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Early Sunday morning, I went for a 3 mile run. I typically run with my dog, who is nine years old and has learned our running route and routine completely through thousands of repetitions. For a change of pace, I decided to take my daughter’s puppy along for the outing. The puppy is about a year old and very difficult to walk because she is quite strong and still has the characteristic puppy distractibility. This means that you spend a lot of your walking time stopping to wait for her to decide to walk or untangling her from the leash. To r...
Sometimes blessings come in strange ways. I hate to admit it, but I lost my phone in my own house. The Find My Phone application told me it was in the kitchen. Yes, I've had to use the application before. This time the phone isn't where it tells me. The application tells you where your phone is when it was last charged. I thought I put it in the kitchen, but this time it wasn't there. I searched every cupboard, just in case I don't remember I put it in there. I looked through the garbage, under...
Too many times Thoughts by Zoe tend to be more on the serious side. Today I’d like to comment on the rumors that have gone around town about my Ford Explorer and myself. My 2016 red Ford Explorer has kind of been a nightmare for me. Without going into past issues, because the current issue is bad enough. I couldn’t steer it correctly and when I turned it off it locked down and I couldn’t move the wheel at all. The Ford mechanic had left for vacation leaving my red Ford Explorer sitting in front of the Mountaineer. So what I heard was peopl...
Over the past month, I have been researching and preaching on Jesus’ temptation in the desert in Matthew 4. The story takes place right after Jesus is baptized, and God proclaims that Jesus is His son. From the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he fasted and prayed for 40 days before he was tempted by Satan in various ways. There are three temptations and each is loaded with significance. However, for this article, I want to zero in on one specific aspect. In each temptation Satan calls into question Jesus’ ide...
Since I was short on articles this week, I thought, why not find out why August 6 is a special day? I was born on August 6, 1952. But what I found out about August 6 that brought me much joy was it is also International Forgiveness Day. On August 6, 1912 --Theodore Roosevelt announced his 1912 platform at the Chicago convention of the Progressive Party. On August 6, 1939, Poland celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Polish Legions' entry into the World War. On August 6, 1942 (Thursday), German forces on the Eastern Front captured Tikho...
When I moved to Big Sandy a little over a decade ago, I understood little to nothing about farming. When friends and neighbors discussed harvest, I didn’t properly grasp all of the implications of that part of the work year. On a few occasions, I’ve helped out with different jobs and experienced the grinding hourly demands. Year after year, I’ve talked to locals about the stress of cutting, equipment repair on the fly, eating while working, watching the weather, and hundreds of other challenges. Add to that the pressure of getting the work done...
Finding Joy Recently I fell in love with a book called Laughing Through the Ugly Cry by Dawin Barton. I loved it because she could express clearly what I believe. Finding joy in my life and finding the blessing that surrounds me every day is something I strive to do. I want "She Found Joy" to be placed on my tombstone when I die. I guess that is why I listen to others and hope to find their joy. It's the reason I get so frustrated with complainers. We must have a lot of stories in our community...
I moved to Chicago when I was 19 to attend college. I spent the next several years living in the suburbs, going to school, and working various jobs. One of the necessities for my college survival was the purchase of a car. I didn’t know anything about cars and had little money to speak of, which is why I bought a $250 1977 Lincoln Continental. I didn’t know it was a bad deal until it broke down the first time, about 20 minutes after I paid for it. After finally getting it back to the dorm where I was living, I caught a ride to the parts sto...
Editor’s note: We are fast approaching fire season. I found this old Mountaineer article written by Arnold Hokanson and decided to run it to remind us all to be careful and watchful because of all the rain we now have amble fuel for fire this summer. Take the necessary precautions. Don’t drive in tall dry grass. Lubricate all equipment. Don’t work in the fields when it gets hot and drier. Never throw your cigarette out the window. The clouds rolled, in the early evening of one recent hot summer day. The few raindrops that fell in a fast and f...
As we approach the 4th of July, I’m reminded that it is the only holiday that celebrates all of us in union. We often define ourselves based on divisions over politics, race, religion, and a host of other issues, which is unfortunate. Our country was founded on the belief that all are “created equal” and enjoy “certain unalienable rights,” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That purpose has always been aspirational, and we have some scars where we have struggled to get it right. Yet, we are and remain exceptional b...
My name is Judy Yirsa. I am a wife, a mother of three daughters and a resident of Big Sandy. I also am a co-collaborator of the Protect our Choteau County Kids petition and attended and spoke at the board meeting in May during the public comment section. Contrary to most people’s opinion, I believe that the last meeting was very fruitful! Since the meeting, I requested a public recording and listened to previous comments multiple times intently listening to the other citizen’s concerns. After careful reflection, I was glad to realize that we...
For the last several days, I have been studying the ancient Greek idea of citizenship. Like so many foundational ideas in our culture, the Greeks were the first to conjure up the idea of citizenship in our culture. It was a revolutionary idea and was worn as a badge of honor by everyone who achieved it. Citizens were willing to die to maintain that status and considered everything else slavery. The dynamic I was looking for in my study of the topic was elusive. I was hoping to find an ancient writer who explored the willing service aspect of...
In the book of Mark, there is a story about Jesus coming into a town where he is quickly surrounded by huge crowds of people. As He walks through the town, with the crowds pressing in from all sides, he is approached by a woman. This woman had a health problem that resulted in her bleeding for 12 years. Mark records that she had suffered through many treatments from doctors, spending all of her money and only seeing her condition worsen through the process. For first century Jews, this illness would’ve been terrible in the extreme. During a w...
Many years ago, while I was working as a chaplain for a mental health facility that worked with children, we would take a group of clients on a trip to canoe, camp, and fish in the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. One year, on the last day of our week-long trip, we were traveling to the spot where our outfitter was going to pick us up. We were competing with a deadline for pickup, and were traveling a long way. I was sharing my canoe with a young lady from our addictions treatment program. A terrible storm was bearing down on...
It’s amazing how many people are hurt. With this month being Mental Health Month, I’ve written a couple of articles, only to discover that way more people in our community live in pain. I’ve been stopped on the street and stood before The Grocery Store and talked. Most of the time, I hear rumors, and more rumors, that aren’t fed by truths or compassion. Because of this, I was told to read a book called The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a very short book but beautifully illustrated. I found the book full of wisdo...
Several years ago, a Big Sandy Convalescent Home patient attended church. She came into the church and sat in the back pew. When it came time to share prayer concerns, she raised her hand and said, "Please pray my husband dies quickly so I can marry Steve!" The person responsible for prayer briefly paused and said, "I'll pray for the Lord's will in this manner." As ridiculous as her request sounds, I don't think it's so far from the rest of our prayers. We pray for our concerns. We are told to pray for our problems. He wants us to talk to Him....
Mother’s Day always brings up memories. I wanted to have some fun this Mother’s Day by interviewing several kids and adults and asking them, “ What has your mom taught you?” The following answers are from children between 9-14 years old. “She’s taught me how to be safe.” “She’s taught me to chase after our dogs.” “That it’s okay not to do drugs.” “She helps me with my homework.” “To not suck on sugary coated painkillers.” “To not put quarters. In my mouth.” “Don’t lie.” “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Look both ways.” “How to handle ch...
in ancient Israel, the Jewish people followed a very strict set of dietary laws. There are a lot of reasons for these laws, most of them having to do with reminding the Jews that they were separate from other nations and holy. In Acts 10, the apostle Peter has a vision in which he is told that the dietary laws are no longer in effect. There are two huge reasons for this taking place. First, because Jesus fulfilled God’s law and filled the need for holiness a spiritual effort rather than a matter of washings and diets. (This is a really s...
"The roads are terrible!" I've heard that over and over. I may have said it over and over. Even so, it's a picture of our society these days. There is a way to fix the roads. There is a way to fix our society. A couple of weeks ago, I found this statement. "People will value you based on their point of view, their level of information, and their belief in you." I have known for some time we live in a world where man determines the value system. It's been brought home to me lately that people...
A Boy Named Sue is one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs. Most people are familiar with the tune, but for those who have never encountered Cash’s humorous song, it tells the story of a man whose father was a worthless drunk who abandoned his family. Just before leaving, the drunk cruelly named his son “Sue.” The monicker brought teasing and mockery from an early age, which forced Sue to get tough, fighting anyone who picked on him. Intent on revenge for his unfortunate name, Sue hunts down his father with murder in his heart. Eventually, Sue f...
For the last few years, I have found myself in a loop of grayness, same after same after same. I could blame it on COVID, but honestly, it started before that. But it's Easter, a great time to reflect on rebirth, new beginnings, or a fresh breeze. I've wanted to experience God again, to feel his presence. Don't get me wrong. The fact that I lived a gray life wasn't because of my pastor or my church. It was because I wasn't looking for the miracles God gives daily. I wasn't celebrating the miraculous. I didn't laugh enough, sing enough, or...
Over the weekend, my wife and I went to Great Falls to run errands. While we were there, we stopped at Goodwill to look for a few odds and ends. Before we stepped out my wife started looking through the books. She came across 4 volumes of “The Great Books of the Western World.” The Great Books is a little like an encyclopedia, only it includes all of the major books of literature, history, philosophy, and science produced by the western world. What makes the set especially useful is the index books that identify important ideas at dif...
Recently, the testing scores for Intelligence Quotient (more commonly known as IQ) have been observed to be in decline. Specifically, scores related to abilities in verbal reasoning (logic, vocabulary), visual problem solving/analogies, computation/mathematics, and spatial reasoning have gone down. For context, scientists have observed the opposite trend for nearly a century. It’s called the Flynn Effect, and it involves various factors influencing the rise of IQ points. Better nutrition, increased availability of education, children being r...
During the first few centuries that the church existed, it face a handful of internal struggles on top of persecution from the Roman Empire and hostile neighbors. Most of the struggle, both internally and externally, came about because the gospel was intellectually/culturally unacceptable throughout the ancient world. One of the first internal struggles the church faced was a movement called “Gnosticism.” Gnosticism was an attempt to take Christianity and mix it with Roman mystery religions. These mystery religions were very popular thr...
An ad in the paper got me thinking about what a great school board member would look like. Someone whose goal is to serve the children of the community by working with others to provide the best learning experience for each and every one of them? Or someone more interested in a broader political agenda? Someone who is capable of explaining their position on an issue in a rational way and listening to other points of view? Or someone who can only screech"woke" and start a fight when encountering a person with an opinion different from their...
