Believe Him

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

 Glory to God this Sunday evening, a beautiful day in the northland, almost too beautiful, was in the 80s again and will be for one more day according to those that supposedly know. In for the evening now, was out in a pasture a little bit ago and following Sunday tradition there were some cattle out. They only get out on Sunday’s, that’s a rule around this place. But they’re in now and so am I. Went to church this morning and that’s the last time till a couple weeks from now, will be on the road next weekend preaching. Figure when I come home from that I’ll have plenty of time to get the escaped Sunday cows in again. But the season is changing, the grass is getting to the point where the cows ain’t all that happy with it anymore. Everything changes, constantly changing but the verse up above is one of those verses I hang on to when all else seems to be getting out of control. Jesus ain’t changing with man’s times, no He ain’t and that’s something a person can stand firmly on.

 Used to be years ago when a fella was just a life long church goer that there was no such thing as a Jesus that is the same as He was in the Bible. Seems like He was a “was” and someday He’d be a forever and ever, but for now it was just the same old, same old. Once heard a feller on the radio, some Christian expert, that said God doesn’t do things like in the Bible days cause nowadays we don’t need Him to do those things and instead He gave us the Bible to guide us through life nowadays. But he was persistent saying that God did not preform miracles or do things like when Jesus was in the flesh or the first apostles walked the earth. In other words, this man was preaching total unbelief in the verse up above. Yes he sure was. No wonder Christianity has fallen into such a humdrum religion.

 But one flaw in this unbeliever’s thinking. If the Bible is to guide us, how can we get guided in unbelief. If the Bible says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, why ain’t He now if that’s the case? In other words we are to read the Bible and be guided by it, but not to believe it. Well, that’s exactly what it boils down to! The unbelief is staggering in Christian circles today and I am so thankful that Jesus is the same today, and that He moves by faith in Him. And He always moves by faith in Him. Not just when a bored God figures He wants to make a move. Oh folks, without belief in what the Bible says the only thing a person has is dead letter religion. One might be saved, having accepted Christ, but after that leads a life almost totally apart from Him because of unbelief.

 Well, folks will say, “if its God’s will He’ll move”. That’s true, but God’s will is spelled out clearly in the bible and we are to stand on His Word. God said He will provide. How many believe that? No where does it say that maybe God will provide if He feels like it at the time or we’ve been good enough. Nope. A fella got to trust in Him. Gotta trust the “fact” that He’s the same today, in everything. He doesn’t change, His will doesn’t change, His response to our faith doesn’t change, not one bit.

 I tell you, its a whole new way of life when a person believes God, believes His Word, because that’s when heaven can invade earth, through belief, trust, faith. Believing that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He’ll do. Don’t get caught in mans fallen wisdom that says those days are over with. These are just folks that don’t hardly believe and want others to come down to their level. Believe God, only believe, and watch Him move!

We Walk By Faith

Well, its a Saturday evening here on the home place and I’m plum tuckered out tonight. Didn’t do anything big or special to make me tuckered out, just allot of little things with the cattle today. Plus I’m on the verge of starting silage making which is intense when we start. Hoping to get that done in a week or so and behind us so I can get going on fall jobs that I enjoy. Not that I don’t enjoy making a couple thousand tons of silage, smells good and don’t itch, but its one of those things that I’d rather have behind me than in front of me. Just getting a few things ready for church tomorrow, got some speaking to do there, nothing much, nothing like last Sunday’s outdoor event where I was blown away by how good it went. Trouble is tomorrow I won’t be speaking with my cowboy hat, durn. Every day is a bad hair day for this cattleman.

 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

Now one of my favorite subjects is faith, could talk about it till the cows come home, and if they’re out in a lush alfalfa field as they were today, (against my wishes), they ain’t coming home on their own anytime soon. One thing I know in life is that when we have some faith in Jesus, its a whole new ball game. Years ago I was so hungry for this, but I will admit, in religion its not important. There its more important to follow man made rules and such. Oh how many decades did I hunger for God, but always had religion instead.

Years back, when I finally gave up on religion and this old world and came to the altar something happened. Something incredible. I found what I had always been looking for. I found God! Finally! And found out that God is the same now as He was back in them Bible days of old. Right off the bat, without even realizing it, I was using simple faith. I’d read it in the Bible, let er soak in, and believe it, and as folks that know me say, “Tom, you learn it, you believe it, and you apply it!” Well, I don’t want to be a braggart, but looking back its true enough. And I couldn’t imagine any other way once a person comes face to face with a merciful and loving God.

A fella just gotta walk the walk by believing Jesus. Simple as that, just believe. Oh how I love simple because over the years I’ve found out that simple is the most powerful faith. Simply believing Jesus. And that’s when heaven comes to earth and there are no exceptions.

Dead to the World

“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:3-4

Its late here Saturday evening, almost time for bed. Was a somewhat rough day working with the cattle in muddy conditions. But this evening I listened to a sermon on the internet, a subject not talked about all to often in Christian circles and that is the two sides of the coin about pride. Most know about what we’d call puffed up pride, but I ain’t talkin about that tonight. I’ll talk about the other side of the coin, called false humility, which is a form of pride because in all reality as a Christian we are disagreeing with how God sees us. When God looks at a blood bought believer He sees righteousness, He sees the righteousness of Christ because we are washed in the blood. When we call ourselves poor sinners we are throwing out God’s view of ourselves and replacing it with our view, which is pride.

We are dead to that old sinner man in God’s eyes. God does not see it, He sees the Blood. God never stops loving us or looking at us differently from the moment we became Blood bought believers when we were born again. He sees His child! He will never leave us or forsake us. Only we can walk away. And walking away is pride, whether its puffed up pride or if its self condemning pride.

I like old Paul, he gets to the point, he says we are dead, the old man is dead. We are new, new creations in Christ. We don’t have to worry what God thinks of us as long as we remain in Him, and we don’t have to worry what man and the world thinks of us either. That fear of man that cripples so many Christians. And its a hard one to overcome unless we put our faith in the finished work of the cross and what that means in God’s eyes concerning us. And once we get that revelation on who God says we are, bit by bit that fear disappears and we become more like Jesus!

One way to say it is, imagine if I was dead, in the coffin and some folks were talking against me, calling me every name in the book, saying all sorts of things about me that weren’t all that great. I truly wouldn’t give a hoot, why, because I’d be dead. Nothing on this world can affect a dead man, he’s dead. No power, no person, not anything could affect me in the grave, cause I’m deader than a door nail. Tonight it hit me, my old self is in the coffin, he’s dead. No man can hurt me, no talk can affect me, I’m dead to this world in the eyes of God. And I’m not letting pride get in the way and try and bring the old man out of the grave, he’s dead! And I’m alive in the eternal heavenly kingdom!

This is one of the most wonderful truths of the Gospel! To know who we are in Christ. All of a sudden things look different. The fear of man and the world is fading. I always looked forward to preaching the Word before but there was always a fear there. A fear of man. That’s diminishing, and there is only that reverent fear of God. Makes it much easier to get out and preach.

 

 

Road House

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

  Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.  But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

  When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13

I’m writing this on a Monday evening, its hotter than you know what outside and after a day out there I’m showered up and not going out in that heat again unless there’s an emergency. A good day though, all in all, and yesterday, Sunday, was a day I’ll remember for a long time. Had some church business to attend to in the afternoon which require a few of us from our little country church to travel to a near by city and spend a few hours there. And being the country boy, cowboy at heart type of person I am I had it planned in there to go eat while a fella was near by all those eating establishments. When you live out in the countryside, quite a ways from the city, a fella has to make any trip to town worth it and that’s what I do. But I’ve been itching to try out a place called Texas Road House that I’ve been hearing about allot lately from folks.

Sometimes I wonder how in the world a fella like me can even be considered for ministry and all. Just don’t fit with the regular mold. But when I walked through them doors yesterday into the Road House I was at home! Noisy, peanut shells all over the floor, crowded with a regular folks type of clientel. Now when I’m in a high class restraunt I’m about as uncomfortable as you can get. Here I was relaxed even with the loud country music and hustle and bustle. The waitress durn near had to shout to be heard, instead of some waiter trying to use a fake accent to impress phony people that he was a real high fauluting waiter, but mean while probably goes home and watches All Star Wrestling while drinking a 12 pack of cheap beer. I like real, not fake.

But again, here I am in ministry and I’m more at home in a Road House than some swanky place where the “real ministers” hang out. And the verses above just flowed through me while I was there and afterwords too. And that quiet voice saying, “I died for these folks too.” In my heart its settled, was settled a long time ago really, that the regular folks are my people. I don’t want to put on a fake face and preach fake to people who really don’t care anyhow. I want the underdogs of society. And really they ain’t the underdogs, but it just looks that way the way society is set up nowadays. It seems the underdogs are really he folks that a fella can trust. I know out here in the countryside that is the way it is. Folks give their word and that’s that for that. It ain’t dead, as much as society wants it dead.

I can tell you, at them high class places you won’t see no cowboy folks. But you get to the places where the religious folks look down on and they’re everywhere. Just like in the days of Jesus, and Jesus went into those places and enjoyed Himself. I ain’t saying it, the Bible says it! And who am I to argue with the Bible? Give me the cowboys, give me the ranchers and their families, give me the farmers and anyone else who loves the life out here. Regular folks! People that can understand a sermon about doctoring a calf, about getting hailed out for the year, about high and low cattle prices. Yep, regular folks. I’m looking forward to our next trip to the Road House one of these days!

 

Speak To Them Bones!

 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.  He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

   “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

  Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

  So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

  Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’  Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord.  Ezekiel 37:1-13

Dry bones, nothing but dry bones. It seems like that’s the way it is nowadays. Like a prophet of old a fella sometimes wonders if anyone even cares. If anyone cares about what Jesus did for us, or is it just filling time at church, or no time at all as folks get caught in the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life. Well I had a day off today of sorts, was raining. Did basic cattle chores and that was about it and this afternoon headed to the county seat to get a haircut so I’d look half way presentable next month at the cowboy church service that I’m preaching at near here during a summer event. Figure at least if they botch the job with the haircut it gives it a few weeks to repair itself. At the county seat, and this town only has 7000 folks living there, it was all hustle and bustle and everyone was in a rush. A guy like me notices that because even though I have to rush many times around here with the work, especially in hay making season, I do realize its at a much different level. Its just man against work and most of the time man wins. But there’s none of the hustle and bustle of normal society out on this outfit. A man’s word is still his word, work isn’t a bad word, and God is God and we ain’t.

Seems like everyone got a cell phone growing out of the side of their head so they can’t even relax on the drive home from a hectic day at some job, its all the time hurry, hurry and hurry. Now, I have a cell phone but its about the least used thing I have, but it is handy when there’s a breakdown a couple miles out when I’m in the field. Folks like to stretch the truth allot nowadays too, especially to get what they figure they deserve, which is another thing implanted in folks the last couple of decades or so. Folks look at the government as something that is supposed to support them and get all high and mighty when its suggested that folks can make their own way, again, by a thing called honest labor.

Honesty, integrity, a fella’s word meaning something are all going by the wayside at a rapid pace. Now its just me, me, what can you do for me. Even religion has turned that way and is making the Lord a heavenly vending machine that has no choice but to bless you of all your earthly desires if you so called “speak it and believe it”. The folks that do go to church don’t need much of an excuse to miss to do something “fun”. And so many have turned their backs entirely away from God and are totally immersed in the world system. It doesn’t look all that good anymore from a man’s point of view, no sir it doesn’t.

But God’s ways ain’t our ways and God doesn’t want to lose a single person, the Bible says so. And I figure if it looks impossible, it looks like there’s no hope, like its all going down the tubes all I have to do is read my cattleman’s handbook, (the Bible), and I’m told differently. God can take the impossible and make it possible! That’s what keeps this old cattleman going, knowing that God will tax the furtherest star to bring in more folks into His corral.

Like I said, God’s ways ain’t our ways and that Handbook is very clear He loves us! He ain’t sittin up there waiting to hurl a lightening bolt at us for every goof up we make. I read some where, forget where, that nothing, and I mean nothing pleases God more than when we look to Him with some trust. You look at them oldtimers in the Bible and almost every one of them was a screw up of sorts, always screwing up, failing in so many ways, but God backed em up every time when they cried out to Him. There’s a lesson there I tell you! But back to the dry bones, I get so excited just talkin about Jesus I just keep on yammering. (Nothin wrong with that.)

Can God take an area like where I live and bring it back to life? Yes sir, He can! Of course He does want some solid folks to get out there and do some of the work. Solid, but I didn’t say perfect, cause like I said, them heros in the Bible were sure normal people. Just normal folks that did what they thought was impossible and changed the world. But they were folks that feared the Lord more than man and when you get right down to it, man is nothing compared to God. God can and will use anyone that accepts His call on their life. Use them big, having them do things that would seem totally impossible a short while before. He can bring them old dry bones and bring em right back to life, real life! And He’ll do it in ways that sometimes don’t make sense to regular folks. He’ll even use cowboy preachers, yes He will!

There’s gonna be some bones rattling in this region! The Word gets right into the very marrow! I’m excited to be riding for the brand finally! Excited about preaching the Word like the old circuit riders, like cowboy preachers, to the regular folks and not in a church. Over a year ago I had a vision and I don’t get visions all to often, believe me, and it was about these verses up above and I seen the dry bones in this area waking up, coming to life. But I didn’t know what to do. I knew there was the call but didn’t have the slightest idea where to start. I argued with God a bit, kinda like ol’ Moses when God called him from the burning bush, I was saying I can’t do it but God said don’t worry about the impossible details. He’d take care of em. And over the last several months what was once totally impossible has become possible, nothing of my doing. The right connections, details taken care of that I had not the slightest idea on how to take care of. All is getting set, and my only job is to speak the Word of God in the Valley of Dry Bones!

Rained Out Tonight

This has been a hay makin week up here on the Northern Plains and I finally got shut down early this evening by a welcome rain. Durn near got everything I had down rolled up, so I can’t complain. I’ll start again in a day or two. 

Well, the outfit I wrote about earlier has a web site now, click here, Save the Cowboy. Its in the makins yet and just gets better as time goes on. If your interested in any of these types of ministries give them a holler, or just holler here and I’ll pass it on fer ya.

• Sale Barn Ministries
• Circuit Ridin’ Preachers
• Cowboy Churches
• Rodeo Ministries (Bullfighter, rough-stock riders, ropers, barrel racers, and rodeo announcers)
• Ranch Day-workers
• Chuckwagon Ministries
• Ranch Rodeo Teams
• Mounted Shooting
• Old West re-enactments
• Photographers
• Leather workers and Saddle makers
• Trail Rides
• Dutch Oven Cooking
• Musicians and Authors
• Radio Personalities
• Horse Trainers and Clinicians
• Dog Trainers
• Ranchers
• Farmers
• Breeders
• Whew!!!…..Let’s add your ministry to this list.

From time to time I’ll be posting reminders of this great ministry.

High Horned Red Cow’s Calf

Sometimes its hard to describe being a cowman to “normal” folks. I ran across this video and it sure does describe a common experience. Things so simple but so touching to a fella. Its things like this that probably shows why I love this way of life more than any other I could imagine. Young calves sure do get some personalities, they’re so curious and want to have fun sometimes. Of course a pretty young calf like the one described in the video more than likely just got confused.

It just came to me, how we can be like that young calf described in the video. We pretty much know what is safe and secure, but every once in a while we end up following the wrong thing. And probably don’t even realize it at the time. Just like in the video the cow was warning the calf, the calf heard it but still couldn’t quite put two and two together. The calf knew after a bit things didn’t smell quite right, but at least he was following something that he thought was mama. But when it finally hit him he turned tail and headed back to that familiar bellering that he knew was mama for sure.

I know its not an earth shattering story, but living here, running cows, a fella like me understands this so well after seeing it so many times. Calves like to follow a fella right after you chase em down and ear tag em too. We try to eartag when they are under a day old so they’re easier to catch, after that they gain allot of speed and smarts to. Those calves after being chased down for a bit, caught and ear tagged, all of a sudden follow the fella ear tagging for some unknown to man reason. Its OK except when the cow has murder in here eyes for the man doing the ear tagging and she really gets mad as the calf is staying right up with the man. Now a feller kinda wants the calf to shoo away especially with a hot headed 1200 pound mama in hot pursuit but sometimes those calves have really attached themselves to who ever did a job on their ear. But that old mama cow ain’t giving up all that easy.

And I can see that God doesn’t give up all that easy either! No matter what we have attached ourselves to in this world God isn’t giving us up all that easy. If we only could see how He comes after us, full charge, coming to save His own I do believe we would be amazed to say the least.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Save the Cowboy

The sun popped out this evening, the first time in over a week. In fact I can’t rightly remember the last time we had a sunny day. The Northern Plains are wet, very wet. We don’t have the flooding some have but its still wet. Have the whole hay crop looking me in the face, and I’ve never seen so much hay in my life. It just keeps growing and growing. That’ll keep this cattleman out of circulation from people for a bit once I start. But there ain’t nothing better than more hay than a fella needs when winter comes knocking at the gate here in the north country. Got the twine all bought, the haybine and baler ready, now just to dry up a bit and then hit er.

Don’t worry about squat, but just be thankful and ask God for all you need. Philippians 4:6 Simplified Cowboy Version (SCV)

Now for folks that don’t know it yet this verse is coming from the Simplified Cowboy Version. From my friend Kevin Weatherby out of Kiowa, Colorado. He heads up Campfire Cowboy Ministries and Save the Cowboy. Probably some of my favorite reading on the web, my kinda stuff. Kevin has the heart to reach the cowboy and give him the news about Jesus. Same as me. That’s probably why I get hooked on his writings. By the way, he writes allot better than this cattleman does. We both have a heart after God and want to share it with any and all who will listen.

So now with the sun being out for the last hour after a long, long time without it, I’m gearing up to do what I do. Work out there in the great outdoors and I must say I love making hay. It seems once a person is started, day after day and really week after week I just get all calm inside. Take my cowboy pocket Bible with in order to take a quick read here and there through out the day. And it seems when a fella is going full snort I don’t worry about squat, just like the verse says above. It seems like hour after hour out there in the sunshine I just let God have everything and I’m as calm as any feller can be. Yep, I’m looking forward to it! And I ain’t all that afraid to ask God for what I need nowadays either. Once was, that’s for sure but the Bible says to ask. So I do! Simple, and I ain’t dwelling on it.

 

 

 

 

The Last of May

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Col 3:2-4

The last day of May and it feels like early April around these parts. Cool, windy, very windy, hard to work outside in that. But the day is over now with the promise of a better one tomorrow. The last of the cow/calf pairs should go out to pasture tomorrow, finally that job will get done after the longest mud season that I have ever seen here. That’ll set me free somewhat, very little feeding to do all of a sudden! Had a great Memorial Day yesterday. Went to a small town parade, then the Memorial service at the town’s cemetery and then had a barbecue which settles in with me just fine. Drank a pot of coffee by myself, or durn near anyhow and shot the bull for a few hours. My kinda day off after a rough spring.

Ministry things are really picking up. I’m excited to say the least, but there’s allot of work involved with all of that too. Finding a band or two is on the agenda, and that’s looking very promising. The word is out and sometimes that’s all it takes, (plus some prayer added in there, can’t forget that).

Out here, working with beef cattle seven days a week has got to be one of the best jobs for having allot of time to just talk with God. A fella can literally go days without being bothered by anyone. Ain’t no cussing or swearing when a person is alone working. Just the sounds of nature that God put out here. Those are my favorite days, days when there’s no sound of machinery running, just the sounds of the breeze and the birds out in the pastures. Gives a fella allot of time to think. I ain’t getting any younger which was proven these last few days sorting pairs out in extreme mud conditions wearing knee high rubber boots that were never designed for human comfort. There’s some hurting going on where I don’t want things to be hurting after this past winter’s surgery, but it should be minor and go away in a day or two.

But I like to think about the things of heaven while working here on this earth. Every day is a gift and a fella just gotta use it wisely. There ain’t nothing more important than eternity, and we will all know that for sure someday, and even while owning and running this cow outfit the eternal things are the things that keep me going. There is of course that most important thing, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and keeping Him there as Lord. And there is spreading the love of Christ once a fella is a born again, new creation in Christ. There’s being true to your word cause it don’t make much sense supposedly believing in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and then being a liar and acting like the world.

I cannot imagine living out here, doing what I’m doing, without Jesus as the number one thing in life. Just can’t imagine it anymore. There’s some good promises in the Bible I tell you! And when you get right down to the simple Gospel, unlike what many say, its not a hard thing. The hard thing is when we start to take charge instead of just following the Gospel. When we have to do things to work our way into God’s favor, which by the way is totally impossible and every single human being on this earth will fail at it. Nope, only believe, believe in Him that took our punishment, surrender to Him, quit fighting Him, and all of a sudden a person is set free.

Now I See

The man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25b

Years ago I was my own man. Figured I knew allot. But lookin back I was heading at a roar for certain destruction and death.  I was blind, blind as any feller can be. Used to cuss out preachers, oh I was a wonder! Figured how could them slick handed fellas that never do any honest work tell me how to live. Oh but I was blind. Of course that doesn’t change the fact that some of them preachers are really lacking in the working department but I can overlook that some what better nowadays.

I know allot of folks these days in Christian circles like to tout it up that when a person becomes a Christian that your problems melt away. Some say your supposed to speak your problems away and I don’t buy that for a minute. Cause the Bible does say that troubles will come and I can attest that they sure do! Back a few years ago when I got saved it was the start to one of the hardest times in my life. Things were going OK, cattle were bringing a good price, had some money in the bank and the bills were all paid. But believe me, it didn’t get better after I got saved because the following months were the start of a three year deep drought. And with the amount of cattle we had here that spelt trouble. The drought was region wide so the chances of even buying hay at a reasonable price was impossible. Through those long three years I watched feed crops wither up and die, I watched the pastures become a barren dirt lot, just someplace to haul feed out to in order to keep the cattle from starving. It was rough. Folks used to tell me when I would mention about the drought, “don’t speak those words, it’ll get worse if you do.” Well, I wasn’t born yesterday and I know a person that has gone over the edge of religion when I see em. I’d look em right in the eye and say, “everything is dying, the crops are shot, there is no hay to speak of, the corn burned back down to a small withered plant.”

But the one thing I held in faith was that God would see us through, and He sure did that. It was rough, no denying that, but God came through time after time when everything looked like it was going down the tubes. Now years later I dwell on all of that. How God seen us through. I am so thankful that it wasn’t me that had to get us through it, God did the impossible so many times. Things that I could have never arranged.

Yep, I was once blind but now I see! Jesus loves a fella and won’t let simple faith down. Jesus understands folks like me that make a living this way. Jesus was a country preacher, it was in the big city where trouble came.