Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The founding fathers of the United States had strong beliefs about freedom. The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” They believed that their human rights were given to them by the Christian God of the Bible, not to be violated or taken away by government (Genesis 1:27). Freedom is a human right on many different lev...
Fourth of July is upon us once again, and my blood starts to boil. No, not because of the 100-plus degree heat wave we are in, but it is the reemergence of my nemesis, the fireworks stands. I hate to see those contraptions scattered throughout the city, selling those balls of fire in a can. I really enjoy the fireworks show that the city puts on, with the awesome displays of color, done by professionals. It is the cardboard boxes filled with explosives that injure and maim...
In some ways, life has never been easier or more automatic. We can pay our bills, buy our groceries and maybe even earn a living without ever leaving our homes. If we’ve found the right app, artificial intelligence can research and write for us. So much of our lives can be handled from a laptop or tablet, or even our cell phone. While some tasks are easier, it has never been harder to know what to believe. Bombarded by social media and streaming channels, we have more information available to us in a single moment than we d...
I have been working for The Shafter Press since 2011, and it has been the best time I have had on a job. I love the people you meet, taking pictures, writing. The community of Shafter has been great to me and the paper through the years. When the Reed family decided to close the paper down, the City of Shafter, represented by then Mayor Cathy Prout, went to Stan Wilson and asked what could be done about resurrecting the paper. It was the City of Shafter that was one of the...
For many years our family has enjoyed vacationing in Cayucos. We're usually there about a week and as our family has grown, so have the activities! A couple of my favorite things to do on the beach is either fly kites (I have four of them) or ride the waves on a boogie board. Whether I'm on the beach watching the waves or actually in the waves on my board, I never get over the beauty and power of them. As I observed them several years ago, they reminded me of God's grace; beautiful and powerful. Beautiful in its "unmerited...
I heard a preacher on the radio once say that the blood of Jesus was just the blood of a mere man. That man had no clue about the power that is in the blood of Jesus. It was not the blood of a mere man that ran down the cross; it was the blood of God. Colossians 1:14 says, “We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” We were lost in sin and it took the blood of Jesus to redeem us. 1st Peter 1:18-19 says, ”We were not redeemed with corruptible things, but by the precious blood of Christ.” The day I g...
When my grandparents were in school, prayer was a regular part of the school day. But little by little, God has seemed to be squeezed out of the school system. I do agree with people who say that they shouldn’t be required to pray if it is not part of their lives. There are many different religions, belief systems and cultures in the United States, and I think that all of them have a right to practice their religion, as long as it doesn’t impede on someone else’s rights or be...
Psalm 121:4 tells us, "Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." That's a good thing for us! We all have a certain tendency to drowsiness. We "zone out" of what we're doing, or nod off in the middle of something. That can be pretty dangerous if it happens while we’re driving, but even with other activities it at least means we miss out on part of the experience. That's also true spiritually. Because of this, the New Testament often commands us to watch, t...
This weekend, we celebrate Memorial Day, the day of remembrance, where we honor the memory of our soldiers who gave their lives defending our nation and our freedom. Unfortunately, for many it is just another three-day weekend marking the beginning of the summer season, when it should be an opportunity to reflect on the gratitude and honor we owe to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. For most, it is not mere ingratitude, but inattention caused by stressful, busy lives and our human tendency to forget. I...
Prior to the expanding spread of covid-19, the Shafter Community Task Force hosted a group from Kern County, "Waste Hunger, Not Food," in our church dining room. They gave an inspiring presentation of a food recovery program that had been started in Bakersfield in order to feed those who struggled with "food insecurity" issues. As it was discussed at our Task Force and plans were being prepared, unfortunately, covid-19 put a stop to all of it. However, those plans have been revisited over these past several months, and I'm...
The Bible speaks of sincere faith in 2nd Timothy 1:5. Apostle Paul said to a young man named Timothy, "I see this faith in you and I first saw it in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice." Paul was telling Timothy to stir up the gift of God that was in him and to not forget what he had learned from his grandma and mother. Throughout the 36 years that I have been a pastor at our church, I have learned many things from moms and grandmas in the church. These moms and...
Proverbs 27:14 – “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him.” In this proverb, we are faced with a man who loves and likes and wants the best for his friend. There is one problem: The man loudly utters all that before his friend has gotten out of bed! And the horrifying reality is that this exuberant blessing turns into a curse because of that. The friend would rather have gotten some rest then received that...
One of the attributes of God is that He is powerful. The Bible says power belongs to God. We see the power of God every day as we look at His creation all around us. Hebrews 1:3 says, ”Upholding all things by the word of his power. This world is filled with fear, lies and deceit.” We can rest assured that God has everything under control. God is called “the Strength of Israel.” I go to sleep each night knowing that the Strength of Israel watches over my family. 1st Samuel 15:2...
What do you have to do to be right with God? How can unrighteous guilty sinners be made right before a perfect and holy God? Every person knows they fall short of their own standards of right and wrong, and have some sense of the righteousness of God. Often people think about if they were to stand before God right now, what would happen, what kind of evaluation would they face? The biblical teaching on justification explains the only way to be made right in God’s eyes is by faith in Jesus Christ’s sin-bearing work on the cro...
Easter is over for another year. The baskets are stored and the candy eaten. But let's not be so quick to move on from the benefits of the cross and the power of the resurrection that are available to us everyday. We can find some of these incredible benefits in Romans 8. It begins with an amazing declaration of one of the greatest benefits of Jesus' sacrificial death for us. [BEGIN ITAL] "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."[END ITAL] (Romans 8:1) The penalty for all sin for all time has...
This time of year is one of my favorite seasons. The colder days of winter begin to pass, the dormant trees push out their blossoms and the days get longer for a variety of outside activities. I find it somewhat facinating how plants of various kinds produce new growth in their environment. This time of year also make me think about what contributes to "spiritual growth" in my life and the lives of others. Let me suggest several things the Bible would encourage us to do in order to provide a "rich environment" for growth:...
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope, life and eternal life. There is no other message in the world that offers so many benefits and precious promises. ``Gospel’’ means good news in the Greek (Evangelion) in the Old Testament. In Psalm 103:1-5 King David blesses the Lord saying, ”Bless the Lord O my soul and forget none of His benefits who forgiveth all thine sins, who healeth all your diseases, who redeemeth your life from destruction, who crowneth you with loving...
Receiving an inheritance was a big deal in the Old Testament. People set their hearts on entering into their inheritance, and were serious about maintaining that inheritance and passing it on to their own children. They had a great reason for that. God had promised to give them an inheritance, which we often call “the Promised Land.” We call it that just because God had promised it to them. God enacted special legislation to preserve that land as an inheritance. For ins...
“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square… Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.”(Proverbs 1:20, 23). Wisdom in the Bible is available to all, but we must respond and receive it. Biblical wisdom is the practical application of biblical truth obeyed out of love and reverence for God that results in skillful, beneficial and productive righteous living in the world. Essentially, it is effectively living like Jesus Christ in the world. Wisdom in the Bible covers...
Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. We are to grow and mature in this grace. We need to get out of the sandbox and mature in the Lord. I remember when I was in kindergarten at Vineland School and getting mad at some other kids. Running out of the class to go home, the vice principal picked me up on the way. I remember at Richland School getting swats from a couple of principals. I like to think...
We Christians realize that the devil is a liar and a deceiver. He plays with our minds and tells us that there is no hope for what we are facing. It’s not always an easy road for us, but there is victory for us if we follow the Lord. In Exodus 14:15 as the children of Israel were at the Red Sea and the Egyptians were closing in on them, God told Moses to go forward. Get your eyes on the Lord. Exodus 14:10 shows that the Israelites lifted up their eyes and saw the Egyptians clo...
Do you remember the Amelia Bedelia books, by Peggy Parish? Amelia Bedelia works as a housekeeper, but is constantly causing disasters because she inevitably misunderstands what she is told. At one point she’s roped into a neighborhood baseball game. When she’s encouraged to steal the bases and run home, she picks up the object used to mark third base and sprints back to her house. Another time when she was told to give the chickens scraps, she took small pieces of cloth to...
Pride, arrogance and self-conceit are at the root of every sin. Pride is the inflated view of oneself that derives pleasure from the self-perceived greatness of one’s own reputation, status, power, influence, abilities, possessions and achievements. Pride is the foolish puffing up of one’s own ego like a balloon, where every self-exalting action inflates it with more air; and yet everyone knows overinflated balloons must eventually pop (1 Corinthians 4:7-9, 18). Pride distorts one’s self-image and conceit creates a self-...
Millions of people worldwide are participating in the health movement of Dry January, simply choosing not to drink alcohol for the month. Because many Americans reported increasing their alcohol intake during Covid, there is concern that consumption has remained high even after the pandemic ended. Health professionals report they are seeing increased drinking habits, especially among women. California ranks 34th in the nation in excessive drinking, with 19.1% of adults...
An article last week in The Press included pictures of a few residents’ gravesites being defaced in the name of religion. It happened out at the Shafter Cemetery. I love that cemetery and have family buried out there, so I would never try to say anything against the cemetery or the wonderful staff that works out there. I do want to make clear that what happened recently shouldn’t be ignored or swept under the rug, which, with indications that this was not the first time this h...
