RANDOM THOUGHTS: COWBOYS AND HOGMEN

For as he thinks within himself, so he is (Proverbs 23:7).

I was in the cow/calf and cattle feeding business for 25 years.  In 1994 I entered the hog finishing business, so  I know a few things about livestock.  Last night Helen and I came home from a church social to find a couple of pigs wandering around in our back yard.  I made a quick inspection of the hog building while Helen called the two brothers who own the pigs--I needed their help to get them back in the building.  When they arrived they were very gentle as they moved the pigs, as a matter of fact, instead of chasing the pigs, they led the pigs into the building.  Helen told me, "they made it look too easy."  Being full of picnic supper, there is no way I could have done it myself, but these guys are true hogmen, working with those pigs in a fashion that was inspirational to me.  However, having said all said all that, it is still cowboys that they write songs about, not hogmen.

Way back in 2006 our little church (attendance averages in the 90's) in Sutherland, Iowa stepped out in faith and built a gymnasium, classroom and kitchen addition to the church building at a cost of $300,000.00.  It was the goal of the elders of our congregation (I am one of them) to pay off the facility in 5 years.  This is the fifth year and we still had $70,000.00 to go.  It was going to take a minor miracle to pay the balance, but it is a matter that we have been praying about for 5 years.  So, last week, a man walked into our local bank that financed the project and wrote out a check for $80,000.00 to pay off the bank note.  Praise the Lord!!!  Rumor has it that it was a cowboy.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom