Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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A brand-new year is here and I’m excited to see what the Lord has for us! Keeping Christ at the center of our thoughts takes a great deal of discipline and determination, but so does everything else we really care about. It comes down to how serious we are about knowing God and how willing we are to give him total control of our life. Whatever we become involved with, he simply wants us to listen and obey his instructions which is the reason we are here. If we abide under the shadow of his w...
And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. Luke 2:18 Among the people (and animals) in the Nativity, shepherds may be the most surprising. In first century Palestine, shepherds were weird. They stunk of barn animals, they worked from sunup to sundown, always on call if a sheep should get separated from the pack. They were not Jewish insiders. But an angel of the Lord appeared to them. There aren’t many people who’ve had an angel show up, this clearly, and this well-documented. Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, yes. And to the...
Christ is called Emanuel, which means, “God is with us” and we are so grateful that he came to save us. Yes, we enjoy the nativity and he was once a baby, but he’s not a baby today. He was born, lived, and was willing to be crucified because he loved us more than anything in the world. Whatever you are going through today, be encouraged to know that God wants to be with you and is more than able to take care of you. He is El Shaddai, God Almighty, The All Sufficient One! Here are seven attri...
I am in my final year at NDSU majoring in English with a psychology minor. Going into college I struggled with anxiety, and feeling the pressure to decide on a major, which felt like a life altering decision, didn’t help. But as I began to know God more, he freed me from my anxiety and taught me to trust him more and more. He placed me in a community of people who loved and accepted me. Honestly, this community is one of the reasons I am still in college today. Even after I took a semester off during my freshman year, they welcomed me back i...
The holidays are known for the joy, laughter, and happiness which surrounds them. Between the Christmas lights, gift giving and receiving, and the Hallmark movies, it seems like the holidays should look like they do in the movies. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. This time can be stressful and very hard for some. It is not always a time of joy and happiness, but rather stress, despair and sadness. Thinking back on previous Christmas seasons, I am reminded of my family’s first Christmas here in New Rockford. I was in kindergarten, and...
Evangelical Free Church Pastor Joe Greiner • Dec. 24 at 5:30 p.m. First Congregational Pastor Mindy Meier • Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. First Lutheran Church Pastor Doug Nemitz • Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. • Dec. 25 at 10 a.m. Kvernes Lutheran Church Pastor Rick Loewen • Dec. 24 at 6 p.m. New Life Fellowship Pastor Jeff Kapelle • Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. St. Peter & Paul Catholic Father Reese Weber • Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. St. John's Catholic Father Reese Weber • Dec. 24, Midnight Mass • Dec. 25 at 10:30 a.m. Sheyen...
Are you hoping the Christmas season never ends? Ready to relax and take some time to celebrate the season? If you answered “Yes,” please join us for the 48th Annual Nights of Christmas with Metigoshe Ministries on Dec. 27- 29 beginning at 7 p.m. each evening at the Lakeside Christian Center. It is a place where the “treetops glisten” and “all is merry and bright!” Again this year, the returning summer staff of Camp Metigoshe will be joined by special guests for a combined Christmas program of music, laughter and worship, highlighted...
The last couple of articles I've written for our monthly parish newsletter talked about change. Oh yes, that ugly word change. It seems that the older we get, the more set in our ways we become and change becomes more difficult. But when we think about it, the world for all of us began with change and will end with change. What must a newborn child think or experience when he or she sees light for the first time and takes that first breath? They find themselves no longer in the womb being n...
I’m sure that most of us have dreamed about accomplishing something but discovered that our goal was not going to be easy. Some individuals, maybe yourself, became so determined to succeed that nothing could prevent them from achieving their vision. So, what causes a person to be so passionate and excited about what they love and where do we find this ability to focus and the internal drive to persevere even in the face of incredible resistance and seemingly impossible challenges? Can anyone d...
The minor prophet, Habakkuk, spoke the word of God to the people of Israel in the midst of them being captured, massacred and pillaged. The powerful Babylonians, lead by viscous King Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple, and taken the people of Israel into captivity. Back into slavery, where they’d be for 70 years. How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? (Habakkuk 1:2) Habakkuk’s cry is the cry of every human heart. We see the violence around us: mass shootin...
Growing older is like a train rolling down the track, and no matter how many botox injections, vitamins, or hair plugs, we cannot stop the reality of our mortality. There is nothing wrong with trying to look young and we agree that dieting and exercise would surely be a healthy and positive lifestyle but the hourglass only contains so much sand. As the days keep ticking away, we are reminded to not put off until tomorrow what we can do today because we are not sure how many tomorrows we will...
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?” — 1 Thessalonians 3:9 It seems that our society is becoming more and more individualistic. And, as a result, we often neglect the power of the faith of the larger body of Christ in the world to affect our lives. In this letter, Paul was writing to the Thessalonians in a time in which he himself was enduring considerable persecution and suffering (see 1 Thessalonians 3:4, 7). Timothy had just returned with a report that the Thess...
In my tradition, we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Church year, on Nov. 25 this year. The assigned New Testament reading is from Revelation 1:4b-8. In that passage I read, “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5b-6). I think we, in the United States, are at a disadvantage in attempting to understand this passage. We don’t know much about kings, except that we don’t...
Imagine if you were the creator of the earth with all of its breathtaking beauty and gave each living creature the gift of life. For every human, you provided a book of your promises which gives a detailed description of how they are to live. And then, you sent your only son to sacrifice his life and raised him from the dead to redeem the souls of all who would believe. Your invitation to deliver those who would believe from the bondage of sin and welcome them to live with you in heaven forever...
As I was reflecting on Mark 13:1-8, the assigned gospel reading for Sunday, Nov. 18, I began to wonder: Is Jesus a pessimist or an optimist? I think this text reveals a significant difference in how Christ looks at things compared to how we see them. The one disciple, who was struck by the beauty of the temple buildings, could very well represent each one of us. In our human condition, we are so easily caught up in beautiful things that won’t last. Maybe the disciples wondered if Jesus had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed when he said, ...
As I read Mark 12:38-44, the assigned gospel reading for Sunday, Nov. 11, I find it interesting that in the midst of all those who are making their offering at the temple, Jesus took notice of a widow who had obviously fallen on hard times. All that she had was only two measly, tiny coins and she gave them as her offering. Jesus said that she gave her very life. Wow! Note that Jesus did not condemn those who gave far more in monetary worth as they gave their offerings but only noted the relative impact of the offerings. Those who had much,...
I have thought about why many Christians including myself often struggle in a lukewarm state of mind much more than we should. There are several reasons, but none can be considered justifiable excuses. I have regular conversations with my close friends about the spiritual life and one thing we all share in common is how difficult it is to stay motivated with our prayer life while maintaining our enthusiasm to resist temptation. I realize everyone’s schedule is filled with distractions and we are busy just trying to keep up with everything we n...
Jesus said, “Humanly speaking it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God” (Mark 10:27). The apostle Paul echoed much the same message when he wrote, “For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Hmm . . . A story is told about two young men who grew up in a congregation on the Hoopa Reservation in northern California. Both of these young men were raised by single parents, one by his mother, and the other by his father. Both families were actively involved in this congregation. Gerald...
Do you ever feel like you are not enough? Sometimes we think things like: I am not enough. I am not patient enough. I am not there enough for my friends. I am not enough for my spouse. I feel like I do not do enough. I am not a good enough parent. I am too much of all the wrong things, and not enough of the right things. I am not a good enough Christian, I could be praying more, reading more and going to church more. These feelings of “not enough” are so paralyzing.They come from a variety of places: Self-condemnation, lies from the enemy, comp...
New Rockford area youth groups came together again this fall in their annual service project of raking leaves for local residents. On Oct. 17, Pastor Joe Greiner of the Evangelical Free Church and members of St. John's Catholic Church joined the youth for a beautiful evening of dedicated work. There were 30 to 35 youth who participated in the project. The youth groups have enjoyed working together on this service project the past couple years. They concluded the evening with fellowship, hot...
It seems like yesterday that my son and daughter-in-law announced they were going to have a baby, and today I am declaring to the world what a wonderful miracle has happened. The joy of this news was beyond words and the anticipation grew every week until our grandson finally entered the world. I remember seeing him for the first time and must admit, this little man has absolutely captured my heart. He’s not even six weeks old yet, and I am thinking about him all the time. We love to buy him t...
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14). In this verse Jesus was talking to his followers. He wanted them to understand they were to be salt and light to the world around them. Said in another way, because they existed, the world should have some flavor and things should be much brighter. I believe this is true for all followers of Chris...
As we are noticing in our ever-changing world, when one person is offended over something, the new social acceptance solution is to stop what we are planning and allow that individual to change or prevent the desires of many. It now appears that new rules of order are being established with the supposed intention of not offending anyone. I understand the idea to try and accommodate everyone with whatever they believe but since we are trending toward a puzzling destination, I’m troubled that our...
Have you ever walked away from a conversation with someone and thought, “Wow, that was a great conversation”? Thinking back on that conversation, it was probably a good conversation because they listened and you had the opportunity to express what was really on your heart. When we have the opportunity to truly express what’s on our hearts and minds— we feel valued! In James 1:19-20 it reads, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about...
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians with the hope of offering wisdom and clarity between the Christian Jews and the Christian Gentiles. This was no small issue to the early church; therefore, Paul used aggressive language to address the racial hostility with the hope of restoring unity between these two groups. Paul knew that the issue had to be addressed because fractions tends to spr...
