The Shafter Press - Serving the community since 1922

Time is passing us by so quickly, and there are times in which I wish it can slow down a little. 2020 means 2020 vision to be able to see what really matters this year. At Canyon Hills Wasco, we spent...

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” --Proverbs 24:10 “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” --Napoleon Hill Have you ever come...

Vince Lombardi, the coach of the winning team of the first two Super Bowls, once said, “Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, s...

"I began a motion of the heart toward my origins." When I read this sentence in Wendell Berry's novel, Jayber Crow, I recognized the feeling. It was 2003. I was a third-generation Shafter native,...

And at the end of 10 days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus, the steward took away their portion of...

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman statesman who lived from 5 BC-65 AD, made a statement that should be written and remembered in 2020. He said, "We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our...

Well, 2019 is in the rear view mirror, and the next decade is underway. This past year has been such a busy one for me. It has been full of some great times, like having a job that I just love,...

Years ago (more years than I care to remember) I started an Insurance agency with my main company being one that was less than 15 years old at the time. It was a company rather unique in its...

Veterans Day was this week. It was recognized with a parade in Bakersfield and a large crowd came out to honor the men and women who have served or currently serve in our branches of the military. It...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” -- The Golden Rule “For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be...

I recently wrote a piece about new legislation that makes it illegal for schools to suspend students for “willful defiance.” This phrase includes noncooperation, such as cussing out a teacher,...

No, I am not going to preach you a sermon this morning; this verse is just apropos to what I have been thinking about and dealing with -- thought maybe some of you have, also. Have you ever just...

James, the half-brother of Jesus, shared a bold statement that causes one to question whether he was in His right mind: "Count it all joy, brothers, when we face various trials” (James 1:2-3). Has...

Do you find it difficult to find peace in a chaotic world? At the rhythm that our world is spinning it is difficult to pump the brakes and simply breathe. I know that I have been there various times...