SIGNS OF A SPIRITUAL HOME What makes a spiritual home? What do you think? Try this True or False Quiz. A spiritual home is one in which … ? At least three pictures of Jesus hang on the wall. A pulpit is displayed in the living room. A large, black King James Bible lies open […]
Working For the Old Man with Audio Podcast
THE SPREAD’S OLD MAN I once worked on a big outfit called the Pleasant Valley Ranch. Every week a cowboy or two rolled up that long, dusty driveway in their beat up pickup to ask to see the old man about a job. Now, the old man was the owner of the spread and the […]
Growing the Perfect Family with Audio Podcast
EMOTIONAL MATURITY & THE PERFECT FAMILY What was it like to be part of King Ahab’s perfect family? (See 1 Kings 21:1-6). When Ahab returned to the palace after being turned down from making a nice little vegetable garden out of Naboth’s vineyard, he slammed those big, old palace doors, and marched across to yell […]
One Foot in the Stirrup with Audio Podcast
STIRRUP READINESS I was drinking coffee at the Drover’s Café when Leo McKinny moseyed in and asked about how I’m getting along with my building project. You see, I’ve been busy building a false front western village in the lots next to my house. The place is called Broken Arrow Crossing.* Well, Leo took an […]
Sand Flies, Midges, & No-See-Ums plus Audio Podcast
The No-See-Ums Plagues In most books about the Old West, you seldom read about the bugs. Oh, there are great stories about bears, snakes, and mountain lions. But what about when the cowboys, prospectors, mountain men, and pioneers had to face the dreaded enemies of mosquitos, fleas, lice, gnats, and no-see-ums? Each of these little […]
How to Build Family Intimacy
Keys to Family Intimacy According to surveys over the decades, materialism, inattentive parents, and a lack of spiritual foundations in the home rank as the biggest threats to family life. I maintain that each of those three threats can be dealt with by strengthening family intimacy. A need for intimacy is at the core of all […]
Nooning It & Other Nouns Into Verbs with Podcast
Disciples and Nooning It The old journal I was reading told tales along the Oregon Trail in 1852. It said, “About twelve miles past the lower cutoff on the south side of the Snake River, we found a little shade and nooned it a couple hours.” Nooned it? A noun into a verb? What did […]
Family Privacy by Stephen Bly with Audio Podcast
Purpose and Plans for Family Privacy God designed that we live in families. But that doesn’t mean we should never be alone. Times of planned family privacy can meet crucial needs. Those Who Most Need Privacy 1. Mothers with young children, especially pre-school kids. Jesus said in Mark 6:31, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely […]
Nighthawk Security Duty and Audio Podcast
The Lowly Nighthawk Security You know, some names just have a good ring to them. They sound impressive. Take the term nighthawk, for instance. Why, that sounds like a sleek, fast, ferocious sportscar or motorcycle or high tech surveillance equipment with infrared scope. But on the cattle drives in the Old West, the nighthawk security […]
All Kinds of Nesters with Audio Podcast
Nesters All Over the Place When ‘nester’ farmers first came into the wide open western range land, they were pretty much disliked. For the old-time cattlemen, they were an intrusion, not only on their business, but on the grandeur of the scenery. Instead of gazing across a wide plain of grass and sage, instead of […]
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