Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” Psalms 62:5-8 NIV “Be still.” That is what the Lord has been telling me the last few days. The last week and a half has been a whirlwind. I’ve been traveling and going constantly, I’ve barely had a moment to sit down. I was driving back home,...
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...
Although postponed for almost a full year, it is with jubilation that First Lutheran Church’s 100th anniversary festivities will finally take place this fall. On Sunday, October 18, 2020, Pastor Amy Kippen conducted a special service to acknowledge the church’s milestone anniversary, but due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, the main celebration to commemorate the many years of ministry has been scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 2021. The delayed date will not diminish the reverence or excitement for this important tribute. Eastern North...
Wednesday nights this summer, join First Lutheran Church in New Rockford for worship, fellowship and fun. S'more Worship services will be held Wednesday, July 14 & 21, and August 4 & 18 at 6 p.m. at the Hirchert home, next door to the church. Bring a lawn chair and your whole family for a casual evening worship featuring music, scripture and uplifting words from Pastor Amy Kippen. Then stay for the s'mores bar and fellowship!...
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This verse has been my motto this summer. I work full time with a campus ministry. Though I LOVE what I do, at the end of the school year, I was tired, and had a tendency to just go through the motions. When summer hit, the Lord got my attention and highlighted this verse. He spoke to my...
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...
For the past eight weeks, I have shared with you all about a nightly faith practice called FAITH5. I’ve invited you each week to “Huddle Up in Faith” with your family to share these five simple steps: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign of the cross I’ve tried to make the case that investing just a few minutes each night to connect with your family and with God, will reap benefits in the present an...
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit and it only takes just a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign o...
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual which helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit, and it only takes just a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign...
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit and it only takes just a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign o...
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit and it only takes just a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign o...
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared about a simple 5-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit and it only takes just a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs and lows 2. READ a Bible verse or story 3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows 4. PRAY together 5. BLESS one another with the sign o...
I notice, when talking with certain people about Christian living, it’s common for them to lose eye contact as they start searching for a way to change the subject. Actually, this is perfectly understandable. Why? Because if someone, even if they are somewhat religious, has never given their heart to Jesus Christ or made the commitment to follow him, they feel uncomfortable thinking and talking about it. Our natural mind and the Spirit of the Lord are like oil and water, as the old nature wants...
This is the third article in an eight-week series by Rev. Amy Kippen, First Lutheran Church Over the past two weeks, I’ve shared about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. If you missed these last weeks, no worries. Let me catch you up. FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that benefit, and it only takes just a few minutes. Each night at bedtime, families “Huddle Up” to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle: 1. SHARE your highs a...
This is the second article in an eight-week series by Rev. Amy Kippen, First Lutheran Church Last week, I shared with you a simple, five-step, nightly faith practice called FAITH5. If you missed last week, no worries. Let me catch you up! FAITH5 is a nightly ritual that helps families grow closer to one another and to God, one night at a time. All that, and it takes only a few minutes! Each night at bedtime, families "Huddle Up" to check in. Here are the five steps of the FAITH5 Home Huddle:...
Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These verses from Deuteronomy have been a guiding Scripture for my ministry with children youth, and their parents over the past two decades. It names the importance of parents in the faith formation...
Identity. It’s one of major topics of conversation in our world. We debate who can define our identity. We debate the different kinds of identity. We debate how others are supposed to respond to our identity. Who’s male and who’s female? Do I get to determine for myself, or is there an absolute measure? If I can define for myself, at which age am I mature enough to draw that conclusion? What race am I? Can I choose which ones define me and which ones don’t? What about babies in utero/fetuses? Are they human? Who gets to decide that? All of thes...
The book of Daniel begins with a peculiar story. The best young men of Israel, who had been forcibly taken from their homes, are in Babylon when an edict comes to them. They are to be raised and educated in the palace with the best that Babylon has to offer for three years. At the end of those three years, they are to be tested, and the best of them will join the royal court. Among them is Daniel and his friends. The sticking point of the story comes in when the young men are to be fed. See, the officers of Babylon wanted to feed the young men...
I was watching a movie the other day based around World War I. In it, the main character was blinded for a few weeks after a passing exposure to mustard gas. This explained why, in the apex moment of the movie, the character had to be guided by his comrades. As I watched the movie, I was struck, thinking about everything he couldn’t see. As the blind soldier was guided forward, he could feel what was around him with his hands, but he had no idea how many soldiers were around him, or what the buildings looked like, or if anyone was sneaking u...
As of April, I am 15 months, and 26 months, removed from surgery on my right kidney. Long story short, the plumbing out of my kidney was kinked, and my right kidney was filling, but not draining. To have the issue resolved, I needed specialized robotic surgery at Mayo. Specialized surgery which failed the first time and had to be redone. God willing, in May, I’ll get another positive post-op. It’s been a stressful journey, and I really hope I’m done learning about kidneys from the nation’s top nephrologists (kidney doctors), but it got me thin...
Think for a minute about your answer to this question – What is the most shameful thing you’ve done? This week I want to revisit a passage I recently studied in my time with the Lord. After spending some significant time in the Old Testament, I realized I had some questions about Jesus that I needed to be answered. This prompted me to study the book of John. Below is somewhat of a long excerpt, but I think every verse is worth the read. Let’s dive into one of Jesus’ first recorded miracles, John 2:1-12. “On the third day a wedding took plac...
How many times in the last week would you say you were completely content? I know my answer isn’t what I’d like it to be. These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for me. Having graduated in December, I recently accepted a job out of state, and am two days away from moving (as I’m writing this). All the goodbyes, packing, working out the details, financial planning, etc., have made it easy to get pretty stressed out. This is because I’m not someone who does well with change. It usually takes a while to get adjusted and settled into th...
The spiritual difficulties I’ve gone through have usually come in waves of struggle. Something like this: getting better—same struggle—getting better, etc. I usually don’t talk about it until I have it all sorted out, and feel like I understand exactly what is happening. I’m still learning my walk with God doesn’t have to look perfect. So today, I wanted to chat a little about struggle, failure, and accepting God’s grace. First, I think it’s important to note that no matter who you are, following Jesus comes with hardships. Yes, you have a...
Kids these days, they’re so entitled. What a classic line from parents. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’ve even said this, which is funny—because recently I’ve been hit with the conviction that I’m entitled. I live like I have the right to certain comforts. Having recently graduated, I feel like I have the right to a well-paying job, a nice place to live, even to own horses again someday. Are these things I should feel entitled to? Let’s look at Philippians 2:3-8. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others...
