Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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To be honest, I do not like politics, but at the same time I believe it’s my duty and opportunity to vote not the way a party says, but according to what God says. My thoughts about elections, especially presidential, is that it’s not one person governing the country. A president is a front person with thousands of power players in the background putting out fires and avoiding problems. The corrupt deals, kickbacks and cover-ups that include lobbyists are filled with compromises and broken pro...
Last Sunday, I was asked to bring the morning sermon for a wonderful church in the country called Mt. Lebanon Methodist. I had a dream recently about delivering a message and when I awoke, I went I into my office and asked God to please not let it dissipate before I could write down as much of it as I could remember. Dreams are like the morning fog that fades when the sun comes out. I was noticeably rattled and was typing feverishly. How many know when God gives you a word it’s not a s...
As a freelance faith columnist and Christian author, I’m honored to have the opportunity to provide thoughts and ideas to relay to others. I’m sure all Bible teachers and pastors feel they are God’s messengers. What I do is nothing more special than how millions of other Christians serve Him, and I humbly acknowledge that most are more talented and effective. God’s people are important pieces of a large puzzle, stones in His wall, and a voice among many who represent the one who created everythi...
Having the opportunity to be engaged in a constant dialogue with Christ is more than just a hope. It can happen just the same as when we sit at our kitchen table and have an enjoyable conversation with a friend. And how is this possible? Because He’s real the same as you and I are real. Remember that old song, “My God is real, for I can feel Him in my soul?” If you believe He has spoken to people before, why can’t He speak to you? God communicates to us in our conscience, by providence, teacher...
Have you ever known someone that you admired because of who they were? There is something special and refreshing to witness the light and love of Christ shining brightly in one of His children. I know a sweet lady like this. I will not mention her name because she does not like the attention of anyone telling her how wonderful she is, even though it’s true. She just enjoys working and serving quietly in the background no matter where she is or what she’s involved with. For example, if som...
You are the caretaker of your mind I read a book years ago by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale called, “The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking” and I recommend it as an inspiration and encouragement to your spiritual life. He explains that our mind is constantly bombarded with all types of persuasions and each of us are held accountable to manage them. We have the ability to resist and ignore the negative influences that distract us or we can pray and seek the Lord for a stronger discernment and sensi...
Stop for a moment and closely observe this trial you’ve been going through. When you are wounded and perplexed, it seems all you can think about is the pain, but within this raging battle ask yourself (and be honest) if you’re focusing more on the circumstance than on God who has all the answers. Ask and allow Him to heal your heart. This situation will not last forever and after a period of suffering the time will come to crawl back to your knees, stand up, dust yourself off, and try to gle...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Do you believe there is such a thing as good and evil, God and Satan? When something good happens do you thank God because you believe He blessed you? What about when something bad happens? In Jeremiah 29:11 the God of the Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Looking at this carefully, we notice that our life was mapped out before we were born, and our creator had every intention to...
How often do you hear it's not what happens to us, but how we respond? We know we will face trials in this life, so it only makes sense to prepare how we are going to react when they arrive. The way we perceive develops our thoughts and views, but what if our thoughts are wrong? The most important factor to prevent our emotions from controlling us is to realize we decide what we think about. When we bow down to our feelings they become our master. The Bible demands for our mind to be renewed...
Since you were conceived God has wanted your attention. He has never neglected or ignored you. If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He has given over the years, they would prove He has been guiding and helping you all along. How could any of us even consider we were created by chance? The truth is that God specifically called you and has many wonderful things planned for your future. You are His masterpiece. I’ve noticed in my life, that even though I know these things a...
Our regular readers know this column is about the Christian life, but you certainly do not need to be a Christian or even a religious person to at least consider the content as thought-provoking. Everyone has their own philosophies and interpretations about spiritual topics, and this is understandable since we all have a choice to believe whatever we want. Only God knows everything and He is perfect in all His ways. I will add that no theologian or Bible scholar is correct about every doctrine...
We talked about taking a stand for Christ last week, but being a Christian is also a walk which in the light of scripture refers to conduct. Ephesians the second chapter mentions how we once walked with the world fulfilling the lust of our flesh, and Romans the sixth chapter talks about how once we are transformed by His saving power we now walk in a new spiritually transformed identity. While these passages help explain our salvation experience, what about how we are to walk after we are saved?...
I hope everyone is having blessed holidays with family and friends. Spending time with those you love is much more meaningful than all the customs and traditions. The same is true with our spiritual lives, as it comes down to our personal relationship with God and the peace and joy we have living in His presence. I’ve spoken with several people over the last few weeks who have no family and spend holidays alone. However, they rejoice in the hope that comes from knowing God and trusting Him in e...
Last week we talked about how common it is for many Christians to talk about how they love, worship and serve God, but could some of this be their imagination? Maybe a misunderstanding or could it be a deception? There are sobering Bible passages that talk about our works on earth and our heavenly rewards such as Matthew 7:21-23. “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I wil...
The sin of Achan found in Joshua 6:17-19 is a powerful example of how one person committing evil in private can negatively affect their family, church congregation or place of employment. “Now brother, what people do is their own business and it has nothing to do with me. If people want to cheat others, or lie, curse and steal, or watch porn, what’s that to me?” I can tell you what God’s word says about it. Being dedicated to others through the bond of our word, and especially if we are a spirit...
Most of us have heard the 1969 song, “More Today than Yesterday” by the band Spiral Staircase. The chorus says, “I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.” I had not heard it for a while, but I’m sensitive to music and often a song will trigger my emotions and then I start asking the Lord about what is the hidden message within the music. It’s a catchy tune that has a happy bounce to it, much like what someone feels when they are in love. However, despite this song being...
We just celebrated Veterans Day and we are so thankful for being able to live in a country where we are not being held under the terror of a dictator. Our son is a Marine and we have always been very proud of him. He was injured in the service and has suffered every day since, but he keeps pressing forward and does the best he can. My family has personally suffered loss from war and has a deep appreciation for the sacrifice these men and women have made to protect our country. My uncle, Kenny...
I’ve watched Kentucky basketball since I was a kid and I admit that sometimes I do get a little carried away. I was reading an article a few years ago and was intrigued by a comment from the father of one of the players, who by the way was a top 10 NBA draft pick. He was asked about the first time he recognized that his son was going to be a special player, and he explained that it had a lot to do with the way he held the ball even at an early age. He went on to say his son’s body language rev...
Recently, I spoke about a wonderful man who is a member of our church, and if you recall he just turned 95 years young. His name is Charlie and since then I’ve had the privilege to spend some time with him. I listened intently as he shared his amazing testimony about what has been going on with him for the last couple of years. He said throughout his life he had been a person of few words, a quiet person who just minded his own business and kept his thoughts to himself. He believed his l...
I dedicate much of my writing to providing positive and encouraging words of hope and inspiration, but I also must be truthful, we are growing older. I apologize for reminding us about that, but instead of all the negative attributes of aging, we should embrace it more like we are a fine wine that is becoming more delightful and appreciated. Those of us who are noticing a few gray hairs and aching joints, relax and count your blessings. It is God that has allowed you and I to be at this place...
The other day I was speaking with a person I’ve known most of my life, and he asked me if I could go back in time and live my life again, what would change. You would think this would be a question from someone who has maybe suffered and now contemplates how much better life would have been if different decisions had been made. However, this person has been very blessed with a nice family, decent health and more wealth than they will ever be able to spend. It’s true that many people are jus...
