Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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We will never rise above or go beyond what we believe and what we speak. It’s a spiritual revelation to comprehend that words have power and where there is privilege there is also responsibility. I realize that we have much to pray about, but this request is crucial if we are to live a holy life of integrity and respect. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips,” Psalm 141:3. Since what we say is what we think, it would be wise to monitor what we listen to and w...
God has been stirring me for the last several years to realize there are many levels in our relationship with Him and that we are to be continually progressing through the stations of the tabernacle on our way to the holy of holies. He desires to give everyone a personal revelation to become more spiritually sensitive, to hear His voice, along with His wisdom to know what is right and wrong. To develop an awareness of His presence, we must invest our time meditating on His word, praying, and int...
The path to victory was never promised to be an easy one. It’s filled with faith blended with hard work, persistence, and a passion to follow God’s directions. What type of victory are you referring to? The only success and accomplishment that has eternal value is when we follow and accomplish God’s will. So, what is this? Well, there is His general will which includes His written word that is given to help us learn how to live for Him. There is also His specific will where God has desig...
Once there was a young eaglet that accidentally fell from the safety of his nest high on the mountain. Miraculously, he fell in a patch of soft grass and survived. He stumbled out into the open and a farmer saw him and brought him to the farm and placed him inside a chicken coop with all the other chickens. Since the eagle had not yet discovered his true identity, he started watching the other birds and naturally followed their habits and started doing what they did. So many people have been wro...
Psalm 23 is one of the most popular chapters in the Bible and many have said it is one of the wonders of the literary world. It is so deep that scholars are perplexed and yet so simple that children can enjoy it. However, in all of its beauty and profound wisdom, we should pray that we do not lose our reverence for its interpretation. It is easy to allow familiarity to make us cold and indifferent to chapters such as this and others like John 3, Romans 8, and First Corinthians 13. Being...
“Our mind is a garden our thoughts are seeds, we can plant flowers or we can plant weeds.” This old saying means we choose what we think about and are responsible for the thoughts we allow to grow. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails. We decide each moment what we will say, how we act, and who we will serve. God is waiting for us to become the person Jesus died for us to be. Courage does not always roar. Sometimes faith is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says, “I...
One of the popular topics that readers contact me about are concerns associated with food shortages and higher costs. I realize that no one has a crystal ball to see into the future, but we have plenty of websites that are encouraging everyone to stockpile food and water. The prepping movement has been warning the public for years to prepare for such a crisis and of course, many have created profitable businesses by selling everything a person would need if something like this were to happen....
I admit I am an emotional person. I recall going to see the Passion movie a few years ago and I was disturbed to say the least. It’s not uncommon for me to shed a tear when I witness something that moves my soul and this was no exception. Recently, I was watching a program about the “Make-A-Wish Foundation” and how they provide a way for very sick children to experience a happy, but most likely, last request and I cried through the entire program. As the agonizing scenes of what Christ went...
I remember the day we brought Teddy our English Bulldog puppy into our home. The breeder told us he was eight weeks old but after receiving his papers, we noticed he was actually only six weeks old at the time. He was a healthy little bruiser and we would laugh at his stumbling and being uncoordinated, but now we realize it was because he was such a baby. My wife and I would sit on the porch in the evenings and watch him explore around in the front yard. He was so happy as he would jump and...
No matter where we come from or how we have been taught, we are responsible for what we think, what we say, and how we act. As optimism and pessimism are learned behaviors, we know that our conduct and worldviews can be changed and controlled if this is our desire. Our spiritual understanding about who God is and who we are in Him must become more than a hope or a chance of fate. Having a personal relationship with Him is based on knowing that we have been purchased with the blood that Jesus...
I want to share a praise report of God healing someone I know personally. We hear about sickness and disease and the endless cries of why, but rarely do we learn about miracles when God intervenes and touches a person with His creative and restoring authority. In the New Testament, there are true accounts of Jesus asking what He can do for those who were suffering, and when they told Him their request, He said, “I will.” As Christians, we pray because we believe God is listening and that He wil...
One of the greatest mysteries is the perplexing relationship between God and humans. I cannot think of a more glorious yet frustrating subject. Especially when it comes to people trying to find answers when all they have is questions. I’ve counseled and given psychological first aid to those who have gone through a traumatic crisis and I’ve listened to people in hospital waiting rooms repeat that age-old question, “Why is this happening?” They cry and beg, but many times they cannot hear a...
The New Year is here and I’m excited to see what 2022 has for us! My hope is this coming year will be a season of abundance, not just with material prosperity and success, but of love, health, and spiritual awareness. As we plant seeds of faith, may we have the patience and expectation to witness the harvest of God’s blessings. One of my personal resolutions is to be more generous and joyful even when things are not going well. I’m reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa who said, “Not all of us c...
For those who ponder about the requirements for developing and maintaining a deeper relationship with God, we must include some vital components, and one of the most critical is desire. Ask any business person or athlete about what it takes to accomplish a goal and they will always testify about the importance of vision, perseverance, and determination. Likewise, when it comes to drawing nearer to the Lord, we must begin with old-fashioned enthusiasm. The next question is where does this...
I’ve always enjoyed Thanksgiving, but many times I become distracted from the intended purpose. I confess that between football, conversations, and the delicious meals, I often forget how much I have to be grateful for. Let us once again be reminded of the history of human suffering that is associated with the Pilgrims. It’s been recorded that the new colony gave thanks to God for His blessings and protection, as William Bradford is quoted as saying, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and b...
For those who try to live for the Lord and want to please Him, I’m sure you know what I mean when I say there are times when the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. When it comes to maintaining a red-hot enthusiasm for the Christian life, we are not robots, but rather we are emotional humans who have good days along with other times that are clouded with feelings of melancholy. It does the heart good to quietly sit alone as we search within our soul trying to figure out what is wrong. I...
The Bible refers to a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, but what does this mean? I believe one answer would be the contentment of the conscience for those who know God and have decided to live in the awareness of His presence. How can we do this? We can train our minds to think about God the same as we learn and become skilled to do anything else. Repetition and commitment are the building blocks of being proficient and in the Christian faith, self-discipline is the path to spiritual...
Hope is one of those dynamic words that deserves the title of catalyst when it comes to change. It is a spiritual attribute that God’s people should use regularly as it is filled with life, excitement, and positive energy. Your first reaction to the idea of hope may be one of skepticism because you are thinking, it’s easy for someone to talk about hope when they do not understand what a terrible condition my life is in. Well, I may not have walked in your shoes, but I know that being neg...
The idea of not being spiritually prepared to trust Christ because of a lack of interest is like being told that you have been scheduled to box a champion fighter this coming Friday night, even though you have no boxing experience, and are in terrible physical condition. It’s too late to start training and you will easily be knocked out with one punch. Another scenario would be that you have been given one week to compete in a body-building contest against other contenders that have been l...
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He desires to spend quiet time with us. Our heavenly Father beckons us to draw near to Him, as He longs to be with His children. As we go about our busy day, many times we do not realize His presence but nevertheless, He is there. May we listen with our ears, watch with our eyes, and be aware of our thoughts, as God is always trying to communicate with us. The Lord of compassion gives us breath, and every heartbeat as a gift of His endless mercy and grace. He...
When it comes to finding our place in this world, let’s consider two categories. The first one let’s call, floating down the river. Imagine someone napping in a small boat without a compass or a paddle and not caring about where they are going. Having a spectator mentality, they have no map or intentional direction, but rather are just hoping for the best. It’s also common for these individuals to throw pity parties from time to time, as their happy-go-lucky lifestyle includes serious disappoint...
I spend a lot of time writing, and I try to present a balance of optimism and reality. This is becoming more difficult as we are constantly bombarded with so many things we do not understand. Even more disturbing is to consider how much negativity is going on that we are not aware of. I’m not implying that we anticipate evil behind every bush or under every rock, but my convictions accept our need to pray for spiritual discernment. I’ve had conversations with individuals who believe that mor...
The life of David in the Bible is one of the more popular stories in the Christian faith. Of all the individuals other than Christ, I would guess there have been more messages about him than any other character within the word of God. There is a huge difference between the way we observe and judge with our natural senses, and the way God perceives everything through His perfect spiritual wisdom, and the key to our success is learning to see as God sees. We begin our story in I Samuel, where Samu...
I watch my little grandson, who is almost three years old, and it’s amazing how fast he is learning about life. He’s happy when he has his way, but when he’s told no or stop, he bows his head and sticks out his lower lip. How many of us are like this? Ha! All of us! I often think about the many situations and experiences this little fellow will face in his journey, and how he will eventually learn there is more to life than watching cartoons and playing with toys. There will be times when he wil...
As our spiritual values become more centered on God, it’s normal to start looking forward to our eternal existence. For those who are in Christ, how exciting it is to know that our heavenly Father and His Son Jesus, our loved ones, our new name, our glorified body, inheritance, citizenship, and crowns and rewards are all a part of our glorious future. We are briefly passing through this world, and the only thing we will take with us when we depart is an account of how we lived and loved. How w...
