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Lately, I have been having an overwhelming feeling (in a good way) to praise God. I want you to feel this feeling of joy and peace too! So keep reading! So let's talk about what people do for a "new year." We talk about getting in shape, losing weight, and eating healthy. We make goals to spend less time on our electronic devices. We make goals to spend more time with our spouses or children. We try to reconnect with someone. What about our relationship with God? Do we tend to seek Him only when we feel down or need help or when we need Him to...
It all started with Mary. Since then, the expectation has been that women do everything central to Xmas. The men may bring gifts, I say may, but that’s pretty much it. Oh yes, I hear a man yelling as he sets up the Xmas tree. Well, sometimes you don’t. I know. My experience and a lifetime of hearing other women, older and younger, tell me the Xmas story. The Xmas story is carried on from woman to woman. She is the one to send cards, bake numerous goodies, get in groceries to feed the hungry armies, decorate, buy and wrap gifts, and vol...
If you have watched any of the Hallmark Christmas movies, as I have, you will notice a pattern very quickly. The story begins with a problem, be it a person’s job, boyfriend/girlfriend/ lack of money, etc. The movie then slowly twists and turns until you get the perfect Christmas ending. Good people get rewards and live happily ever after, along with perfect Christmas decorations and gifts. I have read about why we watch. It awakens the hopeful child in all of us that wish for a happy ending in life. The story I am about to tell is like a H...
With the end of the year fast approaching, there is still time to make those tax-deductible donations. Donating to a worthy nonprofit organization or group is a great way to give back and support them for doing good work for our community. One local and worthy nonprofit organization is Big Sandy Medical Services Foundation. It was established in 1989 to foster better healthcare in the Big Sandy community and to support Big Sandy Medical Center. They sponsor scholarships to encourage and assist young people who are pursuing training in the...
I spent the majority of last week studying the history of Christmas and the Bible’s account of the angels announcing Jesus’ coming to Mary and Joseph. Every time I drill deep into the story of Mary and Joseph, I find myself taken aback by what was taking place. First, the story of Christmas itself is the story of God looking at us and realizing that we will never manage to climb the ladder of perfection that is required to reach Him. So, He chose to come down to us. Many people find Chr...
Many times over the last couple of decades, I have encountered a strange argument about Christian Christmas observances. The argument is that Christians adopted pagan customs for their own religious observations. One example that is frequently cited is the Christmas tree. Folks will say that Christmas trees were associated Druids or Egyptians or Roman cultic groups and that the church simply co-opted them. This morning, out of curiosity, I began researching the origin of the Christmas tree. I...
Last weekend my children and I were blessed with the opportunity to participate in the Big Sandy Community Theater play: “It’s a Madhouse.” One of the coolest moments for me took place when my daughter came out in her lawyer outfit for the first time. She looked so very mature and grown up. As a dad, it was a moment of mixed feelings. I am always so proud of her as she grows up, but also kind of sad that her childhood years are rushing past so quickly. Then on opening night, near the end of th...
You don’t know him. You don’t need to know him. His name is Dean Moen, my cousin. Dean was born with an intellectual disability, and when he was 15 years old, he was also in a car accident, which caused a brain stem bruise resulting in a coma for weeks. He was in the hospital for a month. He spent the rest of his life with both an intellectual and a physical disability. This summer I was at his graveside service in Glasgow. I couldn’t help thinking of my brother Jim, who we lost to cancer, and Dean. He left three sisters, and Jim left three sib...
Joking with a friend recently, I commented that the Montana state tree is, in fact, a fence post. Though the Ponderosa Pine is the actual state tree, the prairie boasts far more fence posts than trees any day. When I first came to the area, the thousands of miles of fencing often made me wonder about their purpose. I know fences are there to divide property and keep animals/people in or out. Still, there are many pieces of land surrounded by barbed wire that don’t seem to need it. Though it i...
I have never been able to catch the person who removes the snow in front of the Mountaineer until recently. I know several different individuals who do this service, and I've never been able to catch anyone. This time it was Raymond Courtnage. I asked if I could take his picture, and he said, "Sure, no one will know it's me anyway." Thank you, Raymond. I watched as the volunteer crew removed all the snow from the football field. I'm not sure I got everyone, and there is always the chance when...
Thanksgiving is a great time to thank friends. Real friends, not Facebook kind of friends. The type of friends that have lasted through trials, temptations, and disagreements. Nona Danreuther and I have been friends for more than 46 years. At first, we had a lot in common. Now we just know each other. She knows my shortcomings, my failures, how I think, and what I like. Mainly after so many years, I know I could call her anytime, and she would be there. And she tells me the truth, not some...
It is once again that time of year when we take time to be thankful for what we have. This year instead of having just one day, one week, where we have an "attitude of gratitude," we will be talking about what we can be thankful for in November. At Thanksgiving time, when we are asked and go around the table saying what we are thankful for, we will say the same things. We are grateful for our families and friends. We are thankful for our home. Some are even thankful for their jobs. My first...
James Garfield, who was the 20th president of the United States, is only remembered for one thing. He was shot by an assassin in July of 1881. In an interesting twist, he did not die until two and a half months later. The length of time between his being shot and actually dying is due largely to the efforts of Doctor Willard Bliss. Dr. Bliss was a disgraced physician, who became something of an expert in ballistic trauma as a result of his service as a surgeon during the Civil War. He was...
Hello my old friends Hello my old car Hello my old bed Hello to the library and thank you too for hours of fun and good times that will last Do you still remember when I sat on the hill or walked to the stables when I biked out of town when I'd had quite enough of the neighbor's old dog or when I blew kisses from up on that hill Can you still see the grain elevator from miles away Is Rhony still laughing and fist bumping people with a smile Are Nan and Papa Ramond still going to visit their...
Our pastor, Sue, had told us she was doing the “ blessing of the animals” at the churches in Havre and Chester. Did we want to have a service also? Of course, we did. I did some research into the blessing of animals. I had heard about it but never attended a church that did it. The idea and service go back 800 years to St. Francis of Assisi. St Francis is, of course, the patron saint of animals. He wanted a thanksgiving for God’s creations, so he asked for animals’ blessings. He celebrated the human/ animal bond. St Francis quoted Exodus,...
John Donne, the English poet-scholar, wrote: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” The poem goes on to explain that every man lives a life dependent on those around him. He needs others to thrive and survive from day to day. At the face of it, this is a true statement. We need each other for various aspects of our lives. On every level of our lives, we require some connection to those around us for food, supply, support, encou...
One request the public has made of the Mountaineer is to have more Ob-Ed articles, which means “opposition to the editorial” page, in other words, more political articles. Consider this your invitation. However, please keep the following in mind. I have the “Freedom of the press, the right to publish and disseminate information, thoughts, and opinions without restraint or censorship as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” “First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohib...
Dear Community of Big Sandy, I wish to inform you that I am resigning as a provider at the Big sandy Medical Center. My last day will be October 28th, 2022. This was not an easy decision; however, I will remain in the medical field but choosing to specialize. I feel confident that your healthcare needs will be placed in the caring hands of my colleagues. I appreciate your confidence in allowing me to provide your health care needs. Thank you for letting me be a part of you and your family’s lives. I have sincerely enjoyed serving you. Please l...
Nearly 20 years ago, I started working at a children’s home in Indiana. It was an impatient mental health facility for kids. One of the people I met in new staff orientation was a fellow named Mark. He had been working at the home for over 30 years and was spectacular at his job. The day I met him, I decided I wanted to learn to work with kids as well as he did. He was a behavior specialist at the on-campus school and did all sorts of campus support work in the evenings. At every opportunity, I...
In the days right before Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was sitting at a meal with his disciples and some people he had encountered in his ministry. During the meal, a woman came in with a bottle of expensive perfume. Based on the description in the text, it was probably over 300 days wages (or about $54,500 in today’s money). The woman approached Jesus and poured the entire bottle over his head. It would have filled his hair and run down his beard. This was a sort of luxurious personal care t...
I was born and raised in Canada, so I have always called Queen Elizabeth the second my queen. I was raised in a family who loved the monarchy. My mother kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings regarding the Queen, especially when she was in Canada and Saskatchewan. When I return to Canada on my next trip, I shall dig them out and pore over them. As everyone knows, the Queen died on September 8. Surprisingly, the US TV stations have broadcast everything revolving around the funeral and, of course, the remaining family. There are some things you...
The gospel of Matthew includes an account where a group of Pharisees approach Jesus in an effort to trap him by posing a no-win question. They asked: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?” Today this seems like a pretty innocuous question. We might disagree regarding taxes and complain about them, but very few people question the morality of paying taxes. However, in ancient Israel, it was a bit of a hornets nest topic. You see, if Jesus said it was immoral to pay taxes, then he could be acc...
One of the most common debates surrounding Jesus and his ministry revolved around the sabbath. The sabbath refers to the Jewish practice of not working on the last day of the week. It is important enough that it is actually mentioned in the 10 Commandments. “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” The idea is simple: Don’t work on the sabbath. In the first century, the Jewish people took the laws of God very seriously and sabbath obedience had reached a point where it was a paralyzing practi...
Dear Big Sandy Community: I do not typically feel the need to provide public clarification on personal matters; however, recent events have influenced me to do so. I devoted the past 10 years to Big Sandy Medical Center (BSMC) in more ways than is commonly known. I never asked for praise nor boasted about all I did. I grew up with BSMC as a major part of my life; and its success has been my focus for the last decade. In 2014, when the Board then (which included Gordon Moes, Dianna Webster, and Sharon Robertson) chose me as CEO, they gave me an...
In 120 BC, Rabbi Joshua ben Perachiah said, “Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor.” The phrase ought to sound familiar to the average person because it is striking in its similarity to the words of Jesus: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The reason for the similarity between the two is simple. Ancient rabbis often taught through citing and comment...