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  • Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving

    Nov 24, 2021

    If you awakened in the morning and had only that which you had thanked God for the night before …. what would you have ? Sometimes we become so focused on what we don’t have that we lose sight of what we do have and how God truly has blessed us. For most of us it is easy to pray our prayer requests to God and easy for us to forget to thank him for what he has done. An important part of our church women’s bible study is to pray for the concerns of the members of our church, community and the world. There are so many needs that sometimes ou...

  • Comfort for God's People

    Nov 17, 2021

    Isaiah 40:1-10 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord...

  • The Logic of Love and Hate

    Nov 10, 2021

    Jesus began His ministry with a sermon about being a citizen of the kingdom of God and having the attribute of Divine love. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.’ But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:” (Matthew 5:43-45) This is a very explosive and radical principle of non-retaliatory, non-resistant...

  • Are You Weary

    Nov 3, 2021

    Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus states come to me ALL who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest. In todays world its easy to become weary and burdened, with everything going on around us. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to cast all our cares /anxiety on Jesus because he cares for us, folks what you can’t control you give to Jesus(GOD) in prayer, and leave it to GOD to take care of. We are to rest in Jesus, and take his yoke upon us and learn from him because he is gentle and humble and you will find Rest for your souls, for HIS yoke is easy and...

  • Just Read It

    Oct 27, 2021

    The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, once said, “I want to know one thing, the way to heaven – how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end He came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that book! Let me be a man of one book. Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone: only God is here. In His presence I open, and I read His Book, for this end – to find the way to heaven.” What he means is, learn to love reading your Bible! And don’t...

  • Ishmael – Building Relationships Strong Enough to Hold the Gospel

    Oct 27, 2021

    Submitted by Kelly J. Huenink Ishmael was 86 years old when I met him. He was a practicing Muslim and the person in his village who prepared and slaughtered animals for Islamic rituals. He came to a free vision clinic I was conducting. Typically, I would never begin a relationship by talking about Jesus to a Muslim. I passionately believe that you must build relationships strong enough to hold the gospel. But Ishmael advanced age, and the fact that Uganda's life expectancy is less than 60...

  • A Way of Seeing

    Oct 20, 2021

    A central visual symbol in almost every Lutheran worship space is the cross. This cruel instrument of torture and death was reserved for rebellious slaves, violent criminals, and threatening criminal subversives. We see the Cross as a central symbol because we confess; “it is here, on the cross, that God meets us.” It is on the Cross that God made himself present in our weakness, in our vulnerability and suffering, and our dying. In the abyss of despair, in the deepest darkness, God comes. In the painful reality of our mortality, our...

  • The Strength of My Soul

    Oct 13, 2021

    Recently, I had the privilege of visiting my daughter’s church and hearing their Praise Group sing the song, “Your Love Defends Me” by Matt Maher. I left that church with the lyrics going over and over in my mind. The Gospel set to music gets down deep in the soul. Even though you won’t have the benefit of the beautiful tune, I would like to share some of the words with you. They are so meaningful and uplifting: “You are my joy, You are my song. You are the well, the One I’m drawing from. You are my refuge, my whole life long, where...

  • The Universality of the Lord's Prayer

    Oct 6, 2021

    The most popular prayer that human societies have ever uttered during the past twenty centuries is undoubtedly the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, ‘Our Father’, which is otherwise called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. Anyone going to the holy land will get to visit the Church of Pater Noster (Our Father), the place where Jesus is believed to have taught this beautiful prayer. One thing that strikes our minds when we are at this place is the common heritage, communion and fellowship that is expressed by people who reach here. It is...

  • 'To Tap, or Not to Tap' ?

    Sep 29, 2021

    How many of you recognize these infamous people: Chuck (the iceman) Liddel; Carlos (the natural born killer) Condit; Tito (the bad boy) Ortiz; Keith (the dean of mean) Jardine; Matt (the terror) Serra; Deigo (the nightmare) Sanchez; or Quinton (rampage) Jackson? These are all MMA, mixed martial arts cage fighters, who participate in the full body sanctioned fighting, with the outcome being tap out, knock out or black out. The sport is a combo of fighting styles, such as, boxing, Jiu jitsu, wrestling, tae kwon do, muay thai and karate. Some of...

  • Finding a Place

    Sep 22, 2021

    In today's world there is a lot of Fear, confusion, and anxiety, so where does one turn to find Peace of mind, focus, and rest. In John 15 the Word of GOD talks about abiding in Christ. word Abide  has several meanings, to remain, to continue in, to endure Bravely to stand or make a stand, IF abide in Christ, who is the source of Life we will produce a Godly Character, we will find peace for our souls and Spirit if you choose to personally stay connected, (have a relationship) you will find that Peace that passes all our understanding, that...

  • Who is Jesus?

    Sep 15, 2021

    Have you ever tried to define Jesus? I mean, how would you tell someone else who Jesus is? Don’t be too upset if you can’t quite nail it down about who and what Jesus is to you. From the very beginning, most people couldn’t. And even today, there are those who still can’t define Him. There are those of us who spend a lot of time thinkin’ about Him and talkin’ about Him, and we still find it difficult – because – let’s face it – sometimes Jesus is just too big to get a hold of!  He’s often ambiguous and unclear and...

  • Making Friends With an Angel

    Submitted by Kelly Heunik|Sep 15, 2021

    My first visit to Angel's village was awkward. I stayed with Alfred and Florence. They isolated me in the house's living room and gave me a kerosene cook stove to prepare my food. They didn't know how to handle their village's first white visitor. The following day, both had to go to work. They instructed me to stay indoors with the door locked, except to use the latrine. That was my intent, but then I heard a child crying. I tried to ignore it, but I could not. Looking out a window, I finally s...

  • Proverbs 3

    Sep 8, 2021

    Perhaps you have heard it said, “sometimes, you have to look over your shoulder to see how much of the field has been plowed.” In my previous life, I worked in the welding and atmospheric gas industries. I used this analogy with my coworkers and fellow employees when we sat down to plan our goals for the upcoming year. Those conversations took time to carefully weigh through all the reasons why our choices and decisions would be made; some of the reasons were within our control, others were not. All these conversations led us to the same...

  • Trust and Pray

    Sep 1, 2021

    Here we go again! Just when we thought things might be getting back to a new normal, things seem to be getting worse. Covid has raised its ugly head again, forest fires are still burning, the air is bad, flooding is still on the rampage, people are still getting shot, racial strife is on the rise, and I could go on. But I won’t. Instead, let us focus on where we can find peace and some answers. I know a lot of us are asking what we can do to make a difference in all this. This is, indeed, an uncertain and unstable world we are living in. We...

  • Cross My Heart Ministries

    Submitted by Kelly Heunik|Sep 1, 2021

    THEN - In January 2002, First United Methodist Church of Weatherford, Texas, held a women’s retreat.  More than 75 women were in attendance.  Andrea Waitley (McWhorter) at that time had presented a three-session teaching from Psalm 86:11, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart to fear Your name.” Andrea had titled this teaching “Cross My Heart.” The Lord moved powerfully on the hearts of the women who attended. Immediately after the...

  • An Age of Rage & Anger

    Aug 18, 2021

    The national news is peppered with headline stories of people losing their tempers, and committing horrific acts of violence against total strangers, fellow workers, or even more commonly, members of their own family. Due to a variety of social pressures and prejudices, hate crimes also seem to abound. Is this rage or anger just a part of our generation or is there a part of all of us that is ready to boil over at any given moment. I believe we are truly living in an age of rage and anger. Did you know? The first act of murder recorded in the...

  • This is Our Time

    Aug 11, 2021

    In the Book of Esther in Chapter  Mordecai and Esther are sending messages back and forth talking about the fate of the Jewish people, and Mordecai make the statement, That maybe Esther is in the position she’s in “FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS” So how does that effect us today? We the body of CHRIST, have a voice, we have always had a voice, but it seems of late that voice has been a Whisper. The Church (BODY OF CHRIST) should be standing on BIBLICAL principals, and when something is wrong according to the word of GOD not according to...

  • The Road of Faith

    Aug 4, 2021

    One time, Sarah and I were deer hunting in the Sandhills about 30 miles south of Mullen. Our friend Tim took us out to a huge pasture and pointed out a windmill in a valley about two miles north of us. He said, “Just hunt your way straight towards that windmill, and I’ll pick you up in a couple hours!” We shoulda known better! By the time we walked down through a draw, climbed back to the top, found our way around a blow-out, then climbed another hill, and then did that same thing over and over and over again, each time checkin’ for...

  • 'Church Guys' Researching Catholic Parishes

    Jul 28, 2021

    The Nebraska Church Guys” set out to document the history and architecture of Catholic parishes in Nebraska. Written above the door leading into Ron Sack’s den is the quote, “When a person dies, a library is lost.” He uses that quote as inspiration. The quote is based on an old African proverb, but Sack heard it again while visiting with historian Alex Meyer of Snyder, Nebraska. “It’s so true,” explained Sack. “My grandparents recorded as much history as they could over their...

  • Psalm 23

    Jul 28, 2021

    1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my...

  • Strength in Struggles

    Jul 21, 2021

    Are you having a good day? I surely hope you are! Nobody in their right mind would want to trade a good day for a bad day…….or would we?? As we look back over our lives, we can see how it was during our struggles that we were drawn closer to God. It is a time when what we have heard with our ears, we now see with our eyes, through our misery, as we cry out to God. (Job 42:5 paraphrased) Be our struggles physical, emotional or spiritual God does not abandon us. My favorite book of the Bible is The Book of Job. It is the oldest book of the...

  • True Freedom Found Only in Christ

    Jul 7, 2021

    Freedom is at the heart of a lot of our country’s history and national holidays. There is Martin Luther Jr’s Day, and his, “I Have a Dream,” speech declaring freedom at last. Just a couple of weeks ago, President Biden signed into law the “Juneteenth Bill,” making June 19 a Federal Holiday, commemorating the freedom declared by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 for enslaved people in the US in the aftermath of the Civil. We experience religious freedom because of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And we just...

  • Forgiving

    Jun 30, 2021

    Forgiving others when they have hurt you is difficult. But holding onto the hurt, breeds anger, bitterness and revenge works it’s way in there too. In Matthew 6:9-12 is the LORD’S prayer, in the prayer it states forgive us our Debts AS WE FORGIVE our debtors, and in verses 14&15 it states IF you forgive men (women) when they sin against you your Heavenly Father will forgive you when you Sin, But in the next verse it says IF you don’t forgive others when they sin against you , your Heavenly Father won’t forgive you of your sin. JESUS...

  • Time for Retirement

    Forrest Hershberger, Publisher, Sidney Sun-Telegraph|Jun 23, 2021

    More than 30 years ago, Doug Birky was finishing his degree at Dallas Theological Seminary when he was contacted about a church in Sidney. He was contacted after the midwest district of the Evangelical Free Church received his resume. He calls the delivery of his resume “another story.” What is real, he says, is he and his wife Carolyn and their family, have been blessed to be part of the Sidney community since 1986. “We had never imagined we'd be here this many years,” Birky said...

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