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  • “Build up one another”

    “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you are also doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11)

    January 30, 2026

    Five a.m. and it’s 30 degrees, reaching up to 36 for a high. We had snow most of the day yesterday, and we are supposed to get more today. It would appear that January is going out like a lion.

    Last night I had the privilege of visiting with five young men, all under the age of 30 from 4 different states that all have ties in Wyoming. We plan to meet weekly to study about what it means to be male and what it looks like to be a man of God. I consider it an immense privilege to visit with these young men about topics they are each wrestling with. As the Bible states, “Iron sharpens Iron.”

    One of the five young men has a group of older gentlemen that he meets with on a weekly basis. I asked him to share what that “men’s breakfast” group means to him; I could see the yearning in each of the other guys. I have heard it said that “masculinity is endowed,” and I believe it to be so. As such, we need to give our young men the opportunity to be around older men!

    As a young boy, adulthood, and on into adulthood, I was very blessed to have many older men who took me on as a part of their life mission. You see, back then, ranchers neighbored, to the point that I worked with other men almost as often than I worked with my dad.

    Men like George, Orman, Eldon, Clayton, Jim, Bebe, Jimmy and several others built into my life on a regular basis. They shared their wisdom on working cattle, breaking horses, fixing fences, pulling wells and doctoring sick critters. More importantly they taught me the value of fighting for a woman, and to never fight over a woman. They each worked at developing my work ethic, my character and my view of humanity, but more importantly they helped me figure out me. These men taught me how to read both animals and humans. They each contributed into my life, and for that, I will forever be grateful.

    All of these men except one, no longer walk this ‘ol ball of dirt, so now it is my turn to build into the lives of young men. A job that I cannot accomplish alone. They each need older men to set a clear track for these young fellers to follow.

    You see my friends, I strongly believe that none of us live our lives for ourselves. We have been placed here for those around us. It doesn’t matter whether we are male or female, there are those around us who would be blessed if we were to consistently build into their lives.

    Ladies, I am of the opinion that each of you possess skills that young ladies would love to learn. You each have wisdom about being a woman in general, and more specifically about being a woman of God. If you have experience of how to be a good wife, a mom and all of the other hats you wear, there is quite likely a young lady, or group thereof, who would be blessed to have you build into their lives.

    As older adults, we each have talents and wisdom to share with the younger folks around us. You see, it takes no special abilities to be able to talk with someone else about the valuable lessons you have learned about life, especially a spiritual life. There are young people in your community, in your church, who need who you are.

    May I challenge you? We each receive the same twenty-fours each day, we get to choose how we spend those hours. Will we waste time, or will we use time? Do you want to do more with the life you have left? If so, then use some of it to influence those younger than yourself.

    I’m of the opinion that one of the major reasons our nation is in the condition that it is in, is because older people have quit building into the lives of others. Let’s face it, if you are over 50, you have seen more sunrises than you will ever see sunsets. Why not use the days that you have left to leave your thumb print upon the life of a younger adult? After all, building into the life of a younger adult is much better than nagging at the older person you live with, or those around you.

    Come on friends, one of the things we can still do is help someone build a life worth living!

    Building into others with you, Neal

  • “Not welcome!”

    January 29, 2026

    Good morning. Here in Lusk, Wyoming at 5 a.m. we have 28 degrees, west wind and snow falling. Things should clear up in a bit and get close to 42 for a high.

    Yesterday’s ride was great fun. Though it was cloudy and cool all day, we had an easy ride. The horses all behaved well, the cattle gathered quickly and hit a steady walk back to their new pasture. I had a great morning of listening and getting to know three gentlemen better. God is good!

    With the country getting ready for the Super Bowl, most of our community is headed for the Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City, South Dakota, this weekend. When you live in cattle country, most everyone is excited to go spend a day or two at the Stock Show. The problem is, it is snowing right now, with measurable snow coming tomorrow. As such, Miss Deb and I will probably choose to not get out on slick roads.

    I suppose our choice is a byproduct of old age? Winter safety is considerably more important right now than it has ever been before. We seem to be more concerned about slick sidewalks and streets when walking; snow packed roads are also a no-no.

    I remember a day when I was not so cautious about traveling on bad roads: When Miss Deb was two months away from delivering our second child, we gathered our little girl, Christmas presents, warm clothes and headed out on the 33-mile trip to the home place. We were living in Guernsey at that time and had decided to go out to the ranch to spend Christmas Eve with my family.

    The last 12 miles of our trip would be gravel road that would be blown full of snow. When we got to that point, I chained up our 2-wheel drive pickup and said, “Well, here we go!” There were a couple of times that I had to get out and exercise my muscles by shoveling through snow drifts, but we finally made it.

    All of my siblings were there, and I happily carried our little girl, and Miss Deb grabbed my arm as we plowed our way to the house. As we trudged through the snow, we could see the dim light on the porch. Anticipating a warm welcome, along with warm fellowship we finally made it to the door. As I opened the door, my dad greeted us with these words. “You get back in that pickup and get out of here! I’m not having my grandchild delivered here!”

    Well, so much for the warm welcome. It didn’t take very long to determine that we were not welcome. And here in is the application for today: I fear that there is going to be a lot of people who get excited about going “home” for eternity, only to be greeted with the message of “you are not welcome here.”

    Look at Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”‘” You see, these folks knew that they had done so many great works in the name of Jesus that their entrance to heaven was guaranteed, yet Jesus did not receive them.

    There appears to be two reasons that Jesus refused entrance to heaven: 1) They did not have a personal relationship with Jesus and 2) Though the claimed the name of Jesus, they still practiced “lawlessness.”

    To us, Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.” If you want to go to heaven, you MUST have a relationship with Jesus now. Secondly, the name of Jesus carries great power, regardless of who uses it. But if the user continues to habitually sin against God, they will be rejected upon the judgment day.

    Walking with Jesus is supposed to change the way we walk and talk, along with how we treat those around us. As Christ followers we are to be notably different from the non-Christians around us. For sure, none of us will ever live a perfect life here on this earth. Perhaps that should be a constant reminder that each day we need to depend upon the Holy Spirit to get most things correct, and that we also need to daily confess our sins to our Heavenly Father. Praising Him for the cleansing blood of Jesus!

    You see my friend, God does not grade on a curve; “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We ALL need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior; not just good works done in His name. Remember, we are saved for “good works,” not by them. (Eph. 2:8-10)

    Cling to Jesus, confess your sins and continue to do that which He calls you to do, for His glory. In such a manner, we shall be welcomed into His presence when we make our trip back home.

    Traveling through this thing called life with you, Neal

  • Be Specific!

    January 28, 2026

    It’s 18 degrees at 4 a.m., looking at 42 for a high. The wind will be right at 10 mph out of the WNW.

    Sometimes we have to be specific about what we ask for. Today I get to climb aboard a friends ‘ol steed and move cattle! Last Monday, I made mention to a group of ranchers that I sure would enjoy getting to help with cattle work, and this young rancher quickly asked if I wanted to help move his cows on Wednesday. I accepted!

    Then after I arrived back home and took a breath of air, I realized that it isn’t going to be overly warm today. But I asked for a chance to help with cattle and here it is.

    I remember a time in my young ministry when a dear lady in our church had suffered a severe stroke. It was really a serious deal. One of her best friends said that she was going to pray for the stroke victim to get to come home soon. God answered her prayer. The stroke victim laid in a coma in a local facility for the next two years before the Lord called her home. It would have most likely been better if we would of prayed for God’s purpose to have been completed for our ill friend.

    In Matthew 6:9 we find the “model prayer” that Jesus gave His disciples and us. Please note that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray to “Our Father who is in heaven.” It appears that Jesus was very specific that we are not to pray to “our Father,” but to “Our Father who is in heaven.”

    Why? Because Satan is known as the “father of lies,” John 8:44. Could it be that when we start our prayers with the word “father,” that Satan could possibly rob those prayers for himself? Perhaps that is why Jesus tells us to pray specifically to “Our Father who is in heaven?”

    Also note, in the rest of the model prayer of Matthew 6, Jesus never uses the words “like” or “just” or “kind of.” Jesus is very specific in the words He used to teach us how to pray. Perhaps we too should be specific?

    One last point, when we pray, it would probably be wise to yield our desires to the statement found in verse 10, “Your will be done.” When I pray during my quiet moments with our Father who is in heaven, I yield my requests to His purpose with a phrase something like this, “and Heavenly Father, if you have a plan that is different from the ones I have mentioned, let’s go with your plan.” Why? Because God’s ways are always higher than my ways and His plans are always much better than mine.

    Yep, it’s going to be a tad chilly sitting on a horse all day. Perhaps I should have requested one with a heater, but I’m still really excited to get to spend some time looking at the north end of a south bound cow, from the back of a horse! Remember, be specific when you ask God for things, especially when asking “our Father who is in heaven” for things that will affect the lives of those around you.

    Praying specifically with you, Neal

  • Blessing or Burden?

    January 27, 2026

    At 3:30 this morning the temperature is 17 degrees above. Right now, there is no wind and it seems as if Mother Nature is at peace, yet my spirit is in turmoil.

    Yesterday I was blessed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with two hundred plus folks at a well-respected man’s funeral. Though I have been allowed to speak to larger crowds, yesterday’s gather still weighs heaven on my heart. Miss Deb and I have been so welcomed into this community, and we have been given a vast number of opportunities to show and share the love of Jesus with different folks. I must say, “We love living in the Lusk area!”

    Yet today my spirit is feeling the tension of “is there something else I should have said, or perhaps that thing I should not have said at yesterday’s gathering?” In years past I have felt this same angst on different occasions, but today, my spirit is burdened for the folks of this community. Yesterday, as I looked at an auditorium filled with dear souls, I was close to tears. Tears not only for a beautiful family having to bid their patriarch farewell, but a gathering of good folks where so many may be so far from Jesus.

    I had asked the Holy Spirit of God to speak through me yesterday, but on that day, I believe He gave me the burden He carries each day for those who do not know Jesus yet. You see friends, as Christ-followers, we ache for those who are far away from Jesus. However, the pain I feel this morning, and I’m quite sure the pain the Holy Spirit feels for those who do not know Jesus, is far beyond just the normal concern for the lost. Today’s pain that of a burden.

    When the Spirit of God woke me at 3:15 a.m. today, He laid a mantel upon me that feels heavy and restless. I believe it to be the mantel of feeling a little bit of what Jesus felt when He went to the cross for me, and for you, and for all others who still have not turned to Him for salvation! Is it that He is impressing me with the fact that time is getting short? Is it that He is impressing me with the fact that my time is getting short? I haven’t the answer to either question. However, I do know that Almighty God Himself has allotted each of us a set number of days to live this life, and once again yesterday’s events drove that reality home to me.

    By God’s amazing grace, I have been blessed to live a good life. That same grace joined my life to that of my beautiful wife, our children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. But most importantly, God’s amazing grace has called most of our crew to salvation in Christ Jesus!

    He has given Miss Deb and I so many awesome friendships all around this country. Yesterday, I was blessed to have a brief visit with a young lady that I used to dance with when she was just a little girl. I was allowed to visit with a young man whose grandfather I knew well back when. As such, I was able to get caught up on his family’s lives, what a fun time. And yes, there was a time that I enjoyed a dance with his mother when she was still a young lady.

    Oh, the amazing blessings God sends to us each day! Yet with those blessings, also comes the burden of walking with His Spirit through a world far from Jesus. Perhaps what I am sensing today is that there is not much distance between the two emotions of blessing and burden. Today, it feels as if those two walk so closely together that it’s impossible to realize one without the other.

    So today, I praise God for the blessings of the life He has given, yet I also feel the burden of not yet fulfilling HIs calling upon my life. If this day, you realize His calling upon your life, may I encourage each of us to “let our light so shine” that others will be drawn to the light of Jesus Christ!

    Carrying the blessings and the burden with you, Neal

  • The purpose of the storm!

    January 26, 2026

    It was well below zero when we went to bed last night, and now it is 4 above at 5 a.m. This is to be one of those days that the temperature and the wind speed match, both pushing 40.

    For the last two days I have shared with you about a storm we went through back in ’63. It was a tough one, but this country has seen worse. The best thing about that storm was that when it finally broke, we had a batch of warm air trail in behind it, melting much of the snow, giving the ‘ol girls a dry plain to lay down once again.

    Yesterday, I was blessed to get to preach at a neighboring church here in Lusk. During the message I spoke of how we all go through tough times in our lives. Usually, when a friend or a family member is walking through a storm, our natural reaction is to attempt to rescue that person from some of the pain. Yet years ago, the Holy Spirit taught me that too often we folks with our good intentions often get in His way of using trials to bring about needed changes within the lives of His people.

    It is good to come alongside of folks who are in a storm, but those folks need the real Savior, someone none of us can ever be. We can be their friend, their prayer partner, even one to share wisdom with them, but we should be very careful when it comes to giving advice, for His ways are much higher than our ways.

    Remember when Peter tried to walk on water? It wasn’t on a bright sunshiny day that Peter walked toward Jesus, it was during a raging storm. God allows storms to brew up in our lives so that we too will, by faith walk toward Jesus. Note, Jesus rescued Pete after Peter shouted, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30; Then in verse 31 we read, “immediately Jesus stretched our His hand and took hold of him.” You see my friends, Jesus came to His disciples during the storm, not during the calm.

    It seems to me that we too often attempt to be the rescuer when others we care about are in the middle of a storm, but there is really only one Savior and none of us are Him! Usually when someone is in a storm, they ask the question of “Why?” “Why is this happening?” “Why is God doing this to me?” “Why, why, why?” Instead, we need to ask the question “What?” “God, what are You trying to teach me about Yourself or myself during this storm?

    Just as I can look back at the storm of ’63 and see God’s hand in it, He wants to use all storm to help us see Him as our Savior during the storm. When that really happens, we should be like those first disciples after Jesus calmed the storm, they worshiped Him. And we are to do the same.

    No, I am not saying that God is the engineer of every storm that comes into our lives, Satan often has a hand in causing a storm to hit. But I am saying that God can use those storms to help us realize our need of a Savior.

    If you have never come to the point of life where you said, “Lord, save me!” then don’t be surprised if there is a storm brewing on the horizon of your life. Just remember, every storm gives us the opportunity to look for the hand of Jesus, or to get mad and fight our way through the storm. Only one of those options provides peace and security, it’s your choice.

    Learning from the storms of life with you, Neal

  • Thawing out!

    January 25, 2026

    At 5 a.m. the thermometer reads a solid 0 degrees. The forecast calls for a wee bit of warm-up during the day, and serious cold tonight. Yet as I look at the forecast for next week, it should warm up nicely.

    To continue with yesterday’s writing: Remember the outside temp was 35-40 degrees below zero with a stiff westerly wind and still snowing. By the time daylight came around, the snow had let up considerably, and the wind had picked up considerably. We didn’t need any news reporter to tell us that it was going to be a really tough day outside.

    We started chores at the first glimpse of daylight. Milk and separate, feed and water, gather all of the wood the wood boxes could hold and then stack extra wood on the porch, just in case dad and I were to get severely stuck and couldn’t get back home for a day! There needed to be enough wood available for mom and my two little sisters to stay warm and to keep the house thawed out.

    After chores, mom feed us guys a good breakfast. There wasn’t much chatter around the table because we knew it was going to be a really difficult day from the moment we stepped outside to whenever we were able to get back home. After breakfast, dad and I used our pocketknives and a hatchet to split some fine shavings of wood to start a fire. Not a fire in the wood stoves, they were both chattering right along keeping the house liveable.

    Because we didn’t have a shop on our little ranch, the pickup sat outside all of the time. With the temps being extremely cold, we would need to warm the oil pan on the pickup before attempting to start it. That meant that we would get a small fire started in a scoop shovel and then slide the fire under the pickup’s oil pan.

    We put some hay bales around the north and the west sides of the pickup, crawled under it, in the snow, and eventually were able to get a fire going in the shovel. The secret was to have enough fire to warm the pickup’s belly without starting it on fire. After 30-40 minutes of inhaling smoke and constantly stoking the fire with little pieces of wood, dad decided to give the ‘ol gal a try. She started.

    The ‘ol Chevy sounded more like a thrashing machine than a fine-tuned engine for a bit, but she finally got things lined out and idled nicely. While the pickup was warming up, I went and saddled a horse and dad put extra sacks of cotton cake in the pickup, along with an old quilt mom had made. With a bit of jerky from the freezer, a candy bar and a “Good luck” from mom, we headed out.

    We had loaded the pickup with 40 little round bales of hay the night before, so we were set to try to start feeding. By now the wind was out of the north/west at around 35 mph, and guess what direction we had to travel, yep, north/west!

    Dad drove the pickup and I rode the horse, usually it was a 30-minute drive to the north pasture, on this day it took about two hours to get there with having to shovel through snow drift after snow drift. While dad would shovel, I would get in the pickup and thaw our for a few minutes, then I would shovel and he would thaw. The horse was incase we got so stuck that we had to abandon the pickup, we could ride the horse back home double.

    We finally made it to the north pasture; I rode to the windmill and checked water as dad scattered hay and cake. We would then go to the field that was half-way back home, put on another load of hay and go feed the heifers, and then another load for the bulls and saddle horses. I left my horse on the south side of that haystack while we fed the last two bunches. Man did that heater feel good!

    A job that usually took a couple of hours had taken most of the day. We shoveled our way back home, arriving just in time to carry in a batch more wood into the house and start chores. Close to an hour-and-a-half later, we took off our layers of clothes and sat down to enjoy a meal, happy to be back home with everyone safe and sound. Oh yes, my ‘ol horse deserved a night in the barn with extra hay and grain!

    Here I am 60+ years later and as a born-again believer I look back and see God’s had of provision and protection all over that day. So many things could have gone seriously wrong, but they didn’t. To me, here are some spiritual applications I learned that day: 1) Starting a fire under the pickup so it would start is like asking the Holy Spirit to start a fire in our lives so we can get started every day. We must never forget that Jesus promised “power” when the Holy Spirit is in our lives, Acts 1:8, and some days require more power than others.

    2) Taking a horse along for security was really cold and difficult, but it was worth knowing that we could eventually get back home. Walking with Jesus is also often difficult, but it is worth every moment of struggle, knowing that we will one day get to our heavenly home, safe and secure.

    3) The raging storm was nothing in comparison to the amazing power of God! No matter how difficult our lives might be, the power of God is greater by far. As such, we don’t need to worry and fret about the circumstances of life, we truly can do “all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us!”

    4) It is always nice to leave the storm outside and to get to enjoy the peace that only a relationship with Jeus Christ can bring. When we were finally back into the house that evening, with our bellies full and our feet warm, my little sisters were no longer “spoiled brats,” they were a blessing. Sometimes it is difficult to deal with certain folks within our lives, but when we look life-threatening danger in the face, even difficult people become pleasurable. Perhaps that’s why God allows those difficult moments to take place?

    So, with today’s cold temps, why not go to church and get warmed up in the presence of the Holy Spirit? Enjoy the folks who are there with you realizing that all relationships have value! And above all, praise God for every blessing you can think of. We truly serve an Amazing God!

    Gratefully praising God with you, Neal

  • The Great Adventure!

    January 24, 2026

    Well, the ‘ol thermometer reads -15 degrees outside. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s plum cold outside with the 5-10 mph breeze out of the west! Miss Deb and I are to meet with a family right at 30 miles to the north-west of us at 1:30 today, hopefully we can get some sunshine and decent roads?

    So that our water didn’t freeze in the house last night, I left the water dripping in our kitchen sink. It sure was nice to see it still dripping when I got up this morning. Here’s a memory for you: the year was 1963, I was 10 years old and had been roused out of bed by my dad. The house was fairly warm because dad had stayed up most of the night keeping the wood stoves fired, as such, I needed to go fetch some more wood.

    As I walked past the kitchen sink in the ‘ol shack I grew up in, I noticed it too was slowly dripping water. That’s where I learned it’s easier to let it drip a bit than it is to defrost frozen pipes. When Jack Frost comes calling, you have to figure out how to keep him from settling in.

    Dad warned, “You had better put on an extra layer, the thermometer reads somewhere between 35 & 40 below zero, and the wind is clipping out of the west. There’s somewhere close to a foot of snow on the ground and plenty of drifts between here and the wood pile, so watch yourself.” There was no need to grumble, I quietly put on every layer of clothes I could find, a wool vest and then my winter chore coat, Scotch cap, gloves and then opened the porch door.

    A blast of extremely cold air captured my breath for a moment, and then I was able to steel it back and take off into the dark abyss. It was still snowing, so there were no stars or moon to show the way. As I rounded the west corner of the house, the wind slapped me in the face, oh that did hurt. As I trudged my way to the wood pile, through several snow drifts equal to my height, I kept waiting to be eaten by a wandering mountain lion. As I neared the wood pile, some kind of critter ran out from under it, yep, I was all warmed up right then and there!

    I dug around through the snow to find enough wood to make a double armload and headed back to the house. Of course my previous tracks were pretty much blown closed, so I had to plow a new path with both arms full of wood.

    I heard that, someone just asked, “How in the world do you get a double armload of wood?” Well, you asked so I’ll tell you how. You begin by digging out all of the wood you will need, beating the snow off of each piece before placing it on the pile of wood to be transported. You then place your left arm out in front of you, and then you start piling wood on that appendage. Then kneeling with your left knee in the snow, you use you right knee and leg as a bench, balancing the rest of the load of wood on your left arm and right leg. When you have put on every stick of wood that you can possibly carry, you push your right arm under the load and attempt to stand erect once again. You ought to try it, it’s really fun in -40degree weather, with wind and fresh snow, in the dark!

    Arriving at the house that felt like it was at least 100 degrees inside, I put the wood into the wood box with a great feeling of accomplishment, only to hear dad say, “Good job, now get a load for mom’s cook stove.” So, back out into the Klondike I went to a different pile of wood to repeat the previous joyous performance. When I arrived at my destination with that batch of wood, mom greeted me with a smile. Thanking me for my help she poured me a fresh cup of coffee and our day was underway.

    I then stripped off my layers of clothes down to my base layer. It would be close to an hour before we had finished breakfast, re-layered clothes and headed back out the door to do chores. It sure was great to “get to” grow up on a Wyoming ranch! (I’ll finish the morning’s events tomorrow.)

    Sometimes, the Christian life can easily resemble this story, I can easily become a rotten routine if we are not careful. You see, if all we are doing is our “job” as we do our morning reading and praying, it doesn’t take too long to get bored, and then we stop all together. But, if we start each morning with prayer, praising our Father for keeping the warm fire of faith going while we slept, then our day will be more of an adventure rather than a chore.

    You see my friends, morning devotions can be a lot like having to carry in another armload of wood. It is hard work, but it sure beats setting around in the cold.

    Praise, pray and prepare, today is going to be an amazing day as we watch our loving Heavenly Father unfold the adventure before us. Oh for sure, the weather is cold and rather nasty outside, and sometimes we feel like we are groping around in the dark, but when we safely finish this day, we will be able to lay our heads down, thanking God for His gracious protection and provision! You see, if we do that which He asks us do for today, we too can see that warm motherly smile and hear the gentle words, “Thank you.” And by the way, your Bible provides layers of warm clothes, so bundle up, it’s cold out there!

    Turning chores into an adventure with you, Neal

  • Priorities!

    January 23, 2026

    Good morning! I’m sorry about not writing yesterday. Our day was consumed with being too busy baking and making yesterday. This morning, the ground is completely white outside, with more of that fun stuff coming before today is over and then 8 degrees below zero for a low tonight.

    Oh ya, let’s don’t forget the 40 plus mph wind that is supposed to show up today as well! Tomorrow may be a tough day for travel, but we will if we can. When the wind gets to cooking, our many errands around town could become difficult as well, but it is winter. With all of the warm weather we have had up to this point, we are that much closer to Spring!

    Remember when you were a short-legged person, the days, months and years seemed to drag on and on. Now most days have a jet engine tied to them. Usually, our day is completed way before the work is.

    My favorite Uncle used to remind me that “we’ll get done today what we get done today, the rest will still be there waiting for us tomorrow.” The mathematical approach to that equation would suggest that if we get more tasks completed today, we will have fewer to do tomorrow, but we all know that real life doesn’t work that way. It would appear that no matter how much we get done in a day, there is always way more to do the next day, and the next days after that.

    I sometimes wonder if keeping us “too busy” isn’t Satan’s main tool against evangelism? Just think about it, we all have bigger, better and faster than American’s have ever known, yet we spend less time living life with friends and family. When I was a kid, we worked hard all day long, but then when evening came, we didn’t watch TV, we did something as a family, or someone would stop by and we would play cards until it was time for everyone to consider “calling it a day.” When that time came, we would all go to bed and go to sleep, satisfied with the day.

    Now days, we all work all day long, and then we attend meetings or watch the idiot box until it’s time to go to bed. and then we stew about all of the things we didn’t get done today and tomorrow is going to be even busier. Yet, we spend less time sharing life with those around us.

    You see my friends; our time is going faster than ever before, and it seems that we are all busier than ever before. Yet there is less time spent building into the lives of those around us. I’m not sure that is the way our Lord has this thing called life planned out. Either Satan is keeping us too busy, or perhaps I have trouble keeping my priorities of life straight?

    The same Lord who stated, “each day has enough troubles of its own,” also taught us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” The Lord still provides today, but for some reason we think we have to work harder to get the bread? For years I have said that “I’m so busy trying to make a living that I don’t have any time to live.” Yet for each of us, we will live until we die. Perhaps we need to define “living” as time spent with others instead of defining it as making money?

    We will never get all of our work done; however, we may only get one more opportunity to visit with someone we will cross paths with today. Perhaps we should make people the priority and get what work we can get done, going to bed satisfied with one more day of life!

    Keeping priorities straight with you, Neal

  • Another Day!

    1/21/2026

    Cold and windy with a skift of snow. Looks and feels like winter.

    I turn the furnace down each evening before calling it a day, so it was a bit chilly in this ‘ol shack at 3:30 this morning when the Lord nudged me in the ribs. As such, I pulled the covers up tight and decided to “visit” with the Lord for a bit before I crawled out of bed. We talked about the events before us this weekend: an adult Sunday School class at one church, preaching at a different church on Sunday, and then speaking at a funeral on Monday. As the Holy Spirit gave clarity for each of these events, He also mentioned a few other personal things I need to work on before then.

    Yesterday, Miss Deb and I, and Coffee, went to Douglas for an appointment and then on to Casper. A few bags of groceries in the back seat of the car cost a couple hundred dollars, but many of the groceries will be used to make cookies for a funeral, a special snack for friends and a meal for another group of friends. On the way home, we stopped in Douglas for another appointment, and then we dealt with wind and snow all the way home. Yet, it was a very enjoyable day with my girls, and we gave our Heavenly Father our praise for watching over us during another busy day.

    Today, we both have plenty of studying to do so we are ready for this weekend’s events. Oh ya, I failed to mention that Miss Deb is leading two women’s Bible studies, subbing at the local grade school and busily sewing gifts, as well as keeping this outfit operating. On top of the other events, I get to start leading a study with a group of young men! Throw in a card party or two, a trip to Rapid City, more teaching and preaching next week, along with all of the renovation projects around here, and you have a glance at our boring lives. This thing called retirement sure is fun!

    So, if I miss a daily post here and there, I pray that you will understand. You see, that’s why I’m usually up at 3:30 or 4 to study and write. But you know what? We are both so very grateful for where and when we are getting to live our lives. It is absolutely amazing to see what God is doing with our old carcasses. Each day that He gives the energy and opportunities, we do our best to follow His lead.

    You see my friends, for all of us, we go, go, go and then we die. With all of the business of life today, it’s extremely important that we take time to sit quietly before the Lord; or lay quietly in bed with the covers pulled up tight. The Bible tells us that God speaks with a still, quiet voice. It seems that the only time God shouts loudly is when we fail to spend time with Him, so He has to get our attention with a difficulty of some kind.

    So today, please take a few minutes to visit with your Heavenly Father, just as if He were sitting in the chair next to you. Let Him know how precious your relationship with Him really is. Remind yourself of how amazing it is to call almighty God, “Father”! Talk with Him about everything that is heavy on your heart and then sit quietly and listen. After your “Amen,” watch the circumstances that come into your life over the rest of the day, that is most likely the things He wants you to do today. Remember, “trust and obey, for there is no other way.”

    When this thing called life is over, only that which is done for the good of others as service to the King, is of any real value. Be sure to invest your life, don’t just spend it. I have the feeling that after we are gone from this life, folks won’t remember much about what we had, but hopefully they will remember who we were.

    God our Father gives us one run at this thing called life, what we do with it is how we will be remembered. Just look at the life of Jesus Christ, 2,000+ years later we still remember Him for what He did for us! It seems to make sense that we should follow His example.

    Living each day to its fullest with you, Neal

  • Because it’s Important!

    January 20, 2026

    When I got up at 4 a.m. the outside temperature was 20 degrees, after an hour of study, I’m now writing this note at 5 a.m. with a temp of 15 degrees. It always gets colder before daylight!

    This morning’s study started in Ephesians 2:1-3, stop and give it a good read.

    We don’t have space to do a detailed study of all of the words mentioned within these three verses, so please allow me to summarize: Every person who has ever lived, or ever will live, has sinned against other humans and ultimately has sinned against GOD (Romans 3:23). Sinning is the result of living in the environment we live in, a world under the jurisdiction of Satan. As sinners we are spiritually dead and as such, we need a Savior, Verse 4 – “But GOD!”

    Because of God’s “mercy”, His not giving us the damnation we deserve, but instead showing us His “great love.” A love that sent His Son, Jeus Christ, to the cross as the sinless One who paid the price for our “trespasses and sins.” Now you can go to the Gospel of John, Chapter 3. To keep John 3:16 within its proper context, one must begin reading in verse 1. Here we find a man we shall call Nick, asking Jesus how he can get into heaven, to which Jesus responds in verse 3, “I assure you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    Why “born again”? Because the moment we sin, we die spiritually (now read Genesis 2:12). Because we have all sinned (Ephesians 2:1-3), we are all spiritually dead, thus the need to be re-reborn spiritually.

    Just as your physical birth has an exact date, so should your spiritual birth. You see my friends, I fear that we have mistaken knowing about God, as knowing God. Let me state that a different way: In today’s culture, a person can know a great deal about God and yet not have been “born again.” Information does not equal transformation. Look at Luke 7:21-23, knowing about Jesus, and even doing the works of Jesus. does not mean that a person knows Jesus, or even more importantly that Jesus knows that person.

    To be “born again” is to humbly, with a repentant attitude, request entrance into heaven through faith (not works; Eph. 2:8-9) in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the complete payment for an individual’s sin.

    When a person is “born again” they are declared righteous by God Himself! As such, said person now has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, much like the relationship between a child and its mother. It becomes a relationship of dependence, based upon love. Here, it is the love of God that overflows upon the spiritual babe, and now John 3:16 becomes way more than a poster at a football game.

    If I have caused you to grind your teeth with this writing, please note, I’ve attempted to be true to Scripture by keeping all Scripture within its original context. Remember, it always gets colder just before daylight. I’m praying that the Holy Spirit will light up our lives spiritually with His word!

    Conclusion, do you know Jesus through a personal relationship with Him (being born again) or do you just know about Him (information)? It’s kind of the difference between knowing about having a baby and actually having a baby. One is a dream based upon information, while the other is a reality based upon love.

    By the way, March 17, 1982, is when Miss Deb and I were both “born again.”

    Rejoicing in Christ with you, Neal