Serving Roseau County for over 100 Years - The Official Roseau County Newspaper
Serving Roseau County for over 100 Years - The Official Roseau County Newspaper
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It has been said that, "We are "not" what we think we are, but "what" we think we are!" What do you think? This earthly observation echos the King James translation of Proverbs 23: 7: "for as he, (a man) thinketh in his heart so is he." In our daily pursuit of life, the outside of us influences the life inside of us being formed every day. The apostle Paul may have had this in mind when he counseled the "brothers and sisters" in Christ in Rome not to "copy the behavior and customs of this...
It is probably safe to say that most of us, maybe all of us, take at least one glance in the mirror before leaving home in the morning. Now I've been looking in the mirror for years, trying to get things right. Then this Christmas I received a present (a hat) that says it all (How can it be wrong when it feels so right?) What we wear determines what kind of statement we want to make and to whom do we want to make it? What about us Christians? What should the well-dressed Christian be wearing?...
I am going to begin with the following statement. "A job may sustain your life, but it will not provide you a life to sustain! It will not give you a life to prepare for! Do you have a "song to sing?" Who are you singing it for? That's what the Psalms are, songs sung to God, for God, and about God. In fact, either directly, or indirectly God is always the audience when the Psalms are sung or said. When we read the Psalms we come to experience the fact that they were written out of the...
Traveling through life, if each day is committed to God, can be spiritually as well as physically renewing. Today's reflections come from two little girls, about third and fourth grade, at the KOA Campground near Red Lodge, Montana. We were on vacation, and I was laying in our tent late in the afternoon soaking up some mountain rest before we left for the Pig Races at Bear Creek. The two little girls I mentioned had been taking turns riding a rental bicycle back and forth on the driveway in fron...
Recently I received a letter from someone in another part of the country expressing sadness over the sin by which they have been overtaken. Even though their situation had nothing to do with me directly, they expressed hope that I “might find it in my heart to forgive them.” My first reaction was that there was no need to offer forgiveness on my part since the situation did not affect me. But on further reflection on the matter, I realized that all sin affects everybody either directly or ind...
Several nights ago our phone rang at two in the morning, and for the next 45 minutes I was in conversation with a college freshman who, in tears at the beginning of the conversation, poured out her frustration and confusion about what place God, if there is a God, should have in her life. The stirring of her heart over spiritual matters was precipitated by her roommate's urging to "give her life to Christ" as Savior and Lord. This young college student raised some honest questions which had...
How many of you have ever received a special invitation to something real good? Wonderful! I've had some special invitations myself. Being invited to come to Roseau was a very special invitation for Julie and I. Another very special invitation was when I was in the third grade. I received a special invitation to a Birthday Party. The invitation which was handed out at school, and came in a nice envelope said: "you are invited to a Birthday Party for Chris Osmers on Saturday afternoon from 2 to...
One of the characteristics that accompanies our "Peopleness," and which we struggle with many times, is ACCOUNTABILITY: He says,"why do I have to be in at a certain time?" She says, "It's MY room!" Several years ago the pop recording artist, Billy Joel, recorded a song entitled, "It's My Life!" A song which became very popular. The lyrics had a get off my back and let me do my own thing kind of message. It fantasized about a life without accountability. Sometimes it's tough to be accountable....
Picture yourself among the disciples: “Do you hear something?” A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where everyone is gathered reverberates with the sound. Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames, spreading from one person to the next. All the people present, (a hundred and twenty of them), were filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they had never spoken, as the Spirit empowered them. Jesus said just bef... Full story
Choices! Life is filled with them. Not all of them with as short-lived results as flavors of ice cream. Robert Frost vividly captured the significance of life's choices in this poem. The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Thou... Full story
Main Idea: Abundance should result in praise to God, not pride in self! Getting ready for the "Big Dinner," as the day progresses more and more people get added to the guest list . You make more and more trips back to SuperOne to pick up items for your meal. "Kenny," you say, what are you doing here? Aren't your parents having Thanksgiving dinner at your house?" "Oh sure, Kenny replies, "I already ate over there, I have a lot to be thankful for!" Well, Kenny's theology may be a little weak, but...
One of the many neat things about grandmas is that they have great expressions and sayings to help everyone else sort out life. My grandma had a saying she would use every time I would understand something new. She would say: “Ah, And the blind man picked up his hammer and saw.” I loved her play on words. It made you want to invent new stuff you learned just to hear her say it. To be able to see, or understand something clearly however, is a wonderful thing. We may sigh and say, “Ignorance is bl...
There comes a point in some cases where you say, "I've had enough." You get to a line and have to decide whether you will cross it or not. You know that you can't just stand there. If you stand there you will soon lose all your strength, fall down and forget where you are. There was a day in the Old Testament when a father stood up in public and took a stand for God on behalf of himself and his family. It's a wonderful story about a father who provided security for his family. He was a positive...
The Psalms are probably the best loved part of the whole Christian Bible. Even more so, I would suspect than the Gospels. We need to remind ourselves however, that originally they were not a Christian collection of writings, but a Jewish collection of writings about the Jews' life with God. The Psalms however, speak so marvelously to the human condition that people from all backgrounds have found comfort, strength, and hope in them. The Psalms express every human emotion therefore giving verbal...
One of the risks of repeated celebration of any particular "Important Event" is the tendency to forget, to cease to care, or even to understand what inspired the celebration in the first place. Time dries our tears and we're left with blank expressions on our faces, or worse, bored expressions. Celebrations like the 4th of July, Memorial Day, even Ground Hog Day! Now I am not intending on playing sport concerning those "furry little guys". The purpose of today's message is to underscore two...
"He Left Judea." The setting for our story is a four day journey by Jesus and his disciples from Judea to Galilee. Judea was in the southern most part of Palestine, and Galilee was in the northern most part. In the middle was a province long known as Samaria. "Now he had to go through Samaria." John 4 gives us a birds-eye view of what happened. Have you ever gone out of your way for someone? Jesus did, and he stepped into her world. Jesus came into a town called Sychar. Jacob's well was there....
On the last evening Jesus spent with his disciples they shared a meal together. A meal out of which has come our celebration of the Lord's Supper. After the meal, according to John, Jesus took a basin of water, and a towel, and proceeded to wash the disciples' feet. Can you imagine that? The Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, down on his knees, washing between your toes, looking up into your eyes, smiling, and carefully drying your feet with his towel! Peter couldn't handle it. He said, "N...
Recently in our adult Sunday School class we were looking at the importance of questions in life, and that if we "love the questions' of life, embracing them, and entertaining them as honored guests, we may be able to live ourselves into the answers. Our text this morning begins with a question. It is an important question, and the one who asked it asked the right person. Mark 10:17 "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked,...
Roseau- Manijeh (Mani) Nicole Starren was born May 23, 1989, weighing 9 lb. 11 oz., to Marvin and Ricki Starren in Roseau. Mani was found an angel on June 28, 2023. Mani went to grade school and high school in Roseau. She participated in Girl Scouts, was on the swim team, and was in track. Mani went to Badger for her junior and senior years of high school and graduated in 2008. Following high school, she took some general classes at Northland College in Thief River Falls. Two years ago Mani deci...
A week ago our vintage 21 year old 1968 Volvo turned 296,000 miles. It's been a great ride. Not trouble free but reliable. Last winter I joined the Volvo Club of America so I could be in touch with other Volvo enthusiasts. One of the benefits of club membership is a regular newsletter with all kinds of neat things in it. Among other things the letter contained hints and helps on solving Volvo problems and also space for letters from people seeking advice in particular Volvo problems. Responses s...
Think back with me for a few moments to the "skinned knees" of your childhood. What did you do? As a little kid, when, all-of-a-sudden, life HURT? Maybe it was a skinned knee, a bad dream, an upset "tummy," the loss of a pet, or even the death of an important person in your life. What did you do? First see if you can recall the pain, and then recall what you did. Well, when hurt happened to me as a little person, I would run crying to mom or dad. I needed, in quick succession a lap, arms, and... Full story
The story is told of a man who had been around from church to church, trying to find a congregation with whom he felt he could fit in. Finally he stopped at a little church. Just as the congregation, along with the minister, were reading the following words, "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done." The man dropped into a pew with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he observed. "I've finally found my kind of...
I saw a young lady on television one time who operates a traveling Elvis Presley museum in a mobile home. For the price of admission you can view all manner of Elvis "Stuff" including a clip off of one of his toenails. Also, for the price of $20 she will say a prayer for you on an Elvis Presley rug!). I was thinking about this the other day and began to wonder what a vender might sell at the Gates of Heaven shortly after the sound of the "last Trumpet" (1 Thessalonians 4:16) I think I came up... Full story
When I was in Jr. High there was a game being played by the boys that you could only play once with the same person. Once somebody had played the game with you, however, you could hardly wait to find someone else to try it out on. Here's how I got initiated. One of my friends came up to me in the hall one day and asked: "How would you like a Hertz Donut?" Well now I was familiar with Hertz Rent-A-Car, but I hadn't heard that they were in the bakery business too. "Come On," he pleaded, "wouldn't...
"Faith," said a little girl, in response to a question posed by her Sunday school teacher, "is believing something you know isn't true." Now we smile at her answer, concluding once again that "kids are great," and hoping that her Sunday School teacher was able to set her thinking straight on the subject. Let's not leave the little girl behind too quickly, however, for her answer may be more insightful than we first imagine. First of all, faith is believing something. Secondly, is it possible to...