Rural Route 3:16, Leonard, TX (2026)

10/17/2023

Turning Out Cattle

Psalm 37 verses 3 and 4
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Some things in life are predictable. Hook up the spray rig, and the wind will begin to blow. Cut down a field of hay, and the clouds begin to form. Tell a friend your horse that he is getting on won’t buck, and sure enough you will have to look him in the eye and say, “Well he’s never done that with me.” Okay, maybe it just seems like these things happen this way. But there are a few things we do that for the most part are predictable, like turning out a set of cattle on new pasture.

Cattle will almost always do the same thing when you turn them out in a new pasture, especially wheat-pasture cattle. When you swing the end gate or drive a herd through a new gap, those cattle begin a journey. It is a journey around the outside of the pasture. They check out the perimeter of the place. Now, I don’t think they are checking out the fence so much as they are simply trying to see where the line is. They want to see just how far they can go before they have to stop. What is amazing is that they will walk through knee-high grass or wheat, lush for the picking, to go see where the fence is. Then they start grazing the dead Johnson grass down the fence row while the wheat waits a few feet over.

Before you comment on these cattle’s intelligences, or the lack thereof, let me remind you of something: we do the exact same thing. God blesses us, and we walk right through the knee-high blessing, looking for the fence to see just how far we can go. We need to trust, do our part, and realize that God takes care of His children. Don’t worry about where the fence is; just trust in the Lord and do good. What does it mean to do good? That means when you come to a fence, you don’t go through it. God doesn’t want you involved in things on the wrong side of the fence. He sets boundaries for all of us and expects us as Christians to honor those boundaries and live our lives for Him. Dwell in the land that God has blessed you with, delight yourself in Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Daily Prayer
Father God, help me to see the knee-high blessings that you have placed all around me. Help me to be content in the pasture you have placed me in. Father, may the desires of my heart be your desires. Amen

©️2018 Rural Route 3:16 by Kevin P. Lane
©️2023 Illustrated Video by Kevin P. Lane

Devotional books available at ruralroute316.com, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

10/09/2023

Tom Cats and Pickup Windows

Proverbs 13 verse 16
“Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.”

You would think by now you would have learned. Yet, it seems to always be an afterthought. You pull up to the barn in the pickup and start working on your list of things to do. It is a warm day, not hot, just comfortable. The old tom cat was even napping all peaceful like in the sun by the barn door when you walked into the hallway. But, you didn’t pay him much attention; you were too busy, had too much to do. In fact, you didn’t even give that cat a second thought, at least not until you got into your pickup that afternoon to leave.

Your first thought then was, “That no-count cat; he did it again!” Ole Tom took advantage of your hurriedness, your preoccupation, and climbed through the open window to take a nap in the seat. Ole Tom figured since he found this spot he might as well mark it. After all, it is his truck, his territory. The bad thing about it is the fact that the smell from the last time he relieved himself in your pickup was just starting to go away. Ole Tom had struck before, and now he struck again. You knew he could. You had knowledge of it. But you left the window down, again.

Why is it so hard for us to learn? Why do we struggle with the same ole things? Why do we leave open windows? Ole Tom getting in and stinking things up is one thing. Satan however, is waiting for you to leave a window open to your heart! Don’t let the everyday hassle of life get you so busy that you let your guard down. You know what Satan tempts you with; you know what he is capable of; you have that knowledge. Roll the window up before he gets into your life and starts stinking things up. He has done it before; don’t be a fool and let him do it again.

Daily Prayer
Father God, help me to always be prudent in my thinking and help me to use the knowledge you have given me to make wise choices. I don’t want to give Satan an open window into my life. Make me mindful and observant to always roll the window up so Satan does not gain any territory in my heart. Amen

©️2018 by Kevin P. Lane, Rural Route 3:16
©️2022 Illustrated Photo by Kevin P. Lane
Devotional Books Available At ruralroute316.com, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

No Pickups or Cats were harmed in the making of this devotional.

05/08/2021

Happy Mother's Day from Rural Route 3:16

A Ranch Wife's Kitchen Sink

Proverbs 31 verse 29
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Things in the country are just a bit different than other places. The term Better Homes and Garden just make folks out here think about two lists of things that need to be done: a list for the house and a list for the garden.

Home decor is something that is also different when you live on a ranch. For example, a rancher's wife's kitchen doesn't look like some of those photo spreads you might see in some fancy magazine. Of course there are the usual items: liquid soap bottle next to the faucet and a scrub brush for pots and pans that you don't think your wife has noticed the motor oil on yet. There is usually a kitchen towel hung close by and perhaps a wildflower in a Dixie cup of water that the kids brought to mom. These are some of the normal things of life in an everyday kitchen. But at times there are extra things in a rancher's home. His wife's sink may also have a couple of syringes lying next to the soap bottle, a 12cc and a 35cc, that you plan on disinfecting in the microwave sometime. And for the orphan calf, there is also a nurse bottle in the sink that just needs to soak for a spell before you turn it upside down on the kitchen towel to dry next to the O.B. chain. These are just a few of the things that seem to show up in the kitchen from just everyday life on a ranch.

A rancher's wife is a gift from God. The smell of dewormer from the rinsed-out drench gun in the sink is just another thing she puts up with. Maybe as cowboys we ought to tell her more often how much she is appreciated. After all, she truly does surpass them all! God sent her to you to help get you through all those obstacles of life that are represented at the kitchen sink. God made her for you to make you complete. Let her know how much you appreciate her. She surpasses them all.

And when you tell your wife that you are gonna' clean those mountain oysters in the sink just as soon as you finish working the rest of the smaller yearlings, go ahead and mention to her the baby calf that is warming up in the bathroom on her new soft towels. Wouldn't want her to open the door and scare the little fella; he might jump up and hurt himself.

Daily Prayer
Father God, thank you for the blessing of my wife. Let me show her how much she means to me every day. Make me a man worthy of a woman who surpasses them all. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
©2018 Illustration by Chuck DeHaan

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED FROM ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

01/08/2021

Water Trough Blues

Hebrews 4 verse 12
"For the word of God is living and active."

It's one of those jobs that just has to be done. The horses, calves, chickens, or dogs -- it doesn't matter. They all have to have water. Water and its availability is something we take for granted.

Whether you want to admit it or not, most every cowboy or cowgirl has let the water run over at least once, twice, three -- well, you get the point. Why do we let the water run over? Because filling up a 150 or 200 gallon water trough takes a little time. It goes slow. We start thinking about all the things we could be doing. So we leave the water running and go to do a couple of quick jobs. We will come back in a bit to cut the water off. This time we are not going to forget!

But what happens? We get distracted --one of the c**ts cut its foot, a cow is out, the phone rings, and before you know it, something has happened, and you've got to run to town. The next morning you wonder if a rain shower came because there is water standing in the pens. You did it again -- left the water on all night.

We do the same thing with God. We tell God we are going to start reading his word, the Bible. But then things are really busy this morning. We've got a lot of things to do. Before you know it, life is running you and not God. "But tonight when I get home I'll read some verses." We all have good intentions; however, before long things start running out of control. We wonder why there is such a mess.

God has entrusted us with animals to take care of. Water is vital for their lives as well as ours. God has given us his word, the Bible. It is vital for us to read it to understand what God has planned for our lives. Take just a few minutes to turn the pages of God's word. Allow Him to flow into you like living water.

Daily Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to take the time to read your living word and learn your ways. Fill me up to overflowing with your anointing. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
©2018 Illustration by Chuck DeHaan

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED FROM; ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

09/16/2020

Casting Stones

Proverbs 30 verse 33
"For as churning the milk produces butter, and twisting of the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."

When I was a boy, I would wait across the railroad tracks from our front gate for the school bus. The county road forked at our mailbox. The left fork went to the ranch, and the right went to a neighbor's prairie meadow. This was the very end of the county road. Three small pastures also surrounded that fork in the road.

As I waited for the bus, I would pick up small rocks and attempt to hit the cross tie stretch posts of those pasture fences. I would even start on one end of the fence and play an imaginary game of fence post football--country boy style, of course. If you could hit a post with a rock, then the receiver had caught the pass and you advanced to that post, going for the goal line. But you were up against the clock. As a rock-throwing quarterback, I was under pressure to throw the bomb to the post in the end zone before Mr. Green came around the corner in the bus.

Little boys growing up in the country become very efficient at using rocks. Rocks become the first artillery. Country kids develop skill in hitting things with these rocks. Aiming at trees, bottles, or even fence post can fine tune the skills needed to hit a target.

Targets change. Challenges change. Until one day it seems like a real good idea to test your ultimate rock-throwing skills against the hornet's nest in the tree. With trembling hands and sweaty palms you take aim. Thinking things through at this point would certainly be the wisest decision.

As grownups, we don't do much better. We don't always think things through. We take aim at all kinds of targets, ones that just stir things up when they are hit. Rocks in the form of words are hurled at people's character. Homes can be knocked out of trees, families torn apart, and congregations left flying about, ready to attack.

Listen when God whispers, "Do you really want to do that?" If we would just listen and seek God's word, it would be obvious that a lot of strife in our lives is caused by our own actions. God gives us sweaty palms and trembling hands as warnings. Leave the hornet's nest alone. Go see how many times you can skip that rock across the creek. Games are fun, but some things we shouldn't play around with. The bus will be here soon; don't waste your time.

Daily Prayer
Father God, grant me the wisdom to know when to put the rock down. Help me to listen to you better. Grant me sight to see the things that shouldn't be played around with. Let my actions be your actions. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
Illustrated photo by Kevin P. Lane ©2020

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED FROM; ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

07/31/2020

Seeking the Sun

Psalm 34 verse 5
"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."

There are a lot of folks at the baseball games in the big city who take the life of a sunflower for granted. These people consume bags and bags of sunflower seeds without any thought to the endless dedication and commitment of the sunflower plant itself.

From the time it comes up in the morning, its leaves search the sky for direction. This little plant will face, grow, and draw strength from the great radiant sun, almost as if to say, "I need you, Sun." And when the plant blooms, with its brilliant yellow face, it will smile upon the sun and follow its track across the sky. From morning 'til dusk, it looks upon the sun's bright light.

It is quite a sight to see a large field of commercial sunflowers in bloom. Each and every row will have its yellow face pointed toward the sun. A friend of mine who grew sunflowers was asked once by a lady, just how they got those plants to all face the same direction? His reply was, "Ma'am, when we plant them, we lay all the seeds in the same direction." The truth is the sunflowers know where the sun is because of their Creator. That is how God made them: to face the sun and grow. I guess if sunflowers wanted to look away, they would stop growing. Most likely, they would spend some time here on earth before they withered and died.

Are you looking toward your Creator? Or are you just spending time here on earth, not really growing? You see, the only way that you are ever going to really grow and mature as a person, is to face the Son, Jesus Christ. Give your life to Him, and He will give you strength and direction. He will make you radiant. He will make your face shine if you look upon Him and say, "I need you, Lord."

Daily Prayer
Jesus, I want to follow you just like a sunflower follows the sun across the sky, faithfully every day. Help me, Lord, to dedicate myself to seeking you daily. I give you my life; shine upon me. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
Illustrated photo by Kevin P. Lane ©2020 at Chaney Farms

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED FROM ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

05/29/2020

Backyard Hay Meadow

1 Corinthians 13 verse 11
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

When I was a little boy, my momma used to say that I worked hard at playing. My dad hauled a load of sand to the back yard for me to play in. My dad shoveled an entire pickup load by hand. On that pile of sand, which was eventually leveled out by my Tonka T9 dozer, I built a tremendous farming and ranching operation. There were cows and calves, stocker cattle, horses, hogs, and crops. This operation was equipped with tractor sheds and cattle working pens and fences made out of old welding rods and short pencils. The gates were old license plates made to slide back and forth between two sets of rods. There was even a grain elevator with a set of working scales to weigh trucks on. It worked well until the rain froze the needle on the bathroom scales.

There is a picture of me as a "cotton topped" youngster in our back yard after it had been mown. Pretending it was a hay meadow, I raked up the grass that had been cut and proceeded to make little wind rows of hay. Not in a small area, but in a twenty feet by twenty feet area. When my dad and brother came in from working in the real fields, I proudly showed them my hay meadow. I even had a toy tractor and haybine set up as if it were cutting the back swath. After it dried the next day, I took a package of rubber bands and started baling square bales. This was all on my pretend farm. I was a young boy who wanted to be like his dad.

When I was older I began to farm and raise cattle for real. It wasn't pretend anymore. It was harder work. Things didn't always go well. I was no longer protected by the shade of the big tree in the back yard. This was life, and it was real.

You cannot pretend to be a Christian. You either are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ or you are not. If you are, then you will want to be more like your Father in heaven. You will want to imitate His love for others. No one can be like God, but we can all work hard at being as Christ like as we can. Trust in Him, and you will find that He has a big sand pile just waiting for you in life, with a real purpose and a real joy.

Daily Prayer
Lord, help me to put away my childish thinking and become a thinking child of yours. I don't want to pretend. Reveal to me the person you want me to be. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
Illustrated photo by Joyce Lane, ©1970 something.

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT
ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

05/02/2020

Horses and Gate Latches Don't Always Mix

James 4 verse 15 "Instead, you out to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

Horses are amazing creatures who are unbelievably smart. Take, for example, a horse that is a gate opener. If you have been around horses much, you know the type I am talking about. They can open a gate with their nose and be somewhere that you never intended for them to be. They are smart: they have watched you open that gate a hundred times, and they know just what keeps them shut in the pen.

But why do we have horses closed up behind gates? Most of the time we are keeping them in a pen for their best interest. Perhaps you don't want to turn out a mare about to foal. Maybe there is a health reason that we are keeping a horse up. Or perhaps we are training or teaching that horse skills that we want it to know to be able to perform a given task. You are preparing that horse for a particular job, a specific purpose. Gate-opener horses think they know what is best. They let themselves out only to find themselves faced with even harder lessons to learn.

Life is much the same way. We do not like it when we feel God is keeping a gate closed in our lives and not allowing us to go through it. We should be patient; it is for our best interest that God keeps some of life's gates closed. He knows what is needed in our lives. God is the master trainer; we should each ask God if our goals are in line with His goals. If God has not completely prepared you, or trained you, that is okay; don't rush. Don't start opening gates yourself. Wait upon the trainer. He knows what is best.

Daily Prayer
Father God, help me to seek your will for my life daily. Let your plans become my plans. I want to live life to the fullest that you have in store for me. Give me patience and understanding as I wait upon you to open life's gates. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
©2020 Video by Kevin P. Lane
DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

04/17/2020

Could Horses Live Without Coffee Cans?

Luke 6 verses 37-38
"Do no judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Think about it: how would anyone feed their horses if it was not for coffee cans? Coffee cans are the standard of measure in the cowboy equestrian world for feed distribution. Now, I know there are those few folks that buy those plastic feed scoops, the one with the little handle on the end, so you people, don't be offended. But the first thing that most cowboys would do with a plastic feed scoop is determine how many coffee cans it would hold.

When a friend offers to feed for you while you are out of town, the instructions usually go something like this: "Give two small cans of sweet feed to each mare, the black gelding gets 1/2 of a big can of grain and 1/2 a big can of sweet feed, the c**t gets a full big can packed down real good, oh, and if you think about it, give the dogs a can of Bark Chow."

See what I mean! Horses could not exist without coffee cans. Besides that, the coffee industry is improving their containers all the time. Why, those one-gallon size plastic containers even have hand holds on them now. The ever-changing world of the modern-day cowboy.

God says that what we use to measure with, will also be used to measure the blessings we receive. See, if you are always critical of someone and not caring for that person, then you will have criticism always measured back to you. If you forgive others, forgiveness will be measured back to you. If you give, then a measure will be given back to you. Check out how God works! He says that whatever measure you use, will be used also for you after He has blessed it by packing it down and running it over. Be sure you use a full measure of Christ's compassion toward the people around you.

Daily Prayer
God, allow me to have a forgiving and compassionate spirit toward others just as Christ has for me. Allow me to give for the sake of giving. Let my measure of these be pleasing to you. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
©2018 Illustration by Chuck DeHaan

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT
ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

04/03/2020

Grow Where You Are Planted

Romans 8 verse 28
"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Along the rocky cliffs of a mountain stream, you often see a sight that is almost unbelievable. Out from the rocky ledges grows a clump of grass or perhaps a fern. In some cases there is a series of different kinds of plants growing right out of the rocks. Trees grow where no tree could be expected to grow. How do these plants survive? There is practically no soil for the plants to grow in, yet they are there. Everything about their location says that this can't be. There is just no way for them to live in such a place. But that is where God placed them.

We often ask ourselves why God has put us in the place that he has. There are times when we do not understand why it seems we are clinging to a rocky ledge just trying to survive. I believe there are two ways that we end up on that rocky ledge. Sometimes we put ourselves there. We ignore God's original plan for our life, and we make choices that take us out of the fertile soil God intended. We end up clinging to a rough existence just trying to hang on. It can take that to get our attention and refocus us on God.

Other times, God's plan for your life may have always included a rocky ledge. It is intended to make us who we are, to develop our inner being to not only survive with, but to also trust in God. He needs people in all kinds of places, careers, and - yes, circumstances - to achieve His purpose. Our lives as Christians are not about filling what we think our purpose is, but living for His purpose, seeking God's will for our life.

Today's verse says that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him. That means we should grow where we are planted. Be content and trust God for everything you need to fulfill His purpose. Many times those plants you see in the rocks will produce seed. It may not be an abundant crop but they still produce. God expects us to produce a Christian example wherever we are planted.

Daily Prayer
Father, it is my prayer that I learn to grow in you, right where I am today. You know my circumstances Lord; work them out for your purpose. My security is not in the place I exist right now, but in you alone, God. Help me to grow in you, right where I am planted. Amen.

© 2018 by Kevin P. Lane
Illustration Photo, Bandelier National Monument © 2009 Kevin P. Lane

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT
ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

03/28/2020

Loose Tin

James 4 verse 17
"Anyone, then who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

You have driven past the barn a dozen times. You have noticed the loose piece of tin at one corner, thinking to yourself as you drive by, "I need to nail that tin back down sometime." It is real easy for "sometime" to never get here.

What happens if we don't take the time to nail down that piece of tin? The wind starts to blow it. Little by little it becomes looser. The small sound of a flap gets to be a big loud bang. That piece of tin begins to pull through at the places it was nailed. It starts to bend and break. The wind starts to fold it over and pull it off the roof. What started out as two loose nails on one corner, now has led to the destruction of the entire piece of tin. The longer it is left to blow in the wind, the harder it is to ever put it back.

We each have sins in our lives that are the same way. They start out small, but then eventually, two or three nails pull through, and we begin to lose stability. If we don't confess those sins to God, we could spend a lot of time flopping around, being blown to pieces.

I could make you a list of the things you may be involved with in your life that would be tin-ripping sins. But you already know the things you do wrong. You know exactly which nails are loose. Don't ignore them and think they will go away or that they're not really that bad. Ask God to help you make needed repairs to your life. Ask God which nails need to be hammered in. Even beyond that, this verse talks about knowing what to do and not doing it. That means your inactivity can be a sin itself. You know a friend is in need, but you don't help. You know someone who needs to hear the gospel message, but you don't share it. It is a sin to lie, but it is also a sin to know the truth and not tell it.

Daily Prayer
God, I need to know what things in my life need to be nailed back down for you. What things am I doing wrong and what things am I not doing right? Tell me, Lord, so that I might serve you and your people. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
©2018 Illustration by Chuck DeHaan

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT
ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

03/13/2020

Choosing a Puppy

John 15 verse 16
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last..."

It may have been the fact that I was reaching a milestone on my birthday. My wife must have thought I needed another set of eyes to go with me each day. She and my daughter decided to get me a new puppy that could accompany me everywhere I went.

They took me with my eyes closed to the kennel where I was surprised to find about thirty-five pups to pick from. It has been said that when you go to pick out a pup, "man's best friend," that you don't choose! You should let the pup choose you. Oh, sure there are color preferences and male or female preferences, but how do they act? How do they respond to your presence in the pen with them? In most cases the puppy that comes to you will be the best dog, the best companion, the most trusting, and the most loyal.

According to the very words of Jesus in John's gospel today, Jesus chose us! See, we are all different. We are different colors, different shapes, and different backgrounds with different talents. God made each of us with different purposes in life.

Jesus chose us to go be the best and to produce much fruit --fruit that will last. He chose you because of your loyalty, because you're trustworthy, because he wants you to be His best friend. Jesus wants you to be His eyes and His hands here on earth. He chose you.

But as He sits in the pen, have you chosen Him? See, you have to go to Him. And when you choose to go to Him, He will take you in His arms and hold you, love you, and be your best friend. You will then have a Master who will teach you the way to live and become the person God created you to be.

Daily Prayer
Lord, I choose you today, to be my Lord and Savior. Like a young puppy, I do not know what I should and shouldn't do. But I am willing to go with you and accompany you and call you Master. I know you will always be by my side, looking through your eyes, helping me. Amen.

©2018 by Kevin P. Lane
Illustrated Photo © 2020 by Kevin P. Lane

DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT ruralroute316.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

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