Four long years since I have posted on this site.  A lot has happened and a lot of it I have forgotten about. 

We have been busy working on the ranch, running the post office and getting involved in our church.  We have had good times and we have had tough times.

In July of 2021, we had to let Jake, our Corgi go.  He was very much loved and we miss him a lot. One night he came to us almost begging us to let him go.  It was best for him.

We were not going to get another dog, but in January of 2022 Beau came into our lives.  He was a little grumpy at first.  He would growl if we walked by him.  Now he is becoming more like Jake--Sometimes he is called Jake-and loves being with us.  He is a high energy dog. 

 Due to the many coyotes in the area and raising sheep, we also have two amazing guard dogs. Zorro came to us first.  He watches the sheep dutifully.  Then we got Bear.  Bear doesn't leave the sheep at all.  He is always between us and the sheep, but he likes to be petted before he eats his food.

   

 When Bear arrived, Beau was the bigger of the two.  Now Bear and Zorro are pretty much full grown.  All three are amazing dogs  and they all get along.  I actually believe that Zorro and Bear watch out for Beau who thinks that he too is a guard dog.

More on these amazing dogs all under 18 months and the winter of 2022 in future blogs.

Big Red

 

Last week we said Good-bye to one of the most amazing steers that we have had on the ranch.  He lived to be about 19 years-old.

Work Begins

We have begun the work of building the new barn--the one that the straight winds from the tornado destroyed this past summer.

Tornado Hits Montana

Life has been very busy since the tornadoes went through S.E. Montana the end of June.  We went up to the mailbox and watched it start to form.  By the time we were back to the house the winds were blowing branches all over the yard.

We were thankful that we only received the straight winds and were not in the path of the tornado. Those in the path of the tornado lost a house and a tractor was dismantled and was found miles away.  We are thankful that we had some great help to clean up our mess.

I will attach some photos from that day.

 



Then came the cleanup:

 

 

Mom

    

                       Mom

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and

you will be saved, you and your household.”

—Acts 16:31

Let me tell you a little bit about my mom. When I was a little child, my mom was very quiet and shy. Then the time came that we could afford the wonderful invention of the telephone, and she started to talk to friends. By the time I was in high school, she was talking to people every day. She went from being a shy person who was afraid to stand up for herself and her family to a person who would not waver in her convictions.

 

While living in Terraville, South Dakota, she started a weekly Children’s Bible Hour for the children in the community. She also directed two Christian plays in the Terraville School gymnasium. While living in Nevada Gulch, she enjoyed her animals and raised goats for milk and meat. She was often heard talking to her milk customers about the Lord.
 

Mom took a firm stand for what she believed was right and wrong. Those unwavering convictions made me wonder if she was placing her salvation in her own good works. I knew that Mom loved the Lord, but I had heard so many messages about the correct way to accept Christ that I wondered about Mom’s salvation. One time I heard a preacher say that if a person couldn’t remember the date and time that they accepted Christ, that person wasn’t a born-again Christian.
 

In 2000, Mom developed macular degeneration. I was impressed with the patience she had with her inability to see. Many times, when I would walk into their house, Dad would be sitting next to her reading the Bible to her.
 

My siblings and I moved them to Littlefork, Minnesota, to live with my brother and his wife in February 2005. Dad passed away a month later, and Mom was alone. As she said, “Dad never talked much, but at least I knew that he was in the room with me.” She started a new chapter in her life that day and was able to spend many happy hours with her grandchildren.
 

Mom had a heart attack in June 2006. We almost lost her in the hospital, but the Lord knew that I needed her around for a few more weeks. Mom never wanted to be in a nursing home, but we had to place her in one. When my brother and his wife went on vacation at the end of July, I was asked to go up and stay near Mom. I spent twelve days in the nursing home with her.
 

Remembering how I had wondered if she was placing her salvation in her own good works, during one of our conversations, I asked her when she accepted Christ as her Savior. I needed to know that she was trusting in Christ and not in her own steadfastness to her convictions. Her reply was, “I don’t know.” Due to the message that I had heard, fear rushed through me. I replied, “What do you mean that you don’t know?”

Here is the story that she conveyed to me when I asked her that question.

 

When she was young, she had heard a message that touched her heart. When the pastor gave an invitation to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, she raised her hand. She was crying, and apparently the pastor didn’t notice her. She said she made the decision to follow the Lord that day. The decision didn’t last only during her childhood. She wanted to continue to follow the Lord into adulthood. When she and Dad got married, she said to Dad, “Let’s not do anything that will hurt our wonderful Lord.” After she finished sharing these things with me, Mom and I continued to talk about salvation and the Lord. Mom was longing to go to her heavenly home to see Jesus and Dad.

I learned that it isn’t the words you say or remembering the date and time of one’s salvation that makes the difference in one’s life. What makes the difference is deciding to follow Christ. I believe Mom made that decision when she was a young lady. When she and Dad got married and started having children, she prayed diligently for each of us to choose to follow Christ as well. As I look at my siblings and their families, I am truly blessed that God answered my mom’s prayers as each family loves the Lord and has taught their children to love Him as well.

On July 24, Mom once again asked why she couldn’t go to her heavenly home. I didn’t have the answer but asked her if she wanted me to pray that God would take her home on Dad’s birthday, which was the next day. We thought that would be a great birthday present. On July 25, Mom’s heart started to beat irregularly. When the doctor checked her heart, he told me to make her as happy as possible as there wasn’t anything else that he could do to help her.

On August 11 at about 2:00 a.m., Mom put a beautiful smile on her face and went to meet Jesus. She was finally happy again. I knew that she was in heaven because of her choice to follow Jesus, not because she had placed her salvation in her own good works or because she had said some special set of words that convinced a pastor that she was following Christ.
 

When I left Mom for the last time, she told me not to cry for her because she would be in heaven. I am human and there are still many tears, but I rejoice that Mom is with her Heavenly Father. As the Bible says, “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I’”      (John 14:28).

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

—Abraham Lincoln  

 

 

Taken from Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch

 

Thank You Christian Faith Publishing

Headline



Drusilla Dye’s newly released "Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch" is a heartwarming devotional to the God-given lessons found in everyday ranch life.
Summary of the release

"Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch" from Christian Faith Publishing author Drusilla Dye is a captivating collection of forty-five devotionals that illustrate the lessons and insights the author received from God during her exciting years of adventure living on a ranch in eastern Montana.


Full release text

"Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch": a moving devotional inspired by life in rural Montana. "Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch" is the creation of published author Drusilla Dye, a Christian teacher and author of the "Life on the Ranch" devotional series who was born in Clear Lake, South Dakota, moved to the Black Hills where she enjoyed a simple childhood before moving to Minnesota for sixteen years where she attended college and taught school.


Dye shares the ever-present reminder of eternity that the ranch presents, "I find it easy to talk about the good times on the ranch or the places I have been in my travels. I talk about the great friends that I have; but I find myself hesitating to share what my best friend, Jesus, has done for me. I hesitate to talk about the place called heaven where I will spend all eternity. Heaven, or the ‘New Heaven and New Earth,’ as the Bible refers to it, will be an amazing place. We will meet Adam and Eve, Abraham, and many others. We will meet Jesus face to face. Since I gave my life to Jesus, I knew that I would be going to heaven. I just didn’t share heaven and Jesus with a lot of people. I was pretty selfish about that part of my life.

Just like Dan invites all his friends and relatives out to the ranch for the big annual branding and docking reunion, so should we invite all our friends and relatives to join us at the big reunion in the clouds when Jesus comes back to take us home for all eternity."

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Drusilla Dye’s new book is a beautiful homage not just to the wonderful gift of creation given to the care of mankind, but to the Creator himself.

Started in 2000 as a simple newsletter series encouraging family and friends, Dye’s book expands her reach to touch everyone—whether they live on the countryside or in the city.

View a synopsis of "Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch" on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase "Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch" at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about "Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch", contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.

Website for Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch

http://www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=life-on-the-ranch

Website for Life on the Ranch

http://www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=life-on-the-ranch

Second Edition of Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzqp2-Ztxt4

Thank You to the Medical Staff

Today my thoughts are turned to a post that I made earlier in 2011.  Below are clips from that post.

"A lot of thoughts have gone through my mind this week due to the three police officers in Rapid City being shot;  one officer died, one is in critical condition and one is stable.  The suspect died as well. 

They live and work in the small city of Rapid City where people are honest and trustworthy.  They looked at this event as a routine traffic stop, never thinking that it would turn into a shoot out that killed one officer.

My thoughts then turned to the men being taken to the hospital.  I remember the day that Dad died; one nurse told me that another nurse had prayed with Dad that morning.  I thought that was very special.  I pray that each hospitalized patient is honored in the same way.

I thought about how the medical staff from the EMTs to the doctors have to stay calm and take care of each patient and in this case the three police officers and the man that shot them.  I would find it hard to be impartial with their medical needs, yet the medical staff has to do what is best for each patient.

  

This past week I had a hysterectomy and before that took place, we found out that our insurance would not cover anything with the word cancer in it.

Regardless of that, I had the best medical staff taking care of me.  I was once again impressed with their ability to stay calm, kind and professional all at once.  I was once again reminded of the special gift the nurses, CNAs and doctors have. 

(I would also include anyone that I missed including those who clean and do food prep.

So I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You for the job that you do.  

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

2016



Testimony of Robert Dye

Bobby Dye was my father. He never wrote his testimony to leave it behind for others to read. So this is my version as to what he would have to say.

Dad was born April 20, 1925 to Leonard and Anna Dye at the ranch. There was an old dugout dug into a bank on the hillside in the 1800’s. An addition or two to the front of the dugout had been added. He was born in that dugout. (His three older siblings were also born there.) He put in a new modular home about fifty feet away in 1972. If you look over where the dugout used to be the ground is a little lower there. Someone once asked him where he was born and he said “Right there in that low spot. I haven’t gotten very far in life have I?”  In his younger days he herded sheep for Willie Walker, helped trail cattle and horses to Belle Fourche in the fall of the year, and helped around the neighborhood doing odd jobs. Toward the end of WWII he was drafted into the Army. After he got out, he came back to the ranch where he married my mother on June 3, 1949. I had 3 older siblings (Dave, Anne, and Juanita Jo) and two younger ones (Ward and Jim).

We never really went to church while growing up at the ranch. Dad did not push it at all. He did not seem to have a spiritual interest. He had grown up with devout Baptist parents, but his mother had a very critical tongue. I think that she pushed Christianity too hard at him. My personal view is that she drove him away from the Lord, as both her two daughters were active in their churches.  He became the black sheep of the family or the prodigal son.

 I got saved in July of 1985. I started to attend church quite regularly along with my mother. One day along the highway, Dad and I were talking to Rodney Walker and they were giving me a bad time about going to church. Dad said something smart to me and I asked him if he died today would he go to Heaven or Hell. He never said anything, but I could tell by his reaction that I had given him something to think about.  Later in the fall (probably November) during hunting season, Dad had a friend named Paul Simpson and one of Paul’s friends here hunting. We spent a day hunting with them and Dad told Paul about me being a church regular and how I was going 2-3 times a week. So much that I had even quit drinking.  The next day Paul and his buddy took off and went up into the buttes to go hunting and Dad and I went down to Gene Walker’s to work cows. When we came home that night, we learned that Paul and his friend had got stuck and had spent hours trying to get unstuck. Paul was emotionally upset. He felt that he couldn’t have walked back out of there as the weather wasn’t very nice.  He was scared stiff. He actually got down on his knees and prayed that the Lord would help them get out. He felt that the hand of God was moving in his life that day to bring him to his knees and to seek Him. Some of what my dad had told him the day before about me had him thinking about God.

The next day was Sunday and Paul wanted to go to church with us. He was up at daylight and crowding everyone to hurry up and get ready to go. We went to Hope Baptist Church and at the end of the church service Pastor Bob Anderson gave an alter call as we were singing the song “Just as I Am.”  Paul was standing next to me with tears streaming down his cheeks. He was under some pretty good conviction.  I reached over and put my hand on his back and gave him a little push to step forward and receive Christ as his personal Savior. My father also stepped forward to answer the alter call. (We were sitting in the front row.) They both got saved that day.   

Dad lived for about a year to the day, and died in a car accident on November 1, 1986. During that year, he read his Bible every day and practiced his guitar in preparation of giving his testimony in front of the church.  That did not happen as “Jesus Beckoned him Home.”

 

When Jesus Beckons Me Home

 

   What will my answer be what can I say

     When Jesus beckons me home

       What can I do that will ever repay

      The wonderful love He has shown

 

Day follows night night follows day
Farther and farther I roam
What will my answer be what can I say
When Jesus beckons me home

Sometimes the clouds seem to cover his face
Sometimes the skies are so gray
Still by the stars and his wonderful grace
He'll roll the storm clouds away

Day follows night night follows day
Farther and farther I roam
What will my answer be what can I say
When Jesus beckons me home

I know that Jesus will never forsake
His love will find a way
He'll bridge the stream if his hand I will take
When he calls what can I say

Day follows night night follows day
Farther and farther I roam
What will my answer be what can I say
When Jesus beckons me home

 

 

 

The Dye Ranch Celebrates 100 Years 1916-2016

On July 2nd and 3rd we celebrated 100 years on the Dye Ranch.  I thought that I would share some or our information with you. 

President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862.  The Homestead Act was a United States Federal law that gave freehold title to 160 acres of undeveloped land in the American West.  The person to whom title was granted had to be at least 21 years of age, had to build a house at least 12 X 14 feet and had to live in it for 5 years.

Sarah Ann Ward “Anna” came from Illinois to Montana with her friend Mary Genre Owen to homestead near Ridgeway.  They built houses side by side but each on their own property.  

 

Leonard “Leon” Dye left Gann Valley, South Dakota to homestead near Ludlow, SD.  He broke horses for Andrew and Carl Giannonatti, two brothers that lived nearby, and who had leased land near the Finger Buttes in Montana.  Because of this, Leon became acquainted with Montana.   He later turned his homestead over to them, moved his homestead rights to the Finger Buttes and took over their lease in Montana.  He then leased 90 head of mares from the brothers and set up his operation.  On August 7, 1916 he purchased an adjoining ranch from Jim Lamb.  At one time he figured that he had between 500-700 head of horses.

There were many social events at the country schools in those early years and Anna and Leon met.  With their ranches about 10 miles apart they soon became friends and married on May 1, 1918.  They had four children, Floy, J.O., Virginia and Robert.  When Robert was about to be born, Leon sent for the midwife who didn’t make it in time so Leon delivered the baby.   

Leon and Anna spent 30 years on the ranch.  When Robert “Bobby” returned from the service he leased the ranch from his parents.  He met Shirley Bolton whose grandfather homesteaded north of Alzada in 1906 and brought his daughter.  Winnifred married and had two children Gene and Shirley.   Bobby and Shirley were married on June 3, 1949 and later bought the ranch.  They raised six children.   David, Anne, Juanita, Robert Jr. “Chip”, Ward and James. 

In March of 1986 Chip bought the ranch from his parents.  They continued to work the ranch as a family until November 1, 1986 when Bobby died in a car accident.   Chip’s mother continued to live on the ranch with Chip until 1993 when she remarried.

A Bend in the Road

The Bend in the Road

Author: Helen Steiner Rice

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And we view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And he knows that it's only a bend-                                       
The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-
You've just come to a bend in the road.

Years ago, I was a reader and then I went to college where I was forced to read in order to get a passing grade.  I used that as my excuse not to read anymore.  This past year, I have put "Read" on my "to do" list.  I am currently reading A Bend in the Road by Dr. David Jeremiah.  I started to read the book hoping that it would help me be an encouragement to friends who are dealing with cancer.  Dr. Jeremiah's "bend in the road" was cancer.

While living in Minnesota, I experienced many bends in my road.  I learned to ask the Lord, "What am I to learn from this?"  I knew that eventually everything would work out and my life would be better for the event.  I knew that it was a growing time for me.  Ashamedly, I have to admit, that I lost that understanding or let's call it faith.  Maybe getting married and having the ranch that I always dreamed of owning put me in a self-reliant mode. I was living my dream.  Then came a bend in the road and life was not as pleasant as it used to be.  Once again, I knew that the Lord was working in my life, but I was not able to say, "Lord, what do you want me to learn from this?"

Dr. Jeremiah's book has shown me so many truths from the scripture.  Truths that were taught to him as he went through his bend in the road.

Last night, I was not able to sleep.  I finally gave up, came out to the living room and turned on the television.  Walker Texas Ranger came on.  For some reason, I like to watch the fancy moves when he fights and the fact that he can take on several guys at one time and win.  So I watched the last 45 minutes of the show.

The episode was about a wealthy young man who believed his dad's attorney's could get him out of any situation.  The wealthy father took his son's side no matter what he did.  The young man was dealing drugs and was about to make a huge sale when Walker and his rangers arrived to break it up.  This was happening in the dad's huge office building.  Walker and associates did their fancy fighting and the son threatened him with the usual "I'll get off" attitude.  Here is the part that hit me hard last night.  The dad was behind some bookcases, walked out and confronted his son.

Son:  "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Dad:  "Walker told me he would give up being a Texas ranger if we didn't find you in this building today. Looks like he gets to keep his job.  Even my attorneys can't get you out of this one."

The dad then turns around and walks off.  He turned his back on his son and left.

The son pleaded, "Dad, Don't turn your back on me!"

I was reminded of Jesus on the cross (pg. 89 in the book) and how he quoted Psalm 22.  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

"The Lord Jesus Christ not only felt forsaken, He was forsaken.  The Father turned His back on Jesus because He was a holy and just God who could not look upon the sin that Jesus carried to the cross--your sin and mine."

" 'My god, My God,' He cried out, 'Why have you forsaken Me?' He was forsaken indeed--but we are never forsaken. Here is the truth you must fully comprehend and stake your life upon if you remember no other words from this chapter:  He turned His back upon His Son so that He would never have to turn His back on you."

Hebrews 13:5: "For he himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Quotes taken from A Bend in the Road, but Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

1.    

Celebrate A Season of Life Renewed

I know!  It has been 15 months since I have posted anything.  Let me just say that we have had a very unusual and busy year.

This post is to let you know that I have written a "The Way We Live" for Farm and Ranch Living called "Celebrate A Season of Life Renewed".  It will be posted in the March/April 2016 issue.  I am sure that Farm and Ranch Living would appreciate anyone buying a copy.

My promise is to do better in the future posting to my blog.

Memorials

This is strictly my opinion, but one that has been in my thoughts for at least 10 years.

What is a memorial? I Googled that question and received this response:  "Something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event."

We can drive to Washington D.C. and find the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the National WWII Memorial and the list goes on.  All these memorials remind us of people or events that have been important to our American history.

When I met my husband, Chip, he took me up to Trail's End Ranch near Ekalaka, MT and showed me his dad's memorial---the horse barn.  With the showing came many memories of how Bob Anderson from Trail's End Ranch had led so many of his family members to Christ--Bobby Dye being one of them.  It was only befitting for the Dye memorials to go to Trail's End Ranch.

When my dad passed away, we were excited when we reached a $1000 + in memorials.  Somehow, that showed to me that my dad was loved and that people loved us.  Dad's memorial went to Rainbow Bible Ranch for a new speaker system.  Even though I have not seen the speaker system, I know that my dad is remembered especially during camping season.



Leonard Dye's Memorial
The church he helped to build.

I could go on with Mom's memorial, Chip's mom's memorial and his brother David's memorial.  These are all special to us and each dollar that came in showed us how much people cared.

This past year one of my favorite pastors passed away.  I sent a memorial in his honor as I wanted his family to know how  much I appreciated him.

This past week a very dear friend and a WWII vet passed away.  His memorial will be in Tennessee and even though I will probably never see it, it is important to his family and to his friends.  The play ground set will give ample opportunity to reflect on this Godly man and for future generations to be ministered to.

I have been told that life is for the living, not for the dead.  That is true and memorials are given in honor of those who have passed on so that we the living can help others.

What is a memorial gift?  It is a sign of love, respect and honor for the individual who has passed and to the family members who are grieving.

What is a memorial?  "Something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event."

Every penny counts when we are building a memorial for our loved ones.

Broken Cisterns

Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate,” says the Lord.  “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

A cistern is a deep hole dug in the ground which is used to store water. They are used when drinkable underground water cannot be found at a reasonable depth.   Before steel or plastic were invented, most cisterns were made of cement to prevent water loss from seepage.  One source of water for a cistern is rain. In periods of draught it is sometimes necessary to haul water to fill the cistern. 

Our cistern was built right next to the old ranch house in 1944.  After 70 years, the cement has cracked and been patched several times.  As the cistern stands now, there is a crack above ground level that allows water, when it reaches that height, to seep out unto the ground.  The seepage results in the cistern never being completely filled.

In the beginning we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26a).  Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden.  God met all of their needs, but then Satan came along and deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. Adam knew that it was wrong, but he also ate of the fruit.  That is when sin entered into the world.  Sin caused us to forsake God and we began to build our own cisterns—broken cisterns.    These are full of things that we think will make us happy.  Things like riches, more ranch land, beautiful clothes, prestige or great food.  Anything can become a broken cistern for us.

Just as the cistern on the ranch is never completely full, the broken cisterns we create in our lives leave us incomplete-not completely full or fulfilled.  There is an emptiness or incompleteness that can never be filled by us.  However, there is One who can fill our cistern and quench the thirst caused by the broken cistern.

 God created us to be thirsty or to desire a relationship with Him and a need for Him.  He told His disciples, “Without me you can do nothing.”  But we have two sins that keep us from that desired relationship.  Our first sin is that we have “forsaken Him” or have turned away from God the only real source of life.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Our second sin is that we seek satisfaction apart from God.  We look for happiness and peace in all the wrong places.  We think that material things will make us happy, when only God can fill our emptiness.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Knowing that God created us to thirst for righteousness, let us go to the Fountain of Living Water and drink deeply of all that He has for us. 

 Psalm 107:9 “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.

 .

“If you feel the need for God in your life, that’s exactly how you are supposed to feel.  You were never intended to do life on your own (without Him).”   Dr. David Jeremiah

 

 

.

God's Best

I have not shared the following poem since June of 2011.  "God's Best" has become my all time favorite poem.  Maybe that is because it was given to me during a difficult time in my life.  I was in my late twenties when I "finally" met a guy that I was truly interested in developing a relationship.  I had tons of guy friends, but not anyone I was serious about in a romantic way.  Then this guy broke up with me on the Monday following Memorial Day.  Even though I had prayed that if he wasn't the one God wanted for me, he would be the one to break it off,  I was devastated.  A friend of mine, gave me this poem.  I read it several times.  The second verse didn't make sense to me at all.  I thought about it for a full month before I realized what it meant.  Although this guy would have made a good husband, he was  "the better" not God's Best for me.  We really didn't have anything in common and our lifes' goals were different.

 

Then I met another guy.  He, too, wanted to ranch and he even lived in the same state that I wanted to live in.  Once again, he broke up with me the Monday after Memorial Day.  I couldn't understand why except we really didn't share the same goals.  In one sense I was willing to give up my dreams and goals for him while on the other hand I hoped that he wouldn't ask me to marry him because I didn't think that I could say yes.  He would have been "the better" not God's Best for me.

 

Then I met Chip.  He just happened to live in the very state that I said that I would never live in, but we had the same dreams, goals and interests. (I wouldn't see him on the Mondays after Memorial Day!)   I had found the reason the other two guys were not for me.  They were/are great guys, but they were not what God had planned for me.  Chip was/is God's Best for me.  I am so thankful that I didn't settle for "the better" and that I waited for "God's Best."

 

 

(Please read Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch to read my/our story.  It can be purchased through Amazon as a book or for your Kindle.)

God’s Best

God has His best things for the few

That dare to stand the test;

God has His second choice for those

Who will not have His best.

It is not always open ill

That risk the promised rest;

The Better often is the foe

That keeps us from the Best.

And others make the highest choice,

But when by trials pressed,

They shrink, they yield, they shun the cross,

And so they lose the best.

I want in this short life of mine,

As much as can be pressed

Of service true for God and man;

Help me to be my best.

Give me O Lord thy highest choice’

Let others take the rest,

Their good things have no charm for me,

For I have got thy Best.

Author Unknown

 

Follow the Leader

Today I was reminded of my childhood.

I remembered when I was in first and second grade under the instruction of Mrs. Antrom.  She would come out on the playground at recess and played "Follow the Leader" with us.  Of course, she was the leader.  She walked all over the Terraville playground, jumped over swings and slid  down the slide and each student followed her.  There were times that she would get so far ahead of the last student that she would have to stop and wait for them to catch up.  Then there were times that she would weave her way through the line of students.  Everything went well unless one of the students made a wrong move and then part of the line would have a new "leader."

Today Chip and I went out to rake and bale hay.  He baled right behind me as I raked.  Wow!  I was the leader and he did an excellent job of following me.  There was one time that the baler was acting up and since it was in my way, I had to wait for him to work things out.  Then I got a few rows a head of him and he started to do his own thing.  It worked out as we both finished in the same spot.

As a teacher, I think of students and how they play "Follow the Leader" in class.  Some will choose to make good choices and follow others who make right choices.  Then there are those who choose to make wrong choices and they follow a whole different leader.  I think we call it  peer pressure. 

I still see it happening in adults.  At a parade we tend to look around us and see if anyone is going to stand and salute the flag as it goes by.  It can be a lonely feeling when no one else does what is right.  (Thanks to my cousin in Hawaii who did just that.)
  
I am thankful for Christian parents who taught me to follow the Leader---Jesus Christ.  There are those who have chosen to despise the Bible  and its teachings. They have chosen to follow a different leader.

Joshua 24:15  (KJV)

  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

 

The Best Friend

In 1972 I asked Swan to write a poem for me to enclose in a graduation card.

Tonight I would like to dedicate "The Best Friend" to the author of that poem---- Swan Loften.

The Best Friend

The world is full of friends so good and true,
They try to help each other in everything they do.
Kindness costs so little, love is given free.
You're a very special friend whose smile means much to me.
I met a friend in years gone by, His love I can't explain.
I know that you have met Him too; Christ Jesus is his name
He is a man of sorrows; He always seems to care,
His name is sweet as music, his love none can compare.
And that's the very reason you mean so much to me
Because when we're together, the love of God I see.
                                                           (Swan Loften)

I have many fond memories of Swan, but will only share a few.  I remember as a teen going hunting with Swan and Dad in Swan's Volkswagen Bug.  I sat in the back seat with Swan and Dad in the front seats.  They did get a deer and Swan did bring it home on the back of that little car.

Then there was the time that Dad had heart surgery.  Swan came out to the house many times and he and I cut and chopped wood for winter fuel. We had lots of conversations   He helped haul alfalfa from Spearfish to the "farm" so that the goats would have plenty to eat. He was always helpful.

Lastly, I remember Swan as a very friendly person that always talked about his Best Friend, the one that "sticks closer than a brother".  (Proverbs 18:24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.)  When Swan accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior so many years ago, there was much rejoicing in Heaven.  Today as we grieve at the physical death of a dear friend , there once again is much rejoicing in Heaven as Swan entered his Heavenly home.