Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 259 - 276 of 276
This is the title of one of the chapters of the Rule for Monks written by St. Basil the Great. St. Basil (+390) is an early Church Father from Cappadoccia. His Rule for Monks inspired St. Benedict of Nursia and others who would write rules for monks in the western church. No one can find adequate words to describe all the wonders or gifts of God to mankind. But He gives us gifts daily in each of our lives. He created us not because He needed us but rather out of Love, because He is Love. He doesn’t ask much of us in return. He gave Moses 10 r...
I don’t look forward to getting my annual physical. They do a few tests, and they always check my blood pressure. The last time I went, they told me, “You know, your blood pressure is a little too high.” I shared with them it was high because my location. However, in order for me to keep my job as a bus driver for Sidney School District, it is a necessary evil. As I told my doctor, “You walk into the room, and my blood pressure automatically goes up. It is your fault.” We kind of joke back and forth a little. We both know it is an exam and ther...
In the Church of England and in the Anglican Church of Australia this Sunday, the Sunday after Easter is commonly referred to as Low Sunday mainly because it seems to be the Sunday that has amongst the lowest attendance for the year. Several reason have been advanced for this, the main theory seeming to be that, having attended so much church during the past week of Holy week with a Passover service, Maundy Thursday services, Good Friday and then the celebrations on the Saturday of Easter Eve with the Coming of the Light service and to top it...
The story is told of a young man who wanted to become famous by starting a new religion. He wanted it to be a world-wide religion that would be embraced by millions of people. So he first sought some advice from an older and wiser man of faith. He asked, “Sir, what advice could you give me for starting a very successful religion?” The older man thoughtfully replied, “The best way would be for you to be killed, buried and then rise up from your grave three days later so that people can see you alive again. Now it might be hard to find someo...
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, ‘Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6, 7) With Christianity’s focus today on the Life, Death, and Resurrection ministry of Jesus, how are these truths of the Gospel and the Judgment woven together in the saving...
Happy Saturday! Many will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day this Sunday. Do you know who Saint Patrick was, what he stood for? Let me give you a little insight: Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, He really existed. He was born in around 387 AD in Kilpatrick, Scotland. He died on March 17, 461. St Patrick is traditionally associated with the Shamrock plant, which he used to explain the concept of the Trinity. St Patrick’s value comes from the inspiration of a man who returned to the country where he had been a child slave, in order to b...
Over the past several decades the knowledge of the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit has tended to be revived in the modern church. We live by the Spirit we discern by the Spirit we are led by the Spirit and even, it seems we disagree by the Spirit. For the Spirit is said to be speaking on both sides of any contested issue. Part of the problem is the very fact of talking about Spirit or wind. It is quite hard to pin down, and has remained so, as far as definitions are concerned, for a considerable period of time. Many years ago in the...
In the Sundays preceding Easter my church has been looking at part of the life of Jesus, with a special emphasis on photos and videos of the places where Jesus lived and taught. This week, we are thinking about the mountains. Many of our favorite Bible Stories take place in the Mountains of the Holy Land. Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat, Moses heard God call him from a burning bush on a mountain, and later received the Ten Commandments on a Mountain. Many of the turning points of Jesus’ ministry were on mountains, including His tem...
It’s in the news every day: Our economic problems, the growing U.S. debt, recession worries, out of control government spending, our “paying problem,” sequestration, unemployment rates, budget cuts, tax hikes, and more. As a result many people in our nation have very little trust in how our government leaders view and spend our tax dollars. That’s why we should always put our trust in God, especially when it comes to our personal finances. Here is just some of what the Bible says should be our life- guiding principles concerning money: Blessed...
Many of us are shaking our heads in disbelief at how quickly time passes! It seems only yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Year’s. Now, we are already into the Season of Lent and Valentine’s Day is behind us!!! How can that be? With the business of the day and swift passing of time, it is so easy to forget to keep Jesus in our life. During the past fleeting weeks, so much has happened. Some of us have witnessed the loss of dear friends and loved ones, illness, surgery, loneliness, or loss of a job. Some have experienced an eng...
“Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us … long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.” These beautiful words are found in the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Hosea. They have been put to song by the monks of Weston Priory and today they serve as reminder to us that we are just a few days away from Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent 2013. Living life deeply with the Lord is just one of the invitations of Lent, but it is primary. Because of the demands of everyday life, living deeply...
Today the orthodox churches celebrate the “meeting” or “encounter.” Other churches refer to it as the presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. Under Jewish law, it was a custom and a requirement that the first born male child should be brought to the temple to be dedicated to God and the requirement under that law that mothers be purified forty days after the birth of a child. The Purification Rite was required at one time in some Christian churches as well. It was used to re-establish the woman into the temple community, as giving...
As a pastor, I appreciate words of encouragement, like, “your the best,” “your sermon was right on today,” or even “thanks for being there for me.” Hearing these great words of support, confidence, and fortification are priceless. Every pastor or minister enjoys these heartfelt words and it is energizing to us. However, there are three distinctive prayer essentials that you can do that pushes us over the top as clergy. All three of them deal in the area of prayer. First, pray for their spiritual protection. Even Jesus was attacked by the devi...
In our church calendar the Gospel reading for today relates the story of the wedding at Cana. It is a familiar story to Christians but its very familiarity can obscure one of its main points and that is, that God’s methods are unfamiliar to us. Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord told His people “ my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways.” Nevertheless knowing a thing intellectually is very different from experiencing it. John Henry Newman said that experiencing god’s work within the world is, for humans, like waiting...
“You will be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22 There is an old, dumb story about a revival taking place in a small town. As the preacher calls the sinners forward, down the aisle comes the town character who is always fortified by cheap wine. As he walks down the aisle he says aloud “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!”. Hearing his plea, one of the audience members says loudly, “Don’t do it, Lord, he leaks.” Truth is, we all do! I read a statistic recently that said only 1 in 3 of us make resolutions anymore and most break their r...
How many have heard that famous Nursery Rhythm entitled, “Humpty Dumpty?” You know… “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses, and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.” Have you ever felt that your life was just falling apart or going to pieces? Sometimes when we get broken and we try to fix ourselves, no matter how good we are at fixing things, or even if we get the pieces back together, we will never be the same again. In reality, we are fragile beings, and we experien...
A man made a permanent move into a retirement home. It wasn’t long before he made friends with a special lady. They spent a lot of time together and finally one evening he proposed, asking her to marry him. The next morning he woke up remembering his proposal, but couldn’t remember her answer. So, he went to her and said, “I’m really embarrassed. I know I proposed to you last night, but I can’t remember if you said ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” “Oh, thank goodness!” she exclaimed. “I remember saying ‘yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me.” New Year’s res...
Christmas is almost here. The lights are beautiful, and as I write this, the ground is covered with snow. It should be a perfect Christmas. Yet, as I look around me, it seems that it is more a “blue” Christmas that a “white” one. The school shooting in Connecticut has brought forth in me sadness, anger and despair. We’re walking in darkness. We are literally in darkness because the night is long. But the darkness of evil the school shooting casts another kind of shadow on us. We look for someone or something to blame. We can never understan...
