News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 1464
We count the days and then the weeks - though 'lone-ness' feels like years. A picture, dream, or special thought is sure to bring on tears. As parent, child, sibling, or spouse; will we survived this pain? They're gone ahead; they're just 'beyond'! We'll see them once again. Grief and onions - do they compare? Peel one, you'll cry a lot. This time of grief, will we survive? It's not what we've been taught. We're not to panic, hurry, hide; we'll 'peel' - not hold tears in. God...
Out our way, we know that "There ain't a horse that can't be rode, and there ain't a cowboy that can't be throwed." I have ridden with and known a number of folk working livestock and have yet to meet one who hasn't been tossed, stomped, bitten or gored along the way. It is just a reality we all face and accept. Some of us are lucky - I, for example, only have a bad back from hitting the rocks and hard ground a few many times - but others fare far worse. As some of you know, m...
I am a circuit riding pastor ... not on a trustworthy horse but in a well-used, but reliable Toyota Tacoma or Subaru Forester, depending upon the road conditions. Each Sunday, I drive 194 miles to worship with people in my three congregations in rural Montana. I have a lot of "windshield time" driving across the prairies viewing some beautiful Montana scenery. In each season, as I look out upon the land, I see people at work: planting or spraying fields, harvesting wheat,...
You know Lord, there are "rules" everywhere you look, everywhere you go, everything you try to do, there always seems to be rules. On the road, at the border, and at work, there are rules, regulations, forms to be completed and guidelines to follow. Even silly computers try to tell us what we can or cannot do, to what it can or cannot do! Ralph K. shares this passage from Romans 12:9: "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good." Then he adds, "Are...
Luke 16:19-31 Out our way, there are many cattle trails crossing the pastures, but only one large road leading from the upper to lower pasture and back again. One fall, as winter was starting to move in, Charlie and I saddled up to move the herd from the upper summer pasture down to the lower winter pasture. The lower pasture had not been touched since early spring, so the grass was lush and plentiful. The reservoir was full and deep with flowing water, and, best of all,...
The Scripture readings that we are using for this Sunday, Aug. 20, are as follows: First reading - Isaiah 56:1-6 Second reading - Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 Gospel reading - Matthew 15: 21-28 In the First Reading from Isaiah, we read that the prophet is telling the people of God - the chosen people - that God's salvation is going to come for "foreigners who join themselves to the Lord." That His (the Lord's) "house of prayer will be called a house of prayer for all people." I...
You know Lord, camping friends shared about gazing up into a night sky lit with stars - way too many to count. E. K. mentioned seeing a mesmerizing sight, but what had their focus was a paper lantern moving above their heads. How still the night was, hardly any wind to blow the globe as it floated lazily toward the heavens. Along with their friends and the kids; "We all oohed and aahed as the glowing object moved over the tree tops and eventually beyond our vision." Despite...
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Out our way, reasoning with jug-headed cows and mule-headed horses is considered a waste of time. You can train a horse up to point and some are pretty sharp. Ole Doc didn't need much help - except he never could get the hang of his left lead - but, every now and then, he had to be "educated" as to who was boss. Now, there was a time when some - I will presume they were city folks from back East - started making headlines by claiming the wearing of spurs...
(See Habakkuk 2:1-2) It's a vivid picture: A walled city in vast, open countryside. A tower high above from which one can see all around. Is the enemy approaching or is that a band of shepherds? Is that solitary traveler a saint or a spy? The prophet Habakkuk says he is like one who stands watch. Like a guard in the tower, he has issued a challenge to God: He wonders what God will say about corruption, strife and injustice that the prophet has witnessed in the nation of Judah...
You know, Lord, a friend shared a recent time she'd had, saying: "One day I noticed a bird in the street, just sitting there. Odd. Then a young lad showed up, also saw the bird and since I was old and stiff, he suggested that he'd bend down to see about releasing the bird. WE saw that the bird was stuck! The lad gently removed the one little foot that was trapped in a tiny crack, lifted the little foot from the crack; immediately the bird flew away, he was free. "I thanked...
Judges 6:11-13 - "And the angel of the Lord came as Gideon was thrashing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites (who controlled the country and abused the people). And the angel said to Gideon, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!' And Gideon replied, 'If the Lord is with us, why has all this trouble come upon us? Where are all the wonderful deeds our ancestors told us as they spoke of God bringing us out of Egypt?'" Out our way, rodeo is a big sport. While...
Encouragement is much like a stone skipped across the placid waters of a pond, broadcasting ripples from each point of impact. Even after the stone has gently settled into deeper waters the ripples continue to broaden across the glassy veneer, stirring more and more water than what actually came into contact with the stone. That is a picture of how one small act of encouragement can ripple far beyond the original point of contact. Unfortunately, discouragement can have the...
You know, Lord, not every day is easy. ... J.J., from out of town, shared that as she was driving the two-lane highway toward her neighbors, a loud vehicle zoomed up behind her, could have passed, but waited until a vehicle was coming toward them in the left-hand lane, then zoomed by her, nearly hitting her car, nearly running into the one coming. In a moment, that vehicle was behind another car, could have passed, but again, waited until a truck was buzzing toward them in the...
Minutes slip by and so days, but Grief remains so long. A noise is heard; Oh! Are 'they' back? We couldn't be more wrong. Some time ago, a cowboy 'left'; his horse stood by corral gate. Horse waited there - would eat and drink, then died about day eight! A farmer said 'creatures' grieve too, be they birds, bugs, or beasts. We've seen a few, birds and rabbits, they act like they've been 'fleeced' A kitchen noise - we think of Mom! Can almost smell fresh bread! She was a cook -...
'Hallowed be Thy Name' Out our way, the cowboy's hat is special. Notice I was specific here: the cowboy's hat and not simply a cowboy hat. A cowboy hat is something anyone can buy at the store right of the shelf. But a cowboy's hat - one that belongs to a specific cowboy and shows all the wear and tear that the years put on it - is different. It is his/her signature and testimony to all the rain, snow, sun, heat, freezing cold, dust, dirt and being stomped on while on the...
The readings for this coming Sunday, July 30, are as follows: First reading 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12. Second reading Romans 8:28-30 and the Gospel is Matthew 13:44-52. In the reading from 1 Kings, God says to Solomon (in a dream), "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." Solomon, with genuine humility asks for an "understanding heart" so he might better serve God's chosen people. This pleases God greatly and he grants Solomon the gift of Wisdom. God chose to work through...
You know, Lord, while we lounge in or around the front porch or on the deck in our favorite chairs, the gentle breeze stirs the air and the summer sun warms the body. Several folks had gathered together, they mentioned how it was too warm out back when the July temps were really warming things up, one chap reached for his glass to sip some iced tea. Then he heard sounds in the neighborhood, that blended into calming "white noise" that he liked to hear, as did the several frien...
Luke 15:1-7 "Which of you,having one hundred sheep and finding one was missing, would not leave the 99 and search for the one that was lost until it was found, and finding it, returns home rejoicing?" Out our way, the pastures near the Bear Paws are not simply grasslands, but an area marked with steep ridges and deep arroyos. The herds tend to stay together and usually out in the open where the grazing is best - but now and then a few wander off and get lost. The ridges are...
You know, Lord, sometimes when we're busy, it's breathtaking to take a moment to look around, maybe pay attention to what's around us. Only the items on the to-do-list, so off we go. At one intersection, several kids wait to cross the avenue, the car headed north stops, allowing them to cross to avenue. So nice, especially since, once crossed, they turned and waved a "thank you" to the driver, he smiled. Then mountains come into view! Depending on the time of year, sometimes...
Zechariah 2:1-11 - "Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst." Out our way, ranchers often start with one breed of cow in their herd, but over time they may add other breeds and mixes - but they all wear the same brand (and/or same ear tags). Big Mike started with red Angus, but over time he added Charolais and a few mixed breeds as he built up the herd. Charlie and I rode fences and checked the herd...
"Anyone who robs father and mother and says, 'So what's wrong with that?'" is worse than a pirate. [Proverbs 28:24 MSG Bible] Children often have a sense of entitlement ("a help yourself" mentality, if you will) when it comes to their parent's possessions. Now the Bible teaches that children have a unique responsibility to honor their parents (see Exodus 20:12) and even to reciprocate their parents' generosity as Mom and Dad age. As you read the illustration, below, can you...
You know, Lord, a friend shared her silly July calendar page, with chuckles, plus some good thoughts. She mentioned that they, and we, had just missed "Fried Chicken Day." She was surprised to know that sliced bread was first sold in 1928! "Goodness sakes," she said, "Why didn't grandma tell Mama so that we'd know that?" We chuckled. Then her son stepped up and asked, "What else is on that page, besides probably the full moon?" He snickered, grabbed the calendar page and...
"This is the way. Walk in it!" Out our way, the open range is pretty much a thing of the past. Most cattle operations have fenced-in grazing lands and well-worn cattle trails. I can only guess how disappointing the modern realities are to greenhorns who want to see the "old West" Louie L'Amour wrote about. Some of us old timers are equally sad that the old days are gone and regret we never got to live them. Check out "This is the Last Cowboy Song" on Google. I imagine a...
This July Fourth, between good food and glittering fireworks, perhaps a lot of us thought about what we appreciate about our country. One answer came pretty quickly: I am grateful that we are a nation that allows for freedom of religion - not always perfectly, but we try. To me, this freedom is more than just a synagogue sharing a city block with a church. It means that even fellow Christians cannot dictate to me how I am supposed to follow Christ. Given the many expressions...
You know, Lord, we all love happiness. How about a family get-together; sharing some happy moments, that was fun! "Oh, it's delightful to see you here - let's have some 'happy moments,' eh?" Elly laughed. Lady #1: "Well, as old as we are, I'd say that we have a happy marriage, peace and a nice home." The group agreed, the next gal spoke, "I'll tell you about two neighbor girls. I'd never seen twirling, cartwheels, as those two girls did! They're probably in middle school. They...
