Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Television has been a time for my children, wife, and I to be entertained, and not an exception to the rule was the ABC family show called Wipeout. Contestants were eager to compete on a wild and crazy obstacle course. One of the biggest menaces included “The Motivator,” a large swinging hammer that often caught contestants off guard by forcing them to jump or—in most cases--fall. If you have watched the show, I’m certain you were provided with many laughs, but, personally, I don’t think I would put my body through such punishment. Not worth it...
Today, I’m not sure many of us are aware of how easily we over-extend ourselves. Still. In general, we often wish to help someone in need because of an honest desire to be compassionate, at least that’s how I operate, how about you? Then there are other circumstances where we may say yes with our words, but on the inside our heart it shouts “No Way.” Our country had better regain its balance fairly soon, or nothing will be left to balance. Dr. Henry Cloud says, “Every invitation to help or rescue someone is an opportunity to strengthen our hone...
I’ve noticed our culture is adrift, rudderless, and maybe exhausted. Maybe you’ve seen the same dynamic played out in a variety of ways. Wrongs have become rights. First, I’m not writing in any attempt to persuade anyone politically. My goal is to persuade readers to consider the truths of the Bible. Christian maturity and Biblical application are far more important to me than some political viewpoints. It is true that our foundational belief system will intersect into aspects of our daily life, so we must learn to examine in detail those...
Clearly, we are living in frightening times; modern culture is far different than even one generation ago. The peace of WWII is fading. Relativism is understood as the belief that there’s no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happens to believe. My friends this is a recipe for disaster! Josh McDowell author and co-leader of the Free to Thrive series makes an important distinction; culture today has seen a rapid progression over the past few decades on three levels. Society has long been guided by an ...
No one is perfect, well, last time I checked. But, past failures and sins need not define our future, and I am thinking about right now. Is a failure haunting you? Through Jesus Christ we find redemption when we seek his forgiveness. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved…. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be sav...
A balanced Biblical view of who we are is both necessary and healthy. Author and theologian Josh McDowell states, “A healthy self-image is seeing yourself as God sees you, no more and no less.” Certainly, there are viewpoints that get quite unbalanced as history demonstrates. On one side, those who negatively think of themselves as fallen and unworthy negate the power of the Gospel, which redeems us. Then, on the opposite side, those who think too highly of themselves believe that they can do no wrong. They are apt to be like Icarus, the son of...
Thinking about the character of God, we all see God through our own eyes, and more specifically, through our experiences. Many of these experiences are negative. The great American Poet, Robert Frost, who is the closest thing to Poet Lauriat our country has ever known, described God’s character in tens if not hundreds of poems in many different and subtle ways. Always with reverence and respect; this is not true of not a few in our own culture. Perception is part of the problem, so we must search for the truth. Monica in the Free to Thrive v...
Being accused, “You don’t listen,” hurts. One unexpected result of the Internet and the Cell Phone age is that people are conditioned into impatience. Why is this? It is the incessant bells and whistles going off to condition us to look at our Cell phone. Youth are being misled. As adults we are expected to be temperate, patient, listen, and to be straightforward. However, adults, too, miss the mark. I’m not alone in calling these times, “The age of great distraction.” Friend, I want to ask you to look deeper. Do you listen to God given longi...
Bob’s childhood was very difficult, certainly unexpected, considering that his parents were part of a ministry organization that traveled around the world preaching the saving grace of Jesus. But at home: intemperateness. Bob’s father was absent in many respects, and during those important developmental years, the boy wilted under hurtful insults and outbursts of anger directed at him by his father. For years the young man lived in fear and worse, internal strife. He developed several health issues, including acute obsessive-compulsive dis...
Monica’s first story is one of balance tragic. At 22 she brimmed with life. Her fiancée and she planned to go into ministry. Then suddenly he broke the engagement, and the rejection sent her into a spin. Having grown up a quiet girl and mostly introverted, uncomfortable around strangers, she withdrew and turned to comfort in alcohol. She met a man in the party scene, attempting to cope with past rejection—a manipulative predator. He took advantage of alcohol and her youth. Then abandoned her. For months her human prison of despair, dark...
Once upon a time, Americans agreed that to THRIVE every individual went the short route by identifying what we longed for and what we craved. It was agreeable and married people, especially married old couples, learned the secrets and they were precious. Christian marriage had been proved. It wasn’t something to argue over, Why was this? Well, from conception to early years, a mother and father slaved and sacrificed everything for their children. Why? For what? For food, shelter, clothing, and, yes, for love. Today, it’s still clear, we are...
We are created by God with natural longings. Some of these longings are honorable and pleasant within the safe boundaries taught in the Bible. Other longings are harmful, even destructive to ourselves or others as warned against in the Bible. Author and speaker, Ben Bennett states “Failure to address legitimate longings is often behind our unhealthy thoughts and destructive behaviors.” Ben founded the Resolution Movement- a global movement helping people overcome hurts and struggles to thrive in life, check out this initiative at res...
Our friends at Merriam-Websters define thrive as: to FLOURISH, or to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances. With spring in full swing, I’ve noticed the dandelions thriving. I’ll be treating them real soon. Most of us want to thrive in our businesses, but, more than this, we want to progress, it’s human nature. On the other hand, reality teaches us that we do not always get what we want. No one is promised the world. Many circumstances are beyond our control, especially when other people are brought into the m...
I’ve heard literally thousands of sermons in my 52 years. As a pastor, I’ve preached hundreds of sermons over the past 35 years. One common expression a pastor often uses when wrapping up their message includes “in closing.” That’s generally a hint that they are almost done speaking, maybe? Many a time a preacher failed to conclude. Pastor and professor at my Seminary, David Jones said, “Land the plane future preachers. Don’t say you’re coming in for the landing and then take off again.” I’ve heard his message many times in my head when I’m sp...
Our topics today, hardship and discipline, weave together, watch for them. Who doesn’t feel for an individual or, for that matter, a people enduring hardship and suffering? Perhaps you recall watching the movie classic The Grapes of Wrath, the translation of the John Steinbeck novel of the same name? Henry Fonda and his instantly recognizable voice—he was young when it was filmed. Discipline, on the other hand, has multiple connotations all depending upon the context. We view discipline negatively if it entails emotional and/or physical abu...
As technology has advanced, I’ll be the first to admit distrusting the so-called “Cloud”, the online system that saves my pictures, documents, and more on a server in Butte, Bozeman, Seattle, Washington, Sacramento, California, or Dillon, just to make the point. A friend of mine recently told me that he deleted some files on his computer, not knowing that everything was deleted on his entire cloud account—a major hassle. I’m all for files being saved; however, I’m a yard leery of others, namely hackers, getting my personal data and information...
To recognize exceptionality, the Pro Hall of Fame was constructed in Canton, Ohio in 1963 to recognize franchise owners, officials, front-office personnel, coaches, and players for their sweat and devotion. Since then, other endeavors have followed suit. If you fly, well, there’s the hall for Aviation. Ditto, military, theater, medicine, automotive, music, and gymnastics. I’m thinking that somewhere there is a Hall of Fame titled The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. (There is, it is famous in Baraboo, Wisconsin, well, acc...
For word history, the Cambridge Dictionary shines as one of the best, and those folks say that Endurance is “The ability to keep doing something difficult, unpleasant, or painful for a long period of time.” I’m betting, immediately, you’re thinking of a time when you worked tirelessly. You felt the urgent motivation to endure. I want you to ponder that thought for a moment. Several years ago, I was snowmobiling with a friend in the windy mountains outside Libby, Montana. After a morning of some fun in the snow we made a poor decision to run...
Seems today that we sit more and more. Our jobs, of course, are the culprits; and for youth, particularly boys (but increasingly girls too) gaming occupies us. Then, there is office administration, taxi services, computer programing. In the past generation, schooling has become longer and longer, increasing sitting. Then there are occupations that require physical exertion and strength, such as the construction arts, athletics, delivery services and much more. For those in the later style of work it would be frowned upon to constantly sit on...
Are you into details? Maybe you know an aproned tart whose apple pie recipe is to die for? A mechanic so honest he loves making old cars hum? A cabinet builder whose biggest thrill: seeing the happiness in the customer’s eyes when first she sees the new kitchen? Then there are those artists who paint with breathtaking precision. I’m married to a woman who is an aficionado perfecto; organization is her cup of tea. Are you familiar with the old proverb “The devil is in the details?” After some research, I discovered that Gary Martin points...
As spring approaches many individuals have an itch, it's time to start mucking through possessions. My friends and I helped another person in need of this kind of service, sifting through a lifetime of collections. Our community benefited from this as we set up an event to give back needed clothing items for free. I would venture to guess many readers have made some type of spring-cleaning plans. Letting go of items can be challenging for some but this often is necessary. Letting go of unnecessary traditions or practices can also be...
Who in the world is Melchizedek and why does this matter? Well, in only three books of the Bible, a very big book that happens to have been edited over 10,000 times, more than any other book in the World, this side of eternity, do we find Melchizedek mentioned—Genesis 14, Psalms 110, and Hebrews 5-7. Melchizedek is controversial, should I say. I will say, I probably won’t be settling the matter. However, this specific debate gets us sidetracked from the entire premise presented throughout the Epistle of Hebrews; Jesus is the greatest and hig...
The Epistle of Hebrews demands attention from serious people in search of, God, eternity, and truth. Jesus is more than a Jewish invention of conflict. In fact, Jesus is given a distinction that surpasses anyone in history—high priest forever. In chapter six the author also describes Jesus as “our forerunner.” The Greek word prodromos best translates, I’m told to our “reconnaissance man,” a term that entered the conversation during the Napoleonic wars. In essence, Jesus goes before us so that we in turn can follow him: “We have this hope as...
Has someone made you a promise and failed to follow through? Have you ever broken a promise? If we are honest I would presume all of us can answer “yes” to both questions. The simple truth is we are broken people living in a broken world; however, we have hope. Perseverance and grit are Christ-like characteristics to develop throughout the course of our life. Although we have no way to know exactly, most reckoning suggests that by the time this letter was penned, the larger following of Jesus was already in the thousands. In this document con...
Have you ever had a frank and candid talk with someone that you had to prepare for? Perhaps it fell to you to bring something to a friend’s attention, and you did not know how your friend would react. Well, in the Letter to the Hebrews, I kind of think that the author’s name was “Frank.” LOL. Hebrews has had more than its share of attention over the past decades, even centuries. While the entire theological community is in upheaval, it’s clear the author delivers multiple warnings regarding persevering in one’s faith. He obviously has their t...
