Martin Luther King Jr. had a message more than six decades ago that is especially relevant to us today.
Before we travel any further into the New Year, let me go on record as choosing to be optimistic about 2021! I know what you’re thinking. It’s easy to be optimistic about the New Year when 2020 was so bad in such an unprecedented way. Yes, a global pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes.
One of my favorite little poems to recite at the beginning of a New Year is this: “The New Year lies before you like a spotless tract of snow; be careful how you tread it, for every mark will show.”
OWOSSO — SUMMERPraise! has been a highly anticipated Sunday night gospel music series since 1998, organizers said in their year-end summary.
New house. New wireless provider. New router.
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OWOSSO — Area churches will be celebrating Christmas much differently than in other years because of the COVID-19 pandemic: Safety will be a major priority — especially in the face of a recent uptick in coronavirus cases throughout the state.
Did you hear about the little boy who had the assignment to play the part of an angel in the Christmas play at church?
Henrietta Haas was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929. The Nazis began exerting influence in Austria, and it became especially difficult for those who were Jewish, like the Haas family. For their own safety, they emigrated to the United States in the 1930s. Henrietta graduated high school, stu…
We were homeless; fortunately, it was just for 24 hours or so.
As we begin Advent, we begin to think about the baby who was born in Bethlehem, lay in a manger, and grew up to become the savior.
I hope your heart is filled with gratitude at this Thanksgiving season. This has been an unprecedented year for most of us. Most have never dealt with a pandemic on the order of this one. Yet I hope, if I were to ask, you could name many things for which you are grateful.
Jackie Davis tells about an evening when she and her daughter Jessie sat together in their squeaky rocker. Sometimes they sang songs or read a book, but that particular evening, her heart was not in it.
Have you noticed newlyweds don’t always have to communicate with words? They look into each other’s eyes and their loving gaze speaks volumes.
I grew up in West Virginia. I almost said, “In the hills of West Virginia,” but my hometown was on the Ohio River, so hills around our city were minor compared to the mountains on the east side of the state.
Charles Colson went to prison in 1974 as a result of investigations into the Watergate affair that eventually toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Gary Sinise is an actor who rose to national fame when he took on the role of “Lieutenant Dan” in the 1994 movie, Forest Gump. In the motion picture, Forest Gump rescued Gary Sinise’s character in Vietnam, but later in the movie, Lieutenant Dan showed up in a wheelchair, having lost his legs…
Nine-year-old Russell Capper had a great idea. Why not have a day to honor grandparents? He believed in it so much that he wrote a letter to President Richard Nixon, suggesting a National Grandparents Day.
Some clever man said, “I’m not afraid of work; I can sit right down beside it and go to sleep.”
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OWOSSO — St. Paul Catholic School officials, parents and students had two reasons to celebrate Monday: the first day of school and a new school building.
The following story is true; names have been changed to protect the guilty!
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert season concludes at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater, 229 N. Water St., with The Sheldon Family.
Late in 1939, the Soviet Union finalized its plan to invade Finland. It planned to annex the smaller country, but did not count on such stiff resistance from the Finns.
OWOSSO TWP. — A group for those experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one will begin Sept. 9 at the Owosso First Church of the Nazarene, 1865 S. M-52.
Abert Einstein became famous because of a formula he wrote. Obviously, research, careful observation, and massive analysis went into constructing the formula.
Ever wonder why you feel tired at the end of the day?
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert season continues Sunday at the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater, 229 N. Water St. at 7:30 p.m. with Souls Harbor, from Milan.
CORUNNA — The Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office announced it is planning to conduct a basic church security training session Sept. 12.
You’ve been there, right, dragged to a concert you didn’t want to attend?
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OWOSSO TWP. — Families can travel back to biblical times and learn about Daniel’s courage in captivity — without having to leave their cars.
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert series continues Sunday when Justified Quartet takes the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater stage at 7:30 p.m.
You have probably heard of Eric Liddell, the Flying Scot, who refused to run on Sunday at the 1924 Olympics. The motion picture, “Chariots of Fire,” featured his story. He went to China as a missionary.
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CORUNNA — The Shiawassee County Health Department is warning people who attended a recent fireworks show at a church in Corunna that they likely were exposed to COVID-19.
I understand that some people want to tear down certain statues and monuments that are offensive because of what they represent.
OWOSSO — Christian musicians Mike Reath and Lynn Webster will share a potpourri of gospel songs at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Oakley Community Church, 327 S. Main St.
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OWOSSO TWP. — After a long and successful career, the Rev. Jerry Walden retired a couple of years ago — but it didn’t take.
Football is important to the people of Alabama. I didn’t catch at which school this happened, but they like to tell about a game in which the teams were mismatched. One team had big bruisers on the line, while the other team had players that, well, didn’t quite measure up.
Earlier this year, a Catholic priest published a book entitled “Mercy: What Every Catholic Should Know,” focusing on doctrine and discipleship issues that ordinarily would not cause controversy.
No doubt about it: Someone will have to negotiate a ceasefire someday between the Sexual Revolution and traditional religious believers, said Justice Anthony Kennedy, just before he left the U.S. Supreme Court.
CORUNNA — The Corunna Church of the Nazarene, 230 N. Woodworth St., invites music lovers to the 5 p.m. June 28 Sunday evening service as Stronghold Quartet shares “Freedom,” the group’s seventh CD.
The following story is true; names have been changed to protect the guilty!
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert season concludes at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater, 229 N. Water St., with The Sheldon Family.
Late in 1939, the Soviet Union finalized its plan to invade Finland. It planned to annex the smaller country, but did not count on such stiff resistance from the Finns.
OWOSSO TWP. — A group for those experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one will begin Sept. 9 at the Owosso First Church of the Nazarene, 1865 S. M-52.
Abert Einstein became famous because of a formula he wrote. Obviously, research, careful observation, and massive analysis went into constructing the formula.
Ever wonder why you feel tired at the end of the day?
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert season continues Sunday at the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater, 229 N. Water St. at 7:30 p.m. with Souls Harbor, from Milan.
CORUNNA — The Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office announced it is planning to conduct a basic church security training session Sept. 12.
You’ve been there, right, dragged to a concert you didn’t want to attend?
Courtesy Image The logo for Owosso First Church of the Nazarene's vacation Bible school program is shown.
OWOSSO TWP. — Families can travel back to biblical times and learn about Daniel’s courage in captivity — without having to leave their cars.
OWOSSO — The SUMMERPraise! concert series continues Sunday when Justified Quartet takes the Don and Metta Mitchell Amphitheater stage at 7:30 p.m.
You have probably heard of Eric Liddell, the Flying Scot, who refused to run on Sunday at the 1924 Olympics. The motion picture, “Chariots of Fire,” featured his story. He went to China as a missionary.
CORUNNA — The Shiawassee County Health Department is warning people who attended a recent fireworks show at a church in Corunna that they likely were exposed to COVID-19.
I understand that some people want to tear down certain statues and monuments that are offensive because of what they represent.
OWOSSO — Christian musicians Mike Reath and Lynn Webster will share a potpourri of gospel songs at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Oakley Community Church, 327 S. Main St.
OWOSSO TWP. — After a long and successful career, the Rev. Jerry Walden retired a couple of years ago — but it didn’t take.
Football is important to the people of Alabama. I didn’t catch at which school this happened, but they like to tell about a game in which the teams were mismatched. One team had big bruisers on the line, while the other team had players that, well, didn’t quite measure up.
Earlier this year, a Catholic priest published a book entitled “Mercy: What Every Catholic Should Know,” focusing on doctrine and discipleship issues that ordinarily would not cause controversy.
No doubt about it: Someone will have to negotiate a ceasefire someday between the Sexual Revolution and traditional religious believers, said Justice Anthony Kennedy, just before he left the U.S. Supreme Court.
CORUNNA — The Corunna Church of the Nazarene, 230 N. Woodworth St., invites music lovers to the 5 p.m. June 28 Sunday evening service as Stronghold Quartet shares “Freedom,” the group’s seventh CD.
A young lawyer, practicing in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, worked to negotiate the release of prisoners during the War of 1812. These efforts led him to dine with British Prisoner Exchange Agent Colonel John Stuart Skinner aboard the British ship HMS Tonnant on the evening of Sept. 13, 18…
“The only constant in life,” said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “is change.”
The headline read, “Final Words from Fallen Warriors.” The article that followed told the story of soldiers who wrote to their families within days of their death.
OWOSSO TWP. — Catholic Charities has partnered with Good360 and Toys for Tots to help provide toys and games to children and families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have you heard people talking about the “new normal?”
I read somewhere that when Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor — a title he claimed for himself — he loved the pomp and glory.
Jesus cautioned his followers against excessive worry. Knowing how prone humans are to worry about things we can’t control, he reminded them: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable…
Historians tell us the Battle of Trafalgar was the most famous battle of British Admiral Lord Nelson’s career. It came in October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain. The combined fleets of France and Spain sought to control the English Channel in order to give Napoleon access to inv…
HAZELTON TWP. — The Juddville United Methodist Church is offering three agricultural scholarships for Shiawassee County student taking part in 4-H or FFA.
In these days of social distancing and isolation, families are closer than ever. Or are they?
OWOSSO — St. John’s United Church of Christ volunteers are adjusting their longtime routine of providing food to hungry and homeless people during the COVID-19 situation by distributing pre-packaged breakfasts outside the church on Saturday mornings.
We all make typographical errors now and then. Our fingers hit the wrong keys and words come out misspelled. How many times has “united” turned out to be “untied”? It wasn’t a political statement to refer to the Untied States instead of the United States. Just a typo.
I have been thinking this week about the “serenity prayer.” You know, the one that says, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
OWOSSO — St. Phillip Lutheran Church is canceling its Easter Bake Sale, originally scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 4, due to the coronavirus.
Every year brings new things, of course, but 2020 has brought — well, “unprecedented” — that’s the word I hear bandied about quite often — unprecedented things.
LANSING — The Catholic Diocese of Lansing is suspending public services and events at all of its parishes through April 8 amid coronavirus concerns, the diocese said in a press release.
OWOSSO — Due to the continued concern over the coronavirus, the Owosso Area Ministerial Association is canceling all community Lenten services.
Those of us who write and speak need to remember the importance of brevity. Larry King, known for his television and radio interviews, reminded us in one of his books about Abraham Lincoln, who knew when to stop talking. His Gettysburg Address lasted less than five minutes.
Ever since the Last Supper, Catholics have pondered what happens during the Mass when they believe the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus.
Typically, when you walk into a Catholic Church there is a font for holy water. It’s a sacramental, sacred sign meant to remind us of baptism. But one recent weekday, I dipped my hand into a familiar font in a prominent church in our nation’s capital before morning Mass, and encountered it e…
OVID — The United Church of Ovid is hosting a chili cookoff at 4 p.m. March 21.
OWOSSO — The only baby pantry in Shiawassee County is still open, but it’s now being operated by the church that has provided space for the facility since 1998.
OWOSSO — Two students from Salem Lutheran School recently won local competitions in the 51st annual America and Me essay contest.
The second wave of influenza in the fall of 1918 was the worst yet. By the time Father Nicola Yanney reached Wichita, Kansas, a citywide quarantine was in effect.
Darcy Olsen’s motivation in life is the babies in America crying not for the normal reasons that babies cry, but because they are born addicted to meth, inheriting that addiction from their mother. Olsen wants states to protect those babies from their parents instead of putting them in foste…
Remember the little engine that could? I don’t know the origin of the story, but it first appeared in print in the early 1900s as part of a sermon.
OWOSSO — The Owosso First United Methodist Church — 1500 N. Water St. — will host speaker Douglas Carmel at 6 p.m. March 22 for his presentation “Jesus in the 7 Feasts of Israel.”
DURAND — Christ-based nondenominational programs Trail Life USA and American Heritage Girl will meet from 6:45 to 8 p.m. Monday nights at the Durand Church of the Nazarene, 9725 E. Monroe Road.
OWOSSO — Women from First Church of Christ, 585 E. North St., welcome other women from the community to their annual women’s celebration March 28.
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