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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Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. James 2:14, 17 (NIV) “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” There are those who do everything they can to prove that the Bible is a contradictory work. They believe that if the Word counters itself, it is fallible,...
Next Sunday (June 5, 2022), in most of our Churches, if not all, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. Celebrating Pentecost is keeping the birthday of Christianity. It is a day on which we have the realization of a new life given to us by the Holy Spirit. Two visible symbols that manifested the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost are the strong wind and the flames of fire. “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were” (Acts 2:2). God’s presence is revealed in a...
Memorial Day Weekend is coming. Some look at it as the first part of summer, with the annual trip to the Lake, fun in the sun, reunions and family fellowship. Some celebrate it as a holiday from working, a break in the monotony of making a living. Memorial Day is traditionally marked by parades, speeches, and ceremonies, and a time set aside for the decoration of the graves with flowers and flags, to honor and remember the nearly 1.1 million of our nation’s armed services personnel killed in wartime. And many families also remember those loved...
In the world we live in, currently we have confusion, fear, doubt, anxiety etc... So where do we look for answers? In Philippians 4, starting in verse 4 the word of GOD says to rejoice in the Lord, I say again rejoice in the Lord. It doesn’t say rejoice in your circumstances; it says rejoice in the Lord. Why? Because GOD is greater than all the woes of the world and rejoicing in him is turning your circumstances over to him to handle, which relieves you of the stress, when you turn those things that are bothering you and find your JOY and P...
Jesus said, “All those who love me will do what I say.” Learning to obey is part of growing up, and it’s also part of our Christian life. Jesus said, “My Father will love them and we will come to them and live with them.” There’s a definite link between love and obedience. You’ve heard the old saying, “You can lead a horse to drink but you can’t make him water.” It’s the same with children – you can force them to do this, that or some other little thing around the house, but the only real way to help a child learn is by loving them and teachin...
Spring is upon us, and praying through a piece of nature helps us actively see how God’s hands are at work and how new life is coming out of winter’s hibernation. This devotion is from the Jesuit Spirituality Center. Praying with a ‘Piece of Nature’ Introduction A ‘piece of nature’ might be a pot plant, a bunch of flowers, something in your garden (if you have one), the contents of a window box or plant hanger, a bird feeder, something you see on your walk (such as a dandelion growing in a crack in the pavement), a shell, pinecone, or any othe...
As I write this, I am just a few days past Easter Sunday. I am still feeling the glow and joy of a glorious Easter day. To me, Easter Sunday is just a small glimpse of what heaven will be like. Easter Sunday began in our family traditional way. We were awakened by the sound of our youngest daughter playing on the piano and singing the joyful “Easter Song”. The message of the song goes like this: “Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing , ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’” Of course our response is, “He is risen indeed!”. It was a wonderful w...
It seems many of the conversations I have nationally, regionally and locally, always get around to the idea of how bad our culture has gotten. Sin is celebrated, and What God has called good is mocked. Just when you think it won’t get any worse, you are shown how mistaken you are. Just turn on your tv, read your paper, listen to the radio, scroll your newsfeed, the farther we get from creation the deeper human depravity goes. In fact, this has even influenced our churches. If I may be so bold as to say, the culture has shaped our C...
Luke 9:29 “As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” When Jesus prayed, the divine life inside him suddenly burst forth. Those looking on were blinded by the resplendent brightness that burst from within Him. When they had regained their vision, they realized that they were likely viewing what the body will be like when it is glorified. The splendor of this dazzling revelation was never erased from the memory of these eye-witnesses: Peter, John and James (verse 28). Pet...
Mark Chapter 3 Jesus Heals on the Sabbath 1 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their s...
Matthew 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. I fear we have heard said, “Christ died for our sins.” to a point we begin to form an attitude about the crucifixion of Christ that trivializes His suffering. Children hear that statement and receive Christ and do not begin to fathom the magnitude of the horror. Young children do not...
At a time when it seems like everybody is blaming the other for the disunity in our social and political lives, I bring you this spiritual allegory from an unknown author. One day, the carpenter’s tools had a conference. Brother Hammer was the chair. Upon bringing the meeting to order, he said that there had been some complaining among his fellow tools and he thought it would be good to discuss it openly together. “Yes, Brother Saw, what is your complaint?” Brother saw stood up and said, “Brother Pencil is getting on everybody’s nerves. He can...
God never intended for there to be all the different religions or denominations From the beginning GOD wanted relationship with his most perfect creation man (mankind). In Genesis 1 GOD went looking for Man in the garden in the cool of the evening, this denotes GOD was relational, he went looking for man to have communion with him. God again wanted relationship with man when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and he invited the whole nation to ready themselves and come up onto the mountain and meet with him, but they chose to let on...
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, and it reminds Christians of two central truths of our human condition. First, we are mortal. Genesis 3 says we are earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adam comes from Adamah, meaning soil, the human from humus. Second, we are all sinners, and as Israelite tradition ritualized this, we repent in dust and ashes. This forty-day journey towards Easter begins by marking our foreheads with dust. We acknowledge that we die and return to the earth. At the same time, the dust traces the life-giving...
Today is Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the Lenten season. For those who observe Lent, it is a time of reflection and examining our sinful selves. This is a special time for turning hearts and minds to the suffering our dear Lord endured for us and recognizing His gift of grace. Romans 3:23-24 tells us, “……since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”. This is your redemption and my redemption….Christ bought us back ! By his sacrific...
Can we have some real talk here? There are many times in our lives that we feel like the world is against us. Our situations, circumstances, even people. Like we are completely alone and have nowhere to turn. Those feelings and circumstances are not specific to whom they apply, and no one is immune. Not even those who serve in ministry. In Fact, the great prince of preachers C.H. Spurgeon suffered from bouts of depression. He has famously once said “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me up against the Rock of Ages.” Meaning, that eve...
Romans 6:1-23 Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will...
Romans 6 Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will c...
We may not be what we say we are, but what we say is what we really are! Sounds like a lot of double talk, but there is a bit of truth in this statement. James Chapter three almost exclusively deals with one of the most practical issues of life having to do with the tongue. It has been said, that no matter how hard we try to hide it, eventually, we will reveal our true self through what we say. “If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he has perfect control over himself in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and g...
Before we leave the wonder of Christmas behind us for another year, I’d like us to think one more time about the Wise Men who followed the star to the Christ-child. An early leader of the Christian church, Pope Leo the Great, once wrote this, “A star with new brilliance appeared to wise men from the east that was brighter and more beautiful than others, attracting the eyes and hearts of those looking on. The determination of the Magi to follow the lead of this heavenly light expressed a willingness to be led by the splendor of grace to kno...
We are into January; the virgin birth has taken place, and the Messiah has come into the world. Advent was a time of reflection, a time of hope and waiting, and while the season has the symbolism of darkness, it also is a reminder that God’s promises have withstood the test of time, and the light has come. Christmas doesn’t stop on December 25. Like Easter, Christmas is a season, not merely a night and a day. Some churches have observed the season as lasting forty days, until February 2, but many others have kept Christmas for twelve days, conc...
We are in Christmas Season. We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The name ‘Bethlehem’ means ‘the house of bread’. It is no wonder then that two thousand years ago, the man who was to become the bread for the world was born in that place. Giving heed to his direction, shall we not together say to the Father, “Give us our daily bread”? According to biblical scholars, ‘give us our daily bread’ could mean also ‘give us our daily wisdom’. If so, what does ‘Bethlehem’ mean to us? Rather than being the name of a place, Bethlehem should provide us...
Jesus was born into a very joyless world, and it was anything but peaceful. For most people, living in the time of Roman rule was a matter of survival with no religious freedom, human rights and talk about taxes! Criminals were crucified for all to see. That world really needed a little joy and peace for sure. Would I be stretching the truth to say that the world we live in today also needs the joy and peace that Jesus brings? I believe, behind all the Christmas glitter, Christian plays and holy services, there is a great need for the real joy...
Christmas should be about celebrating GOD’s answer to mankind’s problems. GOD came in the flesh (Immanuel-GOD WITH US), to provide us with the answers to our problems, for those who are anxious He is the Prince of Peace, to those who need someone to talk to and to get the answers they seek, he is The Wonderful Counselor, For those who are in trouble he is The Mighty GOD, to the fatherless, HE IS your EVERLASTING FATHER. (Isaiah 9) Christmas is about giving, not getting. God set that example by giving us his son Jesus. Christmas is about enj...
Everything zooms to a fever pitch this time of year – even in the church! The last Sunday on the Church calendar is Christ the King Sunday, which we celebrated on November 21st. The new Church year begins with the 1st Sunday in Advent, which we celebrated on November 28th. From now until the middle of June we’ll have a series of special celebrations, all of which mark the seasons of the Church, and basically, we have two seasons: Christmas and Easter. Both of these holy days have a period of preparation so we can focus our minds and hearts on...
