Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against p...
We are at the end of another year and it always brings thoughts of starting fresh and having hope for the future. Most of us have watched the ball drop on New Year’s Eve which officially declares, “out with the old and in with the new.” At midnight, people from all over the world will celebrate the turning of the next page of their lives. Over the years, the “time-ball” has undergone several changes in design, and the most recent was created for the Millennial celebration in the year 2000 by W...
This Christmas, “Where are you?” Recall that after the fall of Man, when both Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, this was the same question God posed to them. It is a reminder that God continues to pursue us even if we reject Him. He does allow us, in our folly, to try to live our lives without Him. Either we come to our senses and return back to Him or He pursues us because we have drifted so far away that we need Him to come after us like a stray sheep needing to be found by the Good Shepherd. This is the good news we are...
What does Christmas mean to you? I’ve read articles over the years about how Christmas is a combination of Christian and pagan symbolism along with some folklore traditions and for the most part, this is true. I also realize that most people do not want to hear about such things. Beyond the bah-humbug, I will admit that even though Christmas is not as much fun now as it was when I was a kid or when our children were young, I still enjoy the season. I remember laying under the tree and how I w...
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail Most people have read or at least heard of a man named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). He was a literary giant in his lifetime and is still known today in many circles as “The Children’s Poet” and several schools around our nation are named in his honor. You may remember some of His original works which include, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “The Song Of Hiawatha,” and “Evangeline,” and was the first American to completely translate Dante Alighieri’s Come...
During Advent, as we await the coming of the Messiah anew, it is a worthwhile exercise to reflect on the contrast between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Saint Augustine in one of his sermons does a remarkable job of developing the difference between the voice and the Word. The voice has a temporary nature to it, while the Word is permanent. When one utters with their voice, once the sound ceases the role of the voice is done. However, the Word that was conveyed by the voice is still there. In much the same way, John the Baptist p...
Since before the world was made God has known you and loved you. He has never taken His eyes away or ignored you. If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He has given to you, they would prove He has called you, has been guiding you, and has many wonderful things planned for your future. Do you believe this today? Is your life heading in a direction that you are excited about, or are you downcast? At this time of year, it’s common for many people to be filled with a mixture o...
What event occurred in the Americas that was a key reason for the conversion to Christianity of over 8 million native people in just seven years? What piece of art that shows no signs of human origin is still on display today almost 500 years after its creation? What religious feast day is considered the most important after Christmas and Easter to Hispanic people in the Americas? The answer to all three questions have a connection to Our Lady of Guadalupe. During the 16th century, a native person named Juan Diego, who had converted to Christia...
Where are you in your life as we begin this Advent liturgical season? Does your life resemble more the Three Wise Men seeking the Lord because they recognize that they are lacking something in their lives that only Jesus can fulfill? Or maybe King Herod, who viewed the coming of Christ as such a threat to his comfortable existence that he used all means at his disposal to eliminate Jesus? The key difference is dependent upon whether you seek Jesus as your Savior or as an obstacle in your life. During this time of the year, we are given the oppo...
Thanksgiving Proclamation New York, 3 October 1789 by the President of the United States of America Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God esp...
The opportunity to know God is the greatest invitation that has ever been given in the history of mankind. For those that have a passion to learn about Him and serve Him, we will never be able to tell Him enough how much we love and appreciate His love, grace, and endless mercy. There are supposedly over two billion people on our planet that claim to be associated with the Christian faith and you would think that every person within this family would be united in their love for God and one...
Reading City of God by Saint Augustine, was an important element in my conversion story. In the lengthy book composed of multiple sections, Saint Augustine attempts to answer the question: Why did the Christian Roman Empire fall? In the process, using a Socratic method approach, he painstakingly asks and answers virtually every question that one would have regarding Christianity and what life was like in the Roman Empire. One line of questions that I found fascinating concerned what Roman citizens did for entertainment during the eve...
Genesis 1:26-30; And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon t...
Psalm 127: “Unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build. Unless the LORD guard the city, in vain does the guard keep watch.” Almost 250 years ago, a group of men escaping religious persecution from other lands and wanting to build a better life for themselves and their families set out to form a nation. They were deeply religious and established a set of laws based on the Ten Commandments from the Bible. The nation was not like any other in history. It incorporated political theories that had not been tried before, put for...
As the temperature drops, and harvest wraps up, I start to want to cook again, to sleep a little later, and spend longer evenings inside. It’s also a time to anticipate the very long, very cold months ahead, and think about vacation. Warm vacation. Goodness, I appreciate time away from the normal routines, time to make memories. But the older my kids get, the more I’m noticing that their memories have much more to do with routines, and normalcy, and how they felt in everyday life—the boring stuff. Because let’s think about it: One week of vaca...
Have you ever wondered if God is listening to you? One of His many divine attributes is that He is Omnipresent which means He is everywhere at the same time. His presence constantly permeates the atmosphere whether it be on earth, in heaven, or throughout the universe. This is how He knows everything that happens and every word that is said. He knows every tree that falls in the forest and every thought that has ever been imagined, as well as the motives and intentions of every heart. I enjoy...
In The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15), we have a rich man and the manager who works for the rich man. The manager caught wind that he was getting fired—the rich man (the boss) was not happy. The manager went quickly and slyly, and forgave debts (read: manipulated) of his richest past customers, so he wouldn’t lose quite as much money…to save his own hide. He acted shrewdly, and dishonestly. “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly” Luke 16:8. Commending shrewdness? Commending dishonesty? Another to...
Within the Christian faith, we are taught that every person will someday stand before God and have a discussion about how they lived. A few will argue, give excuses, try to justify, and attempt to present their case before the infinite judge and authority of all things. Many scoff and doubt about not being responsible for the way they live, but for the most part, the majority agrees there is coming a day of judgment. You would think with nearly everyone hearing about being held accountable that...
“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Nope, this isn’t the devil talking. This isn’t clueless disciples, or the haughty Pharisees who promise to bring division and not peace. It’s Jesus himself from Luke 12:51. What happened to “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2)? I thought that was a Jesus thing? Sigh. We just want peace. Peace in our world, peace in our relationships, peace in our own hearts. And we can easily, alarmingly see how division...
I was having a conversation with a good friend the other day, and he was telling me how life is becoming more difficult now that he is in his eighties. When he was young he loved to jog and walk a couple of miles a day, and now he can hardly make it to the kitchen. I’m about twenty years younger, but I can definitely relate to my body and mind going through some changes. I’ve always heard the lack of activity does not do us any favors as it seems the less we do, the less we can do. My mother is...
“Martha, Martha, you are distracted by many things” (Luke 10:41). Oof, if there is a convicting verse in Scripture, for me, this is it. I am distracted. I am distracted by the busy-ness of my schedule, by being a parent, by being a daughter, by making sure everyone around me is well-fed and content, by cleaning up the messes my mistakes cause, etc, etc. Distraction. Dis-traction. Great word: To lose traction. To spin our wheels and make no forward movement. To feel like we’re working and working (and working) to find nothing of value is truly...
I attempt to keep my eyes and ears open to learn about the Holy Spirit and human behavior. In my spiritual journey, the situations I’ve encountered through counseling and teaching have graciously allowed me to see the importance of walking in humility through the awareness of God’s presence. I’m not implying that I’ve arrived at a spiritual plateau where God and I float through the clouds together, but I do believe we can be as close to Him as we desire to be. To be honest, the more I discover a...
This September, we are examining God’s Playbook. We’re looking at the various choices and decisions that God has made preserved in the Bible. Plays God has run, that we would be wise to expect he might run again. When we talk about monumental moments in God’s plan, one of the moments that ought to make the list every time is God freeing his people from Egypt. Israel had grown from 12 brothers into an entire nation; but in the process, they had become slaves of Egypt. Then God sends Moses to perform 10 of the most dramatic miracles in the Bi...
There is much to be desired when it comes to spending time alone. It’s only been in the last few years that the floodgates of voices have been opened to everyone at any time. Yes, we can see there have been written scrolls from thousands of years ago, and books were printed around the year 1200, but this information was not widely circulated. Through the years printing continued to expand and when newspapers became available, the masses were given a new realm that would inspire and inf...
This September, we are examining God’s Playbook. We’re looking at the various choices and decisions that God has made preserved in the Bible. Plays God has run, that we would be wise to expect he might run again. Mark 5:19 might be one of the most disregarded verses in the Bible. Verses 1-18 tells the story of a man who Jesus freed from a particularly destructive demon. I’m sure many of us know the story of the demon who called himself “Legion.” He tortured the poor man until he lived alone in tombs, screaming and cutting himself. That is,...
