We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 386
Q: It is disappointing when people say that Christ changed their life but there is no evidence. I don’t like hypocrisy, yet I like to accept people for what they are. My mother says that I am using this as an excuse. While I don’t agree with her, I am troubled by my attitude. A:We cannot let hypocrisy divert us or keep us from Christ Himself. Christians are imperfect, and some who claim to follow Jesus are far from His teaching; they will sometimes falter in their walk with Christ, but Christ never falters. We must not put our trust in peo...
Montana has been discovered. We were the second-fastest-growing state in the country last year. Our rapidly increasing population presents many challenges and opportunities, and it’s also driving a lot of unease among many of us who’ve lived here for a long time. Whether you love it or hate it, that growth looks like it’s going to keep happening for a while. We need to deal with that reality and reform many policies very quickly to respond to it, especially when it comes to housing. Buying or renting a place to live is becoming more expensive a...
At their meeting on Friday, January 21, members of the St. Mary/Milk River Working Group expressed great appreciation for Senator Jon Tester’s success in securing $100 million in the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill, which he helped negotiate, to jump-start the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the St. Mary/Milk River conveyance system, primarily the St. Mary Diversion Dam. Ever since the St. Mary/Milk River Working Group was first convened in 2001 by Lieutenant Governor Karl Ohs, little progress had been made to secure funding for the necess...
You’ve experienced one or more toxic emotions. Anger, frustration, fear, guilt, bitterness, resentment, and sadness negatively impact you. Toxic emotions cause you mental and physical harm. Anger leads you to do or say things you’ll regret later. Frustration causes you to consider giving up. Fear holds you back by inhibiting action. Guilt makes you ashamed about what you’ve done. Bitterness and resentment cause you to feel sick both mentally and physically. Sadness can be all consuming. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer with to...
What do ‘we’ see when we look up? In January, SNOW? Moisture is needed, that’s for sure, ‘Twould help Spring grass to grow. As Winter ends, there’s sleet and haze, sometimes that too shows up. But it’s still cold most everywhere – we need warm cover-ups! Days lengthen and we view the stars; like awesome Milky Way! And ‘sailing’ in the night time clouds, there’s Venus, miles away. Soon geese will pass, some fly up high; somewhere up North they go. It’s cool to watch them change ‘pilots’; their flying isn’t slow. We never saw the UFO; t’was unide...
Alert readers will recall a story I wrote last December for the "Journal" about a dog/house sitting adventure. The story recounted how my wife Sherry and I spent five weeks, rent free, in a very upscale Airbnb in a suburb of Seattle near our daughter and her family. That venture into 'serial pet sitting' turned out to be rather costly. Here's the previously untold part of the story. Emergency room costs quickly added up We took two days to drive to Woodinville, Washington. It's about 800 miles...
You know, Lord, here comes a New Year, a clean month, a bright new day. Thank You, Lord. William A. Quayle, in his book “God’s Calendar,” has some fascinating musing about months. Some for January are: “The Calendar is God’s invention. The matter-of-fact Romans way took hold of the almanac and called the months by the names which thereafter God’s months were to wear. God should have named the months – He is so much the Poet; or at least the Greeks, because Poetry and they were friends. Nonetheless, January is named from JANUA, a door. “Januar...
You know, Lord, mending day happens; there are sox, shirts, jeans, you name it and it probably needs mending. Besides clothing, there is upholstery, fences, relationships, and even broken hearts to mend. Mending clothing isn’t all that complicated but on mending day, aren’t we ever so thankful that You did not give us a ‘dozen’ children. We’re thankful and grateful for the three girls (or are there five girls now?) who sort of call us substitute parents even though they were nearly all grown up by the time they became a ‘part of our family...
This past month has seen passage of one of the largest investments in American infrastructure in the nation’s history. Few states benefit more from this Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill than Montana. This is largely due to the work of our very own Senator Jon Tester, who was a leading architect of the bill. Due to Senator Tester’s work, Montana, and especially the Hi-Line, receives long overdue investments in the infrastructure that supports our way of life. Possibly most critical to our area is the funding the bill includes for the St. Mary Div...
Letter to U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale Senators and Representative, As we approach Christmas, we have one request to Montana’s federal delegation: please do everything in your power to stop the reckless taxing and spending proposal currently working its way through Congress. The biggest gift Montana could receive from Washington, D.C., this holiday season is a dose of common sense, not more federal taxes and debt. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said it’s his goal to pass Pre...
My wife, Sherry, and I are completing our fifth week as dog sitters in an upscale suburb of Seattle. How we ended up taking on this unusual task is a story itself. And what we learned about the enormity of the pet sitting sector is, well, a bit amazing. Here's how we ended up in Woodinville, Washington dog/house sitting and some of what we learned about the economics of pet sitting. Pet sitting's an economic sector estimated to be worth $2.6 billion per year worldwide and growing. From Airbnb...
You know, Lord, when it seems that there’s no hope, things aren’t going according to our plans, or maybe just going askew, it’s then that we must remember that You are faithful, You hear our prayers and intervene in Your way –Your time – and at the right time. We’ve known ‘children’, young or old, who’ve strayed far away from having a personal relationship with You. Case in point: an elderly lady prayed faithfully for her adult children knowing that sooner or later, in her lifetime or after she was gone, the way-ward ones ‘would return to...
Although Chick-fil-A's cow campaign plays off the idea that cows want people to eat more chicken so they will in turn not be eaten, here in cattle country, beef is what's for dinner! This colorful hay-bale and sign are visible on Highway 2 between Chinook and Zurich. Happy Thanksgiving!...
During a stay in Miles city my wife and I visited some of the local tourist attractions. I was especially impressed with the Range Riders Museum. Described as "a celebration of eastern Montana history" the collection includes exhibits of local branding irons to an iron lung. Though the amount of material to view is a bit overwhelming one exhibit, especially, stood out for me: the collection of "It Happened in Montana" panel drawings by artist James Masterson The particular set of drawings on dis...
As our country continues to deal with the effects of a global pandemic and the subsequent economic stress, political turmoil, and a myriad of other distressing conditions, it may be difficult to think about being grateful. However, November is National Gratitude Month. And turning our thoughts to gratitude has a multitude of health advantages-including improved mental health and even life-saving benefits. According to researchers and psychologists, gratitude can enhance moods, decrease stress,...
You know, Lord, recalling a ‘happening’ from a long time ago, was fascinating. Several of us gals had to deal with those pre-college physicals. None of us were really that tall but several of us were delighted to see that we WERE taller than five-feet. Woo-hoo – even though it was only by one-quarter inch. Time passed, we’d kept in touch, then several of us were less than thrilled when a recent measurement set two of them, once again, at under five feet. Friend K. G. said, “No wonder my motto has always been “Quality, not Quantity....
You know, Lord, a while back, a friend shared about bearing a grudge against one of your children who was one of their friends, adding that hanging onto bitterness and keeping alive grudges is truly consuming work. She was exhausted and really didn’t know what to do, as bearing a grudge was/is hard work as it left little energy for blessing others, praising God, or even enjoying life. Then she read that the only way to get over a bitter heart toward others is to actively love and serve them in ways that will bless their lives. If we can’t do...
You know, Lord, several friends went walking one morning, through the nearby park, along some hills, loving and appreciating the view, enjoying their time together. Gal #1: “I’m out of water, I’ll soon need a drink. Are we about to the end of this trail?” The second gal mentioned that she was having a hard time breathing. Gal #3 mentioned a notice about the air quality being fairly good but the Grass Pollen was high; they WERE on a lot of grass, so, of course, breathing probably was a bit hard. They continued on their way; though they were in...
Time has been going very fast with function after function all summer. Some of the activities are related to my work with the Senate, some family get-togethers, and a couple of fun things just for Judy and me. For the Senate, Senator Mike Lang put together a great Ag tour for the Environmental Quality Committee (EQC). The tour started in Great Falls at the state grain lab. About 25 of us were treated to the full walk through and tour. I do thank Sen. Lang for inviting me, as all these tours were at or near my Senate District. We toured the...
I read with interest the June 23rd article “Voters May Not Get A Voice”. I along with several other community members were in attendance and a spirited discussion of the “Nonpartisan Ordinance” occurred. Following that meeting, I did additional research on the Blaine County 2020 election. Here’s what my research found. On 10-5-20 the Blaine County Clerk & Recorder/Election Administrator, signed a contract with the Center for Tech and Civic Life, (CTCL) a non-profit, in the amount of $256, 433.00 USD, for the “…special circumstances...
You know, Lord, when one thinks about Dairy Products, we might wonder which are the most important for the well-being of the human body. Just ask anybody, and they’ll perhaps say that Ice Cream is probably the most favorite of all dairy products. Of ice cream, it’s been said that it is: cool, creamy, refreshing, and comforting. Like a gentle prairie breeze, clear skies, warm sunshine, ice cream sweeps over one – it is healthy, refreshing and relaxing. In a spiritual way, Lord, Your Word is like that, too, refreshing and relaxing, only more...
You know, Lord, the cloud formations, from our point of view here on our hilltop, are breathtaking! We do need rain in our area. One minute it looks like rain clouds bounding over the horizon; a bit later, the sun is bursting through again in a teasing way. The rain drops are so few and far between in our particular area and the valley of trees below really do need a wash job. So glad You are in charge of the weather, Lord and that You can handle that job. That would be quite a feat for any of us to do, right? Thank You for the quiet moments...
April is always a fast-paced month at the legislature, and this year is no different. The Senate has been busy voting on a lot of bills that covered a wide variety of topics. I am confident that the bills we passed will improve lives of Montana’s in many ways, however nothing is perfect. This past week the Senate passed two critical appropriations bills that will help our state move past the pandemic and sustain prosperity for decades to come. As we decided what to do with the federal stimulus money, Republican leaders in Helena, unlike W...
Alert readers may recall a story in the January 27 issue of the "Journal" about Walter J. Brown. Brown, a cowboy for Miller Brothers from the late 1940's through the 1950's, was also a cook on the cook wagon when the Miller crews moved livestock to and from summer pastures. He drew several images of ranch life, using his finger and axle grease, on the canvas cover of a cook wagon. Two of the canvas sections survived, one hangs in the Blaine County Museum in Chinook and the other section will...
Random Acts of Kindness Day was first created in Denver, Colorado, in 1995 by a small nonprofit organization, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK). Nine years later it spread to New Zealand. Now, it often gets national recognition as World Kindness Day or National Random Acts of Kindness Day®. This year, we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday February 17. Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 14-20. February has long been a month during which the notion of love is...
