We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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Q: My grandson served in the military and is now back in civilian life. He feels defeated when he sees so many Americans against our flag. Can our nation turn itself around? A: (From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham) America has gone a long way down the wrong road. We are blessed to have brave citizens serve this country, but no one person can turn a nation around. For Christians we must remember that our allegiance is first to God, and then country. When a nation humbles itself before God, He blesses. Only by His power does a nation...
Columnist's note: In 2006 my wife and I moved from North Dakota to Libby, Montana. Traveling along US 2, to our new place, we saw the official, green signs east of Chester identifying the 'bumps' on the north horizon as the Sweet Grass Hills. I asked in Libby and no one really knew much about the Hills, they had their own mountains at their front door. We moved back east to Chinook, on the Hi-line. Folks there said, "Oh, the Sweet Grass Hills are all private land, there's nothing to do there."...
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This quote, from motivational speaker Jim Rohn has made the rounds in the world of self-improvement for years, and it’s worth taking a moment to consider, because it has a great deal of truth imbedded in it. The way we think and view the world is shaped by what we read, hear, watch, and interact with. Our attitudes rise or sink to the level of the folks we associate with. This is an unconscious drift that is built into people as a byproduct of being social creatures. We na...
Q: Is belief in God the same as the belief the devil has in God? A: The devil and his demons know God exists; certainly Satan stands before the throne of God accusing mankind, as seen in the book of Job. The demon world also believes in the facts of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. But their belief is not a saving belief because it does not lead them to turn to God in repentance. A saving belief in God is what happens when sinners turn from sin to Christ and put their trust and faith in Him, the Savior of sinners. This is a saving f...
South of the Border, Column No. 17 Columnist's note: Several weeks ago someone asked if I'd heard of the Sweet Grass Hills Family Camp. They explained several local people were involved and that two members of Whitlash Presbyterian Church, Jeanette and the late Irvin Brown, were the folks who initiated the family camp. The camp was a four-day event that brought families together to worship, recreate and fellowship in a casual setting. My wife and I attended a similar event in the mountains...
South of the Border, Column No. 16 Columnist's note: The topic for this week's column is from nearby Chester, a town my wife and I visit regularly for shopping. In Chester I noticed a large, brown building with a tiny sign over the door that reads "RNA Hall." I flashed back to childhood when my mom, grandma and aunt were all involved in a group called Royal Neighbors of America (RNA). I recalled being dragged to RNA meetings as a preschooler to watch the goings on at the "hall" above Hobson's...
South of the Border, Column No. 15 Columnist's note: My wife and I have lived in Whitlash since mid-December, 2018. Living only six miles from Canada our intent was to visit our northern neighbors as soon as practical. During the winter, still thinking about going to Canada, I decided I would walk there in the spring. In early May the weather finally cooperated and I "walked from Whitlash to a foreign country." Here's some of what I saw and learned about the area north of our new home and the...
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese word referring to their cultural understanding of beauty. It’s an interesting perspective that is very different from what we generally accept in the west. Whereas we tend to look at things that are perfect as beautiful, in wabi-sabi, beauty is based on the idea that all things are constantly changing and nothing is perfect. Wabi-sabi looks at the imperfections as the source of beauty. This doesn’t mean that Japanese craftsmen and artists don’t work to improve. In fact, Japanese craftsmen are often meticulous in their...
Column No. 14 Columnist's note: A tractor sitting by a shed near the Whitlash Post Office drew my attention when we first moved to town. It was a Belarus, which sure sounded Russian to me. Some stickers and name plates on the tractor stated the tractor was built at a factory in Minsk, the capital city for Belarus. Belarus is an eastern European country once part of the old Soviet Union. Turns out the tractor is owned by Urban Kultgen and his son Dan. Between the two of them they own three of...
South of the Border, Column No. 13 Columnist's note: This was our first Easter in Whitlash and sunrise on this past Easter Sunday was pretty exciting. That got me thinking about a number of other interesting and stimulating Easter mornings that my wife and I have shared in the 23 prior places we've lived and celebrated the holy day. Before I share the story of Easter sunrise in Whitlash, here's brief account of a couple of other memorable Easter mornings. A freezing Easter morning on Bald Knob...
Q: I fear for the attack on our homes, our families and our children—the future of our country. What can we do to combat the assaults? A: The family, for most, used to be a close-knit group, and the home was self-contained. It was shelter; it was security; it was a kind of school where life’s basic lessons were taught. It was a kind of church where God was honored. It was a factory where the basic necessities of life were made. It was a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures were enjoyed. A national leader once said, “The home...
“A man and a woman are walking up to a building. The man notices the woman and runs ahead to open and hold the door for her. As she walks in, she turns to the man and asks ‘Are you holding this door because I am a woman?’ He responds: ‘No. I am holding it because I am a gentleman.’” I’ve heard this anecdote hundreds of times from a good friend of mine who is a pastor. He tells it frequently to make the same point: It’s wise to act based on your identity, not based on the situation you find yourself in. In the story, the guy holds the door...
South of the Border, Column No. 12 Columnist's note: Recently Betty Ann Wolery, secretary for the Liberty County Cemetery Board, stopped me in the library in Chester and asked if I knew about the "English Boy" grave in the Whitlash Cemetery. I'd heard one story that told the English Boy was a sheepherder from England who died in a blizzard. I had never seen the grave. Betty Ann showed me the county cemetery register and a plat map of the grave sites in the Whitlash Cemetery. The first entry for...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: America has been a land of plenty for much of its history and some believe our nation can never fall. Are we in danger of going the way of other great and powerful nations? A: Fifteen hundred years ago the people of imperial Rome were living in luxury, ease, and prosperity. The Romans laughed at the rugged barbarians of the north. They had a far lower standard of living than the Romans did. They could not possibly conquer Rome—great imperial Rome. But they did. Those illiterate barbarians conquered...
South of the Border, Column No. 11 Columnist's note: I've had the privilege to live in many diverse locations over the years. A newcomer to an area has a unique opportunity to see a place with a 'new set of eyes.' Things and situations longtime residents may take for granted often stand out to the new arrival. Here are a few things I've found curious during the four months my wife and I have lived in Whitlash. In its basement the Whitlash Church has a cabinet full of sewing patterns During a...
In the fall of 2016, Ryan Jensen noticed a need in the community, so he decided to start an agriculture supply business in order to make quality products available locally. With Milk River Ag, he can obtain and distribute supplies like seed and feed and hay wrap, making them readily accessible to local farmers and ranchers. Milk River Ag is a family owned business where Jensen and his wife Linae grow hay and cattle and raise their three children: Levi (14), Ashlyn (12), and January (8) near Chinook. “Our business was formed out of the need f...
House Bill 658 and House Bill 652, the Medicaid Expansion bill and the Long Range Infrastructure Bonding bill This past week, the Montana House of Representatives passed both House Bill 652, the Long-Range Bonding bill, and House Bill 658, the Medicaid Expansion bill. The Bonding bill passed the floor with 68 yes votes and 30 no votes, and the Medicaid Expansion bill passed with 61 yes votes and 37 no votes. I opposed House Bill 658, the Medicaid Expansion bill, largely because the non-severability clause in the bill was removed and replaced...
Column No. 7 Columnist's note: Travelers headed north from Shelby on I-5 may have seen the 'standing elk' on the east side of the interstate just before the exit to Oilmont. The elk is in a slight depression on the edge of a grove of small trees (really the only trees next to the interstate for several miles). If travelers see the elk, the view is brief, especially at 80 mph. I first saw the elk when my wife and I were headed north to Whitlash from Shelby. About a 100 yards past the site of the...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: Is it true that Queen Victoria believed in Jesus Christ? A: In the biography of Queen Victoria there is a heart-warming story told. She went into the slums of London and visited the home of an elderly lady. When the queen rose to leave, she asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?” The woman said, “Yes, ma’am, Your Majesty, you can meet me in Heaven.” The queen turned to her and said softly, “Yes. I’ll be there, but only because of the blood that was shed on the cross for you and for me.” Queen V...
South of the Border, Column No. 7 Columnist's note: Liberty Hall, the century-old community hall in Whitlash sitting atop a small rise, is one of the first buildings a traveler sees when approaching Whitlash in the Sweet Grass Hills. I've read several accounts of the history and role of the building in the community since the hall was completed in 1916. Nearly every version of the history of Liberty Hall recounts the many community events held there over the years and, particularly, the dances h...
Columnist's note: My wife and I moved to Whitlash in mid-December. Despite a mild start to winter, we saw little wildlife except a few sharp-tailed grouse wandering through the yard and occasional deer across the pasture. Then February hit and there was virtually no wildlife to be seen around our yard, basically we were surrounded by snow piles, drifts and blowing snow. I was really curious to see what sorts of wildlife I would see in the Sweet Grass Hills come spring. In mid March we...
Whitlash, Montana. Columnist’s note: In the narthex (entrance) of the Whitlash Presbyterian Church there is a ‘centennial quilt’ on display. The quilt commemorates the church’s hundredth anniversary celebrated in 2013 and is made of quilt blocks highlighting major milestones of the church—when the church was organized, when the present building was completed and other significant highpoints. One of the blocks (see accompanying photo) is a drawing of the church building with the year 1945 along the bottom and the “E Hanging M” brand at a to...
The human soul transcends earthly value Q: Why is it that Christians say we have to believe their way or miss Heaven? Isn’t this a little narrow, maybe even arrogant? A: Christians do make up a religion—Christians believe God’s every word. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Who doesn’t want to be saved? Some years ago a man’s plane crashed into the ocean. He survived the crash, but had blood on his forehead which attracted the sharks, and he spent 10 hours kicking at the sharks to sur...
From Whitlash. For readers who missed it, Ground Hog Day was Saturday (February 2). That's the day the furry weather prognosticator gives an insight as to how much longer winter will last. Growing up in southern Illinois, where the woodchucks are widespread, my family made kind of a deal about the day. As kids we anticipated the day, hoping, "The ground hog doesn't see its shadow so spring will come soon." In our fifty plus years of marriage my wife and I have lived in seven different states,...
Mark Twain once said: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” The reason being that no-one wants to eat a frog. Putting off eating it until later in the day may seem tempting, but it will give you opportunity to put it off again and again until you don’t do it altogether. This is essentially the heart of all procrastination. We look at a task that we don’t want to do and come up with reasons to avoid it or we just don’t thin...
