The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Q: Is it true that Jesus Christ is intolerant (or narrow), as some Christians claim? - I.J. A: In loving, compassionate intolerance Jesus says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction... [and] narrow is the gate... which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). Intolerance seems to many a divisive word. But consider the intolerance of a pilot who maneuvers his plane through the storm, realizing...
With the weather finally warming up here for spring time, I've been spending a lot of time out on my tractor finishing up planting. Every year, I plant my fields with crops like wheat, barley, peas, and millet. The days are long – Sharla and I start early in the morning and work late until the job is done – but as Montanans know, hard work is rewarding and always reminds us how lucky we are to live here in Montana. Our Montana way of life is what makes us The Last Best Pla...
One day it just hits you that time is moving fast, barreling forward and it isn't waiting for you. Nor will it stop. It makes me wonder why I, and probably so many others, keep putting things off. Not just things, but important things, and often people, too. Well, the truth is I don't so much wonder why I do it. I know the reason, but to say it's a good reason would be a lie. The truth of the matter is there really is no good reason or excuse to do so. We put things off with...
Q: My mother claims to be a Christian but there is no evidence of it at home. How can this be? - B.M. A: Living for Christ in the home is the acid test for any Christian. It's far easier to live an excellent life among our friends when we're putting our best foot forward and are conscious of public opinion, than it is to live for Christ at home. Our own family circle knows whether Christ lives in and through us. A true Christian will not give way at home to bad temper, impatie...
I applaud Representative Matt Rosendale for being one of the strongest advocates for fiscal responsibility in DC. As negotiations between the White House and Republicans have had little success, our congressman has continued to voice strong solutions that will keep the US from defaulting on its debt. Both parties admit that defaulting on our nation's debt is the wrong course for the US. But unless Democrats are willing to cut back on their erratic spending, a deal will not be...
HELENA - The 68th Session of the Montana Legislature is one that every Montanan can be proud of. Voters sent a Republican supermajority to Helena and the first thing we did was return overpaid tax dollars to you as well as providing the largest tax cut in Montana state history. As Republicans our primary constitutional duty is to pass a balanced state budget. We crafted a conservative budget by keeping state spending below record inflation and population growth while responsib...
ecently, there have been attacks on the 68th Montana Legislature by the liberal media. Claims that the Legislature started a "culture war" or that we "marginalized the most marginalized" really lack an understanding of the times in which we live. First and foremost, our Legislature is the branch of government closest to the people. Citizen Legislators elected by the people of Montana take their values and campaign promises to Helena every two years, voting as representatives...
The 68th Legislative Session concluded on day 87, or May 2, leaving a few key bills yet to be considered. A total of 4,639 bill drafts were requested by Montana's elected officials (1,303 more than in the 67th Session). Between both chambers, 1,698 bills were introduced; 748 were passed at early count. The motion to Sine Die (adjourn), called by the Senate minority leader, pre-empted additional consideration and amendments. Many bills passed by the Legislature are yet to be...
Q: When I was young, my Sunday school teacher helped the class memorize an Old Testament passage when the world was very wicked: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). When I was little I couldn't quite imagine that kind of living, but doesn't it seem that the world has regressed? This verse describes our world today. - W.R. A: When everyone does what is right in his own eyes, there is no possibility of order and peace. Too many people today feel that mo...
It's always amazing to me the people I meet while I'm traveling and teaching, and the lessons I learn from them along the way. This past weekend I was in Farmington, Utah teaching at the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair. It's my second year teaching at this event, and it seems each year I'm there, I meet some of the most amazing people and reconnect with ones I see only at festivals. Some will say it's the teacher who is supposed to teach, but often I find I can learn as much from...
You may believe that Montana is debt free following actions by the legislature earlier this year to pay off state debt. It is great that we passed legislation to pay off over $100 million of state bonded debt, but there is another debt obligation rarely discussed but costing us dearly. Unfortunately, Montana has accumulated over $4.8 billion in pension debt over the past twenty years (in 2003 our pensions were fully funded with no debt). This debt is equivalent to over $4,300...
We've all heard the phrase, "Practice Makes Perfect," and it's one that has impacted my life over the years. Recently, while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, I heard it in a different way. It's a quote by Art Williams, author of Pushing up People. It says: "Remember, before you can be great, you've got to be good. Before you can be good, you've got to be bad. But, before you can be bad, you've got to try." It's essentially saying the same thing as practice makes...
Q: I've struggled with my spiritual life, examining every form of faith, every god, every proverb, every church, and every truth. I've concluded the best way to get to Heaven is to practice each of these theologies and patterns to cover the bases. I believe that the true God will accept this effort and allow me into Heaven when the time comes. The effort certainly speaks for itself, more than those who run after every imaginable evil. At least my thoughts are centered on...
Q: No wonder Christmas is a more favored holiday than Easter. Christmas speaks of a new life [the infant Jesus] that brought joy. Easter brings thoughts of death [His gruesome death], yet there is the new life found in resurrection, which is curious. What does the Bible verse mean when it says that death is swallowed up in victory? - B.I. A: Think about the holes children make when they dig in the sand on the seashore. When the waves come in, the holes are swallowed up by the...
As spring has finally made an appearance and the snow begins to melt, the roads we drove all winter are starting to become dryer and more wide open. Open roads make me want to get out, drive, see and do things. In the winter, especially if you drive Flesher pass, the snow is built up all around you. It's difficult to see out the window to the expanse the Blackfoot Valley has to offer. I feel so closed in, claustrophobic and trapped. It's when I can see for long distances from...
The 2023 Montana legislature began its legislative session with an unprecedented surplus, mainly due to the over-collection of state taxes from Montana taxpayers. Since this is ultimately taxpayers' money, I - along with other conservatives in the legislature - were determined to return money to Montana taxpayers and to reduce your taxes in the future. Tax relief has long been an objective of mine, like in the 2021 session when I passed a bill that effectively moved Montana's...
On the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal, somewhere between Rangoon and the northeast coast of India, a ship packed with migrant workers returns to Andhra Pradesh. One of the workers stares out at the waves and has a dream about the 2-year-old son he hasn’t seen since birth. The dream is filled with colors—and promise. When he returns to his village, the man requests a meeting with the elders. Although he is low in the caste system, the father declares his son to be the chosen one of the village. After much time in the sma...
There is a reason Montana is the Last Best Place in the country. Over the last decade, the Montana Republican Party has made tremendous progress in advancing our priority of protecting the future generation. This continues to be a priority for House Republicans as we advance SB 99 this legislative session. SB 99, a bill that prevents gender transition surgery until our children become adults is an important step in safeguarding our youth. Within the last few years, the...
Montana's state Legislature is proposing a host of extreme anti-wildlife bills despite widespread, diverse, strong, and credible opposition to these unnecessary measures. The onslaught on wildlife by locally elected officials began in 2021 and continues in this legislative session with the introduction of bills that go from bad to worse. Snaring and night shooting wolves, placing bounties on a hunt, loosening stipulations for killing grizzly bears, hounding black bears - the...
In the pantheon of political attacks on sitting legislators, probably none is more damaging than the charge that they've lost touch with the people back home. If they're in Congress, it's usually couched as having caught "Potomac Fever"; in a state legislature, that they don't care about the views of the people who put them in office. The ranks of ex-legislators are filled with people who faced this. Even Abe Lincoln, who served a single term in Congress, was accused as a fres...
Q: I read a lot about blending various faiths from around the world and many support a one-world religion. Years ago, this was frightening to some, but now people from all faiths are coming on board as "people of faith." We're told that we should concentrate only on the common ground of our beliefs, which is to be the best we can, do the best we can, and love others. The world says this is what can bring humanity together. Is there room in Christianity for this kind of...
Is it just me, or has the world - and by world I mean everything - seemed really heavy? I'm not just talking about lately, I'm talking about in general for the last several years? I think I've noticed it before, but it's really hitting home for me even more lately. There always seems to be some sort of controversy, some tragedy or some new threat being thrown at us. When I visit with close friends and family, it continually feels like there is more illness, death and...
Q: It's surprising to see young people fighting for social action and at the same time completely steeped in the pursuit of self-pleasure. It doesn't seem that these two lifestyles can work together. – S.A. A: Human nature seeks to please itself. When something brings pleasure, we are inclined to call evil good, even if we know that down deep it is dead wrong. To make ourselves feel better when things go wrong, we blame others. Evil cleverly disguises itself as good, and human...
Republicans' number one goal this legislative session has been to provide financial relief to Montanans struggling with Joe Biden's inflation and the high cost of living. An early, priority package of eight pieces of legislation is aimed at delivering on that mission. Together, these bills combine to immediately put money in Montanans' pockets, provide long-term tax relief, and reduce taxpayer obligations into the future. House Bills 192 and 222 return over $700 million of...
Apparently, somebody won something last week, because MEIC and other anti-coal groups are claiming a VICTORY! On Friday February 10, 2023, Donald W. Molloy, US District Court Judge, Missoula, ordered that mining cease at Bull Mountains Underground Mine (north of Billings) in the 5 sections of federal coal that have been leased since 2012, until a new environmental report is written (20 months). This is not a new or future mining area. This "expansion" area has had all the...
