Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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There’s an old song that says Heaven will surely be worth it all. The first verse of that song says, “Often I’m hindered on my way, burden so heavy I almost fall, then I hear Jesus sweetly say, Heaven will surely be worth it all.” Heaven will be worth all the hurt.[Down here we have sorrow and suffering, but Heaven will be worth it all. In life we face many discouragements. Psalms. 42:5 says, ”Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted in me? Hope in God and praise him for h...
Bible trivia enthusiasts likely know that the shortest verse in the Bible contains just two words: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). There are several references in the Bible to Jesus crying or weeping. The one just mentioned was at the graveside of a friend — a friend named Lazarus – whom Jesus was about to raise from the dead (John 11:1–44). This shows a Jesus accessible to human emotion, sharing the grief of others, experiencing the tragedy of death even as he was a conqueror over it. It’s a helpful reminder to all believers in loss and grief that...
We live in a world full of trials, troubles, struggles, hardships, frustrations and disappointments. Adversities happen unexpectedly and are out of our control. Loss of a job, an opportunity, money, health, or a loved one. "Man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upwards" (Job 5:7). The wise Christian expects troubles in our fallen world. God's Word reveals a wise perspective to understand adversity and to make a righteous plan to face it when it inevitably arrives. Adversity turns you to God. Adversity is used by God to turn us back to Him and...
Father’s Day, like many holidays, gives rise to a lot of mixed emotions. For many, the lack of a loving and involved father or father figure brings a deep sense of loss and insecurity. I stand on the precipice of being fatherless – my precious dad just received a terminal diagnosis, yet I count myself blessed because of his love, support and wise advice over many years. My heart breaks, not for my coming loss, but for the orphaned generations, who hunger for the security of a caring father. Fre...
Every church is flawed. People have bad experiences, of one kind or another, even at healthy churches. Churches are made up of people, so this isn't a big surprise. It can be a big disappointment, or an obstacle to going back, but it shouldn't be a shock when churches have problems. A major source of problems is people. That's too big a subject for one article, though, so I'll narrow the focus substantially. Some of the difficulties churches have, and some of the bad experiences people have in churches, arise from a lack of purity. What I mean...
I was on the streets of Shafter to get answers for a survey that we were conducting. I was getting frustrated because I had been turned down by residents who did not want to take part in any survey. It was on about the seventh or eighth person in a row that I had been turned down when I saw a couple of ladies coming out of a market on Central Avenue. I really didn’t want to try again, but something told me to give them a shot. I started talking to them and her friend turned to the other lady a...
If you desire to live in a world without conflict, then you are living in the wrong world. The sinful nature of humanity will lead to conflicts, disagreements, and divisions. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident … hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions …”(Galatians 5:19-20). Conflict is a serious disagreement over a difference in opinion, purpose, or preference. Conflict may be caused by misunderstandings, poor communication, different values, goals, priorities, expectations, interes...
May is one of those months that sees the weather get warmer, the end of the school year get closer, and we celebrate Mother's Day! Although not all of us are moms, we certainly all had one at some point in our lives. I know that many of you have lost your moms or realize the days you have together are far less than what have already passed. Let's also admit that we can sometimes take our moms for granted, so perhaps having at least one day per year to honor them, reminds us to do that more often! Let me suggest a few ways to do just that, even...
Many people are at least vaguely familiar with the Ten Commandments. And quite a few people know the story behind them — that God gave them to Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai. But much less familiar is the story [BEGIN ITAL]inside[END ITAL] the Ten Commandments, a story about God. Several of the commandments have backup information included in them. In other words, there’s whatever God tells us to do or not to do, but then there’s also an explanation for it. And those explanations give us some ama...
In Philippians 3:14, the Apostle Paul writes, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Any athlete knows it takes clear goals and consistent hard work to win an Olympic gold medal. Successful entrepreneurs are those who stay focused on their objectives and labor daily to achieve them. Dreams may inspire but are only transformed from mere hopeful fantasies when they are defined by measurable goals with a clear plan or at least some specific starting steps and a commitment to fol...
To the editor: The CALI Wasco Youth Coalition has been advocating for a safer tobacco-free community for the past five years. Our coalition is part of the non-California Health Collaborative, Unidos Por Salud Project- a regional tobacco prevention program serving youth, young adults and the Latinx community in seven counties. Our current coalition is joined by Wasco and Lost Hills high school youth who have hosted youth events, engaged in outreach during school resource fairs, and educated local and state elected officials on the importance of...
Most of us every day want to put on fresh clothes. After one day, we want to take off the old and put on the new. This same picture is used for Christians putting off the old fleshly qualities we lived in before putting on our new righteous character qualities in Christ (Ephesians 4:20-24). Biblical wisdom is tied to Christlike character qualities that transform the heart and character. Biblical wisdom is characterized by truth, purity, gentleness, peacefulness, reasonableness, mercy and sincerity as Christians are a character witness to all...
I probably don't need to tell you that Easter was celebrated this year on April 9. Sanctuaries were decorated, choirs practiced, meals were planned and served for family gatherings, and some of you may have even gone shopping for a new outfit just for that special day! Most importantly, of course, was the opportunity to gather with other believers and celebrate the living hope we have in Jesus! Periodically, I'm asked the question, "How do we know it's true?" In the world of Biblical studies, that would fall into the category of apologetics,...
Thank God for the resurrected life. We are not what we once were, but we have been set free by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:1 says, "...and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." Let's look at some marks of the resurrected life in a Christian. 1st Peter 1:3 says, "We now have a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead." There is a living hope inside the Christian and it's actively alive in every situation that we may encounter. This...
God's word often exposes the sins of God's people. In that way, the Bible is a tremendously honest and forthright book. Even in the case of heroes and giants in the faith, the reality of failure or unfortunate behavior is recorded. I'm thinking specifically here of Paul and Barnabas. They were old friends – Barnabas brought Paul into the church in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27). They worked together in the church in Antioch (Acts 11:25–26). They had been companions in missionary labor, with its att...
To the editor: The Wasco VFW Post 6742 has been around for over 75 years. My uncle, James Greer, was a member when I was a small kid. He would wear his green garrison cap with lots of little pins and medals to his once-a-month evening meetings. He had lots of friends who were there at the meetings. They would tell old stories, compare experiences at the same overseas locations and give each other much respect around town. He would point out to me someone we would run across downtown and comment, "That guy over there sitting at Hoyett's was woun...
Many people reject the thought of a soul spending eternity in hell. Many churches consider the thought old-fashioned and too offensive. Many say God is too loving to banish people to such an awful place for eternity. God's love does not negate His justice, His righteousness or His holiness. God's love has provided a way of escape. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life." To reject o...
It has been a few years since the city of Shafter has been the site of the Colours Festival, which had been an annual event for a few years before that. The event, which started out very small, had grown to draw attendees and artists throughout the county and beyond, drawing nationally renowned artists to some of the events. Well, I just loved attending the events at the festival, from the art gallery, the coffee house music, the Shafter Symphony – all of the events were great. I don’t thi...
Churches have a lot of things in common. But they are not all the same. There are differences as well as similarities, as anyone who has visited other churches while on vacation can verify. And if there are differences between one congregation and another, or one denomination and another, that’s even more obvious between one religion and another. If you’ve ever thought about it, it’s kind of a strange thing. We’re all human beings, after all, and we share a lot of the same interests, concerns an...
My husband and I are new to the town of Shafter. We moved here in November of 2021. I enjoy taking walks with our dog, Bella, through our neighborhood and have met several wonderful neighbors on our walks. This particular day I was walking with Bella and halfway through my walk a young German shepherd came up to us and got right in front of Bella, causing her to stop. This went on continually. and I was getting frustrated. We were at a busy street when I decided to stop at the next corner house...
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to give you some Super Bowl history. Did you know the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans have never played in the Super Bowl? Did you realize that it has been 19 seasons since the Raiders last played in a Super Bowl? How about 26 years for the Dallas Cowboys and 27 years for the L.A. Chargers? Every single year in the month of August every NFL team begins their season with the...
It has been a few years since the city of Shafter has been the site of the Colours Festival, which had been an annual event for a few years before that. The event, which started out very small, had grown to draw attendees and artists throughout the county and beyond, drawing nationally renowned artists to some of the events. Well, I just loved attending the events at the festival, from the art gallery, the coffee house music, the Shafter Symphony – all of the events were great. I don’t thi...
If you've ever watched a TV show or movie involving the military, you've probably heard the phrase "carry on" used a few times. The phrase apparently came from the British Navy several hundred of years ago, where it was given as a direction to keep going on the same course and not change. Over the years, it's been adapted in many settings to say essentially the same thing to a group of people. When I think of the beginning of a New Year, I sometimes wonder what the Lord might say to us? Although the phrase "carry on" isn't found in the Bible...
“Without counsel plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) Success or failure largely depends on the company you keep and the counsel you heed (1 Cor 15:33). Our closest friends and counselors influence our character, behavior and the course of our lives, for better or for worse. The wise person is aware of this and is selective toward choosing influential friends (Proverbs 12:26). The foolish person is undiscerning concerning counselors. One should seek out a few high-quality advisors who are tru...
Time keeps passing. Here we are, nearly into 2023. Moving into a new year can bring renewed optimism and a sense of new beginnings. People with this outlook see opportunities and a chance to start again. Or it might bring a certain heaviness. Another year is ended, so much still hasn’t been done, and our window of opportunity is smaller than it was. The Bible embraces both of those perspectives. In the Old Testament, the Passover festival commemorating Israel’s deliverance from Egypt started a new way of counting years (Exodus 12:2). Each new...
