Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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With Father’s Day this Sunday, I thought I would share a letter my husband sent to our sons several years ago, and one son’s response. Dear Son, It seems only yesterday I cuddled you in my arms. What tiny bundles of love … when I held you for the first time, I knew it was love at first sight. The tiny chubby hands and feet, the angelic radiance in your little round faces, the unconditional love a baby brings … all of this dear boys, could only reflect love from our heavenly father. Throughout your childhood, teens and adu...
June 14 is “Flag Day.” This is a time to honor “Old Glory” and to show our patriotism for America. I love our flag and the freedom it stands for. On June 14, 1777, Congress officially passed an act declaring that our flag have 13 stripes, alternating with red and white. The 13 stars stood for 13 colonies on a field of blue. Fifty stars represent our states with two added in 1959, Hawaii and Alaska. The red on our flag represents the blood that was shed creating the new nation. I like to think it continues to represe... Full story
In the first chapter of Genesis we read about the beginning, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” In Exodus 34:28, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. These commandments have been the basis of civilizations. Nebuchadnezzar did not believe in God until he saw the fourth man in the fiery furnace. Many today do not believe until they face a life or death experience. God has put the stars in place and they move with exact precision. If our planet Earth were just 10 percent smaller, there would be no lif... Full story
Go to any bookstore and you will find dozens of “how to” books on being happy. Enticements are everywhere. TV commercials are filled with “things” guaranteed to satisfy. You only need their products to make your life perfect. For some, happiness is attained only when “this or that happens.” Yet, the bottom line says after the possession of fortune or fame is achieved, reality comes into play and says, “Is this all there is?” The Bible contains the path to lasting happiness. Life is difficult without kindness, unselfishness a...
It’s been said that someone asked Winston Churchill to name the teacher who had the greatest influence upon his life. He simply answered, “My mother.” Mothers see infinite possibilities in their children. Their children accomplish amazing feats because of mothers’ encouragement. Mothers set the tone of the home by loving, protecting, defending and sacrificing. It is all in the name of love and that love defies understanding. Mothers are the first teachers their children have. Godly mothers instill biblical principles into th... Full story
Every day we hear bad news about bad people who do bad things. Amidst all of this we seem to forget the real heroes, those good people who do good things. You will find them in everyday situations. They stand for honesty and integrity. Faith and courage enable them to do the right thing. Life isn’t always fair but today’s heroes have strength of character and they do the right thing anyway. You will find these people helping others. You will see them at the voting polls. You will see them volunteering for community ser...
One of our greatest resources is our older population. Despite years of experience to contribute to society, I think we sometimes take them for granted. I salute the many agencies that contribute opportunities for senior citizens. However, there may be many who have felt isolated. As people get older there is a tendency to withdraw from society. Shut-ins can no longer socialize and are dependent on others for fellowship. Daily contact with people is so important and stimulation is vital as are proper nutrition and exercise....
Remember that wonderful feeling of “senioritis” around graduation time? It seemed that long awaited day would never arrive. We could hardly wait to pursue the next stage of life. My husband, being the high school principal, presented the diplomas and blessed the seniors as they walked across the stage. Each time I looked across the sea of graduates I silently prayed for the hopes and dreams before them. When those caps went up into the air I prayed, “Lord, keep your hand upon these young adults. Shield and bless their lives... Full story
Life has a way of dealing some pretty hard blows. In the midst of a crisis, it is hard to make decisions, even to be rational. Many times, troubles pile upon troubles, blinding our thinking process. Yet “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Somewhere, sometime, someone has gone through the same situation. We can either face the adversity with faith and courage or buckle under it. The other alternative is to become bitter with self-pity and spend the rest of life in miserable existence. So how do con...
Ring the bells. He is risen. Shout it from the rooftops. We celebrate the glorious news of the ages. Jesus has conquered death and his love is stronger than death. The Resurrection comes with gratitude and hope for the soul. In Israel, olive oil is precious and is used extensively. To obtain oil from the olive requires intense pressure. The olive is put into a press and squeezed until the oil is released. In a sense, Jesus endured that same pressure. No other incident in human history can fill the believer with so much hope...
Last week, I had surgery on my ankle in Lubbock. An antibiotic was prescribed as a precautionary measure to avoid infection. Within 30 minutes of taking the first pill, I began to sneeze. I must have sneezed 20 times. I noticed my hands had turned red and my face had too. My fingers began to tingle and it spread to my toes. My ears pounded and I thought they would burst. I felt helpless and I realized something was terribly wrong. The deluge of rain pouring down made visibility zero as my husband drove frantically to the...
Do you like to be around enthusiastic people? I do! My career of teaching little children brought me 23 little cherubs filled with enthusiasm every day for 31 years. They greeted me with hugs saying, “What are we going to learn today?” The children passed their zest for living on to me. From a new puppy to a cat’s-eye marble, they came wrapped in excitement, enthusiasm and unconditional love. Excited about life, their world continually filled up with simple everyday events. Just an added five minutes to story time broug...
She had moved back to our school in the spring after an absence of several months. “I’m so glad to be back in your class again,” she said, throwing her arms around me. I soon discovered she had missed many important concepts, especially in math. I took time during recesses to help her through the regrouping process. I felt amazed when she asked if she could have some practice papers to take home. She brought them back the next day all perfectly done. When I expressed surprise that she had mastered such difficult conce... Full story
Kallie had planned to stay all week. For three days, my 7-year-old vivacious granddaughter and I played every game imaginable. We ended up “playing school” every day. Kallie, “always the teacher,” dictated many assignments. I could never make above a “C” on my papers. I complained and asked Kallie why. She responded, “Because you didn’t use your imagination.” At bedtime, we read a story about doing the right thing in the face of opposition and persecution. Kallie exclaimed many times during the story, “Mawmaw, that tak...
I pulled myself up from the operating table to see what was happening. Then everything went black. “She’s fainted,” a nurse said. “Pull the curtain between them so she can’t see.” As a small child I couldn’t comprehend what was happening to me. Many severe nosebleeds had left me anemic. Rheumatic fever threatened. Months later a tonsillectomy was performed and this blood transfusion became critical before the operation. The technology then wasn’t like we have today, but I thank God doctors and nurses did the best they could... Full story
I wonder how many of us dance our way through life but never hear the music? Life has “a music” about it and if not heard, it isn’t appreciated. God gives his children guidance and they “hear the music.” Peace and encouragement comes with it. Your life is strengthened as you open this gift of today. You find new concepts and ideas. Bask in the joy God freely gives. Paint this day as carefully as an artist designs a painting. With strokes of beauty, you will find an enthusiasm for life. Be a representative of God on this eart...
I have something to say about my country. If America is so bad, why is it everyone wants to come here? Why do countries with dictatorship loathe America? Why do enemies, domestic and foreign, want to destroy this land? I think I have the answer. Our founding fathers had the wisdom to govern our Constitution on biblical principles that have endured for more than 200 years. There is no other place like the United States of America. Why? Freedom. Living in America is a privilege. Visit a foreign country and you will come home wi... Full story
Remember when you received all of those wonderful valentines in grade school? You carefully read each one noting with great eagerness the sender’s signature. What about those little heart candies with all kinds of love notes? I took them seriously. I thought every boy in the room was in love with me. Who forgets that adolescent first love? The excitement, the tingling feeling, and the burst of fireworks made it seem like July 4th every day. Memories still linger in our heart of hearts. Just being in your sweetheart’s presence...
Every day God sends beautiful gifts just waiting for us to open. They are wonderful little surprises and unless we are tuned in, these blessings will go unnoticed. I’ve discovered 10 ways to receive blessings but there are many more. 1. Have childlike faith. Children do not sweat life and they certainly don’t sweat the big stuff. Children abandon themselves to life. We can too. When our youngest son rode down the hall on a gurney to have a tonsillectomy, he waved his hand and said, “Bye Daddy. Bye Mommy. I’ll see you in a mi... Full story
Have you ever returned to your childhood home and found it to be almost unrecognizable? Yet, in your mind you remember it so vividly. My grandmother lived by the highway. Every time we pass by her old house, I can almost smell freshly baked gingerbread accompanied by a glass of cold, fresh milk. I can almost see her watering her flowers and hear her singing about the wondrous love of Jesus. The chicken house behind the crumbling garage reminds me of catching a plump “pullet” for Sunday lunches for the preacher. The tree whe...
Today is all we have. We cannot go back and relive yesterday. Neither can we live tomorrow today. Psychologists agree that one of the main hindrances to victorious living is looking back. Past hurts, guilt and remorse lead to despair. Dwelling on the past impedes moving forward, stifles success and promotes illness. We lose sight of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust the LORD with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success” (NCV). Each day is an oppor...
By the title of her newest book, “Life is Delicious,” one wouldn’t know it, but area columnist and inspirational writer Joan Clayton has had her share of ‘dark days.’ “Raising three lively boys, I did go through some hard times. I wanted things to be perfect because I wasn’t perfect,” Clayton confessed. “There was a time when I was in my 20s that I went through a deep depression and then growing up, I always felt inferior. I wasn’t happy. I didn’t know how to be,” Clayton said. The author says that around the time she tur... Full story
I believe animals are gifts from God and where would we be without them? I am always amazed when I read Genesis 2:19. God formed all the animals and brought them to Adam for a name and whatever he named them that was the name. Living near the edge of town has brought many exciting animal adventures through the years. I can’t count the episodes with dogs and one special cat, but that goes along with boys, but I never in my wildest dreams thought we would come across other animals. When we first moved in our new house we h...
Friends bring sunshine and sparkle into our lives. Friends stick by us through “thick and thin.” It has been said that friends are like postage stamps. They “see us through, even if they have to take a licking.” Let’s make one of our New Year’s resolutions to be that of making a new friend. ”A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Friends, whether young or old and all the way in between are such great blessings. Make friends with ne...
When you were just a plan in the mind of God, what if he were to ask you some questions about your journey on earth? With incredible technology having been accomplished already and the God given intelligence to master such feats, it is not inconceivable that God could show you your entire lifetime, from birth until death on his giant computer? You would see all the pain, sadness and injustices of your life. You would also see the joys, the love, the victories and the successes. What if God said you had a choice to be born?...
