, much like David experienced with Saul.

    The word “destruction” that David used in Psalm 57, and many of his other writings, doesn’t always mean that this threat is going to kill David, but it could. Or it could be a real threat to him being able to live the rest of his life in a comfortable way. The same can be true in our life at any moment.

    So, how are we supposed to deal with the situation when the possible “threat” becomes a reality? Perhaps we should follow the example of David. Psalm 57:1, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You;” There is an old saying that states, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” However, I would suggest that we follow the example of David and when things get tough, the spiritually minded person should get going to God!

    In verses 2 & 3 David continues, “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me.” Whatever the “threat” is, when I trust fully in God, He will deal with that which “tramples upon me.” The word “tramples” means that God will deal with whatever is “a nuisance” or that which “pesters” me.

    You see loved ones, it doesn’t have to be a life-threatening circumstance, God also cares about that which “pesters” us. It could quite easily be that bad knee or some other join pain within our body. It could be that emotional depression that just won’t let up. It could be that spiritual conviction about an attitude of mine. Whatever it is that “pesters” me, I need to “cry to God Most High.”

    David later writes in verse 7, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, I will sing praises!” Regardless of the “threat” that may be upon you, “sing praises.” Praise God for His faithfulness to sustain you. Praise God for who He is and what He is doing in your life and through your life. For when we focus upon praising God, our attitude toward our circumstances tends to take on a new perspective.

    David started this Psalm in despair and yet when he redirects his focus from despair to praise, then he concludes with these words, “Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.” Peter would remind us, “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

    When we humbly seek God, when we humbly praise God, He gives the promise of 1 Peter 5:10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

    Once again, I must state, “Do not measure God by your circumstances, but instead measure your circumstances by God.” Turn your eyes upon Jesus. All “threats” from this dark world ” will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Sing it often, sing it loud and sing His praise!

    Singing praise to God with you, Neal

  • The value of sharing!

    June 3, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Sharing and caring with you, Neal

  • A quick summary!

    June 2, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Summarizing our lives well with you, Neal

  • The blessing of people!

    June 1, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Remember, No Contact, No Impact!

    Learning to enjoy people with you, Neal

  • There is only One!

    May 31, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Seeking oneness with you, Neal

  • Ride on!

    May 30, 2026

    The Lord poked me in the ribs at 2:45 this morning. After a time of prayer, I opened some windows in the living room and began typing. The weather started with 55 degrees, headed for 77 with a 55% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. We had lots of clouds and lightning last night, but just a few sprinkles of rain. Maybe today will at least get the ground wet???

    Today, we are headed for a branding! Though I don’t have a horse anymore, I still enjoy brandings. Oh for sure, they are loud, hot and hard work, but it really fun to be around cattle, horses and country folks again. Yet, I must admit, I really miss having a trusty steed to help with gather and to drag some calves to the fire. All of my life I’ve been blessed to ride some really good horse flesh, but I guess those days have passed me by.

    One of the best things about having a horse around is having someone special to visit with, and to care for. Yes, Miss Deb fills that ticket most of the time, but there is just something special about having a horse as a good friend as well. I sure enough miss the ‘ol boys!

    Branding today, preaching at a church here in Lusk in the morning and then Miss Deb and I will travel 50 miles to meet with another church family for a noon meeting. Monday will find me at the funeral of an old friend and Miss Deb at her weekly Bible study. Then back to our yard work and begin taking some old siding off of the house so we can put new on.

    We will be doing all that along with getting ready for Bible Adventure Days to take place at our home church the following week. We will have a great niece staying with us during that time as well. She is such an adorable little gal, we are excited for her visit. The week after that our three teen grandchildren from Malaysia will be here for a visit – let the fun begin! All of that while traveling 50 miles each Sunday to teach and preach at another church for a couple of months. Oh yah, we also hope to build an addition onto the house in our spare time this summer.

    And with all of that, it would still be really nice to have a horse around. As Teddy Rousevelt one said, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” As wild and busy as our lives are, a good horse sure would-be good medicine for a certain ‘ol guy, but I reckon I’ll survive anyway.

    The funeral on Monday will be a reminder of the fact that none of us are ever too busy to die. As I’ve often said concerning our American lives, “We run, run, run, and then we die.” For each of us, life is busy, regardless of our age – yet there will come a day of rest. A day when we close our eyes on this ‘ol ball of dirt, and open our eyes in the presence of Jesus; oh, what a day of rejoicing that will be!

    Are you ready for you day of reckoning? As the Bible clearly states, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10) And that my friends, is why we stay busy walking with the Lord through each activity on earth. For each of us there is death and then comes judgment.

    Humbly walking with Jesus gives a person a special peace amongst the busyness of life, a real purpose for living, and a special anticipation about the day we stop living here and start eternity there! Yep, we run, run, run and then we die – are you ready for both parts of that scenario? Enjoying the busyness of today with the people around you, as you prepare for eternity with Jesus is truly an amazing way to invest the one chance you get at this thing called life. Like a good horse, ride it often, ride it hard and enjoy the company of a good friend!

    Riding through this thing called life with you, Neal

  • Flow water, flow!

    May 29, 2026

    At 3:30 a.m. the temperature is 53 degrees, moving up to 81 later today. Oh ya, the wind is going to blow as well, surprise, surprise!

    For the last week, Miss Deb and I have been working on duding-up the front yard. Hauling dirt, sculpting mounds, putting down ground barrier, nailing edging strips into place, planting flowers and shrubs, and watering at least twice each day. When there isn’t any water coming out of the sky, we have to depend upon water out of the ground to keep the plants alive.

    May I ask, how many times a day do you turn on a faucet, either to get a drink, to get water to cook with, or water to keep plants alive? It seems to me that for most of us, we just expect to turn on a faucet and have water instantly flowing for our use. From keeping us hydrated, plants and critters alive, to taking a shower and flushing the toilet, we us the most important products available to humanity and seldom ever give it a thought.

    Over my years of walking across this ‘ol ball of dirt, I have lived in places where we had to carry water from the well. I’ve lived in places where we had to be very careful about our water usage, or the well would run dry. I have lived in places where we had to haul water from another source. I’ve lived in places where the water was so full of minerals that it could not be used for drinking, and washing clothes in that water left them with a permanent stain. And then, I have lived in places where there seemed to be an endless supply of this precious commodity in its clear, clean and cold form!

    Yep, without water, none of us are going to survive very long, yet we seldom stop long enough to thank God for providing this life-giving product. I have always marveled that in the Creation Story of the Bible, we read of how God provided everything humans need to exist as far as food, but we are never told that God provided water for us to drink and use; yet God did provide it, in abundance.

    Now, let’s turn to spiritual matters with another question; “How often do you thank God for giving you His Holy Spirit to keep your soul well-watered?” Jesus told the woman at the well, that He would give her “living water.” In John 4:14 we read about Jesus telling this woman, “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

    Jesus was speaking of the free-flowing, life-giving spiritual water that one receives only from Him. As a born-again Christian this water supply is always available to you, constantly sustaining and nourishing you toward maturity in Christ, and most of us will not ever pause to praise God for His amazing provision! For the most part, believers will probably live their overly busy lives, seldom pausing long enough to drink deeply of the spiritual water Jesus gives through His Spirit.

    You see my friends, just like the hundreds of gallons of ground water you will likely use today without thinking about it; if you are a Christ-follower you will also use hundreds of gallons of spiritual water without thinking about it as well. So, right now, stop and thank your Heavenly Father that He has given you an endless supply of spiritual water through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the well spring of spiritual water!

    If you want to get really carried away, give a similar praise each time you use earthly water today. For you see my friend, too often we get so focused upon the physical blessings of this life that we usually ignore the spiritual blessings. With the temperature reaching 81 degrees today, Miss Deb and I will need to stop often for a refreshing drink of water, perhaps we should also stop long enough to drink from the well of spiritual life?

    Praising God for both physical and spiritual water with you, Neal