Western Plains District

We are a New Testament people. That means that Jesus is the center.

For about two years now, a person has been coming to our church who will remain unnamed. However, this person is an alcoholic, and knows it.  Very often, this person will remark that other people seem able to stop their drinking, but he cannot seem to do so.  Yet, when questioned, this person will always … read on →

I WAS JUST THINKING . . . Just recently, I wrote an article extolling the loveliness of nature.  I remarked on how we go through our lives, at least some of us and some of the time, without taking time to let the sense of the presence of God come as we make connection with … read on →

I WAS JUST THINKING . . . The statistics are in.  There are now more people living in cities than people living in rural areas, parks, by rivers and lakes, and generally in remote, natural settings.  And when we people do try to go to secluded areas for rest and relaxation, we may well find … read on →

From 3:00 p.m. on I was, as my mother loved to say, “busier than a one-armed paper hanger with the itch.” Of course, this little saying may not make much sense now because so few people paper the rooms of their home anymore! I set the table with my woven placemats, my most fun and … read on →

January is here. Another year past. And the memories crowd back. All the things done. All the things undone. All the times I wish I had done something. All the times I wish I had not done something. And among the things I was thinking was a program I recently heard on “gratitude.”

The stirring strains of Modest Mussorgsky’s great “Pictures from an Exhibition” caused me to sit bolt upright!

Witness the grandeur of the mountains! They soar and sing their song of magnificence! Stand under a waterfall! It splashes the wonder of God onto your waiting skin! Listen to the quiet or the crashing tones of a symphony orchestra! Somehow, some way, the music takes one to places of new joy, new insight, new … read on →

Wendell Berry is a Kentucky farmer. He has been on the same land for 40 years, give or take a few, and he has strong opinions about how farming should be done.

I was just thinking about shaving cream bottles, toothpaste tubes, and Cheez Whiz containers!