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Targeted COVID Package Will Reopen Our Economy One year into this pandemic, Montanans are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our vaccines are safe and effective, COVID cases are falling thanks to the tireless efforts of our frontline health care workers, and Spring is on the horizon. But even with this good news, we still have work to do before we get through the worst public health and economic crisis in generations. Over the past year I’ve had hundreds of conversations with families, workers, doctors, educators, v...
I find it strange myself. So it's ok if you do too. Easter is only a few days away, and writing a movie review as a way to celebrate Easter just isn't done. I clearly know that Walt Disney movies are not spiritual truth personified, but this one, "Raya and The Last Dragon," speaks truth to me nonetheless. When is the right time to say hope is possible and trust, although it may be challenging to find, possible to practice. I have had too many discussions with community members in person and...
A few weeks ago, I made a peanut butter sandwich for my son for lunch. He took his sandwich with him to his room, where he ate and played. Because he’s a typical four year old, it didn’t take long before he forgot about the sandwich and wandered off to do something else. When he remembered his lunch, he returned to it and found that the dog had eaten his lunch, which he had left on the floor in his room. Frustrated, he came to me crying over his lost meal. I made another sandwich, which he too...
For me, the adventure began in the late 80s. My first memory of going to Andy’s Supper Club is with my grandpa and grandma Ron and Betty Bitz and my grandfather’s uncle, Reinholt, and his wife, Lucille Bitz. Reinholt was a hoot, and Lucille, “his girlfriend,” was always smiling. Golly, those old Bitz boys were fun to be around! Andy’s was so much fun. Its aquariums delighted the eyes, and as a child, my personal fishing goals became outrageous. It wasn’t unusual for a random child to slowly walk by your table, glossed over in amazement and curi...
I deal with a handful of hard deadlines every week. By Sunday morning, I have to have a sermon written. By Monday morning, I need to complete two articles and a column. Monday through Thursday I have to have the kids out of bed, dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:30 AM. There are a few others, but I suspect most people deal with similar hard deadlines and goals. The thing is that these deadlines don’t necessarily coincide with the larger objectives of my work and personal life. They are i...
When the British first introduced the game of golf to India, after building their first golf course, they discovered a problem with the natural environment. The indigenous monkeys around the course were fascinated by the little white balls. They began to steal the balls, disrupting the games. The British tried all manner of methods to solve the problem of monkeys interfering with play. They built fences, but the monkeys simply climbed over them. They made loud noises, but they eventually learned...
Life is often hard. It's ok to learn that early. This year the Big Sandy Lady Pioneers lost every basketball game, and the Big Sandy Boy lost a game they wanted to win at the end. I loved watching both teams and am so proud of their improvement! The Big Sandy Pioneers who went to state in wrestling lost at state and did not place. The funny thing is in sports, very few know the feeling of winning at the end-most lose. But in losing, there are so many lessons learned; it's essential to discover...
If you turn on a tv, open a web browser, pick up a magazine, or look at any medium that presents you with an advertisement, you’ll encounter all manner of messages and ideas. One of the unifying themes in all advertising is the idea that you should be comfortable and happy all the time. It makes sense that this would be the case because no one is going to buy a product that promises them hardship or to make their lives harder. It’s good advertising and sorta makes sense in other settings. Bei...
I woke up at 2:30 this morning. After tossing and turning for 30 minutes, I finally gave up on trying to get back to sleep and got up. I’ve got to admit that I wasn’t all that happy about getting up many hours before the alarm. After finally giving up on getting back to sleep, I got out of bed, started the coffee maker, and settled in for a long morning. I started the morning reading a novel, followed by studying for the morning sermon, cleaning the kitchen, changing bed sheets, and a few oth...
My Mimi was my dad’s mom. She was a feisty 5’1” woman who could fix a car, run a store, patch a tire, and bake the best Buttermilk Pie, Carrot Cake & Texas Sheet Cake you’ve ever tasted. And those were just her hobbies. She loved the Lord, and wasn’t afraid to share Him with you. Recently, with everything that’s been going on, I’ve been thinking about something she used to say to me, “Don’t be ugly.” Since many of you aren’t familiar with Texas-speak, this meant “don’t be hateful.” I’ve noticed that many of us are being hateful to each other. I...
Over the weekend, I spent some time thinking about life changing moments. I suspect that there aren’t a whole lot of them for most people. For me, I can identify a handful of experiences that have changed things radically for me. One of those times was a Sunday morning a little over 15 years ago. Our church brought in a guest speaker one Sunday who talked about the ministry done by Bashor Children’s Home. He spoke about the lost and abused kids that came to live there and how the home helped to...
I have heard that Covid hits everyone differently. For me, it began like a cold. I was working on my car one evening, and I began to feel run down. Every December, I catch a cold, so I wasn’t that surprised when my throat started hurting, a headache set in, and my energy level evaporated. I was prepared with Robitussin, because the same cold hits me every year around Christmastime. The sore throat passed quickly, and then I just felt tired. I also coughed a bit and was congested. It wasn’t tha...
Because my family moved every couple of years, I attended a handful of schools growing up. I think this is the reason I don’t really remember any of my teachers before High School, except for one. I will always remember my second grade teacher: Mrs. Strickland. As an adult, I marvel at how appropriately named she was. I was in her class at Valparaiso Elementary School in Florida. I remember her clearly because that school still utilized corporal punishment for dealing with discipline problems. I...
I don't want to write this article, but after mulling it over for some time, I believe it should be written. I am presently grieving the loss of three pets. My Koda, 15, passed in March after a nine-month battle with cancer. Erica Chauvet, our local vet, came to my house at 6:30 a.m. to be with Koda and me and help him pass peacefully in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by love. My dear Chance, my thirty-two-year-old horse, died December 3. Erica Chauvet had come out twice before and was...
In her book “The Hiding Place,” Dutch Christian Corrie TenBoom recounts her family’s experiences hiding Jews in Holland during WW2. They were eventually discovered, and the entire family was sent to concentration camps. Corrie alone survived the camps. One of the most remarkable moments in the book happens when she is brought in to be interrogated by an SS officer. TenBoom was terrified of being tortured and prayed for God to save her. The officer came in and began questioning the young girl....
Greeting and here’s to a healthier new year. Masks, who likes them? No One! But here’s the thing, businesses are required to have signs on their doors asking people to wear their mask. I agree the signs should not say “It’s the Law” I think a better word should say “Out of Respect.” Respect not only for the businesses and their workers, but for your friends, family and community. When going to your home we take off our shoes and put out our cigarettes, out of respect.How soon we forget what our businesses and our Chamber have done for our...
Every morning, starting when I get out of bed, I find myself watching the clock. I have a certain amount of time to drink my first coffee of the day, walk the dog before my wife leaves for work, and get the kids out of bed and off to school. Once I get the kids out the door, I have a certain number of minutes before I have to meet with people, start writing the sermon for the week, do hospital visits, and tend to every other urgent thing that demands my attention now. I have to get it all done...
The year 2020 was a "no good very bad year." But I'm a half-full kind of girl, so I choose to look at the year differently. I ponder thoughts like what can we learn from the year? How can I change to make any other year better? There are things I've learned, like it doesn't take much for neighbors and friends to be frustrated with one another, people I never thought would raise their voice. It has taught me how to love and support those who totally disagree with me. I have learned to study...
Our family tradition that does not deviate from year to year is taking a drive to find the “perfect Christmas Tree.” As years passed, our whole family would go, usually including a few friends, and of course, our dogs. We would spend the afternoon looking for “the tree,” hiking, eating special snacks we brought along, and photographing our family and nature. The area we go to is close to our ranch, also off the beaten path. We have been surprised by many wild animals, such as elk, deer, wild turkeys, pheasant, bobcats, and yet no bears,...
When I was in college, I had a comic strip hanging up in my dorm room. The single panel was from the nationally syndicated “Pluggers” comic. The text of the comic was simple: “An ounce of work is worth a pound of meetings.” I have long held this opinion and think back to the motto often. The fact of the matter is that 10 minutes of work will generally outproduce hours worth of meetings. This morning, I have found myself reflecting on this idea and applying it to a different subject altoget...
Holiday greetings from the Big Sandy Medical Services Foundation. You may have noticed we have not sent our annual fall fund raising letter. Due to the craziness of 2020 – especially the tragedy of Covid-19 – we have chosen this means of notifying you of our need for your support. Big Sandy Medical Center has always put the health and safety of their patients, residents, and employees as their main priority. With the challenges created by this devastating pandemic virus there are many new and changing restrictions imposed on healthcare fac...
When I think about Christmases I have had previously throughout my lifetime, I think about many different things. I think about where they were held, who was all there and of course what I got for the special holiday. What always really sticks out to me every time out of all of it is one singular moment. This moment was very integral as I learned two valuable lessons that Christmas in 2010; As everyone was being given their gifts in the living room of Grandma and Grandpa Genereux, a feeling of...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who spoke out openly against Hitler during WWII. For his public opposition to the Nazis and his involvement in a plot to assassinate the dictator, Bonhoeffer was arrested, kept in a concentration camp for 2 years, then executed. In a letter he wrote to his fiancé from prison, Bonhoeffer reflected on Christmas with the amazing comment that: “I think we were going to have an exceptionally good Christmas.” The statement is a little crazy given his circ...
Hello Big Sandy, I am back from my first semester of college. Realistically, I could have decided never to have left the paper, but I thought it would have been best to leave it up to the other writers of this town to take their stab at it. I also thought I wouldn't have the time to get articles out through my schedule, but let me tell you, being a journalism major in their first college semester gives you all the time in the world. My courses were reasonably simple, courses such as...
Many years ago, my wife and I were on our way to a friend’s house for Christmas on a terribly cold and snowy morning in Northern Indiana. While taking a turn in our early 80s LTD, we slid on the ice and got bellied up in the snow on the side of the road. I did my best to shovel us out, but didn’t make a ton of progress. After a bit, a guy came along and helped me get the car loose. We talked for about 10 minutes while we worked. Afterward, I got into the car and explained to my wife that the...