Sorted by date Results 529 - 553 of 720
Q: My biggest fault (or so people keep telling me) is impatience. Like most people, I’m impatient when big things go wrong, but little things get under my skin also. I guess I was born this way, and I’m not sure I can do anything about it. And anyway, what difference does it make? A: Have you ever asked yourself why people keep telling you about this? The reason, I suspect, is because your impatience makes it very difficult for them to be your friend—and that’s one reason why you need to overcome this. The Bible says, “Whoever is patient h...
I think I can honestly say I never met a hot dog I did not like. But I can also say that I have met many that did not like me. If I buy a hotdog from a vender, it comes in a little tray, and has the things I have ordered on it, placed neatly and when I eat that hot dog, most everything manages to stay in place until the last couple of bites anyway. Not so when I cook them at home. One of the problems is I like too much stuff on the hotdog. I love pickles, mustard, mayonnaise, onion, cheese and relish. Then I put the hot dog in and it falls all...
When I was younger, I developed a terrible habit. I would listen to sermons and think about all the people I know who should be hearing the message because it dealt with an area of sin I saw in their lives. Sometimes, this would happen when the folks I was thinking about were actually in the room with me. In those cases, I would find myself peeking over to see if they were paying attention and learning their lesson. I was young and dumb back then. Now that I am older, and hopefully wiser (or at least less dumb), I would pay good money for the...
Q: How much do you have to believe about God in order to get into Heaven? I’m getting older, and I don’t want God to slam Heaven’s door on me when I die. A: Only one thing will keep us out of Heaven—and that is our sin. And only one thing will enable us to enter Heaven—and that is to be cleansed of our sin. Let me explain. You may not think of yourself as a bad person—and compared with some people, you probably aren’t. But God is absolutely holy and pure, and even one sin—just one—is enough to banish us from His presence. That may be hard for y...
In the 1950’s if I recall, famed Montana author Dan Cushman wrote his most famous book entitled, “Stay Away Joe.” Cushman had been born and raised in the Box Elder and Big Sandy communities and at the time was living in Great Falls. The book was a story about a Native American named Joe and his Family’s efforts to get ahead in a world which was geared mostly for white people. The book was laugh out loud funny. Or it was so sad people cried when they read it, depending on where those people were coming from. One of the best scenes in the boo...
I have maybe written this story for you dear readers before. If I have it is good enough to demand a repeat and if you are hearing it for the first time, you will never forget it. The Hugh Black family came to the St. Mary area of Glacier National Park after World War II armed with a contract to tear down the old St. Mary Chalets. While there they purchased a tiny slip of land just off the Park and started building tiny cabins on it. Every time Going-To-The-Sun Road was open the cabins were full at all times and they always needed more. It got...
When borrowing money for large purchases, your credit history will generally have a significant impact on your ability to get a loan and the terms of the loan. Each individual has his or her own credit score so when applying jointly, the creditor will scrutinize both scores. Credit scores range from approximately 300 to 850. When locking in an interest rate, the higher the score, the better the terms of credit you are likely to receive. You may be surprised to know you have more than one credit score. The credit scores are based on the...
Last week, I started studying the life of Samson for the sermon series I’m currently working through. Samson is an interesting figure because he is basically an action hero. His story is a collection of crazy adventures, battles, and love affairs. Strangely, most folks miss the point of his story. Generally, the misunderstanding begins with his hair. Most people identify Samson’s hair as the reason he was so tough. However, this isn’t accurate. Samson was commanded by God to live according to a strict set of religious rules. These rules were...
Q: I saw an article in our newspaper the other day about a local group of people who say they believe in witchcraft and black magic and things like that. Do you think they are sincere, or are they just trying to get attention? A: I don’t know this group’s true motives, of course—but I can assure you that some people today do believe in the kind of occult practices you mention. Furthermore, not only do they sincerely believe in them and practice them, but they often seek to persuade others to believe in them also. The Bible is very clear, howev...
I know it is after July 4th but there are still plenty of picnics to go to and plenty of times to get together with good friends for feasts and libations. In my youth, two cousins, Louie and Ray Clack were famous for their Fourth of July punches. Both were very potent, both tasted very good and both were easy to make. These made their punches in a gallon thermos bottle filled with ice that would keep the drinks cool all day long. First, Louie Clack’s famous Fourth of July Punch. 1 can frozen pink lemonade 1 can white rum 2 cans water and l...
Q: We have legal custody of our son’s children, because he’s in prison for another 20 years, and his wife’s left him and is into all sorts of bad things. But now she’s threatening legal action if we don’t give them back. We love them, and we can’t stand the thought of giving them up. Is it morally wrong for us to want to keep them? A: No, it’s not morally wrong for you to want to keep custody of these children; you love them and you want what is best for them. You’re concerned about their future, and from what you say, they probably wouldn...
I suppose that by now most everyone has heard about our new congressman who body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses. I guess the new congressman was at the end of his tether. I have been there as well. Only thing is it happened when I was a child and acted like a child. You would never know now by looking at me but at one time I used to be fat. Matter of fact one day when I was about 10 and playing with my friends on Second Avenue there was one small bully who kept screaming at me all morning long, “Robby, Robby, fatty, fatty two by four....
I first got to know Ace Powell, the famous western artist when he got a commission from Havre Federal Savings and Loan to paint three paintings about the prairies around Havre. He came to Havre and my uncle Al took Ace around to sketch scenes that might be used in the paintings. I would see Ace every morning at the Lou Lucke Company where he would be sitting in the so called “President’s Chair”. He would have a dozen little note cards with him and would always be drawing a bear or a teepee or a cabin or an Indian on a horse or something. When...
There is a story in the Old Testament about a prophet named Elijah. Elijah’s job was to speak on God’s behalf to the people of Israel, a job that often made him unpopular in a time where traditional Jewish religion was very unpopular in ancient Israel. The day after Elijah experiences the most spectacular victory of his life, he leaves a party where God’s people are celebrating the end of a long drought and returning to their belief in God. Elijah is forced into hiding to escape assassins sent by Israel’s queen, Jezebel. It’s interesti...
Blue Green Algae Poisoning in Livestock The following overview of blue green algae poisoning in livestock was written by Rachel Endecott (MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist). Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) are photosynthetic bacteria that live and grow in aquatic environments. Many species exist: some species are harmless, while others can affect the nervous system and liver function of livestock. Large blooms of cyanobacteria can occur when conditions are favorable, leading to elevated concentrations in water sources. When livestock or oth...
“Rhubarbed” out because you have made just about every recipe you can think of with your rhubarb but do not want the rest to go to waste? Canning it may have come to mind. And, then, think of all of the rest of the produce that will be showing up all too soon. Do you have all of your canning supplies ready for canning season? Particularly, how long has it been since you had your pressure canner dial-gauge tested? Why have your pressure canner dial-gauge tested? A dial-gauge should be tested for accuracy. Inaccuracies can happen over time due to...
Highwood Bench Low pH Soil Field Day MSU Central Agricultural Research Center (CARC) and MSU Extension will be hosting a field day on the Highwood Bench on Wednesday, June 28, at 10:00 a.m. The field day will take place approximately one mile east of the Long farm on 1221 Shonkin Road. The field day will begin with a tour of the CARC cereal variety plots, which have been seeded in low pH soil to determine tolerance to soil acidity. Dr. Jamie Sherman (MSU Barley Breeder) will share research based information on barley varieties for Southern...
Last year, during the heat of the presidential elections, I was browsing my facebook feed when I came across an article making very serious accusations against a prominent politician. It caught my attention, so I clicked and read. Within 3 minutes, I figured out that the linked article was from a ‘parody’ website that posts false news stories. The crazy thing about it was that there was no hint of parody to the article. I discovered the truth by googling the web site name and reading the wikipedia entry about it. Lots of those websites exi...
Last week, I was very busy. As a result, I didn’t get to sermon writing until Thursday, which is usually my last office day for the working week. The sermon was on the parable of the prodigal son, which is a story Jesus told at the end of a series of stories about lost things, specifically a lost sheep and a lost coin. I was working hard trying to finish up before the end of the day, when my 4-year old son came into my office and asked to sit in my lap while I worked. I agreed, with the stipulation that he had to be quiet so I could focus on my...
Q: Since the Bible says God created everything, doesn’t this mean He also created the devil? And if He created the devil, doesn’t this mean God is actually responsible for all the evil in the world? A friend of mine who likes to argue about religion asked me this, and I didn’t know what to say. A: I seriously doubt if your friend really wants an answer to his question; I suspect instead that he is only using this as an excuse to keep from facing his need to repent of his sins and submit his life to Christ. Unfortunately some people are like...
A fellow came in “The Mountaineer” office a couple of weeks ago and said how much he likes the stories about fishing on Clear Creek. He said that he has done a lot of fishing on Sandy Creek and Beaver Creek as well. It is still May and what used to be the most important month of the year for stream fishing in our area as the first day of stream fishing used to be the third weekend in May. I remember old timers saying that if there were still snow drifts in the high country of the Bear Paw Mountains on the first day of fishing season, it was...
Q: Last week I went to a bookstore to buy a Bible to give to my nephew for his birthday (he’ll be 14), but I got discouraged and finally gave up because there were too many choices. Why are there so many different Bibles? A: Don’t give up; nothing you could ever give your nephew is more valuable than a Bible. Remember: The Bible is God’s Word, and God gave it to us to guide us and help us come to know Him. The Psalmist wrote, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9). Let me suggest t...
My son is almost 4. He is just beginning to figure out that when he and his sister don’t agree on something, he can hit her and get his way. The other day, they got into an argument over a toy they both wanted to play with. His solution to the impasse was to punch his sister. She started crying and told on him. I punished him and he apologized to his sister. About 20 minutes, later the scene replayed itself. My boy literally did the same thing he had done before. He apologized again, but it’s clear that he will likely end up fighting with his...
Lawn Management Information The Master Gardener program provides research based information for gardeners. Below are a few notes taken from the turf management portion of the program. • Rough bluegrass is probably the best grass in Montana for shady areas. • Kentucky bluegrass is the best grass for open sunny areas with well-drained soil. • Annual ryegrass can be used as a cover crop following vegetable production. • The standard lawn mix is 60% Kentucky bluegrass, 30% creeping red fescue and 10% annual ryegrass. • Zoysiagrass does not grow...
Last night when I turned off my light on the night stand and prepared to go to sleep, I laughed out loud. Someone would think that to be very strange to laugh when turning off a light. But not to me. Years ago I had a cabin up by Baldy on Beaver Creek that did not have electricity. At the time I was teaching in Glasgow and I went into Markles hardware one day and found an “Aladdin Lamp” for sale. Now I did not know what an Aladdin lamp was but it had a large and fragile wick and it came with directions. I filled it with kerosene and lit the...
