News you can use
News you can use
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Proverbs 4:14 "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers." Out our way, accidents happen. One day, an old friend asked me to come out to help reset an old gravestone in a neglected and abandoned cemetery out on the prairie. The fence had long since fallen in disrepair and cattle had gotten in and rubbed against the headstones, knocking some over. My friend had been friends with a youth back in the day whose headstone had been knocked over - and...
I've always enjoyed road trips. If I have the time I prefer taking to the open road than to the air. Recently I found myself traveling south more regularly than usual but what a beautiful time to hit the road. The season's rains have cast an emerald glaze over every horizon which feels as refreshing as cucumber slices to the eyes. No, I didn't go anywhere for a spa treatment, but my senses were revitalized just the same. As the miles rolled by I found myself hanging onto a blu...
You know, Lord, while casually going through some papers, this one popped up, so, just sharing a bit: Psalm 23: "He restoreth my soul." One just assumes that belonging to You, Lord, and being in Your care, we'd never become so disserted in soul as to need any sort of restoration, but, low and behold - such is not the case. When we start thinking that we have "arrived", that is when we're most susceptible to become cast (the verb form), like a sheep. "Cast down" is an old...
Isaiah 5:20 - "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil" Out our way, common sense is a virtue most of us cherish - especially when around horses. Only a moron will spook a green horse by walking up behind it without letting it first know you are there. And I have known of some folks whose mental dexterity was almost as bad. I was taking Doc to the vet for a visit and had loaded him in my trailer. Now Doc is a big dude and my trailer is small. Even with him tied off snug...
[Joshua 4:1-24] Visual aids make great memory joggers, don't they? Things like putting flags on veteran graves. With the phenomenon of a dried-up Jordan at the people's backs, Joshua turns them around for an object lesson. "What do these stones mean?" is the natural inquiry God and Joshua expect from the ever curious children of upcoming generations. Notice that the memorial celebrates not the people involved in this historic event but God who enacted the miracle (the second...
You know, Lord, it's interesting to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. A friend, a few hours south of here, wrote that she'd grabbed her favorite glass of Cranberry Iced tea, deciding to stretch out in their back yard, pretending to relax. She mentioned that she had a lounge chair - so spreadeagled there, soaking in the air, soft and sweet having her eyes closed. She mentioned that she laid there for several minutes, surround by the fresh scents of spring with...
You know, Lord, it's not often that in this part of town meadowlarks are seen/heard, but the other day while outdoors, whoa! What was that? A small bird flew to the tip-top of a nearby tree and started singing, praising the Lord. Sharing that later with friends, B.J. mentioned that when she was young, while playing in the yard at their country home, she heard one, ran into the house to tell mamma. Her mom asked, "Well, what did the birdie say?" B.J. quickly answered, "It was...
Philippians 1:23 "I am torn between two desires, I long to go and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is necessary for you that I remain in the body." Out our way, you carry a canteen when working cows on the "Tiger" because the days get long and hot and dusty. More than a few times I was ready to call it a day and ride over the ridge to where Charlie's red horse trailer waited to take Charlie, Jet, me and Doc back home. I recall one day that I was really saddle...
In Havre, it feels like the whole town celebrates graduation season. Everyone joins in on the joy of students proudly completing the race they've run. We're all eager to praise the learning and growth that graduation represents. For some churches, this graduation season also encompasses confirmation, the traditional period of learning for the youth, focused on the Bible, church history, and important founding documents and doctrines. We want our young adults to have a solid...
John 11:35 "When Jesus saw her weeping and those who came with her also weeping, He groaned in His spirit and was troubled. 'Where have you laid him?' 'Come and see, Lord,' they replied. Jesus wept." Out our way, we sometimes discover that some animals have emotions not unlike our own. You may recall that incident at one fall roundup when Charlie and I were gathering the herd to move down to the winter pasture. Naturally, as the "greenhorn preacher/cowhand" I rode drag, and...
[Job 8:8-19] Bildad, "good" friend that he is, is telling Job to mend his ways because his troubles are a result of his sinfulness. He tells Job to consult the knowledge of the ages to see that this is true, because he says, "we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow ... Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless" (Job 8:9, 13). As wrong as he is about Job and his relationship to God, Bildad is...
You know, Lord, yup - Mother's Day is past, but it's been fun listening to several old and young friends share about the mothers of some of their friends. Take G.L.'s mom for instance. She loved having her daughter's friends pop in for an overnight or a weekend. Seems like she also had a few jobs for them to do while maybe G.L. just watched or went and played the piano while friend 1) ironed, or friend 2) cleaned out a cupboard and washed a day's worth of dishes, or maybe...
Matthew 13:22 "The ground of trusting in the riches of this world is sinking sand" Out our way, the upper pastures can be a bit treacherous. The thorn trees and thick clumps of trees in the arroyos can hide unexpected surprises. Being a greenhorn, I did not know that some creek beds get covered in dirt and while they may look dry and solid are actually deep mud holes that, quicksand-like, will grab hold of the unwary and not let go. I have shared this tale a few times before,...
A circuit rider pastor has a lot of "windshield time" to pray and to ponder ... pondering can take some mighty strange directions at times. While driving down the highway, I wondered, " How many mile markers there are in Montana?" I googled the Montana Transportation webpage ... there are 13,271-mile markers in our state ... Now, that's a lot of highway! We don't pay much attention to the mile markers unless we need roadside assistance. But in that moment of describing the nea...
You know, Lord, it was special listening to several teens talk about their visit to a rest home, visiting a woman named Violet on Mother's Day. They said she smiled as they stopped in to visit with her. The hot, sticky, midday air came into her little group home unabated, but she didn't complain. Instead, she began wracking her mind for a song to sing. Then a huge smile appeared and she sang, "I am running, skipping, jumping, praising the Lord!" As she sang, she swung her arms...
As Christians, we are considered to be "people of the book." Our identity is formed by one particular book, the Bible. This book is actually many books, of course, written by many people over many years. Together, the books of the Bible reveal to us the nature of God, the person of Jesus, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. We are shaped by Scripture. I, as a Lutheran woman living in Montana, have something deeply in common with the Pentecostal bus driver in Brazil and...
Hosea 14:1-9 "Return,O Israel, come back to the Lord your God ..." Out our way, spring can be a busy season, especially with all the newborn calves jumping sound. Naturally some are a bit curious and tend to wander and sometimes get lost, which is why Charlie and I ride the arroyos and tree stands as well as going up ridges to get an eagle's view of the whole layout. A young calf still needs mama's milk and guidance. She can show it where to find water and where the best...
You know, Lord, sometimes one comes across some very interesting reading. Author unknown, but mentioned that Craig and Lizzy had a regular'Joke Night with their four school-age children. Each child brought several jokes they'd read or heard (or made up themselves!) during the week to tell at the dinner table. This tradition created joyful memories of fun shared around the table. Craig and Lizzy noticed that laughter was healthy for their children, lifting their spirits on...
We're born to die, the "Good Book" says, those left behind are sad. A new-born girl, just 2 days old, left weeping Mom and Dad. Away down South, 'Jil' dined with Mom, then hurried back to work. She shared NO troubles with her Mom, she worked as a Sales Clerk. Some time had passed, - 'Jill' wasn't found 'till Boss found her plumb dead! They saw that she had overdosed, dropped down and cracked her head. Across the state a grandpa lived, he was there all alone. He'd just turned...
You know, Lord, some of us were chatting about our life when we were kids. One friend shared that when she was about 4 years old, her mom's friend stopped by to visit. She said, "Even at my young age, I was chatty. That is, until Mom's friend turned to me and said, 'You have diarrhea of the mouth.' "She might have said it with a smile on her face, as I don't think she really meant to insult me, but her words felt like a gut punch - even way back then. I thought to myself, 'I...
(John 13:1-17) So far in this important election year, I am not seeing any Servant Humility. How about you? Jesus washed the disciple's feet in order to demonstrate the humility with which his disciples are to continue as messengers of his Word and his Way. Jesus told the disciples that they must be willing to do as he had done (see John 13:14-17), and that they would be blessed as they became stewards of what he was teaching them. It was a lesson in the deep humility they...
Romans 18:17 "Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you learned." Out our way, there are often more than one "leader" in the herd whom the other cattle will follow without question. The "herd" mentality dominates and if for whatever reason this cow or that appeals to others, they will follow without thought. But what happens when two different leaders going on different trails arise and call the herd to follow?...
Isaiah 30:21 This is the way, walk in it. I have shared this text many times before because it is a message I need to heed, and most likely, so do you. Out our way, the Tiger Ridge is not a flat plateau, but an area with many ridges, old trails, arroyos, thorn bushes and deep gullies. Like it or not, Charlie and I found many a calf lost and apart from their mama and the herd because they wandered down the wrong trail and ended up in a gully. Unlike the cattle - and especially...
You know, Lord, friend, Ce De, asked if she and her neighbor could pop on over, so she could "spill her guts" - like what? So, here they came. They settled in for some tea and cookies and off she went. "You know, long ago, Ally was my best friend - she's since died and gone to heaven, but I can't help but now and then, think about her - how great she was. Oh, maybe I'd best start out in the beginning. A casual acquaintance invited a group of gals over, including me. Well,...
Happy Easter! I have not taken the opportunity to post any articles for a few months an so this is a chance to express some Easter greetings to you all. We are celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Easter this weekend and the readings for Sunday are from Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:8-9,21-23, 26, 28, 29, 1 John 3:1-2 and the Gospel is John 10:11-18. In our tradition we call this Sunday "Good Shepherd Sunday" based on the Gospel reading. In the Gospel reading Jesus calls himself the...
