Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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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...
Sometimes life is hard. Last week we took a look at Jeremiah 15. In that passage, Jeremiah complains at God for how difficult his life was due to following God’s calling upon him. However, the book of Jeremiah isn’t entirely about Jeremiah. Jeremiah may have delivered the messages, but his messages endure today due to his scribe, Baruch. Baruch is very quiet through the 52 chapters of Jeremiah, but in Chapter 45, he vents his frustration at God. Just as Jeremiah was rejected by his people, Baruch was as well. He was hated by his friends and...
On Sept. 25, 2000, two years after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 19-year-old Kevin Hines in a state of chaos and despair, attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. He fell more than 220 feet to the freezing dark waters of the Pacific Ocean, slamming into it at 75 miles per hour. The fall took only 4 seconds, and no one was more surprised that he had survived than Kevin himself. You see, the bridge was completed in 1937 and since that time nearly 2,000 people are...
Sometimes, life is hard. Part I of II Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes, life is really really hard. Somedays it’s hard to get out of bed, hard to have joy, hard to have any confidence that the life you’re living is the life God wants you to live. You wake up in the morning, and if you had one wish, it would be to start clean somewhere different. In these times, there are many passages that can give comfort. Famous passages like Psalms, Jesus in Gethsemane or Job. But this week and next week, I want to look instead at Jeremiah, and God’s respo...
Be encouraged! God will take care of you It’s reassuring to know that as a child of God, you are not alone in this world. Our gracious heavenly Father has promised that He is aware and interested in even the tiniest occurrences in your life and has promised to be with you always. Does this mean you will never have struggles and problems? Of course not, but knowing we are secure in the palm of His hand definitely gives us hope and faith. Matthew Chapter 6 reveals that He knows what we need b...
Recently, as part of my study at the New Rockford E-Free Church, I took a look at James 2. For those who aren’t familiar with James, this is the chapter where he talks about faith and actions. James’ basic argument is that if a Christian truly has faith in Jesus, it will be obvious in the way they act. It is impossible for a Christian to have saving faith, and not have it be obvious in the way they act. To show this, James makes three arguments to back this up. First, James points out the obvious fact that if we have faith, but don’t actua...
This week we wrap up our review of the Gospels with a brief overview of the Gospel accorded to John. John is a Gospel somewhat apart from the other three. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the “Synoptic Gospels.” Despite their individual emphasis, they tell of many of the same events and stories about Jesus' life and ministry. Much of John's Gospel is unique to John, not found in the other three. While the other three spend a lot of time on Jesus' ministry in Galilee, John spends very little time there. His concentration is on Jes...
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ. This week we continue our survey of the first four books of the New Testament, the Gospels. Having covered Matthew and Mark, we move onto Luke. Luke is the longest and most comprehensive of the Gospels. It is possible Luke was a Jew but most likely he was a Gentile. This would make him the only Gentile author in our New Testament. He was a physician. He traveled with the apostle Paul for much of his journeys and Paul referred to Luke as “the beloved physician." Luke has also been regarded as a noted h...
One of the more popular verses about blessings in the New Testament is John 10:10. We notice Christ is speaking: “The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But, I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” This statement is a wonderful promise of confidence, as it generally describes how the devil is evil and is trying to destroy us, and that God is always good and desires for us to be victorious representatives of His glorious kingdom. You would thi...
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ. A quick review in case you were unable to read last week's Sermonette. I've changed my style of writing these messages somewhat for this series and will be presenting a review of the four Gospels in our New Testament. Last week we discussed Matthew's Gospel. We talked about that Matthew's intended audience was mainly the Jewish people. His main focus was to assure them that Christ was indeed one of them. Matthew points out that Jesus was born into a Jewish family and raised in accordance with Jewish...
Usually my writings for these Sermonette articles are on the informal side. I try to take everyday-type experiences and tie them into our faith and responsibilities as Christian people. I'm changing things up a bit for this series and will be discussing the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If it plays out the way I'm thinking it may seem more like a Bible study series than what you are used to reading from me. If you decide that you don't like this path, just let me know and I'll go back to my previous type of articles. I should note here...
June is a month of change. Colleges and high schools have had their graduations. The college graduates are no longer students. They are either already in or are seeking a place in the work force. High school graduates are approaching adulthood wondering what the future holds in store for them. Will they be seeking full-time jobs or perhaps a summertime job until fall? Will they be going on to college or military service? Maybe just staying at home or working on the home farm until they make up their minds is their plan. For other students and...
A couple of months ago, I was working through Esther for Sunday School when I discovered an extremely powerful verse I didn’t know existed. The passage occurs at the most important point of the entire story. Esther, a Jewish woman, has risen to be the brand new queen of Persia, and her uncle/adopted father Mordecai has discovered a plot to wipe out all the Jews in the Persian empire. He comes to her and begs that she intercede on behalf of her people. Esther is, unsurprisingly, hesitant. The previous queen was disposed of for merely d...
On Sunday, May 19, the people of First Lutheran Church celebrated with 13 young people as they confirmed their faith in Jesus and said "yes" to the God who said "yes" to them in Holy Baptism. This milestone day was the culmination of three years of learning, service and Christian fellowship through the church's LiFT! Confirmation Program. Areas of study included Martin Luther and the Reformation, the Apostle Paul and the early church, Lutheran theology, and a deep dive into the teachings and...
At church and among fellow church people, there are a lot of discussion circles around what our favorite books of the Bible are. What books of the Bible do we find easy and fulfilling to read or have spoken to us? We like to compare and contrast our favorite list with other Christians, and see what other people think. Along with this, however, many of us avid Bible readers have a list of our least favorite books of the Bible. These are the books that we don’t like to read, and we don’t get excited about when the pastor chooses to preach fro...
You might find this strange, but I don’t have a favorite passage of scripture. I know this is kind of odd, especially coming from a pastor, but my favorite parts of the Bible aren’t specific verses; rather I enjoy a certain type of passage. Instead of having favorite memory verses, I particularly enjoy any passage of scripture where a human has a discussion with God. Adam and Eve, Moses, Job, the entire book of Habakkuk, and even when Jesus debates with the Jews. I find so much depth and truth reading examples where man has shaken his fist at...
Check out this gem of a verse I noticed the other day. In his 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul warns Timothy of how people will be in the last days. There’s a lot to this verse, but focus on the penultimate phrase in the list. "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance o...
As we move through spring and turn our gaze toward summer, we are reminded of the profound connection between these seasons of renewal and the central event of our faith – the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the midst of blooming flowers, lengthening days and the promise of new beginnings, we find echoes of the eternal hope that springs forth from Christ's triumph over sin and death. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fall...
What is the definition of a parable? Well, if you google this question you get several thousand answers. For the purpose of this article, let’s define a parable this way: A parable is a story told by Jesus that draws us into it and communicates something important that connects to our own lives. Telling parables was Jesus’ favorite way to teach his disciples. Was it the most direct form of communication? Not really, but maybe that was the point. Parables invite us to wrestle and wonder and seek God’s wisdom as we enter the story. Jesus tells...
There is much for Americans to be fearful about these days; economic concerns, gun violence, the threat of terrorism, global pandemics, loss of faith in our government, the growing negative impact of AI and worldwide armed conflict to name a few. Some blame the media for overstating the danger we are in. Some blame the government and politicians. And some don’t feel the need to blame anyone because they believe all the fear is unwarranted. Wherever one falls on the spectrum of belief and blame, it is safe to say that we indeed are living in a...
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven...
I have a good pastor friend named Scott who recently taught me about someone named Archimedes. Now some of you might know of Archimedes, but I had not. Well, maybe I had heard his name in seventh grade, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of him since then! Scott taught me that he is the most famous of the Ancient Greek mathematicians, and that he famously said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” More info I just learned: A lever is one of the 6 types of simple machines – those machines...
This is a continuation of Block 3 of St. John's Cemetery. This part includes the final five of the 12 unmarked graves in Block 3 – Joe Burke, Thomas Georges, Mrs. John Pottner, Martin C. Connelly and Martin J. Connelly. Joe Burke: Joe Burke was born Aug. 24, 1863 in Hastings, Minn. to parents Thomas and Bridget Burke. In the 1910 census, Joe was a single man living in Eddy Township, Eddy County, N.D., being a hired man for Andreas Odegard and his wife Mabel. In the 1930 census, Joe was in the village of Minnewaukan, N.D. at the Benson County j...
Jesus said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30 Now, if this is where our story stopped, we would not be living as people of the resurrection. We would be stunted at the crossroads, having no clue where to go and what to do. We would not know who we are or where we were going. But thanks be to God, that is not where our story ends, that is just the beginning. God does something miraculous through Jesus Christ, so we are able to shout with joy-filled hearts on Easter Sunday, "CHRIST IS RISEN!" He is no...
As we approach the beginning of Holy Week, our hearts are filled with anticipation and reverence for the profound journey that lies ahead. Palm Sunday marks the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a moment of celebration and jubilation for the people gathered there. Yet, woven within the palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna!" lies a deeper significance – a reminder of the paradoxical nature of Jesus' mission and our own call to remain humble in the midst of our complicated world. As we wave our palm branches and join in the chorus of p...
