Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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"Happy are the people who are in such a state [of blessing] as this! Happy are the people whose God is the Lord." Psalm 144:15 is King David's joyous and thankful praise to God for bringing him through years of persecution and years of war into a time of kingdom peace. Throughout First and Second Samuel, we see the phrase "it happened that..." In the Hebrew, this phrase boils down to 'at the appointed time and appointed place' Father God had an event occur. Most often, these are times when, in...
“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all.” Proverbs 28:6, Matthew 13:11. 2 Peter 1:3 Men (and women) are divinely ‘wired’ to cry out for justice. God shows up and gives them an assignment to carry His Plan into practice. The Bible is full of such instances under the First Covenant. First Kings 18 tells of Elijah who took on Ahab’s wicked government singlehandedly. “These Are the Days of Elijah” by Robin Mark may be sung with gusto, but some may miss the...
"Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing against the Lord and His Anointed One? He Who sits in the Heavens, the Lord, shall laugh and distress them in His deep displeasure." Psalm 2:1-5 On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on the British Crown. Britain was at war with France and felt U.S. commerce should not continue with France. They attacked U.S. ships, absconded with cargo and illegally 'impressed' soldiers and sailors to serve aboard British war ships - often, a...
“You shall have a banner for those who honor You – a rallying point in the face of attack. Selah! Use Your strong arm to save us and secure Your beloved people”. Psalm 60:4, 5 NLT Red Skelton, one of America’s best-loved comedians, addressing elementary students, spoke the Pledge of Allegiance this way. Available on YouTube. I--meaning me, an individual, a committee of one. Pledge--dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity. Allegiance--my love and my devotion. (Founding Fathers...
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. First sung in the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956. The late balladeer, Frank Sinatra, popularized these words in song: "Love is a many splendored thing. It's the April Rose that only grows in the early Spring. Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living, a golden crown that makes a man a king." This song is loaded with Hebrew...
"Behold! Children are an inheritance from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. The glory of children is their father." Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 17:6 My little brother Willie just gloried in my father. Dad often went out on his D-9 Caterpillar to level land, root out sagebrush for hay land or build irrigation ditches and ponds. When Willie could barely walk, he would rush to the milk separator where Dad poured in big, shiny buckets of milk...
"Therefore, since we receive a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, serving God with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28,29 It is simply a truth that God cannot operate in the earth without people who pray with wisdom and purpose. The Bible is our Answer Book. No matter the question or circumstance, the answer is within its pages! Our Founding fathers and mothers, were born for such a time as they lived in. So, indeed we are blessed by their eff...
Proverbs 1:23 "Turn at My instruction; surely (never fails) I will pour out My Spirit on you and I will make My works known. 2:10-12; 3:21-23: When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion (judging justly, reasoning rightly) will preserve you; understanding will keep you and deliver you." These Psalms anchored the souls of our Founding Fathers with hope and strong resolve (courage). Was not this "New World" the promised land of Joshua? Did not safe cities exist...
"The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility (submitting under the Mighty Hand of God)." Proverbs 15:33; James 4:10 Why fear today's hubbub and craze? God is faithful, just and true. He cannot lie. His Plan will be effective, for He has spoken, "So shall My Word be, that goes from My mouth. It shall not return to Me void (empty, fruitless), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing (Plan, people, nation) to...
"Seek the Lord all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility, that you will be hidden [in the day of trouble]. Zephaniah 2:3. Does this not highlight "Seek, first, the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33? Of course! Does prayer change things? Prayer is a spirit-to-Spirit exercise; a communion with God. Prayer changes the hearts of men. Men change natural circumstances accordingly. Genesis 1. Attitude, based on...
"A good name is better to be chosen than great riches; by humility and honor of the LORD are riches and honor and [eternal] life." Proverbs 22:1, 4 The Bible declares, Jeremiah 29:11, that when God has a job to be done, He has a baby born! We know their names even: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. Moses, David, Daniel, Jesus, Peter, James, John and Paul – even you, even me. Father never changes. We are given a journey of preparation and spiritual growth to arrive at the crucial moment when we m...
Father God, in His simplicity, has ordained "As long as the earth remains, seed, time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer and daylight shall not cease." Genesis 8:22. Harvesting means taking seed out of the barn, planting at the correct time, cultivating, fertilizing and applying the sickle! Man has his part (Mark 4:26-29) and Father's recipe works on time, every time. Unfortunately, many approach seed sowing, both spiritual and natural, as an intellectual exercise. Prayer is made,...
"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Out of the good treasure of his heart a man brings forth good things ... for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:34-37 Words are spiritual containers with an expected end, Genesis 1. Words contain blessing or cursing depending on our attitude when we speak. We can sow (speak) mercy, forgiveness, hope, enthusiasm, or choose to gripe and complain. A thought sows an action, an action (saying...
"Certain Greeks came up to the feast and said to Phillip, "'Sir, we would see Jesus.' [When Jesus was told] He said, 'Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, when it dies it produces much grain ... For this purpose, I have come to this hour.'" John 12:21-24. Father announces a resurrection, a glorifying of Jesus, a harvest on Heaven's Faith Seed, bringing many sons to Glory. Hebrews 2:9, 10. Father's Voice was heard as thunder! Jesus' death on the...
"Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest, for I am meek (humble) and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul, for My burden is easy and My yoke is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Meekness: "Yielding personal rights and expectations with a desire to serve; to be a Mediator who is deeply loyal and compassionate; analyzing the benefits and problems of a particular set of circumstances." In the Old Testament, this 'meekest of men' was Moses. His most memorable,...
Passover was a cloistered event. A lamb was killed, roasted, and entirely consumed before morning. No one went out into the night. However, 2000 years later, Jesus broke such protocol. After He washed the feet of His Disciples, He broke the bread and poured the wine, sent Judas out, and began to teach love as only He knew how to convey it. Suddenly, He not only went out into the night, He took Disciples with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. While Peter and others fell asleep, Jesus went on,...
"Therefore, looking unto Jesus, Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 Consider this Man, Jesus, who borrowed a donkey, rode through jubilant crowds, crying, in gut-wrenching sobs, because Jerusalem missed her hour of visitation by an invisible God in His visible Person. Continuing to the Temple, He overturned tables of money changers, answered tests of every manner and in every matter. He watched as people...
"Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the Light and your justice as the noon day." Psalm 37:5, 6. Some 200 names for Jesus exist in the Bible. For the Patriots, He was, simply, King Jesus. His Name became a battle cry in the church's Great Awakening preceding the American Revolution. The Bible was their Playbook; prayer and fasting their avenue to Divine correction, direction, protection and victory. July 10, 1774 Elbridge Gerry, 5th U.S....
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Jehovah Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts). A fire goes before Him to burn up His enemies round about." Psalm 97:4, 5 Elbridge Gerry was a wealthy cod fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was among the first Founding Fathers to finance a new nation. Because of his wealth, sea going ships and intrepid workmen, Britain's King George III targeted him, directly, with the Tea Stamp Act in 1773, in order to pay for the costly French and Indian War. George...
"Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Jesus said. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Here is the light and easy life! "If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land," Isaiah 1:19 God is on the 'lookout' for a willing, obedient soul, who will say, "YES, I WILL!" Yes, I will seek Your face. Yes, I will...
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his work is done by the meekness of wisdom." James 3:13 Meekness is not timidity, but a strong resolve when under fire. Moses portrayed meekness as he went against Pharaoh to deliver Hebrews from Egypt's slavery, thereby creating the nation of Israel. O! Friend! We have been here, before! Matthew 6:24, Jesus reveals that we cannot serve God and Mammon. Is Mammon simply material things? I Timothy 6:10 declares the love of...
"'I have loved you.' says the LORD. Yet, you say, 'In what way have You loved us?'" Malachi 1:1 Can Mankind truly understand the Father's love? I Corinthian 13 tells us, briefly, what love is and is not. 1, 2 and 3 John add detail. Now, let us look at Galatians 5:22, 23 with fresh eyes, starting at the bottom. Faith believes that Jesus is Messiah. He told the Disciples, "You believe in God. Also believe in Me." John 14:1 If we don't believe in Jesus, we cannot please the Father (Hebrews 11:6)...
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Lord, Jesus, the Anointed One, that He may dwell in your hearts, being rooted and grounded in His love and able to comprehend, within you, how His love is able to do exceeding abundantly above what you are able to ask or think." Ephesians 3:14-21 Pastor Bill Gothard produced the book "The Power for True Success, How to Build Character in Your Life"; 12th printing 2001, published by Institute of Basic Life Principles, PO Box One, Oak Brook, Illinois 60522-30...
"He who loves his brother lives in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. Greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world, because He has given us of His Spirit; you have an anointing from the Holy One to love as God has loved. God IS Love." 1 John 2:10, 20; 4:4. [As I bow before you, Lord, I will rise in confidence, I will see Your goodness, Lord, in the land I'm living in]. Song lyrics Homer and Emma began their day singing, "I've got the peace that passes...
"Let patience have its perfect work that you may be complete and entire wanting nothing. If you lack wisdom, ask of God Who gives [it] liberally, without reproach (scolding or shame), and it will be given to him." James 1:4, 5. Emma knew when Homer hit the door that something had him upset. She welcomed him home with a kiss and a hug, then asked him about his day. Homer related the essence of the meeting between him, his boss Tom Hill, and Nola, the HR director. "A promotion is always good", he...
