Opinion

I used to have such issues big time and I made some really bad decisions in order not to be left alone and I was with the wrong people. It sucked the life out of me and I just wanted to die. God got me out of that mess and I learned being alone with him was better. Now I do have some people in my life; but I know it’s not them that makes my life full and complete, it is him...

As I look through the many repetitive tropes found on social media, I frequently see populist opinions about term limits. There’s no question that folks overwhelmingly favor them, but I feel obligated to take the contrarian view of that matter. Having been exposed to some of the mechanisms of government, and having grown up in the household of civil servants, I am informed by a couple of long-held observations. ...

“One Nation Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All.” The Pledge of Allegiance of the Unites States of America. I have been thinking and saying, “There is much more that unites us than the differences that divide us.” But like many other quotes, it sounds good, but do we really understand it or live by it?...

I’m not a huge fan of comedian Steven Wright, but I do appreciate his humor. Several years ago my wife, Linda, and I had the pleasure of attending a Steven Wright show, who is most famous for his one-liners. The line which most resonated with me was: “I want to live forever – so far, so good.”...

Her name is Aretta and she was the top graduating senior in her homeschool class. The graduation address was given by her superintendent, her primary instructor, her farmer-stockman father. Graduating with honors her 19 hours of college credit accomplished to date were recognized. Well yes her mother, a registered CPA, also most likely also played a part while running a full-time accounting business from their home...

Christ in you..do you know what that means? Your body is His home on earth. Holy Spirit dwells inside every Born Again Believer. He is a Guest in your Home. Not your House. Inside you! What kind of dwelling does He have sharing your body with you as His home on earth?...

On-the-job training When I was five years old my parents offered me a job. They proposed that they would pay me one cent for every ten nails I could pick up on the entire farmstead. Since I didn’t belong to a union it didn’t occur to me that I had the right to demand minimum wage and all the ice cream I could eat so I accepted their offer...

I don’t like writing about racism. It makes my gut ache, but sometimes one must speak out. I had the honor of working with Newt Gingrich on a video back in the late eighties, and have been a disciple ever since. I was just a snot-nosed college kid working on a state senate campaign at the time and was told to show up at a given place on a given date. I honestly didn’t know what I was there for, but it really influenced the trajectory of my life...

This Saturday, the McCook swim team will host teams from four area towns during a swim meet at the YMCA, which means hundreds of visitors to our community for the day. Over the weekend, several hundred additional visitors will descend upon McCook for the 24 ½ annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival...

Let us go fishing There are good people here in southwestern Nebraska! Just this past Saturday Grannie Annie and I gathered up two of our grandchildren and the three great-grandsons and took them to a “Hooked for Life” event at Harry Strunk Lake near Cambridge. ...

When I consume news, I like to look for common themes, discover trends, and draw analogies. This week was a jackpot. The common thread running through the recent chatter is the unraveling of what were previously believed to be crackpot conspiracy theories. It amuses me to see that a few are proving to be more true than many believed. It makes for some interesting turns of events...

Almost 10 years ago I purchased a lovely Purple Bible my friend picked out & we had her name engraved on the front. She loved that Bible & I watched as she carefully, lovingly, put the book tabs on the pages. She poured over the scriptures day & night, opened her home to a Ladies' Bible Study, invited her friends & told me she was going to be the hostess. ...

“Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark.” ~R. Tagore Sinkholes. What could be more frightening? On Memorial Day, Americans awoke early, to make treks to cemeteries across the nation. To decorate graves, unfurl flags, kneel in prayer, and listen reverently to the reading of lists of the names of fallen soldiers (from the civil war to the current Middle East conflicts). ...

Earlier this week, I was quickly flipping through my family’s mail. I came to a halt upon a letter from our health insurance company. The first line of the letter said, “We understand that you have a child turning 18 in the next month - a major milestone for both of you.”...

For twenty-plus years, and counting, your old columnist has sat on the Board of Directors of the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska. That is a mouthful so most just call it Mid for short. Throughout those years Mid has been doing good things for the citizens of McCook though few people know about it. ...

The holiday, “Labor Day,” is easy to have fun with. Although I have ancestors who decidedly benefited from the collective labor movement, I have more recently known it to be a drag on our economy. Not so with Memorial Day. Yes, On one holiday, you put your white shoes in, then on the next, you pull your white shoes out. It’s the three-day weekend hokey pokey but I take Memorial Day more seriously...

Dear Editor, “The common characteristic of all perversions, on the other hand, is that they have abandoned reproduction as their aim. We term sexual activity perverse when it has renounced the aim of reproduction and follows the pursuit of pleasure as an independent goal. ...

Across Nebraska, the COVID-19 vaccine is now available to all adults. It’s a hopeful time, as we’re beginning to see a light at the end of the pandemic. The ultimate goal, of course, is to achieve “herd immunity” – the point when a large part of the population is immune to the virus...

As most of you are reading this we will be on our last day of the One Hundred Seventh Legislature, First Session. We pushed ourselves hard at the end to pass as many priority bills as possible. As most of you know the Legislature works in a two-year cycle and we’re in the first session, so that means that all of the bills that were introduced this year that were not either signed into law or IPP (killed) will be back next year. ...

Dear Editor, Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching once again. The McCook American Legion and a number of community volunteers will be setting out flags on our veterans’ gravesites at Calvary, Memorial Park, and Riverview cemeteries in McCook on Saturday, May 29th at 9:00 am...

Our children are our future. Yes, it is an old cliche but it is also true. If we want to make our communities better in the future, we need to make investments. More specifically, we need to make investments in our children. There are a variety of ways to make investments in our children. ...

What a difference a few hundred miles down the road makes. Grannie Annie and I drove to Omaha to attend a young relative’s graduation party. Proud to say that she graduated cum laude. Earned great scholarships also for the next step in her life. Good celebratory party too with a lot of seldom-seen relatives present...

Dear Editor, Last Friday, the Nebraska State Board of Education met at the Kearney Younes Conference Center for its monthly business meeting. The early part of the meeting was highlighted by testimony from approximately 67 people who presented on the Nebraska Health Education Standards...