Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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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...
