The Blessing of Work The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.   Genesis 2:15 Work may be a four-letter word, but that does not mean that it is bad.  In Genesis chapter 2, God’s creation of man and...

Resting in God’s Gifts Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:29 The summer months find pastors, teachers and other church workers scattering to the four winds as they escape the demands of their...

The Burden of Being Unneeded I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak,...

The Burden of Being Needed Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?  Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you...

William D. Dougherty March 8, 1935 – June 1, 2023 William "Bill" Dougherty, 88, entered his heavenly home Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Perryville, Missouri. Bill was born March 8, 1935, in San Antonio, Texas to Raymond and Mabel (Mueller) Dougherty. Raised in San Antonio, he attended Concordia Austin, Texas...

God’s Gift of Parents Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."   Ephesians 6:1-3 Parents are gifts and blessings...

May You See Your Children’s Children Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!  You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your...

The Two Become One Flesh: God’s Gift of Marriage So God created man in his own image,     in the image of God he created him;     male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:27 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and...

Jim Ebers August 14, 1953 – March 30, 2023 Jimmy Lee “Jim” Ebers, 69, of Concordia, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri. Born August 14, 1953, in Chester, Illinois, he was the son of Harold Ebers and Virginia Mayer Ebers. He...

Donald T. Petering March 21, 1938 – April 11, 2023 Donald T. Petering of Kirkwood, Missouri, past away on April 11, 2023. Don was born March 21, 1938, to Donald Carl Petering and Erna (Traugott) Petering in Muskogee Oklahoma. Early in life, Don demonstrated a gift for music. During his...