Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Scriptures to Read: Acts 9:1-9 Acts 9:10-19 Acts 9:20-30 Acts 22:1-11 Acts 22:12-21 Acts 23:6-11 St. Matthew 9:35-38 & St. John 4:32-38 We closed last week thinking about Paul's hearing the voice of authority. He says he was not disobedient to that voice. Much of Paul's Damascus Road experience is skipped here. We can check it out on our own. It could well be that Paul told more things to Herod and Festus but they are not recorded here. What Paul does emphasize is that he heard the voice of the...
The Christian season of Lent and the Easter holiday are laden with time-honored traditions that are both secular and religious. Many such traditions are universal, but people still find ways to celebrate their Christian faith in their own unique ways. Each Good Friday, residents of Bermuda take to the beach to fly kites. The tradition began from a legend that says a local teacher was attempting to explain to Sunday school students about Jesus' ascension to heaven. The students were not grasping...
Easter is the most important day of the year on the Christian calendar. A celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter commemorates the very core of the Christian faith. So it comes as no surprise that such an important day is steeped in tradition. Easter traditions such as Easter Sunday Mass are widely known. But there are many unique Easter traditions across the globe that, while they may not be as widely known, illustrate the power of this very special day in the Christian community. • India: India may not be the first nation to...
Lately I have been thinking about numbers. I doubt that Numbers is your favorite book of the Bible. It does, however, contain some interesting digits and stories. There were 603,550 Israelite men aged 20 and older who were qualified to fight in battle. So assuming there were men my age and older with flat feet and bad eyes who were exempt, God's people may have numbered over 2,000,000 when you factor in women and children, too. Moses and the large group of people he led definitely needed the...
Scriptures to Read: Acts 25:13-22 Acts 25:23-27 Acts 26:1-8 Acts 26:9-11 Acts 26:12-18 Acts 26:19-23 St. John 9:1-7 & 35-41 Governor Festus has invited King Herod Agrippa and Bernice to examine Paul to see how they might charge him with a crime against Rome. The hearing room scene was likely one for you to imagine. King Herod and Bernice would likely be wearing their royal purple robes, Governor Festus in his scarlet tunic and they would be surrounded by captains, centurions and leading...
The Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church will premiere the musical “Don’t Miss the Grace of God,” written by local musician Ellen M. Stuckey, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, at the church, located at 300 S. Mulberry St., Martinsburg. The adult choir and other members of the congregation will portray the original story through drama, solos and original music. A nine-piece orchestra will provide the musical accompaniment. Stuckey, music teacher and member of the church, has written both the script and the music for the music...
Grace Pointe Community Church of God will be holding its 90th Anniversary celebration on Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, celebrating its service to the Williamsburg community. On Saturday evening, there will be a concert featuring Southern Gospel recording artist Johnny Minick, who performed with the Happy Goodmans. On Sunday, a celebration service will be held at 10 a.m. The guest speaker will be general overseer of the Church of God, Dr. Tim Hill. There will be a fellowship meal held at the community center immediately after the...
"Now ADONAI said to Avram, "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing." ~Genesis 12:1-2 (CJB) It's a strange feeling when God asks a person to go do something new. Sometimes that thing involves going far from home to live in a dangerous part of the world, leaving all possessions and family...
Scriptures to Read: Acts 25:12 St. Matthew 10:16-20 St. Mark 13:5-11 Acts 12:1-5 Acts 12:6-17 Acts 12:18-19 Acts 12:20-24 A "HEART"Y Thank You Dear Friends and neighbors, I give you a most sincere "Thank You" for your prayers and support. I did indeed have "open-heart" surgery on Jan. 13. God blest, heard and answered prayers for a successful surgery. The procedure was projected to be four to six hours and was instead 2-1/2. The valve was successfully replaced. The aneurysm did not need to be...
The Christian tradition of Lent is celebrated across the globe by many different denominations of the faith. Lent is a 40-day period of sacrifice that begins on Ash Wednesday and culminates with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. Lent is designed to help Christians prepare for Easter through prayer, repentance of sins, almsgiving, denying the ego, and putting an end to sinful practices. Fasting is a component of Lent, as is abstinence from certain behaviors. In fact, in some Western countries, Catholics have...
Tradition plays an important role in Easter celebrations for many families. Cherished traditions and symbols of Easter may include anything from egg hunts to lilies to lambs. Understanding the importance behind these symbols can make sharing the miracle of Easter that much more special. Eggs Eggs are one of the more recognizable symbols of Easter. For Easter egg hunts, eggs are hard-boiled and decorated in bright hues. It’s believed that the origins of Easter eggs are both secular and religious. From the secular (once pagan) perspective, the e...
Of the many words of Jesus that have been quoted and scrutinized there are some that are easy to overlook. In the midst of a long list of challenging statements which have come to be known as the Beatitudes Jesus says something interesting. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7). I was born at Mercy Hospital. Like two of my old school buildings, it no longer exists. There is a Christian band named MercyMe. I can only imagine how popular they are. Mercy Ships are...
Scriptures to Read: Acts 24:27 Acts 25:1-3 Acts 25:4-6 Acts 25:7-8 Acts 25:9-11 Acts 25:12 Acts 9:10-19 Felix is replaced as governor by Porcius Festus. Almost immediately, he is confronted by the Jewish leadership who desperately want Paul dead. Festus spends a period of time in Jerusalem. He seems to know that city as a "hot spot" for trouble. Their request to him is to have Paul brought to Jerusalem for a trial. Their assumption is they could ambush and kill Paul on the road. We also assume...
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." ~Colossians 3:1-2 (KJV) When I was young, I couldn't see far away. No one, including me, knew that I couldn't see until fifth grade when my teacher asked me to solve the math problem on the blackboard. From the back of the classroom where I was sitting, the blackboard just looked black. There was no math problem on...
The Martinsburg Mennonite Church celebrated God's Love with a carry-in lunch on Sunday, Feb. 16. More than 50 people were in attendance. Entertainment was appreciated by all and some folks joined in singing to the songs. Daniel Weber played the accordion and Betty Jane Neely played the flute. They played a variety of songs. "God Bless America," "Spanish Eyes," "Somewhere My Love" and "Fiddler on the Roof" were just a few. They end every session with "Jesus Loves Me." Weber is an engineer at...
Billy Graham told the story of meeting a less fortunate man on the street. He gave the man some money and asked him what his greatest need was. He did not mention money or a job or house. The man said, "I am all alone. I have no one to love me." Of course, the Rev. Graham took the opportunity to tell the person of God's love through Jesus. That love of God was the focus of my last column. Today I want us to be challenged with how we model our Father's love in how we love others. I was impressed...
Scriptures to Read: Acts 24:1-4 Acts 24:5-9 Acts 24:10-13 Acts 24:14-19 Acts 24:20-22 St. Matthew 22:23-33 Galatians 2:7-10 We will look at this preliminary to a trial. Actually, they never get farther than opening arguments. It is pretty hard to understand who is actually in charge. It should have been Governor Felix. But it begins as soon as the Accusers, the leaders of the Jews arrive in Caesarea. Surely Commander Claudius Lysias should have been there, but he was not. When we actually close...
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." ~2 Corinthians 4:17-18 There is currently a very excellent song out by Sanctus Real called "Unstoppable God." One of the lines in the chorus is "Nothing can stop an unstoppable God, He's not afraid of impossible odds." Each time I hear it I feel encouraged. If you...
Scriptures to REad: Acts 23:11 Acts 23:12-15 Acts 23:16-18 Acts 23:19-22 Acts 23:23-30 Acts 23:31-35 Isaiah 11:6-9 Paul had been warned, wept over, and pled with not to go to Jerusalem because it was known trouble, perhaps including arrest, chains, and death awaited him there. Still, he felt a tremendous desire to go and celebrate his Hebrew heritage as a Christian. We have found him in a riot, rescue, – riot, rescue, – riot, rescue, situation. He depended on his Roman citizenship to get him out...
The other day I preached from 1 John 3 and was reminded of a verse that is so easily overlooked and a truth taken so lightly. It may be because the first verse of the chapter contains the "L" word. In our world the word "love" is probably one of the most used, overused and misused word in our vocabulary. People love pizza, pets, pals, politics, partners and a plethora of other things. But so many people do not love God because they do not know or accept His love for them. My next few columns...
Scriptures to Read: Acts 22:24-25 Acts 22:26-29 Acts 23:1-3 Acts 23:4-5 Acts 23:6-9 Acts 23:10 Acts 23:11 The Roman Commander, Claudius Lysias, is doing everything in his power to understand what is happening, so he might be able to bring a charge against someone in these circumstances. Paul clearly has in mind a desire that he might become all things to all men that by all means, he might save some (see I Corinthians 9:22). The Jews are angry they almost succeeded in killing Paul twice but...
