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 101 - 125 of 275
The gospels all give different accounts of what happened to Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus AFTER Jesus was born in a borrowed stable… MATTHEW tells us of the frantic flight of the family down to Egypt, the return home 2 years later, and then nothing until John the Baptizer. MARK tells us nothing of Jesus’ birth – he starts with John the Baptizer. LUKE tells us the story of Simeon and Anna and the Temple prophecies over the baby Jesus, the story of the 12-year-old Jesus when He stays behind in the Temple, and then Luke falls silent until John...
As I sit down to write this, I am still filled with the awe of seeing the Christmas Star shining brightly in the December sky. For the first time since medieval times, Jupiter and Saturn became so close to each other that they appeared as a bright “double planet”, which we see as a bright star. It is the closest great conjunction of the planets since 1623 and the first to be easily observable since 1226. It became visible to us on December 21, 2020, the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. The wonders of God never cease! Was the Star o...
The beauty of Christmas is a beauty celebrated like no other time throughout the calendar year. Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas gifts, Christmas gatherings all speak of joy and peace. Christmas is in the air. It is good we together come to know this unique and this profound mark Christmas offers us, for it is the birth of the Savior in which we truly find our joy and our peace. This Christmas is, of course, a little different to say the least. The global health crisis with which we are confronted and its accompanying economic...
I believe that God has always had His wise ones in every age of this earth’s history. God has given wisdom to Judges, Kings and Prophets so that His people would understand the times in which they lived and know what to do. Surely, in today’s time of uncertainty, we need God’s wisdom, instruction and providential guidance. In the Christmas Story, God gave wisdom to His wise ones from Persia to come searching for the Savior, so they could worship Him. Does God have His wise ones in our day? So, what is involved in being a wise one for God?...
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Final Exhortations 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all....
Call to mind the parable Jesus told about a wealthy man who gave three of his servants a sum of money, a “talent,” and then left on a trip, expecting the servants to do something with the money. When he got back, he had them come to him for a report. He told the five-talent and the two-talent servants, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” But when he got to the one-talent servant – he used words like “wicked” and “lazy” and “good for nothing.” He was angry with the servant who didn’t even try, and the consequences were pretty rough! I th...
As we all know, 2020 has been a very difficult year for people in Sidney and Cheyenne County, as well as the rest of the world. Here in the United States, the Covid pandemic, along with economic loss, social upheaval and political chaos have caused great distress. Many people are dealing with discouragement and even depression. However, in times like these, Christians are still encouraged by the Scriptures to give thanks to the God who loves us and never leaves us. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul reminded us to “be joyful always; pray c...
Enough! Enough already!!! That seems to be the cry of people across our country. We are seeing more anxiety as thoughts and conversations seem to turn to the Covid- 19 virus, the 2020 election, fires, droughts, hurricanes, loss of jobs, loneliness, concern for family and friends and tragic loss of lives. Even people who are usually optimistic are having a hard time overcoming the hardships and negativity that surround us. During trying times, my grandmother would always say, “This, too, will pass”. That always helped me through my tough tim...
Reading 1, Titus 3:1-7 1 Remind them to be obedient to the officials in authority; to be ready to do good at every opportunity; 2 not to go slandering other people but to be peaceable and gentle, and always polite to people of all kinds. 3 There was a time when we too were ignorant, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and dissipations; we lived then in wickedness and malice, hating each other and hateful ourselves. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour for humanity were revealed, 5 it was not because of any...
My wife and I recently received our annual fall flu shot and it got me to thinking about how the vaccine and immunization program has played an important role in avoiding many harmful diseases. Let’s consider the vaccination/immunization process as a way to understand God’s Plan of Salvation. As we all know, the Panhandle of Nebraska is well known for its cows and ranching. Who knew that cows would save the lives of countless people? In 1796, a physician named Edward Jenner decided to prove a theory that had been circulating for some time. Sma...
Author James Moore tells the story of a man who died and went to heaven. As he was shown around, he was very impressed with the sights – beautiful gardens full of flowers, and mansions built of marble and gold and precious stones. It was all so beautiful, even more wonderful than he had imagined! Then he was led to a huge room which looked like a storeroom. As far as he could see, the walls were lined with shelves, and it looked like all the shelves were piled high with dried mushrooms. However, when he got to lookin’ a little closer, the man...
We have probably all heard this joke which some people like to tell with different variations: How do you know when a politician is lying? How do you know when an attorney is lying? How do you know when a used car salesman is lying? How do you know when a cable news reporter is lying? Etc. The answer: When they open their mouths. Ha, ha, ha! I apologize for this “cheap shot” joke which makes fun of some honorable professions. However, it does remind us that people often feel taken advantage of, deceived, or lied to in life. This, in turn, can...
Recently, tens of thousands of Christians gathered in Washington DC to pray for our country. At the same time people all over the country were praying. When reporting on this event on TV, one of the commentators wondered what kind of affect so many people praying might have on our country. In response, his co-anchor replied, “Well, it can’t do any harm”. Talk about an understatement !! Do we often pray with a “well, it can’t do any harm” kind of attitude? Or do we pray with confidence, knowing God hears and answers our prayers. He doesn’t alw...
The sunrises and sunsets are varied shades of red against the tinted clouds, a symptom of the many fires that are or have been burning west of Sidney. Hurricanes have impacted the Gulf of Mexico region into the United States. Drought is also a continuing factor through parts of the United States. And as we get closer to winter, the chances of snow and ice storms increase. “The Well” church in Sidney recently underwent training to be part of a response team that can be sent to where the need is g...
It seems like, we are always counting down to something, aren’t we? It’s like we want something new to happen, something exciting, something different, a looking forward to a future day, when the old routine of things will change. We hear this countdown mentality in questions such as, “How many more years till I retire?” “How many more months till the baby is born?” “How many more shopping days to Christmas?” or “How many more minutes left in the football game?” It is like we are living in a countdown generation. Have you been listening to t...
I write this article on the Anniversary of the Destruction of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the Plane Crash in a Pennsylvania field. The emotions that go through me even after 19 years are so very real, but my focus has changed from 19 years ago. I don’t focus on the tragedy, I focus on the one who has been there through it all GOD. Some would say how could GOD let that happen, well we all have a Free Moral Will to choose, and those men chose to do evil and kill people, as for me I chose to follow and serve a GOD who wants to heal, p...
On Freedom Sunday, Sept. 20, at 3:30, the Church of the Nazarene will be hosting the movie “Priceless” at the Fox Theatre. Together as a church, we are called to join in the restorative and transformative work of God. That call is for us to offer freedom for the millions of people who are enslaved around the world. By working together to end human trafficking, we become part of Jesus’ mission. ON FREEDOM SUNDAY, WE STAND UNITED AS GOD’S PEOPLE TO STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring goo...
Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Someone else once said, “The opposite of faith isn’t doubt – the opposite of faith is fear.” It’s true – fear can limit us – defeat us – stop us cold – cause us to fail – paralyze us: it causes us to shrink back from our goals, keeps us unhappy and alone, makes us unable to cope with changing reality, stifles relationships, stops us from succeeding at work, school or sports, blinds us to possibilities and options, restricts us to safe, sterile, empty lives, and produc...
This past Sunday I had the privilege of helping baptize eight people at Bridgeport Lake. During the 33 years that I have been a pastor in Sidney, I have been blessed to help baptize over three hundred people at Bridgeport. It is always a wonderful experience for those being baptized and for those witnessing it. However, before we baptize children, young people, or adults, we always make sure they first understand the significance of this event in their lives. We focus on three basic baptism truths which we believe the Scriptures teach: First...
As a young girl, I can remember my mom saying, “I have so much to do, I can’t even think!” At the time, that didn’t make much sense to me. However, I can now better understand what she was saying. She was saying she was under a lot of stress and couldn’t think straight. She wanted peace and a quiet mind. Does that sound familiar to any of us today? We all want peace of mind in these uncertain days. We all need that peace and quiet… not escaping from our new unprecedented responsibilities and way of life, but finding quiet in the midst of th...
Imagine for a few moments what your life was like approximately one year ago. Whatever you imagine, never would you have believed that a year later you, along with others, would be where we are today. The world is a different place altogether. We can obviously identify any number of personal and social issues, but it is, of course, this global health crisis which has paralyzed us in any number of ways. The physical, emotional, social, economic, and yes, spiritual challenges have placed us into a life position in which we find ourselves unable...
Some people think hell isn’t gonna be all that bad – especially since all their friends are gonna be there! But here’s the truth of it – hell is eternal darkness and solitude, in eternal flames and agony! Hell is a forever separation from God. Jesus describes Hell as a place where the worms that eat you never die, and the fires that burn you never go out. Now, it is true – all your friends MIGHT be there with you, but they’re gonna be all alone in everlasting torment just like you, so no, Hell is not just a worse version of this life – Hell...
It finally happened in the heat of this Summer. Our Sidney High School Seniors were able to have their graduation ceremony this past Saturday morning. It was a very unusual ending to a most unusual school year. Hopefully our graduates were encouraged with this final event of their school careers after the disappointment of not being able to enjoy so many other year end activities. As a community we want to once more congratulate our Seniors, and wish them the very best in the days to come. As a community of faith in God, we are also praying...
Last week, many evenings were spent protecting my plants under the patio because of bad weather warnings. No one likes bad weather, but it is nice that we have warnings to prepare us a little ahead of time. Life is not all sunshine. Neither is it all bad weather. But life, which Jesus says is like a house, must be ready for all weather. In Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus tells us, “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds b...
“But Pastor, is it okay to protest?” “Did Jesus ever do it? Didn’t He just preach the Gospel and didn’t waste His time doing that kind of thing?” “Don’t you think we should stop wasting our precious time in distractions and just preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” “This is all politics.” These are some questions and comments we have heard during the last few weeks. Actually, some of these, we have heard for years. They come from pastoral colleagues, family members, brothers and sisters in our churches, and the community in general. Some churche...
