Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Proverbs 28:27: “He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.” Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Were you raised in a home where your parents, grand-parents or care givers told you over and over that “it was more blessed to give than to receive?” I surely was and today am extremely glad to have had that “life lesson” drummed endlessly into my psyche as I have truly found that axiom to be s...
My interest in Richland School District affairs was again sparked by the forced resignation of Superintendent Dr. Garcia, and public statements by district CBO and others in position to know of the financial health of the district. Most enlightened citizens of this community were fairly sure, after the election last fall, that Dr. Garcia’s resignation would be the end result. But few, if any, would have even imagined it would have happened in a short 6 months. Well, that is now water under the bridge, but this boards past record over the p...
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must Be lived forward.”--Kierkegaard Is that statement right on target or what? I read that quote in a book I am reading, and it hit me squarely between the eyes! I suppose said another way is more familiar to most of us and that is “hindsight is always 20/20.” I was watching a TV show several years ago and a line on the show went something like this “our scars can tell us where we have been, but they should not dictate where we are going!” I don’t know if it is the approach of another birthday, th...
“To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, Knowledge and happiness…” --Ecclesiastes 2:26 ESV “True happiness... is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” -- Helen Keller PASTOR JIM NEAL Do you ever tire of hearing people individually or corporately bemoan, “I’m just not happy” or “that just doesn’t make me happy” or even “if you would do this and that I would be a happy person?” As if being happy is the end all to everything in life. It was President Abraham Lincoln who said, “I’ve have foun...
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7 Every choice you make has an end result. Zig Ziglar If you were a salesman of any ilk from the latter half of the 20th century or the early part of the 21st century as I was, one became well versed in “Zigisms” like this one. Perhaps Mr. Ziglar’s most popular one was his life’s motto: "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want." He believed...
This past Monday night and Tuesday morning at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, the TRUTH Forum was long, and at times tense, but successful. We had great attendance, a lot of public input and solid interaction between the public, the supervisors and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Now, everyone measures success differently, and you can disagree with me on what constitutes success, but when the community turns out to speak in such large numbers about a subject that means so much to them I call it a success. You may recall, the TRUTH Act a...
[BEGIN ITAL]“For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.”[END ITAL] Job 3:25 As a boy growing up, I would often hear my Dad say, “Boy, that guy has the patience of Job.” So I grew up thinking our forefather Job was known for his patience. It was only later that I learned of his wealth, fame and integrity as well as being a man who feared and revered God -- and was indeed full of patience. However, this short verse at the very beginning of the rather “long” book of prose in the Old Testament s...
It has been a rough couple of months. It seems that there hasn’t been a week that I haven’t felt sick. I have been sick off and on for over two months. My wife was sick for quite awhile too and it has to be something going around. Well, I have probably taken more medication the past couple of months than I have in the past two years combined. I took cold medicine, sinus medication, am on high blood pressure medication now. It seems to never end. How many times have we suffered through a col...
This sentence reached out and grabbed my attention this morning: “We’re preaching the gospel to the graveyard.” It’s from an article entitled, “Hope for Evangelism in a Secular Age,” by Akos Balogh. I found it on The Gospel Coalition website. As the title of the article suggests, the topic is sharing Christ in our age. There are, of course, extraordinary and unique challenges for Christians intent on sharing the Good News about our Savior to an increasingly secular world. But there are constants as well -- truths that transcend changing cu...
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, Your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” -- Mahatma Gandhi I heard a speaker say one time that the worst thing a person can do when starting a speech, sermon or an article such as this is to begin with an apology. But here goes. You will please forgive me as I share on the subject of forgiveness. You see, I have had a very full week, with this subject taking center stage on each turn. And then on top of that...
This week I wanted to discuss what seems to be the most controversial issue in our nation at this moment: immigration. It's important for all of us to understand the roles of all the different jurisdictions of government so that we can better know where one goes to get the results we want. As part of that, I have made it a goal of our office to better understand immigration law and policy and to understand where the county fits in this equation. As part of that education process, District 4...
PASTOR JIM NEAL You like I have read and heard the admonition that “it takes three times the muscle work to frown than to smile, so quit working yourself to death and smile.” I’m no muscle expert and do not know how to validate that piece of information but I do know it is much more fun to smile and laugh than to cry and frown. The challenge we have with happiness, laughter and cheerfulness is that we make it our goal and not a byproduct of our life’s work. Often, we hear people say, “I just...
As some of you know, the Kern County Library and Shafter Learning Center would like to expand. If you have gone to the Learning Center lately, you may have seen a stack of surveys on the desk. If you fill out a survey, you are making a contribution by giving feedback for the Shafter City Council to review and potentially change the learning landscape of Shafter. Expanding the Learning Center means, possibly, new classrooms. As a child myself, that would be great for me and any other kid who uses the Learning Center. If more classrooms are built...
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” --Apostle Paul, Philippians 3:12-14 If you are a college basketball fan, then you see the admonit...
The Fresno Diocese has two bishops; however, a diocese normally only has one bishop. Because of this, the second bishop is called an “auxiliary bishop.” Nevertheless, we actually have two bishops. Bishop Joseph V. Brennan will be taking over our Diocese of Fresno on May 1. There will be a proper Mass of Installation a day after, on May 2, in Fresno at St. Anthony of Padua Church. Our current bishop, Armando Ochoa, submitted a letter of retirement to Pope Francis a year ago. A year after that, last March, the Pope appointed the auxiliary bis...
Do you long for a comfort zone? Nido R. Qubein says in his little book “Attitude: the remarkable Power of Optimism” that a comfort zone is a place to rest, to be safe and a place to be comforted and coddled. Sounds like a nice enough place to be doesn’t it? However, think about it -- does that sound like a place where a person can grow, strive and change his world? Of course not; rather, it sounds like a nursery, a place full of infants but not for those who desire to change their little corner of the universe or beyond. What causes us to sh...
We’ve all heard of “smart cars,” “smart phones” and even “Get Smart,” but how about “smart goals?” At an annual pastor’s retreat that I attend, our guest speaker, Gordon Penfold, gave us a good dose of leadership principles, one of which was “Smart Goals.” Gordon is a pastor, but also works with a ministry called “Fresh Start,” which comes alongside churches to help them navigate times of transition and action plans. Among the many things he said, I found this to be one of the most helpful. Here’s essentially what it means to use Smart Goals:...
JIM NEAL “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” --Abraham Lincoln Doesn’t it seem as you look around, read the newspaper or listen to or watch the daily news that one of the key concepts missing in all of humanness is the quality of wisdom? A very old dictionary that I have in my position, actually the 1953 College Edition of Webster’s New World, defines wisdom in this way: “the quality of being wise; the power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experienc...
I wrote an editorial last month that was really tough for me. We had lost our dog TJ, leaving a big hole in my heart that I didn't think would ever get filled again. When we first lost him, I didn't even want to think about getting another dog. People would tell me that getting another dog would be the best thing for me. I couldn't imagine ever having to go through that again. It hurt so much that I couldn't think about it. I would look around the house, or even do small things like taking out...
“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” --Abraham Lincoln Doesn’t it seem as you look around, read the newspaper or listen to or watch the daily news that one of the key concepts missing in all of humanness is the quality of wisdom? A very old dictionary that I have in my position, actually the 1953 College Edition of Webster’s New World, defines wisdom in this way: “the quality of being wise; the power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understan...
“He who covers his sins (wrongdoings) will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them Will have (find) mercy.” --Proverbs 28:13 Wise King Solomon penned that truism many, many years ago -- approximately 3,000 years, long before there was a NFL, Roger Goodell or any professional sports. The book of Proverbs was written for the reason of giving individuals wisdom in virtuously every aspect of life. What does that have to do with the thought of the day? Simply this: Over the last several years, dating back to the steroid era of Maj...
Anyone can know how many seeds are in an apple: Only God knows how many apples are in a seed. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” --Galatians 6:9. I remember reading the first quote many years ago, and it has for some reason been on my mind all week this week. I have no idea what instigated its rising up, but it is there. Perhaps it is because we have just finished one of the most sacred seasons, the Christmas time. Or perhaps it is because we have just begun yet another yea...
Well, the Colours Festival is almost upon us, and I am getting excited about going to the events. Every year, it seems it keeps getting better. I never realized how many talented people, we have in our communities until they had an avenue to display it, such as this event. Everyone has different tastes in art, as with anything else, and this event has something for all tastes. If you don’t find a play to be very interesting, maybe you will be intrigued by the sculptures and paintings in the A...
I have had a really bad holiday season this year, one of the worst in a very long time. We had to put our dog down the day after Christmas. TJ was more than just a pet, but was a true member of our family, and I miss him so much already. I remember first seeing TJ at the Wasco Animal Shelter, shy and timid, not jumping up and down like a lot of the dogs who were fighting for attention, looking for that new home. He just looked at me with those big brown eyes, a little frightened and shaking a...
One of my favorite authors is Max Lucado. His writing is solidly Biblical, captivating and very practical in nature. He wrote a book about Christmas several years ago called “Because of Bethlehem” that I’d highly recommend. Let me share just a few of his thought s and the key word for each of them: Hope. The manger dares us to believe the best is yet to be. And it could all begin today. Peace. Christ came to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all. Joy. Let there be jubilation, celebration and festivity! Love. It really comes down to that,...
