Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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This past Sunday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, which we celebrated on Monday as a federal holiday named Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As I was considering the approach of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I realized there were a lot of similarities between him and the Apostle Paul as two great men of the faith, as well as between them and the rest of us. First, MLK was born Michael King Jr., but his father changed both their names when MLK was 5. While the Apostle Paul didn’t change his earthly name, he was originally known in his Jew...
Well, another year has flown by with all its hopes and dreams, fulfilled or not, and a new year has begun. Newness usually leads to a positive outlook, like turning over a new leaf, which anyone with a conscience readily admits they should do for their own good and the basis for New Year’s resolutions. The Bible says there’s nothing new under the sun, but the opportunity for a new life isn’t new and it’s not under the sun, anyway, because God planned it before he created the sun and Jesus said that anyone following the plan wouldn’t be of thi...
This Sunday is Christmas (in case you missed that). Although you’ve probably heard or read the accounts of Jesus’ birth multiple times recently, read them again because you might learn something new with each reading (Matthew 1:1-25; Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-20; Matthew 2:1-23; Galatians 4:4; John 1:1-18). You’ll certainly be encouraged by the hope that the reason for the season brings. Learning about hope and having that hope leads to rejoicing on many fronts. When the angels shared the good news of Jesus’ birth with the shepherds, both the angels...
Dec. 7, 1941, was described by President Franklin Roosevelt as “a day that would live in infamy” because of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. While most Americans have come to peace with Japan since then, the term “day of infamy” became associated with any day of such tragedy and disgrace. We’ve had a few more of those days since then, but each day of infamy has united our nation making us stronger and eventually resulted in a day of honor, such as V-J Day. The Bible describes many days of infamy followed by days of honor and glory that lead t...
Thanksgiving reminds of our bounteous natural resources, our society’s diversity and the faith-based principles upon which our nation was founded. These have led to our great success as a nation because our forebears trusted in God (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 91:1-2; 18:2; 32:12-32). We should never forget our true history because that would cause us to miss out on an equally bright future (Jeremiah 29:10-14). Remember that Israel had a long history of sin and repentance because they didn’t learn the first, second, or you count the times how goo...
Thanksgiving reminds of our bounteous natural resources, our society’s diversity and the faith-based principles upon which our nation was founded. These have led to our great success as a nation because our forebears trusted in God (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 91:1-2; 18:2; 32:12-32). We should never forget our true history because that would cause us to miss out on an equally bright future (Jeremiah 29:10-14). Remember that Israel had a long history of sin and repentance because they didn’t learn the first, second, or you count the times how goo...
Previously, I’ve written that I tried to keep my little stretch of road clean by picking up the trash a couple of times each year. So, I developed a keen eye for trash. Even a small piece sticks out like a sore thumb. Sometimes, I find treasures, including a nice pair of work gloves I found about 10 years ago that actually fit me. I also have found gloves that made a pair, although noticeably mismatched. While the nicer gloves had been lost or misplaced by their original owner, by finding them before the highway right-of-way was mowed, I b...
We’re now about mid-autumn, which is also called fall. Autumn is from the Latin word “autumnus,” which likely came from a pre-Latin word meaning “increasing,” possibly referring to the typical lengthening of the dark period due to shortening days. Fall, on the other hand, is likely a shortened version of “fall of the leaves,” which needs no explanation. “Spring” also is easy, being derived from “springing time,” which refers to plants popping out of the ground in areas with any spring precipitation at all and temperatures warm enough for germi...
My pocket calendar says today (Oct. 12) is a Mexican holiday called, “Day of the Race.” Having no clue what it was, I looked it up on the internet and found it’s called by various names in various countries, including “Columbus Day.” In Mexico and other Spanish countries and communities, it’s celebrated as the fusion of the Spanish and indigenous American cultures.” The website states that, although there’s some controversy over the events surrounding the European colonization of the Western Hemisphere, the holiday is festively celebrated. In...
My wife and I discussed reducing sodium in our diets. While humans need sodium for good health, we usually get more than we need, and too much of even any good thing is not good, except when it comes to God. Anyway, using a salt substitute or light salt was broached and hastily dismissed. I’d never used either product, but my wife and her parents had and quickly decided they had an unfavorable taste. The conversation then took a different direction as my wife asked about Jesus’ statement regarding our major Christian responsibility to be sal...
While I have many ideas for my articles, sometimes I check the internet to see what happened on the expected date of publication in the Quay County Sun. I did so this year for Sept. 14, and here’s a sampling of what I found at Brittanica.com, with some comments. Born Sept. 14, 1849, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov is known for demonstrating the concept of conditioned reflex using a buzzer whenever some dogs were fed, then making the sound without feeding them, causing them to salivate. Christians are to desire God’s word as food for spi...
Monday is Labor Day, the last summer holiday, although most schools, including colleges and universities, already have started classes. So be careful of young people walking, running and playing on their way to school. Anyway, appropriate labor is a God-given gift for our good (Genesis 2:8-15; Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). Those refusing to do the work God prepared for them really miss out on the joy he wants for them in this life and the next (Ephesians 2:10). That joy from work includes successfully cultivating young minds to become productive...
People occasionally get the best of me and, recently, I was bested big-time by a teenager. Another teen was holding a younger child and said, in jest, she was going to kidnap her, likely because the “kidnappee” was so cute and sweet, but I asked about the ransom. The “kidnapper” quoted $1 million, which I thought wasn’t nearly enough. When I asked the “kidnappee” what she was worth, she didn’t answer. So, I said, “She’s worth Jesus, after all God sent his only begotten son as the ransom for each person; therefore, even the single worst of sin...
Our grandson spent a week at two church camps this summer — one in northern New Mexico and one in southern New Mexico, both in the mountains. When we dropped him off at the second camp, I mentioned to his cabin counselor he’d spent a week at the other camp a couple of weeks previously. The counselor jokingly apologized, saying he’d gone to that camp as a youth. He also admitted both camps knew many young people attended both, which led to the development of a healthy but congenial rivalry. Regardless, he hoped our grandson also would enjoy...
My last article earlier this month ended with a statement that being a doorkeeper in the Lord’s house was a great area of service for new Christians of almost any age because anyone can do the courtesy of holding the door open for anyone else (Psalm 84:10-12). Although that is a good place to start, I realized being a doorkeeper means a lot more than opening and closing doors for people at church. The house of the Lord in Old Testament times, also called the Tabernacle or Temple, took a bunch of Levites, members of the priestly tribe, to s...
Quay County 4-H was well-represented at the Eastern District Contests in Alamogordo recently. Contests included a broad range of topics; see aces.nmsu.edu/4h/contests/sedistrict/index.html for more information. Our youth did well as individuals and teams, as reported in today’s Quay County Sun. I think they had a good time at the contests, as well as swimming and visiting White Sands National Park. While they were well-prepared for their contests, I suspect some (well, at least one) did less than their best in some contests for various r...
I had influenza A recently, and although the meds my doctor prescribed were effective, I was still weak with no appetite for a few days. To justify not eating, I read up on feeding colds and starving fevers, and learned the nearly 650-year-old saying was based on myths and most medical professionals now say there’s only one proven remedy for a cold or fever — plenty of rest and fluids. That statement caught my attention — one remedy with multiple components. The Bible says Jesus is the only way to salvation for everyone (John 14:6; 10:1-...
New Mexico’s primary election will be over by the time this article is published but, while the outcome isn’t known as I write, the results have likely been widely reported on radio, television and the internet. I suspect all concerned Americans are hopeful for a positive final outcome of this year’s elections, no matter how they view events over the past five years. I’ve heard a lot about hope lately, so I thought I’d write about that. A doctor we visited recently spoke with concern and hope our country survives all the emerging variants...
It seems my articles in the Quay County Sun this year often have fallen close to holidays, which gives me plenty to write about, but I don’t remember it happening much in the past. Next Monday is Memorial Day, when we remember those who gave their lives in war to protect the United States of America, although the holiday was expanded to remember anyone who’s passed away. While I haven’t been intentionally keeping count, I checked, and this is my 20th year writing religion articles for the Sun. During that time, as best as I can count, I’ve ment...
This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. That should’ve been no surprise to anyone who watches TV or looks at the ads that come by email and snail mail, including the inserts in your Quay County Sun. As a matter of fact, while there’s been a celebration of motherhood for millennia throughout the world on various dates, Americans have known for over a 100 years the second Sunday in May is our Mother’s Day holiday. This year, Mother’s Day came on its earliest possible date. In 2023, it’ll come on its latest possible date, May 14. The holiday bou...
I’ve written a lot about light lately because the Bible says a lot about light in relation to God that cannot be covered in a single article. John 1:1-5 states of Jesus, “In him was life and that life was the light of men” and, “The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (NIV Study Bible, 1985). When Jesus came as the Light of the World, God’s plan for salvation was revealed to the dark world (John 8:12; Romans 1:16-17; 16:25-27). This being said, Jesus’ closest followers were some of the most confused people on ear...
Two weeks ago, I wrote about waking up in the dark due to the time change. The Bible says a lot about light, especially pertaining to God being the light at the beginning and end of this dark world’s tunnel, so to speak (Genesis 1:1-5; Revelation 22:1-5; John 16:33; Matthew 6:34). Next Sunday is Easter, the annual celebration of Jesus’ triumphal resurrection over our sin (Acts 2:22-24; 1 Peter 2:21-25). We often see pictures of light coming out of the open tomb at Easter, and I’ve wondered about a Scriptural basis for that because I figured as...
This Friday is April Fool’s Day; I hope everyone survives. The origin of this holiday has been widely disputed, and it’s considered an official holiday only in Odessa, Ukraine. I wonder if they have a trick up their sleeves planned this year. Anyway some biblically non-scholars centuries-ago connected April Fool’s Day with Noah releasing the first dove from the ark before the water had receded, stating it occurred on April 1 and calling it a foolish move on Noah’s part. First, the biblical account gives Noah’s reasoning for sending the dove...
It’s been a few days since we confused our internal clocks with the change to daylight saving time. While I’ll eventually get used to the time change, I’ve revisited some previous experiences related to waking up an hour earlier in a dark room. I had deluded myself into thinking I knew where everything was in the room until it became pitch black. I lost my bearings and began running into things not in my normally traveled path. Regaining my bearings was impossible until I saw a glimmer of light. While the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt...
The Lenten season, which is celebrated by many, begins today, March 2. Lent is based on Jesus’ 40-day and night wilderness fast when he was tempted by the cravings of the flesh (food – Philippians 3:18-19), lust of the eyes (materialism – Ecclesiastes 5:10) and pride of life (thinking too highly of oneself – Romans 12:3; Isaiah 14:12-15). These represent the temptations everyone faces (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; 1 John 2:15-17; Genesis 2:15; 3:6; Romans 3:23). To overcome Satan’s temptations, Jesus used God’s word (Deuteronomy 8:1-3; 6:13...