Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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We have lived in the same house for 43 years. Every rock and every tree in the yard has a story. If I sit in my swing long enough and listen hard enough, I can hear basketballs dribbling and skateboards skating. “Look Dad, I can do this with one hand!” I reminisce as I walk around the yard. “Look Mom! Remember when we got stuck in the sand hunting a turtle rock? Dad went for help and while he was gone Mark and Lane filled the back of the truck with rocks and just as Dad drove up with help, you drove the pickup out of the s...
What is it about this time of the year that makes it so different from any other? Why are our spirits lifted to the strains of “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World?” Why do friend’s and family’s thoughts turn toward home? Could it just be the Christ Child brings light and hope to a darkened world? Could it be “Christmas” softens even the hardest heart? And why is that? Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:24). Christmas happens in the huma...
Here we go again! Will it ever stop? Excuse me, but I’m getting weary of those who want to take Christmas away from me. A news commentator has called it the “War on Christmas.” So we don’t know the exact date our Savior was born. I’m thankful we have one day to celebrate his birth. It is the greatest event in the history of mankind. No other single event has affected the world as much as this man called Jesus! Centuries foretold about the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament and the prophecies concerning Jesus fulfilled...
The following column about Lane, our youngest son and his young daughter, Kallie gets to the heart of Christmas. I use it here with the permission of both as the story was told to me. Needless to say, I am one proud “Mawmaw!” It was Lane’s turn at church to serve communion to the elderly people who can’t make it to the church services. His youngest daughter, Kallie, went with him, clinging to her soccer beanie baby. She loved that doll more than anything! They went to serve the first person on the list at a local nursing...
Have you ever noticed how many times the words “joy, joyful, rejoice, rejoiced, rejoicing” appears in the Bible? It’s because the gospel is indeed “Good News.” I believe the greatest gift to mankind is truly “ Joy To The World.” Joy is a fruit of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Happiness depends on circumstances but joy rises up in the believer, even in adversity. (James 1:2-3) It’s easy to rejoice when all is well. The real test comes in rejoicing in the hard places. Reading Nehemiah 8:10 gives me lots of joy. “… Don’t be sad...
“Thanksgiving” is just that … a day of giving thanks. It’s a special day to give heartfelt thanks to a God who provides every blessing. So I’m thankful for life! Aren’t you glad you’re alive? Can you hardly contain the joy of knowing your birth was planned by God and that he has a special plan for your life? Isn’t it just too wonderful knowing he will never leave or forsake his children? The promise of spending eternity with him makes everyday living an exciting adventure. Listen to this statement, “And you will joyfully giv...
Tuesday, November 7 is Election Day. Our freedoms have been bought with “blood, sweat and tears” from many who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. It has been said, “bad officials are elected by good people who don’t vote.” Edmund Burke, a British statesman has stated, “For evil to triumph, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.” Your vote is important. Because of those brave men and women, the red, white and blue still waves over the land of the free. The sacrifice of others has enabled us to lift high...
October is Clergy Appreciation month. It’s a time to honor those who dedicate themselves to our spiritual needs. My life has been blessed with those who minister so sacrificially to hurting souls. A minister who gives his life to a church and shares their lives as well gives a great gift to a community. Pastors have been called to build a church amidst a great deal of apathy. I admire the courage of pastors who speak the truth in spite of moral decay. Praise God for ministers who do not compromise or rationalize the truth. W...
The “empty nest” brings a myriad of emotions, including memories, tears and separation anxiety. When my empty nest occurred I happened to read an article about “letting go” of children. It emphasized the fact that now they are your best friends. I thought, what are they talking about? I’m their mother! I suppose I thought it would last forever … the growing up years. Rock hunting, picnics, Little League, band, basketball, all the fun things you do with your children and where did the time go in those wonderful years? It s...
Does life ever seem to be one battle after another? Do you manage to survive one hurdle only to be confronted by another one? Welcome to the club. The world has many problems we cannot deny. It seems we hear bad news every day. So many good things are hardly noticed. We forget to count our many blessings. Chief among these is our faith! Without our faith we have no hope. This concept applies to every walk of life. We are confronted and challenged on every hand. More than ever we need to guard our faith and stay in the race....
It has been said, “The happiest heart is one that beats for others.” I agree. Preoccupied with oneself brings selfish misery. I’ve also heard that when a baby is born his or her little fists are clinched and they are crying. But when one dies their hands are open and others are crying. The importance of leaving good memories cannot be overstated. When my children left the nest I had a hard time. A friend said to me, “In order to keep them you have to let them go.” Through the years I have come to know a wonderful truth… “y...
Remember those wonderful days of childhood? We all had our favorite hiding places. Mine was in the fork of my grandmother’s peach tree. It was just right for me to lie down, prop up my feet, eat peaches and find all kinds of shapes in those fleecy white clouds. My favorite game of “Hide and Seek” lasted all afternoon with my cousins in those lazy days of summer. Many years later my husband, sons and I discovered the family cat had a special hiding place. Before we left for school each day the daily ritual became a searc...
Sunday is Grandparents Day and I am again reminded of special memories. My Grandmother’s singing left a life-long impression on me. Granny’s singing filled every facet of her life. She sang while cooking, gardening, churning butter, quilting, rocking her grandchildren and much more. She sang praises to her God every day. Granny’s songs are permanently stamped upon my mind. I seldom have to look at a hymnal. I know most of them by heart for I learned them on my Granny’s knees. Granny’s daybreak singing awakened me each morn...
Autumn is approaching us. I love the crispy air of fall with chilly nights, football games, pumpkins and homemade chili. It’s the time to leave my outdoor swing and exchange it for the crackling fire in the fireplace. Fall is the time when God takes his master paintbrush and tips the foliage with gorgeous hues of red, orange and golden streaks of beauty. The harvest moon peaking over the horizon seems to welcome the season. Living in the jungle or North Pole would not appeal to me. I enjoy each change of season. Whatever seas...
This time of year is “bittersweet” for me. I see “Back to School” reminders everywhere. I feel a “tinge” of fall in the air and I remember those first days of school. New lunch boxes and crayons held in little hands walked into my classroom with eager expectations. Being a new teacher, I had no idea what high heel shoes did to your feet. At the end of the first week I found out. The first time I wore flat shoes to school, a disappointed little student remarked, “Teacher, how come you don’t look pretty today?” I had a lot of s...
Joan Clayton: PNT religion columist It’s been said, “If you can’t get along with people, move to an isolated island.” What an empty, miserable, selfish life that would be. I’m so glad God made you and me. You and I are unique, a custom-made person by a great God. Think of it … we came from a tiny little cell. In that cell we are all different, the color of our eyes, our talents, our stature and a myriad of characteristics. The fact that we are all different is a plus. Would it not be ever so boring if we weren’t? Si...
Today is a special day. You are alive! This day comes with blue skies, revealing fluffy clouds that play hide and seek. This gift comes wrapped in sunshine and is displayed in sparkling colors. You are presented multiple bouquets of flowers while the trees clap their hands, demanding an encore. Music accompanies the production. Various notes from our feathered friends provide numerous sounds, thrilling and warming the heart. The heavenly concert begins. All that is required is your presence, be it in a swing, a front porch...
Oil painting has changed the way I see the world. I find myself studying clouds and landscapes. I like to see the tumbled down houses and barns as we travel along the highway. I wonder what stories they could tell of days gone by. How did their occupants live their lives? Did they leave their home with regrets or did they just walk off and leave it? Did they make every day count? Were words left unsaid? Were opportunities missed? I wonder how they were remembered. Every day you and I are leaving memories and those we leave...
My husband bought me a present … a weed eater. In fact he bought me three. He finally found one that I can start all by myself. Now I can “weed eat” any time I want to do so. He’s glad because he doesn’t have to crank up the weed eater when I see a weed. Weeds bother me. I like to “weed” them out. I’ve learned something else from weed eating. When I cut them out, they are gone! I am resolved to do the same thing with negative thinking and speaking. I really cut deep wiping those weeds out in my yard. I will do the same wit...
Family gatherings are memory-makers. Before you know it the time quickly comes to say goodbye, so I hang on to every moment. Our backyard became the perfect place for sons, daughters-in-love and grandchildren to play badminton, horseshoes and volleyball. We dined on barbecue, hot dogs, hoagies, watermelon and homemade ice cream. Most of all we kissed, loved and held our newest family member, Cayden Emmitt Clayton. He is only five months old, but we all agreed that he had to be the smartest and prettiest baby ever and believe...
America has come through many conflicts to preserve her freedom. Many have given their lives to keep this nation free. Let us not take this for granted. Is that not why we celebrate July 4th? We want freedom and independence. No other place can replace the United States of America. From “Sea to shining sea,” and every thing in between is sacred, beloved land. In this land are many opportunities. You can pursue the American dream. Yes, you have to work hard to attain that goal but determination and perseverance yields gre...
Many references to the word “ground” are recorded in the Bible. I find it fascinating that the Lord formed man of the “dust of the ground.” (Genesis 2:7). He breathed the breath of life into Adam and he became a living soul. It’s humbling to know that when our earthly journey is over God removes our life-giving breath and we return to dust. Out of the ground the Lord made “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” (Genesis 2:9) God formed “every beast of the field and every fowl of the air out of the grou...
My granddaughters, Traci 7, and Kallie 4, looked out the window and ran through the house shouting: “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!” When Daddy came through the door, he had to brace himself for two happy little girls running to their daddy’s arms. He picked them up as they almost smothered him with hugs and kisses. His wife scrambled to get in a hug and kiss too. The scene warmed my heart. A tired, weary daddy home from a hard day’s work, revived before my very eyes. Daddy’s home … home where love abides … home where comfor...
I believe one of the most important things we can do in life is to pray for others. … “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16 NIV). I learned this in many years of working with children. The results were astounding. Before I closed my eyes each night I prayed for the children and each day I noticed improvement in many areas. Praying for others changes things. The New Century Version states in James 5:16: … ”When a believing person prays, great things happen.” I read somewhere this statement:...
In many crimes, the perpetrators are portrayed as victims. We become incensed and hurt by the senseless taking of human lives. They had an unhappy childhood. They were deprived. They lost their job. They were passed over for a promotion. The marriage fell apart. The list is endless. Yet, it is everyone else’s fault. Somebody, somewhere did them wrong. It is society’s fault that some deranged person never learned responsibility or accountability for his or her own actions. So the world’s answer to this dilemma is more gun c...
