Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Prayer. A simple word. Yet, O such a powerful word. The dictionary definition of the word prayer is “a humble request to God.” For us, it doesn't have to be a request to be considered a prayer, although I think that might be the most common usage. I have started out more than one prayer with, “God, it seems like I'm always asking you for something.” Each week when I get to the office I ask for God's help in writing my sermon. I ask for help in discerning what He is telling us in our Holy Scriptures. I ask f...
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, There is an old saying that goes, “The only thing that never changes is that things always change.” Well, we are now in a season of change; quite significant changes at that. The most prominent change that will affect every one of us is the weather. In the month of November, we go from the tolerable temperatures of fall to the very cold temperatures of winter. The farmers finish up their harvest and the flower and vegetable gardens are done producing. The hours of daylight get less and less each day. For...
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Those of you who are roughly the same age as I, will remember the days of Trading Stamps. Grocery stores, gas stations and other retail outlets gave away these stamps with each purchase. The more merchandise you purchased, the more stamps you received in return. The two major stamps that I recall are Gold Bond Stamps and Green Stamps. The stamps had an adhesive backing and as you received the stamps, you licked them and put them in books that you received at no cost from the retailer. There were a couple of...
Some of the most difficult parts of Scripture deal with enemies, the wicked, judgment, and our own sin. It’s uncomfortable, but for each human in all of history, suffering and heartache are real, everyday experiences. I’m thankful that the God who experienced suffering allows us to lament in our own. From Psalm 139:19-24: 19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! Yes, Lord God. We want those who hurt us, those who want ill for us, those who misunderstand us to go away. We want you to remove them fro...
To be honest, I do not like politics, but at the same time I believe it’s my duty and opportunity to vote not the way a party says, but according to what God says. My thoughts about elections, especially presidential, is that it’s not one person governing the country. A president is a front person with thousands of power players in the background putting out fires and avoiding problems. The corrupt deals, kickbacks and cover-ups that include lobbyists are filled with compromises and broken pro...
Last week, we pondered the Northern Lights, and the wonder of the earth and seasons and nature. Today, David zooms in to the wonder of the creation of a human. Can you look at a newborn without awe? Psalm 139:13–18 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Loving God, you are with us in the vulnerability and beauty of our mother’s womb. None of your creation is here without it. We thank you for your care, for your intricate work on each of our mitochondria, each of our muscle fibers, each of our brain synap...
Last Sunday, I was asked to bring the morning sermon for a wonderful church in the country called Mt. Lebanon Methodist. I had a dream recently about delivering a message and when I awoke, I went I into my office and asked God to please not let it dissipate before I could write down as much of it as I could remember. Dreams are like the morning fog that fades when the sun comes out. I was noticeably rattled and was typing feverishly. How many know when God gives you a word it’s not a s...
Our neighbors had a spontaneous gathering under the Northern Lights the other night. What wonder this world contains!! Dancing lights, rainbow colors, streaks of awe. We couldn’t look away. Harkens God’s ever-presence. We continue with praying through Psalm 139:7-12: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? Sometimes it feels vulnerable, God, that you know, see, hear and perceive everything, things we don’t even know about ourselves. Past, present and future. To be known like that can feel like a tearing open,...
Praying through the Psalms has been a wonderful and surprising way to discern and dream and be challenged and comforted by what God might be up to through these ancient and holy words. Psalm 139 just happens to be my favorite. I’ll never forget the early 1990s poster by the mirror at Bible camp – “where can I flee from your presence?” Because at the very heart of life on this earth is God’s presence. God's radical, unwavering, dwell-among-us presence. So for the month of October, let us pray together: Psalm 139. 1 You have searched me, Lord,...
In the book "Blue like Jazz," the author points something out that I had never thought about. He made a comment to the extent that it is ridiculous that we consider Noah a children’s story. The fact that thousands and thousands of people drowned is central to the whole story, and yet, we teach the story to children. Even in the Hollywood flop “Noah” movie, there is at least one shot where the people notice the flood waters and rush to Noah’s boat, only to be turned away. I imagine that “as the rains came down and the floods came up” there...
Some time ago, as a I prepared an Easter sermon, I learned something new. Well, to be fair to my college professors, I actually relearned something that I had forgotten since my college days. As I worked through John 20, I realized that there were funny notations connected with many of the verbs in the chapter. I looked into it, and discovered that this was the translator’s way of conveying that while the verbs translate accurately into the English past tense, in the Greek they are actually in a rare tense called "historical present tense." T...
I love dogs. Someone doesn’t have to spend much time around me to realize that not only am I a dog person as opposed to a cat person, but I simply enjoy being around dogs. I’ve appreciated just about every dog I’ve ever met. I prefer big, furry hunting dogs, but little dogs are amusing to me also. A few years ago, I had a 50 lb coonhound/terrier cross named Ed. He looked quite a bit like a skinny Labrador retriever, but relates to people completely differently. I found this out when I was training him as a puppy. See, Ed proved to be difficult...
Some time ago, the New Rockford Evangelical Free Church was working its way through the gospel of John. Eventually, we arrived at arguably the most famous verse of the Bible: John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 NIV In my experience, this verse is the most memorized and well-known verse of 21st century American Christianity. From camp, to Sunday School, to bible studies, it seems everybody who has ever been in a church has thi...
As a freelance faith columnist and Christian author, I’m honored to have the opportunity to provide thoughts and ideas to relay to others. I’m sure all Bible teachers and pastors feel they are God’s messengers. What I do is nothing more special than how millions of other Christians serve Him, and I humbly acknowledge that most are more talented and effective. God’s people are important pieces of a large puzzle, stones in His wall, and a voice among many who represent the one who created everythi...
I really enjoy writing these sermonettes. I know that may seem odd, especially considering that this September I’ve had to prepare four different lessons each week. Despite how overwhelmed I’ve been, I still enjoy writing these sermonettes, even if no one reads them. This form of teaching allows me a great deal of freedom to spend as much or as little time as I want on ideas and thoughts I have. These short, written lessons work especially well when dealing with a new (to me at least) idea that I’ve found in my Bible studies. This week, I’ve...
Having the opportunity to be engaged in a constant dialogue with Christ is more than just a hope. It can happen just the same as when we sit at our kitchen table and have an enjoyable conversation with a friend. And how is this possible? Because He’s real the same as you and I are real. Remember that old song, “My God is real, for I can feel Him in my soul?” If you believe He has spoken to people before, why can’t He speak to you? God communicates to us in our conscience, by providence, teacher...
Peace and Grace to you from our Heavenly Father. We continue our discussion of the Beatitudes that we began a couple of weeks ago. The Beatitudes can be found in Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. As we mentioned then, they are part of what has become known as Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. They are not a “to-do list” that we need to try to accomplish, but rather they provide a picture of what a Christian life looks like. We also discussed that first week that the order in which Jesus presented them was for a specific reason. They are in a spe...
Have you ever known someone that you admired because of who they were? There is something special and refreshing to witness the light and love of Christ shining brightly in one of His children. I know a sweet lady like this. I will not mention her name because she does not like the attention of anyone telling her how wonderful she is, even though it’s true. She just enjoys working and serving quietly in the background no matter where she is or what she’s involved with. For example, if som...
Peace and Grace to you from our Heavenly Father. We continue our discussion of the Beatitudes that we began last week. The Beatitudes can be found in Chapters 5-7 of the Gospel of Matthew. They are part of what has become known as Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. They are not a “to-do list” that we need to try to accomplish, but rather, they provide a picture of what a Christian life looks like. We covered the first two last week and we will cover the next three this week. Also, we discussed last week that the Beatitudes were not spoken haphazardly....
Peace and Grace to you from our Heavenly Father. Early in Jesus' ministry he gave one of the most profound sermons of all time. It has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount. It is found in Chapters 5-7 of the gospel according to Matthew. Of course, all of Jesus' speeches and sermons deserve our close attention but the Sermon on the Mount usually gets the most attention. It is here that we find the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule. I've talked to some people who were surprised to find out that the Golden Rule is actually bible-based. They...
You are the caretaker of your mind I read a book years ago by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale called, “The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking” and I recommend it as an inspiration and encouragement to your spiritual life. He explains that our mind is constantly bombarded with all types of persuasions and each of us are held accountable to manage them. We have the ability to resist and ignore the negative influences that distract us or we can pray and seek the Lord for a stronger discernment and sensi...
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Wow, here we are, in the month of August already. The kids' summer ball seasons are over. The stores have had back-to-school advertisements for some time now. The college and high school football camps are open for fall practice leading up to the opening of their seasons. But, closer to home, it is the harvest season. Before we know it, the combines will be in the fields and the new crops of barley and wheat will make their way to market or in bins on the farm. Let's not forget the various farmers markets...
Stop for a moment and closely observe this trial you’ve been going through. When you are wounded and perplexed, it seems all you can think about is the pain, but within this raging battle ask yourself (and be honest) if you’re focusing more on the circumstance than on God who has all the answers. Ask and allow Him to heal your heart. This situation will not last forever and after a period of suffering the time will come to crawl back to your knees, stand up, dust yourself off, and try to gle...
So, this week I read a short passage that I had never before realized existed in the Bible. I was reading the parable of the "unmerciful servant" in Matthew 18. Summarized quickly, the story begins with a king summoning a servant who owes the king a ridiculous amount of money. Once in his chambers, the king threatens to jail the servant and his family if he doesn’t pay up. The servant, who could never pay off the debt, pleads for grace, which, surprisingly, the king gives him. The forgiven servant then goes out of the king’s presence, whe...
I’ve been in church all my life and I know people who believe that attending an assembly fulfills the majority of their Christian obligations. Somewhere down through the centuries, the idea of the Ekklesia being a boot camp to train soldiers and a school to teach disciples how to engage in spiritual warfare and develop their ministries became watered down into an easy country club lifestyle of comfort and pride. The word Ekklesia appears in the New Testament 114 times and is often translated a...
