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For the last several days, I have been studying the ancient Greek idea of citizenship. Like so many foundational ideas in our culture, the Greeks were the first to conjure up the idea of citizenship in our culture. It was a revolutionary idea and was worn as a badge of honor by everyone who achieved it. Citizens were willing to die to maintain that status and considered everything else slavery. The dynamic I was looking for in my study of the topic was elusive. I was hoping to find an ancient...
In the book of Mark, there is a story about Jesus coming into a town where he is quickly surrounded by huge crowds of people. As He walks through the town, with the crowds pressing in from all sides, he is approached by a woman. This woman had a health problem that resulted in her bleeding for 12 years. Mark records that she had suffered through many treatments from doctors, spending all of her money and only seeing her condition worsen through the process. For first century Jews, this illness...
Many years ago, while I was working as a chaplain for a mental health facility that worked with children, we would take a group of clients on a trip to canoe, camp, and fish in the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. One year, on the last day of our week-long trip, we were traveling to the spot where our outfitter was going to pick us up. We were competing with a deadline for pickup, and were traveling a long way. I was sharing my canoe with a young lady from our addictions...
It’s amazing how many people are hurt. With this month being Mental Health Month, I’ve written a couple of articles, only to discover that way more people in our community live in pain. I’ve been stopped on the street and stood before The Grocery Store and talked. Most of the time, I hear rumors, and more rumors, that aren’t fed by truths or compassion. Because of this, I was told to read a book called The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a very short book but beautifully illustrated. I found the book full of wisdo...
Several years ago, a Big Sandy Convalescent Home patient attended church. She came into the church and sat in the back pew. When it came time to share prayer concerns, she raised her hand and said, "Please pray my husband dies quickly so I can marry Steve!" The person responsible for prayer briefly paused and said, "I'll pray for the Lord's will in this manner." As ridiculous as her request sounds, I don't think it's so far from the rest of our prayers. We pray for our concerns. We are told to pray for our problems. He wants us to talk to Him....
Mother’s Day always brings up memories. I wanted to have some fun this Mother’s Day by interviewing several kids and adults and asking them, “ What has your mom taught you?” The following answers are from children between 9-14 years old. “She’s taught me how to be safe.” “She’s taught me to chase after our dogs.” “That it’s okay not to do drugs.” “She helps me with my homework.” “To not suck on sugary coated painkillers.” “To not put quarters. In my mouth.” “Don’t lie.” “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Look both ways.” “How to handle ch...
in ancient Israel, the Jewish people followed a very strict set of dietary laws. There are a lot of reasons for these laws, most of them having to do with reminding the Jews that they were separate from other nations and holy. In Acts 10, the apostle Peter has a vision in which he is told that the dietary laws are no longer in effect. There are two huge reasons for this taking place. First, because Jesus fulfilled God’s law and filled the need for holiness a spiritual effort rather than a m...
"The roads are terrible!" I've heard that over and over. I may have said it over and over. Even so, it's a picture of our society these days. There is a way to fix the roads. There is a way to fix our society. A couple of weeks ago, I found this statement. "People will value you based on their point of view, their level of information, and their belief in you." I have known for some time we live in a world where man determines the value system. It's been brought home to me lately that people...
A Boy Named Sue is one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs. Most people are familiar with the tune, but for those who have never encountered Cash’s humorous song, it tells the story of a man whose father was a worthless drunk who abandoned his family. Just before leaving, the drunk cruelly named his son “Sue.” The monicker brought teasing and mockery from an early age, which forced Sue to get tough, fighting anyone who picked on him. Intent on revenge for his unfortunate name, Sue hunts down his f...
For the last few years, I have found myself in a loop of grayness, same after same after same. I could blame it on COVID, but honestly, it started before that. But it's Easter, a great time to reflect on rebirth, new beginnings, or a fresh breeze. I've wanted to experience God again, to feel his presence. Don't get me wrong. The fact that I lived a gray life wasn't because of my pastor or my church. It was because I wasn't looking for the miracles God gives daily. I wasn't celebrating the miraculous. I didn't laugh enough, sing enough, or...
Over the weekend, my wife and I went to Great Falls to run errands. While we were there, we stopped at Goodwill to look for a few odds and ends. Before we stepped out my wife started looking through the books. She came across 4 volumes of “The Great Books of the Western World.” The Great Books is a little like an encyclopedia, only it includes all of the major books of literature, history, philosophy, and science produced by the western world. What makes the set especially useful is the ind...
Recently, the testing scores for Intelligence Quotient (more commonly known as IQ) have been observed to be in decline. Specifically, scores related to abilities in verbal reasoning (logic, vocabulary), visual problem solving/analogies, computation/mathematics, and spatial reasoning have gone down. For context, scientists have observed the opposite trend for nearly a century. It’s called the Flynn Effect, and it involves various factors influencing the rise of IQ points. Better nutrition, i...
During the first few centuries that the church existed, it face a handful of internal struggles on top of persecution from the Roman Empire and hostile neighbors. Most of the struggle, both internally and externally, came about because the gospel was intellectually/culturally unacceptable throughout the ancient world. One of the first internal struggles the church faced was a movement called “Gnosticism.” Gnosticism was an attempt to take Christianity and mix it with Roman mystery rel...
An ad in the paper got me thinking about what a great school board member would look like. Someone whose goal is to serve the children of the community by working with others to provide the best learning experience for each and every one of them? Or someone more interested in a broader political agenda? Someone who is capable of explaining their position on an issue in a rational way and listening to other points of view? Or someone who can only screech"woke" and start a fight when encountering a person with an opinion different from their...
One of the neat features of Facebook that turns up in my timeline every day is the flashback from the same day in past years. Last week, an 11 year old picture popped up. It was my wife in a borrowed coat, holding our 1 year old daughter, in a corral. It was early March, much colder than we expected, and we were at the Bitz’s home. The picture was taken when we came to Big Sandy to interview for the pastor job. My wife and I had looked at a handful of churches, but we fell in love with the p...
Your time is like water. Water naturally flows from higher places to lower ones. In the same way, everyone has both strengths (higher places) and weaknesses (lower places). We tend to spend less time in our areas of natural talent and more in areas where we struggle. I came across this strange law of time management recently in a lecture from a gifted preacher. He explained that public speaking has always been easy for him due to an abundance of natural talent. He didn’t have to try hard, t...
The 18th century Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote a story about a circus performance. With a large crowd out front, the performers were preparing to a start the show, when suddenly a fire broke out backstage. Knowing that the huge crowd was in great danger, one of the circus clowns ran out on stage to warn the audience. However, the crowd saw the clown and assumed it was a gag. They laughed and applauded. Frustrated, the clown repeated his warning louder and more frantic. The...
While doing sermon prep this week, I came across an obscure quote from a book from the period between the end of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. The book of Sirach was written by a Jew who was watching his country struggle to remain distinctly Jewish while most of the world was adopting Greek philosophy and culture. The author was encouraging Jews to return to their culture and intellectual roots. The quote is simple: “The scribe’s wisdom increases wisdom; whoever is free from toi...
Dear Big Sandy Community, I want to take this opportunity to first thank this community for welcoming me in with open arms. Over the past year and four months, I have drove back and forth from Fort Benton to work as your Patient Account Representative at Big Sandy Medical Center (BSMC) and Athletic Trainer for Big Sandy High School during the state championship season of the Pioneers. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with all of you. I especially enjoyed the opportunity building relationships with the residents of BSMC Long Term Care...
Coach Bob Wooden led the UCLA basketball program to 10 national championships in 12 years. His success as a college basketball coach is legendary. The philosophy that he implemented in his record breaking tenure at UCLA has come to be known as the Golden Pyramid. Because I am not a basketball fan, I learned about the coach from a TV show recently. I picked up his book, explaining the principles behind the Golden Pyramid. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is actually a collection of...
I’m sure everyone remembers parents and grandparents talking about " making do." I have used that expression also. Out of any beef, you might turn to using cans of tuna in a recipe. Sometimes that making do is due to not wanting to make another trip to the store, but it can also be because you can’t afford the beef right now. My mother made a great casserole with cans of mixed vegetables and a biscuit topping. I liked it as a child and didn’t realize she was " making do" till she could afford meat. My maternal grandmother was a wizard stretchin...
1. Detox yourself from social media. Are there benefits to social media? Absolutely! You can share information about your job and get your information out there to the world. You can discuss game times with your school, teachers, and coaches. You can share pictures of your loved ones with other family members who live far away—all great things mentioned above. But let’s talk about the realistic part of social media…it can be addicting. You also may become someone you’re not, hiding behind a screen. Do you let it bother you when someone says or...
Lately, I have been having an overwhelming feeling (in a good way) to praise God. I want you to feel this feeling of joy and peace too! So keep reading! So let's talk about what people do for a "new year." We talk about getting in shape, losing weight, and eating healthy. We make goals to spend less time on our electronic devices. We make goals to spend more time with our spouses or children. We try to reconnect with someone. What about our relationship with God? Do we tend to seek Him only when we feel down or need help or when we need Him to...
It all started with Mary. Since then, the expectation has been that women do everything central to Xmas. The men may bring gifts, I say may, but that’s pretty much it. Oh yes, I hear a man yelling as he sets up the Xmas tree. Well, sometimes you don’t. I know. My experience and a lifetime of hearing other women, older and younger, tell me the Xmas story. The Xmas story is carried on from woman to woman. She is the one to send cards, bake numerous goodies, get in groceries to feed the hungry armies, decorate, buy and wrap gifts, and vol...
If you have watched any of the Hallmark Christmas movies, as I have, you will notice a pattern very quickly. The story begins with a problem, be it a person’s job, boyfriend/girlfriend/ lack of money, etc. The movie then slowly twists and turns until you get the perfect Christmas ending. Good people get rewards and live happily ever after, along with perfect Christmas decorations and gifts. I have read about why we watch. It awakens the hopeful child in all of us that wish for a happy ending in life. The story I am about to tell is like a H...