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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Father God, the Great I AM, wanted a Family. He began preparations in Genesis 1:1. His Helper, Holy Spirit, verse 2, hovered over Home Base. (Holy Spirit is the ‘Mother’ side of God, the Contractor Who Performs God’s Word). Verse 3. Jehovah and Holy Spirit introduce the Light of the World, Their Son. “This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased, hear Him!” Matthew 3:17; 17:5 Six exciting days follow! Verse 4, we find Light and Darkness. Light is when we understand. Darkness is what we d...
I got news recently that a friend is no longer limited by our human existence. He “earned his wings” as some would say. A little more than 10 years ago I met a man who had logged more air miles than some pilots. He had frequented cultures he never mastered the language of, and changed lives here and there. I was in a period where life was not just in a state of flux, but of “what just happened” even though a few years old. It was the kind of experience that understandably defeats many people....
Another terrorist slips into the classroom, into the news. Does anyone understand this? Even if guns are easily, readily available, why, why, why? I find it impossible even to be angry — it’s hard to be angry under incomprehensible circumstances. Instead, I find myself imagining George W. Bush giving a speech in which he condemns the latest horrific murders at . . . but instead of saying Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, he blurts out “Iraq.” These killers aren’t acting alone. No one acts alone. There’s a cultural and structural...
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” We rested at the summit of Chola Pass (17,782 feet above sea level), for an hour or so. It was early afternoon when we began the descent on the northeast side to the valley below. About noon the sun had peeked over the horizon behind us. The ice had become wet and slick. The climb down became as “interesting” as the climb up the south side. We rounded a peak to the west and sudd...
Do parents in America want to spend every school day hoping and praying their children will not be heinously murdered? Do children want to spend their days constantly looking up to see who might be entering their room with an assault weapon? Do you want to walk the grocery store aisles wondering if someone has picked your store and this day to shoot at you? Do you enjoy sitting in a house of worship knowing that if a crazed gunman enters your location the exit doors are very few. Movie theatres are anticipating a major boost in attendance this...
Tony Hillerman grew up in Oklahoma, and attended St. Mary’s Academy, a boarding school intended for Native American girls. One of the few boys permitted to attend, he developed a sensitivity for the various Native American cultures, mythologies, and religions. He joined the U.S. Army in 1943, was wounded in battle in 1945, during World War II, and suffered for several months with broken legs, foot, ankle; plus facial burns, and temporary blindness. A decade later, Tony was visiting Crownpoint, N...
Humility plus honor welds our hearts together with God’s heart so that, fearfully, we honor and worship Him in spirit and in truth. “In the fear of the Lord there is confidence and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:26, 27 “God is good and His mercy (covenant) endures forever!” Psalm 136. Father God changes NOT! God’s recipe for manna still lives! A spiritual phenomenon...
I wanted to tease or title this as “strange days,” but I already used that. Maybe it is “Strange Days2.” I recall early in the social media platform reading a sentence or so that really puts things in perspective. “Destroy the cities, and they will grow back. Hurt the farmer and there will be weeds growing in the city streets.” Maybe 10 years ago, I went on my first bicycle tour. It was a landmark for the effort, but also for the education. Among the lessons learned is the frequent disconnect...
Dear Editor: Perhaps you have heard that President Biden is on his way to meet with the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw up an amendment to their constitution which will put all United States health care in the hands of WHO. This means that WHO will tell us if we are healthy or not, if we really need medical help, which Dr. to see and when to see him/her. WHO sessions begin Sunday May 22 and go through May 28, but Mr. Biden has already decided to present this amendment to WHO for adoption. You may recall that U.S. Constitution DOES NOT A...
As our national anthem says, the United States of America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. As Americans we never tire of sharing those stories of fearless bravery which have provided us with freedom and protected our liberties for almost 250 years, especially against foreign oppressors. As we enter into the Memorial Day weekend, one of those stories I have read of valiant bravery has finally come to a peaceful end. It is the story of Marine Corps sergeant, John Lee Canley....
"Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.” These words were spoken by General Douglas MacArthur during a speech he gave to Army Corps Cadets at West Point in 1962. They are inspiring. And they illuminate the dedication and love of c...
The Fairbanks Flood of 1967 was followed by more dramatic climate events. No sooner had 1967 turned into 1968 than we had a winter in which a raging blizzard deposited 16 feet of new snow on the Fairbanks area. We thought that should be the end of it. The weather was expected to moderate. But no, Mother Nature wasn’t finished with us. She had one more piece of nastiness for us. The coldest time of the year in Fairbanks comes in January and normally lasts but a week or so. This winter the b...
Jesus found favor with God and with man as He submitted to His parents, for God’s favor follows a humble heart. The favor of God works in imagination with power. Disorder robs time, peace of mind and clarity of thought. Whatever breaks your stride, slows you down or distracts you from essential tasks is disorder. Habits hobble or hasten. It takes just 21 days to break a bad habit or to acquire a healthy habit. Remember ‘resolve’ and ‘courage’ go together. Proverbs 12:24, 27 “The hand of the...
By some accounts, I’m one of the lucky ones. At different stages in life I knew all four of my grandparents. My memory of both sets of grandparents was after they retired. For my dad’s mom, retirement was relative. So far as I knew, she was a stay-at-home Amish/Mennonite woman who could outwork a lot of men in the 21st century. That’s just the way it was done. Men worked the farm, or whatever outside, and women managed the house and the children. That’s just the way it was. The few times I...
May 11 to May 16 was National Police Week. It’s an opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation to the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our people and communities safe. Nebraskans take police week seriously. From the candlelight “Walk the Beat” vigil in Omaha to National Law Enforcement Day memorial services in Douglas County and Grand Island, we demonstrate that we back the blue. We honor our fallen officers, like Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco and Lincoln Polic...
The Nebraska primary election is now over. This year’s primary election will likely go down in history as one of Nebraska’s nastiest primary elections ever, especially in regards to the gubernatorial race. Now that the election is over, Republican party leaders are especially facing the very difficult task of trying to unify the party before the general election comes later this fall. This will be a very difficult task considering the kinds of campaign tactics that were employed, some of the...
Grit and determination. Readiness to help at a moment’s notice. Willingness to work long and hard. Steadfastness in the face of difficulty. These are the qualities that define us as Nebraskans. And we saw them on full display last month as our state battled the worst fires in a decade. On the evening of April 22nd, 16 fires broke out throughout Nebraska. They were brought on by a combination of drought, low humidity, and gusty winds. These dangerous conditions caused the wildfires to spread q...
The winter after the great Fairbanks flood of the previous year was memorable. Mother Nature was not finished with us. She must have known that I would soon be leaving Alaska for good and she wanted to make sure I would remember what it was like. I’ve read stories of blizzards on the Great Plains, but nothing I have read, or experienced since has come close to the one that hit Fairbanks in 1968, my last winter in Alaska (except one I experienced in Kansas in 1954). At the time I was working i...
Hunters and photographers buy a high-powered telescope or zoom lens so they can draw a good ‘bead’ on their target. Now that some primary voting and ‘plank pushing’ has taken place, it is time to get to know the candidates, the platform planks they stand on and their proposals to defeat Marxist Agendas. Do not trust mainstream or social media. Listen, and look deeper. Uncover the true patriots for 2022. “Study to show yourself approved”. II Timothy 2:23; Psalm 127:1 Notoriously, Mid-Term el...
Today starts with another life lesson from cycling. Balance and performance are related, and, odd as it might sound, staying grounded. Over time, I’ve had my share of falls. I relaxed too much on a quiet road, the road surface suddenly changed, or a mechanical issue. Any one of these could have a rider greeting the road surface quickly. And depending on the conditions, said rider would return home with a few battle scars, some that will follow him for the rest of his life. Ultimately, it all c...
In recent days, I have re-read David L. Lindsay’s novel, Body of Truth. In it, he describes a cruel and gruesome civil war that terrorized the people of Guatemala for 36 years, from 1960 until 1996. It was the federal government, then run by a series of generals, who attacked the poorest of its citizens. A United Nations report, dated March 1, 1999, declared that, “An estimated 200,000 Guatemalans were killed during the civil war, including at least 40,000 persons who disappeared.” David L. Li...
While traveling in the Third District in recent weeks, I have been encouraged by the expertise and creativity our communities possess and sobered by the challenges we face. We have much to be thankful for, but there is also no shortage to the adversity we must overcome. After closely monitoring the recent severe wildfires across southern Nebraska, I joined Governor Ricketts, Nebraska National Guard Adjutant General Daryl Bohac, and other local officials earlier this week to survey the...
The big news last week was the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, suggesting the high court’s intention to overturn the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion nationwide. Although the leaked opinion piece does not represent the high court’s final decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it does suggest that at least five of the justices will side with the State of Mississippi in that case. Overturning Roe v. Wade would not m...
Nebraskans have long been strong supporters of the right to keep and bear arms. Nearly 85 years after it was enshrined in the Second Amendment at the federal level, Nebraska’s leaders chose to make our stance on gun rights crystal clear. Article I of the Nebraska Constitution proclaims that “the right to keep and bear arms for security or defense of self, family, home, and others, and for lawful common defense, hunting, recreational use, and all other lawful purposes...shall not be denied or...
One candidate in the 2022 Nebraska Gubernatorial Race stands above all others. Jim Pillen will best serve as our next Governor. He was raised on a small town farm in Platte County, Nebraska. After playing football for the Huskers and earning a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, he became one of the largest pork entrepreneurs in Nebraska. Jim Pillen will fight federal overreach, provide new property tax relief, and limit spending. He will stand up to anti-agriculture regulations, value agriculture land fairly, and ensure competitive markets. Mr....
