From the Home Place

March 4, 2026

Starting the day at 23, headed for 62. If you have something to do outside, you probably should get it done today!

Yesterday found Miss Deb, Coffee and I back in Casper, only a 200+ mile round trip. When a person is in need of certain supplies, you have to go to a larger town; from Lusk, such a town is a long way away. For many folks who wish to follow Jesus, maturity seems to also be a long way away!

One of the amazing things about God is that He accepts all of us where we are, but He has no intention of leaving us there. As one old quaker stated, “God’s arms are open to everyone, with our wrinkles, warts and all.” The simple truth is, we all start our spiritual journey as sinners.

Yet when a person comes to Jesus, with a true desire to be transformed into His likeness, the Holy Spirit begins a life-changing process within such a person. To walk away from our old self and to walk into a newness in Jesus Christ is called repentance. Much like an alcoholic, a repentant sinner must want to change before there will be any significant change.

The older a convert to Jesus is, the more bad habits that person tends to be comfortable with. Cussing, lying, gossip and the like tend to come easier to a 30, 40…….year old than they do to a five-year-old. However, when training a person for spiritual disciplines, an older, more mature person will handle the rigors of training easier than a younger person who doesn’t quite yet know who they really are.

So, if you are older in age and have recently committed your life to Jesus, be aggressive about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your old way of life. Go to church and find someone who is living in a manner you wish to attain and ask that person to disciple you. Or visit with your pastor about finding such a person. However you go about it, find a more mature Christian to help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is inviting you to begin walking with Him on a daily basis. Be careful not to attempt to outrun Jesus, nor should you lag behind Him. The Christian life is a daily walk with Jesus. Right there, beside Him is the best place to live the rest of your life.

Now, back to our trip to Casper yesterday. As I said, it is a long way from Lusk to a town of any size. Usually the older a person is, the more of life they have experienced. The more of life a person has experienced, the more likely it is that sinful habits have become the normal way of life. As such, you will need to work harder to allow the Holy Spirit to change those bad habits into good ones. It seems to me that the best way to swap bad habits for good ones is to daily walk with Jesus, along with a friend who is spiritually where you want to be .

Daily Bible reading, prayer and walking with Jesus is the best way to reach your goal of being more like Jesus. Like a toddler learning to walk, you too will fall from time to time, get back up and try again. Before long, you will begin to enjoy your daily walks with Jesus! Just remember, walking with Jesus is a life-long journey, not a one-day trip.

Walking with Jesus with you, Neal

March 3, 2026

34 degrees at 4 a.m. hoping to reach around 53 this afternoon. It looks like it will be cloudy most of the day, with a possible sprinkle during the day. Thank you, Lord, for sending a measurable amount of rain to our friends to the south of us!

In the book of 1 Timothy, chapters 5&6, the Apostle Paul gives advice to his spiritual son Timothy, and in turn, to us. Within these two chapters Paul teaches us about relationships and ownership. The relationships are supposed to be healthy, unencumbered by sin. We are to respect one another, especially as fellow believers in Christ.

Chapter 6 deals with the relationship between a Christian employer and employee. Because of the commonality of both parties claiming to be Christ-followers, each is to treat the other with respect and honor. Sadly, this is quite often not the case in today’s culture.

Over my years in the pastorate, I have often had a believing employer come to me with the complaint that his fellow believers who work for his company are less than good employees. One man once told me, “Because I am a man who attempts to follow Christian principals, my believing employees feel that our common faith should give them special preference. They want more time off, more benefits and more money than my regular employees.”

Here in 1 Timothy 6, Paul writes that it ought not be this way. In fact, verse 2 makes it clear that as a Christian employee, I should be willing to go the extra mile for my employer. I should work harder, longer and with less complaining than those who work alongside of me as those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior, yet.

Let’s be honest, a pastor of a local church is really just an employee of said church. As an employee of fellow believers, the pastor should be the first to serve without grumbling. It would appear that he is willing to help set up tables and chairs, clean the bathroom if needed and even take out the trash after the pot-luck dinner. We pastors are employees.

Yet on the other side of the spectrum is the church that is constantly reminding the pastor that he is little more than an employee. Over my years of serving in the local church, and serving as a representative of our District office, I have often been told, “You need to remember who pay’s your salary,” as a threat. Usually such a threat was to make sure that what this particular person wanted within the local church, was to be carried out according to their wishes, even if it wasn’t completely ethical or even sometimes legal. Such a threat most often had something to do with money.

My point is this, as fellow believers, both employee and employer, we should be different. We should double-down on our great attitudes and actions. As Paul states in the book of Ephesians, there should be common respect, based upon our common belief in Christ, thus removing the “dividing wall.”

May we each treat our pastor with respect and honor. As pastors may we be a great example of such attitudes toward those whom we serve. As such, removing all accusations of employer/employee. At the end of 1 Timothy 6:1 Paul tells us why this is so important, “so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.”

Work hard, speak kindly and in all things honor Christ Jesus our Lord.

Serving joyfully with you, Neal

March 1, 2026

30 degrees at 4 a.m., moving up to 54 before the day is over. It doesn’t look like very much sunshine today though.

Thursday found Miss Deb and I in Casper, back to Lusk to meet with my young men’s group. Friday and Saturday we were in Rapid City. Hopefully we will get to spend a couple of days at home. I’m really looking forward to attending worship at our home church today!

With all that is going on in our world, it will be good to fellowship with other Christ-followers. To pray, sing and hear from God’s holy word. You see, when the world around us is unraveling, it is extremely important to spend some time in the presence of All-Mighty God! Time to be reminded that He is in control, and that the circumstances of life are unfolding in a way that does not surprise God.

I can’t say for you, but for me, I’m so grateful that the God of the Bible is still active in the affairs of humanity today. Not only is He involved in our lives today, but He will also be there again tomorrow, and the days after that. As we begin a new month, and as there so many new events within our lives, it a great blessing to know that the One who has held time from the beginning, continues to hold every bit of today’s events within those same powerful hands.

Lest we forget, may I remind each of us that God never has, no will He ever be required to ask mankind for permission to act. God is, and God does according to His sovereign will. And here is another absolute: God has a plan and a purpose, yet He has chosen to work through different people at different times to accomplish that purpose.

Sometimes God uses bad people to correct the lives of His children, other times God uses a good person to correct the lives of evil people. Read 1 & 2 Kings. You will soon recognize the previous statement is true. Whom God uses when for what purpose is not up to us, but up to God Himself!

With perfect wisdom and absolute justice, God the Father accomplishes that which He determines! We humans think that we know how to meter justice, yet we can only do so in accordance with circumstances while enacting that which we think to be just. Today, just like the times at the end of the book of Judges, we find the Bible correctly stating our circumstances when it declares, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

May we at least admit that we each see the world events of the past and of today, from our “own eyes.” However, it seems to me that a problem often arises when I see life events only from my “own eyes.” When we no longer see life events through the eyes of Scripture, and as such, through the eyes of God, then we a quite like do not fully understanding how all of the events fit together in a way that is completely correct.

You see my friends, when we begin to see life events through the eyes of our personal political eyes only, we quickly open ourselves up to only personal beliefs and limited understanding. In another words, the truth is as I see it. To me, that is a very dangerous place to take a stand. When the big “I” is in charge, and the big “you” is in charge, we open ourselves up to personal opinion, usually colored by our enemy (Ephesians 6:10-18). Instead, we need to keep our eyes fixed up on the author and the perfecter of faith, the Lord Jeus Christ.

So, for me, I go to church today to worship, to pray, to receive a lesson in biblical truth, to fellowship and to refocus my mind and life upon allowing God to be GOD! And to accept that He is the GOD of the world in which I live, at the time in which I live. In today’s language, “God’s got this.”

Is this the beginning of the end, yes – today moves me one day closer toward my earthly end; and then eternity in the presence of God the Father! What a day of rejoicing that will be! So, why not use today for some of that rejoicing? Rejoicing that all of this is temporary, and then there will be the eternal.

Rejoicing that God is in control with you, Neal

February 25, 2026

With only three days left in February, it looks as if all but the last one could be a tad tough. Strong winds today and tomorrow, with some snow today that will definitely come sideways. The temperature will be decent each day but will feel much cooler because of the wind. However, thank you Lord for some moisture and for Your protection!

Yesterday, I spent four hours on the road with a friend. Looked at some horses, ate a good lunch and had a great visit with a man from Harrison, Nebraska, who owns a tack shop there. And what a tack shop. Jarold and his son are both leather workers who seem to be able to make, or repair anything made out of leather. He has every kind of bit a feller could ever want, along with lots of things he has braided. His son is also making some beautiful knives. If you need anything for a horse, from hoof care to another saddle, they have it there.

As we visited, we soon were talking spiritual matters, and what a great visit we did have. As we were talking about the present spiritual condition of America, along with how God is about to make some serious changes to that landscape, we then turned to Scripture. As we talked, I mentioned the verses about spiritual warfare found in Ephesians 6:10-20, we started thinking about the last half of verse 17, “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Open your Bible to Matthew 26:52. In verse 51, Peter has just cut off the ear of “the slave of the high priest.” Then in v.52, Jesus looks at Peter and says, “put your sord back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”

Now, put those two verses together and you have the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and “those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”(NASB) Many versions use the word “die” instead of the word “perish,” both words meaning the same thing.

So, chew on this one, if a person lives by the Bible (the sword of the Spirit), then that person will most likely die by that same sword. Charlie Kirk soon came to our minds and then we talked about the book “Fox’s Book of Martyrs.” From there we traveled to talking about how the disciples died as well. And from there, we talked of how there seems to be more and more hatred coming out against those who stand on biblical truth.

Yesterday, there was a “street side preacher” attacked by a Muslim Malita in England. A scene that is repeated several times over around our world each day. In the U.S., we have national politicians and television programs consistently telling us that “Christians” are a threat to everyone’s American freedoms. It would appear that for those who choose to “live by the sword of Scripture,” the possibility of dying by the sword (because of the sword) becomes more real each day.

As we three men, all from different age groups, prepared to continue on with our day; we agreed that each of us will one day die, why not die for the one thing that really matters, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Yesterday, my young friend and I stopped to look at an amazing tack shop; we left challenged about living by the sword! With that, I shook the hand of a new friend and commented, “I hope to see you soon, either here, there or in the air.” It was a grand day!

Living by the sword with you, Neal

February 24, 2026

Good morning friend! It’s a chinook! Webster defines chinook as, “a warm wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.” When I put ‘ol Coffee out the door at 4 a.m., most of the snow is gone and it is 45 degrees! True, the wind is matching that temp, and both are to rise as the day goes on: a high of 55 with 52 mph wind gusts. And of course, I’m headed to a horse sale with a friend, pulling a trailer. As is often said about Wyoming weather, if you don’t like this weather, hang on, it will soon change. As of this morning, the weather man is talking about 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow with 55 mph wind gusts. By golly, that will grab everyone’s attention!

A while back I mentioned that when I was a short-legged feller I was often sent to a neighbor’s place to help with cattle chores. When I first started traveling to other ranches, I was allowed to ride one of our gentler horses, not because the ‘ol horse needed more miles, but because there would be wire gates between the two ranches; usually there would be several wire gates to maneuver.

You see, when your 7-8 years of age, most five-wire gates are a real problem. You folks with a ranch background understand that a gate was usually the place a batch of ‘ol cows would work hard on hoping to get to a different pasture. As such, most gates were impossible for a little feller to open because they had to be kept stretched tight.

But I had to go through 3-6 of them to get to my destination, so I had to figure out how to get a gate opened and closed. I remember that my first journey was to a ranch off to the north of us about 7 miles, and I had about twice that many gates to go through.

Early in the morning, dad helped me tack my horse, gave me directions of how to angle back and forth to find the gates and sent me off with the words, “be careful, behave, and be back here before dark, and just like that I was riding off into no man’s land. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t have a cell phone in my hip pocket in case I had trouble either.

As I rode off, I heard dad start the pickup. I rode a half mile north of our house and there sat dad in the pickup. My first thought was that he was going to drive to the same place I was to ride. That would be great, I wouldn’t be alone in the middle of nowhere, and he could open the gates.

I rode up to the first gate; dad met me there. I waited for him to open the gate and let me through but instead he said, “Shake out a small loop.” I was highly confused, I didn’t see anything that needed roped, but I also knew better than to argue with dad. He then instructed me, “Now, wrap your rope around the saddle horn a half wrap, then get off your horse and put your loop over the gate stick(it was located on the end of the gate that would open), hold on tight to the tail end of your rope and ask your horse to take a step back.

Just like that, we had opened the first gate. After I led my horse through the gate, I just had to reverse the process. Wow, I had just opened my first gate all by myself! As I climbed up the leg of my horse and got back in the driver’s seat, dad mentioned that I only had a dozen more to open and close, so I had better get to moving. I used that method for several more years before I got big enough, and stout enough, to open a gate on my own.

You see friends, my dad didn’t remove the obstacle, he just taught me how to deal with it. Our Heavenly Father does the same with us. The Bible is full of information that helps us deal with the daily obstacles of life, and our Heavenly Father semes to give us ample opportunities to learn how to use His information. We usually call such opportunities, “problems.” Yet as with most problems, they are just opportunities to learn.

Each time a problem arises, we learn how to use what we have, and how to trust God to help us deal with what we don’t have. Take the disciples for example. You remember the story well; In Matthew 14, Jesus and a multitude of people have just finished a revival meeting on a hillside. The Bible tells us that there were “about five thousand men…, besides women and children” present and it was “getting late.” The problem was that as far as the disciples could tell the caterer hadn’t arrived in time for the evening meal.

Because supper was going to be a problem for so many people, the disciple’s human reasoning suggested that Jesus “send the crowds away” to find their own food. Instead, Jesus asked those first disciples the same question He asks us when we have a problem. Jesus responded with, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”

Those first disciples, just like us of today, used human reasoning to solve the problem instead of trusting Jesus to give them direction. And much like He does in our lives today, Jesus told the disciples to use what they had.

My response, “Well Lord, I don’t reckon the granola bar that is turning mushy in my pocket is going to feed very many folks.” And at that moment, Jesus smiles. You know the rest of the biblical account, Jesus takes a little boy’s lunch and multiplies it to feed everyone present. There are even leftovers!

However, we dare not get so mesmerized by the event that we forget the process; you know, like learning how to open a gate. Jesus looked at five loaves and two fish and then He prayed (v.19). You see my friends, when a problem arises, our first step ought to be to pray, and then work.

I hope that everyone of us has watched Jesus turn an impossibility into an opportunity! That which is impossible for man, is possible for God; we just need to begin with prayer. So, today as Thomas and I head west with one horse in a trailer, the first thing we will do is pray. Before we turn a wheel, we will pray.

How about your day? I’m trusting that before today is over, our Lord will give each of us an opportunity to see Him at work in and through our life. Or you can depend upon your ability and try to deal with the problem all by yourself, to which I respond, “Good luck!”

As for these two cowboys, we are going to pray first and then strangle a steering wheel for the next four hours.

Praying first with you, Neal

February 23, 2026

Good morning! I put Coffee out the door at 5 a.m. and noticed the air didn’t bite me anything like it had the last couple of days. As I looked at today’s weather, I noticed that it is 17 above right now, headed for 36 with 15-30 mph winds.

A while back I wrote about a collie dog we had when I was a kid. Her name was Blondie and she was the first dog I ever had. We were good buds; if I was outside, she was right beside me. Not only was she really good help with the cattle and sheep, but she hated rattle snakes just as much as I did.

When I was old enough to rope and hold a fifty-pound calf, we would scatter the hay for the cows and their three- or four-day-old calves. I would walk through the cows and rope any calf dad pointed out as one we needed to doctor. The moment I would rope a calf, Blondie would be right there, bighting the momma cow if she was wanting to trounce the guy holding the rope, me. That old dog was always quickly at my side anytime I needed help or protection.

Thinking back about Blondie, caused me to smile about how the Holy Spirit is that same provider and protecter today. Any time we need someone to give us wisdom about a situation, the Spirit is there. It seems to me that we probably have no idea of how many times the Holy Spirit has protected us from a serious accident or some other kind of harm.

When God promises to provide all that we need, He really means it. Through the working of His Holy Spirit, we have a constant companion who not only is a best friend but is also there anytime we have a need. Thank you Spirit for protecting each of us from that ‘ol rattlesnake, Satan.

At the end of a long day, I remember many times that Blondie and I would find us a sunny spot, or shade in the summer, and have us a bit of a nap. She would lie down and look at me with an invitation in her eyes. So, then I would lie down with her, using her softly haired body as my pillow. In the winter when it was really cold on the hay wagon, Blondie would lay down on my feet and help me stay half-way warm.

Today, the Holy Spirit loves the times that we lie down together and just enjoy each other’s company. For me, each morning begins with a visit with the Holy Spirit before I ever get out of bed. I guess that is something else Blondie taught me to do way before I began to walk with Jesus. Blondie always slept beside my bed. Each morning, I would wake to her setting beside my bed with her head on the edge of the bed. waiting for me to wake up for our morning visit. It is such a blessing to wake knowing that the Holy Spirit is right there, waiting for our morning visit. Of course, now there is usually a red and. white face looking at me as well – Coffee dog also enjoys our “good morning.”

So, may I encourage you to start each day by visiting with the Holy Spirit before you ever get out of bed. For when you start with the Spirit, you better realize that He is right there with you all the rest of the day! It is also a good idea to end each day with a short visit with Him as well. My evening visits are always short; perhaps it is the peace of the Holy Spirit that causes me to fall asleep within minutes after turning the light off?

Anyway, as a Christ follower, the Spirit of the Living God is right there with you at all times. I encourage you to get well acquainted with Him. After all, He really is man’s best friend!

Enjoying another day with Him and you, Neal

February 22, 2026

Good morning. The thermometer rest at 0 at 3:30 a.m. 37degrees and cloudy with a tad bit of breeze today. But hang on to your hat, temps for this next week are in the high range and so is the wind! The prediction is for 30+ wind speed most days, and 60+ on Wednesday.

Though I’m tired of physical wind, I look forward to the Holy Spirit blowing thorough churches around the world this very day. You know, like the “mighty, rushing wind” on the day of Pentecost. Blow Spirit blow. Fill each of us with Your presence, Your peace and Your power so that those around us will know that You are here, working in and through our lives this very day!

As you prepare to put on your Sunday best and head for church this morning, may I encourage each of us to put on our “Sunday best” attitude as well. May we go to church filled with anticipation of our Heavenly Father speaking His truth into our life this very day. Stop and pray that God will use your pastor’s message as a special message for your life. At the end of the service, be sure to thank both God and pastor for building into your life.

Perhaps we should be going to church with a special excitement about the opportunities the Holy Spirit will give each of us. Opportunities to encourage and assist those around us. It might be a short-legged person, or maybe even an elderly one, that God uses to allow you the opportunity to serve someone else. Someone around you today needs a hug, a smile and/or a word of encouragement. Because each of God’s children possess the joy of the Lord, could it be that He expects us to infect someone else with that same joy this very day?

If someone shares a prayer request with you, push the “pause” button. Step away from the hurry and worry of this world and pray with that person right there. Remember, Jesus said that His Father’s house was to be “a house of prayer.”

I’m willing to bet that no one needs to hear grumblings about the weather, or politics; yet everyone needs to hear of God’s amazing grace. They need to experience God’s arms holding them tight, especially if they feel like their world is unraveling. You see my friend, the amazing thing is that the Spirit of the Living God wants to use you to be a blessing in the life of others, TODAY!

So, put on your go-to-town clothes, grab your Bible and head to church full of the anticipation of being the hands of Jesus. Invite someone new to sit with you, have lunch with you, or to “blow” over to your house this week for coffee and cookies. Do what you can to pass along that which God has blessed you with. The amazing thing is that when we give away a smile and a kind word, we get more than we give. This day, we can each allow someone else to see, hear and feel the love that our Heavenly Father has shared with us!

Living by giving with you, Neal