Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 207
My Dec. 4 column in the Quay County Sun was about how the original “Star Trek” star, William Shatner, had actually gone into “the final frontier” and wrote a Variety magazine article about it. The original idea for my article was the concept of going where no man had gone before, but it didn’t go where I thought it would and became largely based on Shatner’s article. Today’s column will continue my thoughts from the Variety article and conclude with my original concept about Christmas. Space disappointed Shatner because it wasn’t as glo...
William Shatner, star of the original “Star Trek,” now has actually gone into space and written a book about his experience, which he summarized in a Variety magazine article I found while researching for this column. While I had a good idea for this article based on the concept of boldly going where no man had gone before, the article didn’t go where I thought it would and became largely based on the Variety article. So, here’s what I gleaned from the Variety article that might be of value to Christians and to encourage others to conside...
We’ve all probably heard the saying that something – clothes, figure/physique, chocolate – is to die for, meaning it was highly desirable. The Christmas season has been upon us in a commercial sense since before Halloween, with some Black Friday sales already started, though Thanksgiving isn’t until next week. While I haven’t heard “to die for” used in any sales pitches yet, the products being hawked on TV are billed with the concept that they’re the latest and greatest, and you simply cannot live without them. We like giving to die for gift...
“Close don’t count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” That was said by baseball manager Frank Robinson in 1973. Not long after that, while I was in college and throwing water balloons through open windows into girls’ dorms was fun (more fun if there was a screen), we modified the last sentence to, “Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and water balloons.” We’ve heard almost all summer the presidential election would be close and that the loser might have the greater popular vote but lose due to the ou...
This is a follow-up to my previous article in the Oct. 9 issue of the Quay County Sun about good things coming to those who wait rather than attaining the desires of our hearts through evil. We’re all sinners under temptation, which can lead to sin’s consequences (Romans 3:23; 6:23). God wants to give us our heart’s desires, but he never tempts us to sin (Psalm 145:16; James 1:13-15). Temptations are generally associated with sin, but our desires need not be temptation-based because we can and should have righteous desires (Romans 12:2; Philipp...
I heard an excellent sermon about temptation recently, and while the preacher was expounding on the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, something triggered a reminder that God satisfies the desires of every living creature (Matthew 3:13-4:-11; Mark 1:9-13; Luke 4:1-13; Psalm 145:15-16). Each temptation represented a desire of Jesus’ heart that is also common to all humans (1 John 2:15-17). Satan offered to fulfill those desires for Jesus, but Jesus responded with Scripture, which many consider to be the way out of temptation God provides (1...
I have great respect for those talented in other languages. My father was a second-generation missionary in South America who became a Bible translator, developed a written language for a Peruvian tribe and wrote down their folklore so they could learn to read, after which he translated the New Testament for them. I also have great respect for those who’ve figured out how to communicate with people who cannot see, speak and/or hear. However, as proud as I am that we can communicate by various means, a recent event concerned me. I passed s...
I had prepared another article for today's Quay County Sun, but when I realized the issue's date, I decided to write about terrorism despite having written about Patriot Day last year. This article is biblically based, but it's also heavily editorial, and I had to rush to meet the deadline. It seems that since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, we'd made fairly good headway against global terrorism and, for a brief period, could actually be at some ease knowing our country was being well-protected against it. Now, terrorism has reared its ugly head...
On the first day of school last week, we attended the “Meet the Rattlers” event for Tucumcari’s fall athletes, including two of our grandsons. The program included a video promoting good sportsmanship, including by fans. I suspect that was appropriate because the event was likely attended by the most potentially rabid fans — parents and grandparents. While the video was right on about good sportsmanship, it included statements that the main goal shouldn’t be to win. I agree with that philosophy only to an extent because it’s likely that insuff...
Recently, I participated in a Facebook conversation initiated when someone complained about getting an opened bag of corn chips from the cabinet, only to find that someone else had left only the crumby remnants. I and many others understood the disappointment, but several of us commented about the beneficial use of such leftovers for cooking or as a treat. Shortly after my initial response, I realized the topic was a food-for-thought opportunity. So here’s what came tumbling out of my mind. Crumbs are associated with less-than-desirable t...
My last article in the Quay County Sun on July 17 was about the splendors of God’s love for us with an introduction that our appropriate response to that love through obedience to become his child (John 14:15-21; Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; Galatians 3:26-4:7; Romans 8:9-17). We’re to continue in that relationship of love by loving others as he loved us because he loves the whole world and wants them as his children (John 3:16; 13:34-35; Ephesians 5:1-2; Romans 5:6-8; 2 Peter 3:9). Love, therefore, is the basis for the first and second greatest com...
I was recently reminded of the Andy Williams song, "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," which describes some of the splendors of love with these phrases: "It's the April rose that only grows in early spring; love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living; the golden crown that makes a man a king." These words put limits on love that weren't intended from the beginning because they're based on whimsical emotion triggered by physical contact (the kiss and the touch). Although, I like that,...
Last year, my Independence Day article was published in the Quay County Sun on July 5. I lamented in that article the holiday is now commonly called July 4th by those who may not be as concerned about the history and meaning of the holiday as they are about having another day off from work and doing fun things such as fireworks. I recognize that many, including myself, also call it July 4th out of convenience, but the origin still has great meaning to us. Generally, dates move backward one weekday from year to year, but because 2024 is a leap...
I learned something interesting while reading about Father’s Day, celebrated this past Sunday. While Mother’s Day has always been focused on one’s mother and is, therefore, singular possessive, Father’s Day was originally meant to be a celebration of fatherhood, in general, as most of the world observes it, and was proposed as the plural possessive, Fathers’ Day, but the singular precedent already set by Mother’s Day won out. In the USA, a Father’s Day holiday was initially rejected because Mother’s Day had become immensely commercialized....
We’re to sing about our hope of heaven to bolster our faith and encourage each other (Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:12-17). So while my wife’s dear friend was dying recently, without knowing whether her friend could hear, my wife played hymns on her phone. We’ll also sing in heaven and some of the family present wondered what kind of songs we’d sing when we get there, we’ll no longer need faith because we’ll be living by sight (2 Corinthians 5:1-10, especially vs. 7; 1 John 3:1-3). The Book of Revelation provides some insight into presen...
It occurred to me that this year, Memorial Day will fall about halfway between Mother’s Day, which I wrote about in my last article, and Father’s Day, which I’ll write about in a future article. All three holidays were established to remember specific people. While it’s easy to recognize who we remember on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, the focus of Memorial Day has changed over the years — from concentrating on those who gave their lives in military service to America to all Americans who’ve passed on as indicated by the decorating of m...
Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday and, while many will celebrate with their mothers, others of us will fondly remember our mothers and be grateful for those who were godly and led us in paths of righteousness so we could know that, despite their passing away from this life, they still live, as Jesus promised (John 11:25-27). The name of the holiday is singular possessive because it’s set aside to honor each one’s mother, as is the case for Father’s Day, while Grandparents’ Day is plural possessive, likely because we all have several grandpare...
While traveling back from Albuquerque recently and knowing we’d get home in time for supper for a change, I asked the family whether we should stop along the way or pick something up for supper in Tucumcari. The teenage grandson immediately said he was hungry, which is his typical response, even shortly after lunch. So, we opened the package of beef jerky we keep in the car for such purposes. After finishing the package, I noticed my wife reading the label and asked, “What does it say, ‘Best if used by yesterday’?” After a momentary pause, sh...
Question: Why did the cat change its mind about crossing the road? I actually saw that happen while driving down Tucumcari’s Lake Street recently. My first thought was the cat had tried crossing unsuccessfully eight times before and decided not to take any more chances when a car was approaching. In this case, the cat had plenty of time before I’d get to the crossing point. Still, perhaps the cat realized it had only one life left to live. That’s all any of us have, for there’s a (singular) time to be born and a (singular) time to die after whi...
Most have likely heard the phrase, “In like a lion, out like a lamb; in like a lamb, out like a lion,” regarding March weather. There’s much discussion about meanings, with some relating lion weather to harshness because lions are fierce, while others relate it more to the lion’s coat as giving a sunny or warm feeling. For the lamb, the harsh weather is related to the whiteness of snow indicated by the lamb’s wool, while the fair weather is related to the gentleness generally attributed to a lamblike disposition. Generally, the concept i...
Probably every child heard their parents say something like, “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times!” — usually because the child keeps repeating the same mistakes or outright acts of disobedience. As I heard John 1:1-3 read at church recently, I realized the Bible has a lot of repetitions. John 1:1-3 includes two repetitive concepts: 1) The Word (Jesus) was in the beginning with God, and 2) Everything was made through him and without him, nothing was made. Since all Scripture is God-breathed, originating from the Word himself...
During my junior high school years, we lived in south-central Kentucky about 15 miles south of the Dogpatch Trading Post, a tourist trap based upon the “Li’l Abner” newspaper cartoon series. The cartoon included a character named Sadie Hawkins, the homeliest girl on earth for whom Sadie Hawkins Day is named. To get her a husband, Sadie’s father initiated a race in which bachelors got a head start on being chased by spinsters. Like running from a lion, you needn’t be the fastest, but you wanted to be faster than spinsters in pursuit. Originall...
Today is Valentine’s Day, but I have a question for you that’s not “Will you be my valentine?” Rather, it’s “What do Valentine’s Day, Cupid and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre have in common?” The answer is love, even for the massacre. The massacre was based in the love of money, leading to all kinds of evil that pierces with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:9-10; Ecclesiastes 5:10). It took place during Prohibition when, to satisfy love of money, many took advantage of people’s inappropriate love for alcohol. Those slain that day were riddled with b...
My wife related a recent incident to me involving her and our youngest grandson. She reviewed and approved of this article. Several of the grandchildren were outside in two separate areas of our yard, and some were oblivious to the situation. One of the older ones was playing with a toy she wouldn’t let the youngest grandson play with. So, when he came inside complaining, my wife came up with the wise idea of telling him to get a cheese stick and ask his cousin if she wanted to go inside and get one. After thinking for a moment, his c...
While reading through the Bible last year, I came across an “I am” statement by Jesus I hadn’t previously recognized as being one of his well-known statements (John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7-14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5). But it struck me as one of the best “I am” statements, encompassing all those and more. I searched for “I am in the Bible,” finding a website (bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/I-Am-The-Lord) listing 62 Old Testament occurrences of “I am the Lord.” Space prevents me from listing all those or their references, but you can check the website for...