Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Many people reject the thought of a soul spending eternity in hell. Many churches consider the thought old-fashioned and too offensive. Many say God is too loving to banish people to such an awful place for eternity. God's love does not negate His justice, His righteousness or His holiness. God's love has provided a way of escape. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting...
It has been a few years since the city of Shafter has been the site of the Colours Festival, which had been an annual event for a few years before that. The event, which started out very small, had grown to draw attendees and artists throughout the county and beyond, drawing nationally renowned artists to some of the events. Well, I just loved attending the events at the festival, from the art gallery, the coffee house music, the Shafter Symphony – all of the events were g...
Churches have a lot of things in common. But they are not all the same. There are differences as well as similarities, as anyone who has visited other churches while on vacation can verify. And if there are differences between one congregation and another, or one denomination and another, that’s even more obvious between one religion and another. If you’ve ever thought about it, it’s kind of a strange thing. We’re all human beings, after all, and we share a lot of the same int...
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to give you some Super Bowl history. Did you know the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans have never played in the Super Bowl? Did you realize that it has been 19 seasons since the Raiders last played in a Super Bowl? How about 26 years for the Dallas Cowboys and 27 years for the L.A. Chargers? Every single year in the month of August every NFL team begins the...
My husband and I are new to the town of Shafter. We moved here in November of 2021. I enjoy taking walks with our dog, Bella, through our neighborhood and have met several wonderful neighbors on our walks. This particular day I was walking with Bella and halfway through my walk a young German shepherd came up to us and got right in front of Bella, causing her to stop. This went on continually. and I was getting frustrated. We were at a busy street when I decided to stop at...
It has been a few years since the city of Shafter has been the site of the Colours Festival, which had been an annual event for a few years before that. The event, which started out very small, had grown to draw attendees and artists throughout the county and beyond, drawing nationally renowned artists to some of the events. Well, I just loved attending the events at the festival, from the art gallery, the coffee house music, the Shafter Symphony – all of the events were g...
If you've ever watched a TV show or movie involving the military, you've probably heard the phrase "carry on" used a few times. The phrase apparently came from the British Navy several hundred of years ago, where it was given as a direction to keep going on the same course and not change. Over the years, it's been adapted in many settings to say essentially the same thing to a group of people. When I think of the beginning of a New Year, I sometimes wonder what the Lord might say to us? Although the phrase "carry on" isn't...
“Without counsel plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) Success or failure largely depends on the company you keep and the counsel you heed (1 Cor 15:33). Our closest friends and counselors influence our character, behavior and the course of our lives, for better or for worse. The wise person is aware of this and is selective toward choosing influential friends (Proverbs 12:26). The foolish person is undiscerning concerning counselors. One should seek out a few high-quality adv...
Time keeps passing. Here we are, nearly into 2023. Moving into a new year can bring renewed optimism and a sense of new beginnings. People with this outlook see opportunities and a chance to start again. Or it might bring a certain heaviness. Another year is ended, so much still hasn’t been done, and our window of opportunity is smaller than it was. The Bible embraces both of those perspectives. In the Old Testament, the Passover festival commemorating Israel’s deliverance from Egypt started a new way of counting years (Ex...
For many, Christmas is all about the gifts, and that's not altogether a bad thing. The truth is that there is a spirit of love, generosity and sharing, the very spirit that triggered the first coming of Jesus Christ. We are about to celebrate the incarnation of Christ, the gift of God's presence among men, the best gift he could give us. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but ha...
Second Corinthians 9:15 says, Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. God is a giver. He is rich in mercy and grace, and he gave the world the most perfect gift in Jesus Christ. James 1:17 says, Every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father. I remember as a child getting a BB gun and a package of toy soldiers, footballs and socks, but the greatest gift I received was when I accepted God’s gift, Jesus Christ, into my heart. Bicycles and BB...
It's a little hard to believe that we're already in the Advent Season again as we move into the weeks leading up to Christmas Day! I've begun an Advent series with our church, "The Promised One," as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The series is based on Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 and is focused on Jesus as the: –Mighty God –Prince of Peace –Light of the World –Immanuel Each of those four titles are significant in identifying and defining who Jesus is. One of the unique challenges of the Advent Season is that we...
Being an SHS graduate of 1981, I have spent the last 41 years watching the Shafter Generals football teams compete on Friday nights, giving us a great time, with a lot of highs, and yes, a lot of lows as well. But, as Principal Shipley says, “Once a General, always a General.” We love our Generals, win or lose. Well, this year, we received an early Christmas present, able to watch this year’s Generals win the first Valley title in 65 years. This year’s team isn’t the most...
There is a key that will open many doors, like opening the way to new friends, a better marriage, helping your children and better work relationships. This is a key that everyone has, but it works better or worse for different people. Communication is the key. Everyone knows that life is ongoing communication. What is overlooked is that good and God-honoring communication is a skill that needs to be developed according to Biblical wisdom. The difference between wise righteous speech and wicked foolish speech are as night and...
This week for Couch’s Corner, I would like to spotlight a very special group of young Shafter/Buttonwillow residents and football players at Shafter High School. Every year before Buttonwillow’s harvest festival and parade, the community led by a local farmer, organizes a clean-up event. This year was no different. A large majority of our local volunteers are the Shafter High School football team (Go Generals!). Community clean-up events are a great way to make a difference in our neighborhoods. This year the community cle...
Christianity teaches a lot of amazing things: that God is triune, that God the Son became man, that our salvation was accomplished by a great exchange of Christ taking our place, to name just a few. One of the most amazing things is that God wholly gives Himself, to the Church, and to each individual believer. As it says in Psalm 63:1, O God, You are my God. Explaining this verse, Henry P. Liddon said: The word represents not a human impression, or desire, or conceit, but an...
As a young pastor in a small tribal village in Guatemala, I was always amazed at both the deep faith and the profound generosity of the Kaqchikel people I served. For what seemed to me even the smallest favor, they responded by filling my pantry with baskets filled with handpicked fruits and vegetables or fresh eggs. One dear brother insisted on gifting me with his prize pig, possibly his most valuable possession. In this month, when we are most likely to focus on being gratef...
On Nov. 8, the United States will have its midterm elections. The midterm elections have been the main issue on talk radio programs and nightly news channels. We have heard the candidate’s arguments on policies, and we have heard their promises to you and I. I know one thing, when this election is over and no matter who wins, I will still be serving Jesus Christ. He will still be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I saw a button pin the other day that said "I vote for J...
This past week we have seen a vast change in the landscape alongside Central Valley Highway between Lerdo and Central Avenue, with the removal of the green belt of trees and grass planted a number of years ago by the city. That area was originally the Santa Fe Railroad yard, where the depot formerly stood, as well as tracks for loading and unloading equipment and produce, railroad maintenance equipment and a railway bunkhouse. The rails uplifted this last week were manufactured in 1911. When the city purchased this property...
Over these past several years I've enjoyed being part of a "Zoom Cohort," comprised of pastors across the country. These groups are organized by our US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, and in the past, I've even had the privilege of leading one of them! One of the cohorts I was recently in spent time reading and discussing a book together by Eugene Peterson, "Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work." It's an interesting study of various Old Testament books and how they relate to pastoral ministry. One of our...
Everyone in the world is on a quest for success. Many successful people in history accomplished great things; none more so than King Solomon (990-931 BC). Proverbs is where Solomon wrote divinely revealed wisdom for skillful living and success. Reading Proverbs regularly and repeatedly will bear the life-changing fruit of being able to live righteously and skillfully in this fallen world to the glory to God. Every person seeking to accomplish anything needs motivation that goals can be attained and hope that success will...
Have you noticed that it’s that season again? The season I am referring to is the silly season we refer to around here as election season. Every two years we go to the polls – except here in California where we mail our ballots – and we decide who we want to represent us and which of the 20 million propositions that end up on the ballot we want passed. The wonderful thing about our country is we have the freedom to choose who we want to represent us at the local, state, and n...
It’s always nice to be able to make and stick to plans. That isn’t always reality, though. If a flight gets canceled, we wind up making new arrangements on the go — sometimes with considerable disappointment. Since it happens to all of us, you would think people would understand. But when the Apostle Paul’s plans changed, some in Corinth took that as an opportunity to criticize him for being a fickle and unreliable person. He had said he would come to them when he passed...
2nd Timothy 1:12 says, For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. This world is a dangerous place. Carjackings, smash and grab, and assaults are an everyday occurrence in this world. Violence in major American cities continues to rise. Where can a person find shelter from this storm of violence and danger? Jesus Christ is the shelter for our souls. In him is the safest place you can be....
When I was in college at Biola University, I remember making a statement to my roommate that went something like this: “I can live out my faith by myself and really don't need others to do that!.” Wow, was I wrong! In my zeal to live out my faith at that time, I was more "conformed to the pattern of this world" that Paul speaks of in Romans 12:2 and needed to be "transformed by the renewing of my mind" by the Holy Spirit. Essentially, I was thinking more like an American citizen than a citizen of heaven. I appreciate the man...
