Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with a nice elderly lady and she was sharing with me about her health issues and other concerns. Suddenly she stopped and wanted to know if she could ask me a serious question. I said of course, and she proceeded to relay that she felt silly asking me about salvation, especially with her being a church member since she was a child. Her question was, “How can I really know I’m going to heaven?” I do not believe this is anything to be embarrassed about...
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 The book of Proverbs is a book of advice from Solomon, to his son. The son is not named, but presumably Solomon desires for his all of his sons, including Rehoboam who will be king once he is gone, to have the wisdom to lead well. Amongst the many nuggets of wisdom, is this little jewel. Solomon encourages his son to pay attention to who he surrounds himself with. He points to the truth that our personal wisdom is revealed by who we cho...
Those of us who are married have learned the closer we are to our spouse the more sacred and meaningful our love becomes. When we listen, laugh, cry, reveal our most secret thoughts, hopes and concerns, this is an important part of learning to trust and know them. Likewise, this is also how we grow in our personal bond and adoration with our Lord. We come to Christ with as much sincerity as a human can have as we lay our head on his chest and are surrounded in his perfect peace that passes all...
According to current census calculations, the population of our planet is rapidly approaching 8billion people. Along with this massive number, we know there has never been a time in history when this many individuals occupied the earth at the same time, but we can also agree that we have more philosophies, opinions, and worldviews than ever before. This, in turn, brings us to a point in time where our arguments and conflicts have created a more difficult atmosphere to acknowledge what we...
“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” Proverbs 17:27-28 This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible; and I’m being completely serious. Quite often in my life, I have assumed the opposite of this proverb. Being a wise person has always been a goal of mine and as I’ve gotten older, I have sought to speak and to be heard as wise. I have noticed that people who are wise say wis...
I’m sure you will agree that most of us humans have very peculiar and quirky personalities. It’s strange how we are easily influenced and persuaded in certain things, and stubborn as a mule about others. When it comes to admitting we are wrong in our views or that we are heading in the wrong direction, it doesn’t take long for us to reveal our contrary and rebellious attitudes. Most people seldom say it out loud, but are content with the way they believe and hope that everyone will leave them...
I realize that this is giving away my age somewhat, but way back in my youth a rock and roll group by the name of The Rolling Stones came from England to tour the U.S. The “English Invasion,” a phrase eventually coined by the media was just beginning. The Beatles could be honored, or blamed depending on your point of view, for the phenomenon. The “Stones” weren't far behind them. What is hard to believe is the Stones are still touring world-wide after all these years. With the lifestyle they led, one would think they would never have lasted....
Summer is here. For the most part, the crops are in the ground, and a lot is already poking up through the dirt. We have fields of green instead of the various shades of brown, black and gray that we were getting so tired of seeing. Some of the row crops still need to be seeded, but each day we get closer and closer to being done. And we're hoping we will see a little rain soon. The kids are home from school. Backyards, baseball fields, and swimming pools have taken over for the classrooms and gym. A song recorded quite a few years ago by Nat...
Dare I say it? Is spring finally here? It sure looks like it and I am glad as I'm sure most of you are also. Late May and early June seems to pretty much belong to the children. They are going through final tests for the school year. There are concerts and award nights, state contests in various academic endeavours as well as athletic events. There are graduations and often times, accompanying open houses. Not only are there school events, there are also church related events. Sunday schools have their last classes for the season as well as Con...
So, I was watching baseball the other day and I noticed something. Some guys get good pitches to hit, and some never seem to. An exceptional pitcher will never leave a pitch up where a good hitter can hit it hard. However, even the best pitchers make mistakes and average pitchers often ‘leave pitches up,’ where the observant and patient batter can crush into the stands. What this means, is that no batter can predict when or if he’ll get a single good pitch to hit; and yet, his team is depending upon him to do the best he can. If he gets a goo...
Do you remember that old song in vacation Bible School that said, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart?” Well, I do agree that humanity is searching as hard as they can to find contentment and desperately longs to discover peace, but rebellion and the lack of knowledge is preventing them from finding it. What type of knowledge are you talking about? Spiritual understanding and holy wisdom about God and His instructions. In the first part of Hosea 4:6, the Lord declares, “My p...
I have a few antique clocks and for those who are somewhat familiar with these fascinating machines, you also know what a frustration they are to keep running. Recently, I was having problems with a grandfather clock and after a few weeks, I was being exposed for my lack of knowledge and ability when it comes to working on them. I can do some tweaking and occasionally I’m rewarded with a bit of luck but more often than not I turn to an older gentleman who lives in my community and depend on h...
My wife has been reading through the Old Testament lately and she recently got to the various stories concerning David. She’s read the stories many times, but this time something new struck her. What struck her this time were the other people. The Bible, by necessity, stays very focused upon David and the main characters; but on this read through Erin started to wonder about the rest of the characters. Take David and Bathsheba for example. David summons Bathsheba to sleep with her after seeing her bathe on her rooftop. Bathsheba complies, l...
What is the value of your faith? If you could put a price tag on what you believe, what would it say? If you asked your friends and close family how much you valued your faith, what would they say? If you asked your kids, what would they say? Jesus tells this one striking parable about a man traveling off road. This man discovers a treasure in field. So, what does he do? He sells everything he owns: his house, clothing, animals, everything. Then uses his liquidated assets to purchase the field with the treasure, and claim the treasure as his...
It is a well-known fact that leadership is a difficult skill to master. While most of us feel confident that we are in fact ‘good leaders,’ we’d also jump to rattle off a mile-long list of qualities one has to have in order to be considered a good leader; and each of our lists would look different. While it’s difficult to agree on what makes a good leader, it’s clear that few ever master it. Sometimes, however, I wonder if being a good follower is even harder. Recently I was reading in Judges and 1st and 2nd Samuel and I was struck by the po...
I received a letter the other day from a reader who wanted to know more about praying for miracles and how long a person should keep asking. My first response is to ask, “Just how serious are you about receiving your request?” I realize the subject of faith is actually more complex than it seems and one that I have attempted to address in my new book, “Convictions and Considerations” which will be released this summer. There are many people including myself who are seeking and waiting on mira...
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. — Exodus 15:20 God had done some incredible, amazing, mighty deeds to free God’s people from their life of slavery to the Egyptians. And now God had done another mighty deed by opening the Red Sea to the people of Israel— and then entombing Pharaoh’s warriors within it. Freedom was won; a land of promise was ahead. It was an event never to be forgotten. Miriam could not, would not, let the moment go...
There are certain spiritual laws similar to the natural law of gravity that may be difficult to understand yet they are true and important keys to victorious living. The power of words fall under this category and are an excellent addition of knowledge and wisdom to our spiritual life. We can learn that words are much more than simple communication and when spoken in accordance with God’s desires they actually carry the power to motivate, inspire and change circumstances. Even though the name i...
In the tradition to which I belong, a typical Easter greeting might be something like this: “Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!” I think it is wonderful to remind one another of this central, foundational fact upon which Christianity is built, especially on Easter. Jesus Christ is risen and we, too, will be raised from the dead. This is great news! As I reflect on one of the resurrection accounts in the Bible, I’m struck that Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb “early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark” (John...
The cross is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world and rightly so; it represents mankind’s hope for eternal life. Does this sound religiously dogmatic? Maybe so, but how could any sincere Christian give reverence to Holy Week without referring to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Billy Graham is quoted as saying, “God proved his love on the cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the entire world, I love you.” To go a step further, the follo...
Many people believe it’s their mission in life to tell everyone what to do and how to believe and I’m sure there have been times when we have been guilty of something similar. There are situations when we feel that individuals need sound advice and this might be true, but it’s also common to forget that everyone has a right to think and live however they want. Christians do not intend to be insulting, but sometimes their message can be offensive and in rare cases, some end up living in isola...
This past Sunday, we at First Lutheran celebrated Palm Sunday. In our celebration we reenacted the events of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem by having our children lead the procession of palms. As I reflect on the excitement and enthusiasm of our children, I wonder about those pilgrims who entered the holy city with Jesus, shouting their praises and waving their palms. In the gospel we call Luke we read that a “whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had see...
“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19a). The prophet Isaiah proclaimed this message from God to God’s people who were now in exile in Babylon. As exiles, all of their identity, power, and glory has been stripped from them. The Jerusalem temple (the sign of God’s presence for them) is now in ruins. Their hope is barely a flicker. In this time of desperation for God’s people, God wants the people to remember that God has delivered them in the past. “Thus says the Lord, wh...
I cannot imagine a more optimistic and exciting thought than going to heaven and spending an eternity with God. For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, this divine promise is a wellspring of joy which confirms that our trials cannot be compared to the glory that awaits us. We should be inspired to fasten this covenant vow to our bathroom mirror so that every morning we can be reminded of God’s love and rejoice for the opportunity to not only know him in this life, but to w...
These results caught my eye the other day and got me wondering. Once again, Finland has won and the United States has come in a sorry 19th place. Finland is, officially, the happiest country in the world. Denmark is the second happiest. Norway is third, Iceland fourth, and the Netherlands is fifth. Go figure, huh? And these countries are all known for their cold winters and the kind of activities that go with the cold, like ice skating and cross-country skiing. Me, I would have figured that the tropical countries would be the really happy...
