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  • “Fear not”

    December 4, 2025

    I don’t know about you, but it sure enough feels like full blown winter to me. Eight degrees at 4:30 this morning, the ‘ol furnace can’t seem to take a breath, he’s constantly running.

    The other day, I and some other fellers sorted and penned a little over a hundred head of bulls. Working with them in the alley, there was only one yearling that thought he should snort at some of the boys. He took a fair run at a group of them, sending each of them for cover. Meanwhile, I was standing up the alley some thirty feet, when he turned and headed my direction at a full run!

    I stepped over by the fence and gave him plenty of room to get buy. The boss of the operation kind of scolded me for not climbing out of the alley when Mr. Bull went charging by. I could tell by looking at the little feller, he was way more afraid than he was mad. Sometimes pen-raised bulls get squirrely when all of a sudden, they are in situation where they find themselves all alone, not that much different than people.

    People can be easily frightened when they find themselves in a stressful situation all by themselves. Alone and afraid is usually not a very good situation to be in. I figure that is why God told Joshua, the now lone leader of Israel, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.”

    The word “tremble,” used here in the New American Standard Translation, littrely means to be “terrified”. That was the look in that little bulls eyes the other day, he was terrified. I have seen that look in the eyes of humans as well, and just like the young bull, that kind of fear is usually read by others as anger. Which by the way, unless something or someone brings calm into the situation, anger is the very next step in this progression. That is why God told Joshua, “I am with you.”

    In Joshua 1:9 we find a second important word, “dismayed.” This is a stronger word, meaning “terror.” Terror is a fear so deep seated that it takes the heart out of a person and causes extreme anxiety and fear. Terror is usually the understanding that a person is in extreme danger and a realization of eminent death! And once again, God reminds Joshua that all is well because God is with him. That little bull wasn’t taking a run at folks because he was wanting to hurt someone, no, he was afraid that someone was going to hurt him.

    In Matthew 28:20, Jesus reminded His disciples as well of His constant presence with them. Why, because He knew that they were going to find themselves in situations when fear would take a run at them as well. The remedy for those first disciples, and for us today, is to realize that no matter the threat, Jesus is with us.

    So, what has you stirred up today? What are you afraid of? Remember, if you don’t deal with the fear, it will most likely turn into anger, and you too will most likely take a run at someone. So, before you get to that level, stop, breath, fix your eyes upon Jesus, and calm down. He’s right there with you, His words, not mine.

    Just like those first disciples, and just like Joshua, we can also be “strong and courageous” when we know that Jesus is with us! Remember, “trust and obey, for there is no other way.” It is truly amazing how Jesus can calm any storm, after we trust Him. You will recall that Peter trusted Jesus when Peter was sinking in fear, and the next scene of that story is Jesus in the boat with His disciples, bringing calm to the storm. I figure He can still do the same for us today!

    Realizing the presence of God and the peace of God with you, Neal

  • Just a taste!

    December 3, 2025

    The weather man says it is 28 degrees right now, the high will be around 29 with a stiff north/west wind. That puts the wind chill around 17 degrees for a high, much fun!

    Yesterday, I spent my day working a bull sale for a neighbor. The bulls looked really nice, the crowd was large, and the sale was hot, inside the barn that is. It was just plain cold for most of the day outside though. With a stiff wind, lots of clouds, and a day of sorting bulls, it turned out to be a rather large day. Every now and then I was able to duck behind a barn or a windbreak to get out of the chilling wind. I was very grateful for those moments of refuge.

    Psalm 34:8 states, “O taste and see the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Here the psalmist invites us to “taste and see the Lord is good.” To “taste” literally means to “savor,” carrying the idea of really enjoying said taste. It’s like making a pot of your favorite homemade soup and having a “taste” after mixing and warming all of the ingredients. In tasting your soup you take a spoon full, let it sit a moment while tasting to allow all of the flavors to fill your mouth. That’s the idea here in Psalm 34, to “taste” is to allow all that “the Lord” is fill you with the same anticipation of a great meal that the taste of soup does, no more ingredients, now just someone to enjoy it with!

    Like your finished soup, the taste of the Lord reveals that He “is good.” All of the ingredients are present at just the right proportion to make a really good pot of soup, and an exceptionally “good” Lord! But here’s the kicker, the soup is made even better on a cold day. So, now look at verse 6, “The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.” To walk with the Lord through a difficult day is like enjoying a bowl of delicious soup on a cold day, both just make you feel better.

    The latter portion of Psalm 34:8 tells us that to we are blessed when we take “refuge in Him.” The word “refuge” means to find shelter from adverse conditions. Like yesterday, the wind and the cold were tough to deal with, so that quick duck behind a windbreak provided that momentary shelter. However here in Psalm 34 we are led to believe that to take “refuge” in the Lord is not for just a moment, but for all of the storms of life.

    You see, today is even colder and winder than yesterday was. Today’s refuge is going to feel even better than yesterday’s shelter did. Why? Because the storm is worse today than it was yesterday. Once again, I say that the worse the storm of life is, the more enjoyable it is take shelter in the Lord. Knowing that He is going to protect you in the middle of any storm, brings an incredible peace to the Christ-follower.

    It’s like finishing that hot bowl (or two), of your homemade soup, you’re warm and satisfied as you melt into your chair. That is the picture the psalmist is painting for us, a person so satisfied in the Lord that we just melt into a comfortable place.

    When I got home yesterday afternoon, it felt really good to just sit in my favorite chair for a bit. Thanking the Lord for safety and strength during yesterday’s busy day. And now, I think I’ll sit with the Lord for just a bit longer before going out into today’s cold and windy weather.

    Enjoying our “good” Lord with you, Neal

  • He provides!

    December 2, 2025

    Will you look at that, it’s 23 degrees at 4:30 a.m.! With that as a starting point, we just might reach the predicted 41 for a high. The ‘ol bones will enjoy some warm.

    Yesterday morning, my dear friend Jowell was able to harvest a cow elk. What a blessing! We then spent the rest of the day and much of the night processing the beautiful gift of meat. Man, you talk about a long, hard day, but by God’s amazing grace Jowell will head back to South Dakota with meat for his family. Praise you Lord!

    In my mind, any time I’m allowed to help someone put meat in their freezer, it is a gift of God’s provision. Not only did He provide us with the energy to survive a BIG walk in the pursuit, He also provided a beautiful elk at the end of that walk. Then our Heavenly Father provided us with the ability, the energy and the equipment to get the meat ready to be a blessing to a beautiful young family! God is an amazing provider.

    Without God’s grace gifts of provision, we would all be sunk. Just put yourself in a hospital bed with a serious injury or illness and see how many things you get done on your own. Friend, if this day God provides you with ability and the energy, He has something that He wants to help you accomplish; praise Him for it and get to work!

    We tend to think of all of the things we “have to do today.” Yet without God’s provision of energy, time and intelligence, we are in serious trouble. All through the Bible people have known God as “the One who provides.” Perhaps we would do well to stop our business trying to make a living and just praise God that we are living and that He is constantly providing for our needs! Praise Him for His provision, for His protection, for His power working within and through us, and then praise God for His peace throughout our days on earth, and Hi peace for all of eternity!

    Praising our Provider with you, Neal



  • A special treat!

    December 1, 2025

    Good morning! It’s 1 degree at 3:30 a.m., headed for 34 with a fresh coat of snow. It looks like December is ready to snort in a feller’s flank!

    I have a little sister who is five years younger than I am. Sis was sure enough a cute little varmint when she was first handed to our crew. By the time she was three, Sis started going with dad and I to do the morning feeding. We always fed our cows cotton cake to help them keep their flesh during the extremely cold Wyoming winter.

    For whatever reason, Sis took a real liking to listening to the cows chew their cake. On a cold December morning like this one, we had a good foot of snow on the level and plenty of big drifts in the pastures, so a feller had to kind of pick his track while feeding. On this particular morning we had to drive back and forth a couple of times to make a track to scatter the cow cake in.

    But before we scattered the cake to the cows, I had to wrap Sis in an old blanket and sit her on the tailgate of the pickup. There, I dumped a half dozen pieces of cake in her lap, she picked up one chunk of it in her tiny little hand and waited with anticipation. There were two ‘ol cows who would walk up to her as she held out the prize of a piece of cotton cake, wrap their long tongue around her hand and gently take the offering from her without ever biting her tiny little fingers. Then as the ‘ol gal would stand there and eat her special treat, Sis would look at me and whisper, “Hear dem crunch!” Then she would hand the other cow a piece of cake and we would have to listen to her “crunch” as well. This was our morning ritual that would take several minutes before I could carry Sis back to the front of the pickup where she would warm-up once again while dad and I finished feeding.

    Yesterday in Sunday School it struck me that as the teacher I was the one holding out the cotton cake treats to the folks in the room. What a blessing it is to help others see the amazing treats in God’s word! I felt so small and insignificant in that room, kind of like a little girl setting on the tailgate handing out nuggets to her friends.

    It’s so fun to see those dear folks get excited about some of the treats the Holy Spirit was revealing to us. I was blessed to get to be in that room and listen to them “crunch” their spiritual food! May I ask, “Did you get your spiritual treat yesterday? How about today?” I’m of the opinion that each time we prayerfully open the Holy Scriptures, the Spirit of the Living God wants to hand us a special treat. I don’t know, maybe He too is thrilled to hear us “crunch?”

    Enjoying the treats of Scripture with you, Neal

  • Will you to see tomorrow?

    November 30, 2025

    Yesterday’s storm blew its way through our area before noon. Skys cleared and the temperature dropped to a -5 last night. Looking at a high of 19 today with a little more snow today. But tomorrow is forecasted to reach 33! Tomorrow could be a great day if we get to see it?

    Well, pull up your boots and get ready for another taste of winter as November 2025 bows out of existence. It sure is easy to take for granted that for each month that we live, there will be another one show up. An assumption that is not all that correct.

    You see my friends, at any time, our Heavenly Father could say that “enough is enough” and bring a sudden halt to the life of any person or even persons. According to this thing called the “web,” approximately 8,640 people will die in America today. That averages out to 352 deaths per hour! There are many Wyoming towns that could be completely wiped out any hour of the day according to that death toll. In fact, if you were to take 8,640 people out existence each day in Wyoming, the entire state would be dead in less than one week!

    So, if I have your attention now, please note how precious today is if you get to see the sunset tonight. If God should give each of us one more week, how amazingly kind of Him that will be. And if He should allow each of us to live one more month, “Oh Wow!” So perhaps we shouldn’t just say that November is gone because dates equal deaths and ours could take place at any moment.

    Now, let’s focus upon the real value of today. Today is an absolute gift from God! Remember my little adage, “Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is the only cash on hand, invest it wisely.” So my friend, how will you invest today wisely. You see, the word “wisely” is the real key here.

    If God gives each of us the gift of life through this day, we will all spend the day in some fashion, but how many will invest it wisely? According to the dictionary, our word means to “act with deep understanding.” How about it friend, do you have a little better understanding of just how special today can be when you realize that “This is the day the Lord has made, I shall rejoice and be glad in it!”?

    Please do not walk around kicking a beer can and grumbling. In the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” To “rejoice” is a “positive human condition,” according to Unger’s Bible Dictionary. The problem is that most of us allow our “condition” to happen to us and then we respond accordingly. To rejoice in the Lord carries the idea of recognizing the “condition” comes from the inside of a Christ-follower, and as such, we should respond with abounding joy! A joy that is not regulated by conditions because it comes from the Lord’s presence within our life.

    So “Rejoice!” Don’t just put on nice clothes and go to church. Put on a Christ-like attitude of rejoicing and then put on you go-to-town clothes and head for your local church with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. But be careful, such joy is extremely contagious. You just might get to infect someone who doesn’t know the joy of the Lord, yet! Visit with that person who appears to not be having a great day, be their sunshine. Or better yet, let the Son-shine through you so that others will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven!

    Rejoicing in the Lord with you Today, Neal

  • 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