News you can use
News you can use
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What’s one of your favorite Bible passages that almost never gets read at church? For me, it’s Song of Songs, better known as Song of Solomon. I know why it’s rarely mentioned in church: on the surface, it is an erotic love poem. There’s a woman and a man in a garden — and things are going down in the garden! In this famous — and infamous — little book, we find lines like 1:2, where the woman says to the man, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is bet...
Matthew 12: 28 'If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you' Out our way, you get to know some strange critters - and sometimes they get to know you. A friend of mine in "Wyo-Braska" (Where the panhandle of Nebraska and the eastern edge of Wyoming meet and blend ) owned the Empire Ranch that lay on both sides of the line. Cecil raised a variety of livestock - he had a small herd of Texas Longhorns, an Angus cow/calf operation, and a...
Several years ago, my family and I went for a vacation in Florida, where we spent time with our youngest son, who is stationed there in the U.S. Navy. While there, I spent a significant amount of time soaking in outside hot tubs. During one of those soaking times, I ended up conversing with two men about my age or older (mid-50s) about the value of U.S.A. citizenship. One man, Ivan, was an immigrant from Cuba; the other man, Pablo, an immigrant from Indonesia. When I asked...
As I am writing this article, my wife, Jan, and I are on retreat with six married couples. The purpose of this retreat is to continue to assist each of the husbands in their continued formation to become ordained Deacons in the Catholic Church. Jan and I are part of the formation team for these couples. This is the third cohort of men that I have had the opportunity to go through the formation process with and I am finding that there is one question that comes up in the mind...
Matthew 15:13-14 - 'Every plant that my Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them - they are blind guides. If a blind person leads them, they will both fall into the pit' Out our way, following the herd is not always a good idea. Out on the Tiger Ridge there are many cattle trails, and as I have noted before, the lead cow sometimes takes the wrong one and the rest of the herd follows. That is why Charlie rode point - not simply to guide but also to...
You know, Lord, just read a bit of praise by an unknown author, stating that we are all important, because we are God's creations and Christ loved us enough to die for us. It reminds readers that You, Lord, know our names and that You hold us fast in Your love. It also stated that when we appreciate the people God make us to be, we don't need the hollow honor the world offers. Oh, Father, thank You for Your unconditional love. It is much more satisfying than any honor any one...
A guy left earth - make his kids sad, they said, "Dad was the best." God gives us jobs, when done, He calls: "Come home, you need a rest. The guy has gone ahead of us, not just left us behind. Although we can't be with him now, he's in our heart and mind. He liked camping, dirt bikes were fun, a hero and great friend. Helping others, he did that, too, that all came to an end. Alone, but never quite alone - we face an empty chair. 'You sure are missed, we love you still - just...
Isaiah 33:6 'The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the LORD is the key for this treasure' Out our way, almost everybody carries a rope on their saddle and some really know how to use it! I know folks who can both throw the hoolihan and score points at the rodeo in regular calf roping. Others, like yours truly, can barely shake out a loop without tripping over the rope. But one thing we all share in...
On Wednesday, September 25th, 2024, at 7:30 a.m., students gathered at the flagpoles of Havre High School, Havre Middle School, and Chinook High/Middle School to enjoy donuts and juice AND spend some time praying for their schools. I had the privilege of bringing the donuts and juice for the Chinook High/Middle School gathering. I arrived at 7:30 a.m. I went into the school office to make sure our presence was known and welcomed by the school administration. We handed out...
You know, Lord, a friend shared something 'sweet', like chocolate. Emmy stopped over the other day, saying that she'd been craving something sweet; then remembered the delicious handmade chocolate bar several of her coworkers had given her for her birthday, last week. She'd only eaten part of it, went to retrieve if from the kitchen table where she'd last seen it. Oh! It wasn't there! She began to look everywhere for it - the refrigerator, countertops, dining room, bedroom, he...
1 Corinthians 15:9-11 "I am the least of the Apostles ..." Out our way, the term "drag" has a meaning that most of the rest of the nation does not understand. Once, the term "drag" tended to be about cars in "drag races" Nowadays, in this pop culture, it tends to refer to men dressed as women marching in parades or going into classrooms to read to little kids. So you can imagine the looks I get when I tell folks I used to ride drag. But as many of you know, when driving a...
You know, Lord, sometimes something we see reminds us of something we heard, long ago; time, place and author, unknown. Seeing deer in the yard brought to mind this story about deer fillings. The author, a retired pastor, couldn't handle retirement so he volunteered at various places, doing various jobs because he knew that Old Folks Saying: "Old preachers never die, they just go out to 'pastor'". He worked an afternoon shift at a retirement center, stating that his wife...
Isaiah 43:1-4 Out our way, horses are not just for pleasure riding but also for working cattle. Now, I bought a beautiful sorrel Paint I named Babe, who was well-trained and smooth as silk under saddle. Unfortunately, she was terrified of cows. I have shared before the incident with the "Will Smith Calf," but let me hit the highlights in case you missed it. I took Babe out with Charlie to work some cows in the hopes of helping her overcome her fears. There was a feeder on a...
It's amazing to consider the vast diversity of life. From the tiniest of microbes to ultra-massive black holes, from single-celled organisms to complex body structures like plants and animals, or even earth's biomes or interstellar gas planets. The variety is enough to blow the mind. Let's consider the mere scale of creation for just a moment. They say over one million earths could fit into the sun. And yet, the sun is just a speck amid the vastness of the Milky Way. But at 10...
You know, Lord, sometimes it's pleasing to read how some folks got together and did things together, some years back. No author was given but the writer mentioned how their family loved going to grandparent's house as grandma's favorite words were: "Take it easy!" Twins were mentioned – no age given, but they told grandma that they were going to learn how to swim: 'It's going to happen Friday!' Well, grandma touched her heart, took a deep breath and said: "Now you two, s...
Two more folks left just recently, no more on earth to roam. One young, one old- their jobs were done; God called to the: "Come Home!" Down here we're weak, but we'll be strong, all in our Savior's Love, Then 'grandma Jill'- she also left to meet family above. It seems like it is leaving time as young and old leave us. Our Cornerstone is Christ alone, we'll fly to Him - no fuss. Won"t it be fun to visit 'kin' when our turn comes to leave? Our 'ancestors' and others too:...
1 Kings 18:21 "If the Lord be God, follow Him, but if Baal, then follow him." Out our way, ranches can cross county and even state lines. Years ago I had friends whose ranch had such an issue. The region of the Nebraska panhandle and eastern Wyoming is called "Wyo-Braska" by the locals and the ranch house sat right on the line. The ranch had to be registered in one state or the other, so the debate was which state had jurisdiction: Wyoming or Nebraska? Eventually the states...
You know, Lord, some friends reminded us that it is harvest time, so, just checking into and investigating some saved papers, it was amazing to come across a page entitled, "Fruit For All Season!" It's just the right time of year when crops have yielded their fruit and vegetables abundantly and steadily throughout the summer. So, just had to stop a moment to remember all about our family growing gardens, way back when, plus the several neighbors and friends who, also this...
[Ruth 4:9-12] The nearest kinsman-redeemer scuttles off, frightened away by the personal costs of restoring Naomi and Ruth to their property and social standing. In contrast, Boaz doesn’t hesitate to purchase Naomi’s land or to marry Ruth. His sacrificial actions fore-shadow Jesus’ behavior as our Redeemer, the one who fully pays the cost for our sins, adopts us into his family and bestows on us eternal security. Are we thankful enough for God’s provision in Christ that we are willing to sacrifice for the redemption of othe...
Exodus 20:3 - 'You shall have no other gods before Me' Out our way, a well-trained cowpony hardly needs the reins, but aside from the circus, I haven't seen many riders who ride without them. Ole Doc was pretty well-trained when I got him and he attended to my leg directions, "clicking" and "kissy" sounds. But even so, I never let go of the reins ... just in case. There were times when he needed to back up or make a hard turn and I needed to use the reins. I never abused...
The Scripture Readings for last Sunday were Joshua 24: 1-2a,15-17,18b also Ephesians 5:21-32 as well as John 6:60-69. The reading from Joshua presents Joshua confronting the Hebrew people with a time of decision. They are to choose which God they are going to worship. They can choose between the God who led them from slavery to the promised land or they can choose to worship other gods. Then Joshua states as for he and his household they will worship the one true God. The...
You know, Lord, several of us girls were together, enjoying our time when Alyson spoke: "My grandmother emigrated from England in the early 1900's with her husband and two little girls. Their home was a simple bungalow. Water came from a cistern, the toilet was at the end of the garden, and the heat was a wood stove." We perked up our ears. Alyson sighed and continued: "The family had little by today's standards. They lived on my grandfather's income as a streetcar conductor...
1 Corinthians 15:52 "In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, the trumpet will sound, the dead shall be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." Out our way, the weather is sometimes rapid in its changes. An "Alberta Clipper" will transform a road that was dry and clear yesterday into a huge snowbank today. Ranchers and farmers and rural folks know these things. But we also know they won't last, that time passes, and, sooner or later, the snow melts. But the wait can...
It's not easy raising kids. Any parent will tell you that. But the rapidly changing times that we live in certainly emphasize, if not compound the issues that parents face in our culture today. Worries have always lurked for any parent that will entertain them – concerns about a child's behavior, the friends they choose, whether they are being bullied in school (or if they are the bully), are they completing their homework (and turning it in), do they stay buckled in the car,...
You know, Lord, Cindy shared how her grandma sometimes grumbled; "Hey! It's Family Reunion Time. I'm ready for some hugs, cake and ice cream." Cindy added: 'Our family would giggle and wonder, Grandma, where were you last month when we have a fun time with a meal and laughter. We didn't say that out loud but, we all thought it, I'm sure.' Ginger commented that Auntie Beth always loved reunion time because she'd be introduced to some young guys who were her niece's boyfriends;...
