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Christmas 2023 I can’t help but stop my hectic life and think about what I need to do for Christmas. Once again, I didn’t get decorations up, once again, no letters, no Christmas cookies, and I still don’t have all my presents bought. But I have spent more time this year preparing my heart for Christmas’s meaning. Richard Foster is one of my favorite writers. His book Celebration of Discipline remains a compelling book for me. The first sentence says, “ Superficiality is the curse of our age.” My faith affects all my relationships with my fam...
Christian author, Jeanette Lockerbie once shared an anecdote about her daughter: “Four-year-old Martha, hugging a doll in each of her pudgy little arms, looked wistfully up at her mother and said, “Mamma, I love them and love them and love them, but they never love me back.” I came across this passage while preparing for Advent sermons this year. It stood out to me because little Martha’s love for her dolls demonstrates something powerful for us about God’s incredible love for us at Christmas. Our natural bent toward sin and ignoring God outri...
Over the weekend, my wife and I took the kids along on a run to Great Falls for Christmas shopping. I generally enjoy taking the kids along for grocery runs or out for meals in town. However, there’s something about the Christmas season that turns the energy level in kids to 11 on a scale of ten. That spike in energy is accompanied by similar increases in noise, crowds, traffic, expense, and general stress. By the end of our outing, my wife and I were thoroughly frazzled and exhausted. Peace on Earth was the furthest thing from our hearts as w...
My younger brother runs marathons. He intensely trains for them in the months, weeks, and days leading up to race day. Sometimes those races involve particularly difficult obstacles, like running up a mountain or in Death Valley where the heat coming off the asphalt can melt your shoes while you run. He trains accordingly: running up and down hills, lifting weights, or even working out in the sauna to increase his heat resistance. In training season, he eats a certain way to fuel and prepare his body. Paul draws a comparison between running in...
Every year, Americans fail to spend $23 billion dollars in gift cards. That’s an average of $187 per person in gift certificates, Amazon cards, Starbucks bucks, and other monetary gifts they’ve received and left in a drawer somewhere doing nothing. 47% of American adults have unused gift cards at home. What’s particularly interesting is the higher the household income of the person in question, the more unspent money they are likely to have stashed away and forgotten. I’ll confess that I have more than a few gift cards for businesses that ha...
Over the weekend, I officiated the Celebration of Life (memorial service) for Ronald Christiansen. Anyone who has lived in Big Sandy for more than a few years knew Ronald and his twin brother, Donald, because the pair dutifully spent their days walking the streets of Big Sandy collecting cans. Ronald was a developmentally disabled person who had lived in a string of institutions that were supposed to care for him. They took up residence at the Marx home through their placement at Big Sandy Activities (BSA) residential facility in 1981. For...
Whenever I watch a television commercial or read about a new product making amazing claims about how a new medicine or kitchen gadget will change my life, I find myself asking “Does it work?” I read reviews, reach out to friends who have tried it, or just buy it to see if the hype is real. Usually, I find that the answer to the “does it work?” question is “sort of.” Arthritis miracle cures sort of relieve pain. Weight loss miracles sort of shrink my waistline. Kitchen tools kind of perform as advertised. The simplest solution to the questio...
What’s the use of owning my own newspaper if you can’t write what’s important to me? I just recently spent a weekend with my brother and sisters at the family cabin at The Pines Recreation area on Fort Peck Lake (ok, it’s really a reservoir). It was my brother’s 70th birthday, and the cabin is 50 years old. It was a surprise birthday party for my brother, who lives near Portland. My brother and his wife drove through Big Sandy on Friday. I was supposed to lie and tell him I couldn’t make it. As it was, I had an ear infection and was at the...
After The Last Supper, not long before Jesus was arrested and turned over to be crucified, he taught a flurry of last lessons to his disciples as they traveled to the Mount of Olives to pray. Perhaps one of the most powerful things he said at that time was recorded in the gospel of John: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That’s not a small command. Jesus loved his d...
Before every meal I ate with my family growing up, we would pray the Lord’s Prayer. When I was young, I don’t think I really understood what it meant. But as I got older, it made more and more sense to me. One line that I understood early on, but have grown to appreciate as containing all kinds of depth is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” When I was little, I believed I was praying for God to make sure we had food to eat every day. It’s the most straight forward way to understand the prayer and it makes sense. We should ask God to make sure...
Giving Back I had spent the entire day from 10:00-4:00 watching football in Box Elder starting with Junior High Football. It consists of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. It’s a fun watch, but a long watch. Two hours of watching young boys learning and celebrating a game they love. The varsity Pioneer football started at 1:00. I tried to take some good photographs, but this game was intense. The kind of game that’s exhausting to watch. I made it to the Harvest Festival at 4:00. I sat down to eat—yes it was early, but I was hungry. I wande...
A family pet brings enormous joys, of laughter and companionship. Often they sleep in the same bed. Ivan was too big he would take up the whole bed. He was a Great Dane Massive. Nathan bought him when Henry came home from Seattle's Children's Hospital with the firsthand knowledge that life is precious and oftentimes too short. Henry was proof that miracles still happen, and Ivan represented that. He came to live with me on the farm because he was just too big to live in a smaller townhouse....
Every summer, I am blessed with the opportunity to drive a swather for a friend of mine in the church. I know many farmers consider swathing to be as interesting as watching paint dry, but I enjoy it because it gives me an opportunity to get away from cell phone reception and my regular work commitments. Swathing days are 8 to 10 hours of time to think and breathe without any pressing concerns or emergencies to deal with. Every time I go out to drive, my friend reminds me of the same rule: Always check the oil before you turn the key. The oil...
In the Bible’s account of Israel’s journey to the promised land from slavery in Egypt, the people reached the bank of the Jordan River and prepared to enter and conquer their new home. Before entering, they sent in a dozen spies to check things out. When they returned, the report they gave was mixed. On one hand, the spies went on and on about how rich and bountiful the promised land was. They affirmed God’s promise that it was a land flowing with milk and honey. On the other hand, the majority of the spies reported that the inhabitants of th...
Early Sunday morning, I went for a 3 mile run. I typically run with my dog, who is nine years old and has learned our running route and routine completely through thousands of repetitions. For a change of pace, I decided to take my daughter’s puppy along for the outing. The puppy is about a year old and very difficult to walk because she is quite strong and still has the characteristic puppy distractibility. This means that you spend a lot of your walking time stopping to wait for her to decide to walk or untangling her from the leash. To r...
Sometimes blessings come in strange ways. I hate to admit it, but I lost my phone in my own house. The Find My Phone application told me it was in the kitchen. Yes, I've had to use the application before. This time the phone isn't where it tells me. The application tells you where your phone is when it was last charged. I thought I put it in the kitchen, but this time it wasn't there. I searched every cupboard, just in case I don't remember I put it in there. I looked through the garbage, under...
Too many times Thoughts by Zoe tend to be more on the serious side. Today I’d like to comment on the rumors that have gone around town about my Ford Explorer and myself. My 2016 red Ford Explorer has kind of been a nightmare for me. Without going into past issues, because the current issue is bad enough. I couldn’t steer it correctly and when I turned it off it locked down and I couldn’t move the wheel at all. The Ford mechanic had left for vacation leaving my red Ford Explorer sitting in front of the Mountaineer. So what I heard was peopl...
Over the past month, I have been researching and preaching on Jesus’ temptation in the desert in Matthew 4. The story takes place right after Jesus is baptized, and God proclaims that Jesus is His son. From the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he fasted and prayed for 40 days before he was tempted by Satan in various ways. There are three temptations and each is loaded with significance. However, for this article, I want to zero in on one specific aspect. In each temptation Satan calls into question Jesus’ ide...
Since I was short on articles this week, I thought, why not find out why August 6 is a special day? I was born on August 6, 1952. But what I found out about August 6 that brought me much joy was it is also International Forgiveness Day. On August 6, 1912 --Theodore Roosevelt announced his 1912 platform at the Chicago convention of the Progressive Party. On August 6, 1939, Poland celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Polish Legions' entry into the World War. On August 6, 1942 (Thursday), German forces on the Eastern Front captured Tikho...
When I moved to Big Sandy a little over a decade ago, I understood little to nothing about farming. When friends and neighbors discussed harvest, I didn’t properly grasp all of the implications of that part of the work year. On a few occasions, I’ve helped out with different jobs and experienced the grinding hourly demands. Year after year, I’ve talked to locals about the stress of cutting, equipment repair on the fly, eating while working, watching the weather, and hundreds of other challenges. Add to that the pressure of getting the work done...
Finding Joy Recently I fell in love with a book called Laughing Through the Ugly Cry by Dawin Barton. I loved it because she could express clearly what I believe. Finding joy in my life and finding the blessing that surrounds me every day is something I strive to do. I want "She Found Joy" to be placed on my tombstone when I die. I guess that is why I listen to others and hope to find their joy. It's the reason I get so frustrated with complainers. We must have a lot of stories in our community...
I moved to Chicago when I was 19 to attend college. I spent the next several years living in the suburbs, going to school, and working various jobs. One of the necessities for my college survival was the purchase of a car. I didn’t know anything about cars and had little money to speak of, which is why I bought a $250 1977 Lincoln Continental. I didn’t know it was a bad deal until it broke down the first time, about 20 minutes after I paid for it. After finally getting it back to the dorm where I was living, I caught a ride to the parts sto...
Editor’s note: We are fast approaching fire season. I found this old Mountaineer article written by Arnold Hokanson and decided to run it to remind us all to be careful and watchful because of all the rain we now have amble fuel for fire this summer. Take the necessary precautions. Don’t drive in tall dry grass. Lubricate all equipment. Don’t work in the fields when it gets hot and drier. Never throw your cigarette out the window. The clouds rolled, in the early evening of one recent hot summer day. The few raindrops that fell in a fast and f...
As we approach the 4th of July, I’m reminded that it is the only holiday that celebrates all of us in union. We often define ourselves based on divisions over politics, race, religion, and a host of other issues, which is unfortunate. Our country was founded on the belief that all are “created equal” and enjoy “certain unalienable rights,” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That purpose has always been aspirational, and we have some scars where we have struggled to get it right. Yet, we are and remain exceptional b...
My name is Judy Yirsa. I am a wife, a mother of three daughters and a resident of Big Sandy. I also am a co-collaborator of the Protect our Choteau County Kids petition and attended and spoke at the board meeting in May during the public comment section. Contrary to most people’s opinion, I believe that the last meeting was very fruitful! Since the meeting, I requested a public recording and listened to previous comments multiple times intently listening to the other citizen’s concerns. After careful reflection, I was glad to realize that we...
