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...

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...

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 p...

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 i...

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 i...

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,...

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...

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 a...

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 s...

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 w...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 Sto...

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...

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...

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...

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 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....

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 G...