Category: The Pastor’s Column

BY FATHER JOHN SCHMOLLSt. Joseph’s Church, Los Banos Last Wednesday, as you may know, was Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of the season of Lent. It specifically commemorates the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert. While...

BY REV. BOB GILBERGThe Olive Branch Community Church of Firebaugh I have said it before and I will say it again, getting old is not for sissies. A few years ago, my father was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Because of...

FR. JOHN SCHMOLL, St. Joseph’s Catholic ChurchContributing Writer The presidential inauguration just occurred a few days ago. Whether you voted for the winner or loser isn’t important. What’s important is that we come together...

BY REV. STEPHEN HAMMONDSenior Pastor of Bethel Community Church “God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us...

Rev. Bob Gilberg, Olive Branch Community Church of FirebaughContributing Writer I hope your Christmas and New Year holidays were meaningful and blessed. For some, your gatherings may have been small and intimate. For others,...

By Pastor Susan Young, Our Father’s HouseContributing Writer Happy New Year! Last week, a dear friend and co-laborer in the Kingdom, Bishop Murray  Galloway, texted a quick nugget, “We can’t conquer what we don’t confront...

BY FATHER JOHN SCHMOLLSt. Joseph’s Catholic Church Merry Christmas! It is a time to celebrate the dignity of human nature and the humility of the Lord to share in our humanity. Christmas teaches us about the centrality of life...

By Fr. Anthony Iromenu, Sacred Heart ChurchContributing Writer “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great...

BY PASTOR SUSAN YOUNGContributing Writer Power and strength seem to be something many seek, but what this looks like in the life of a Christian is not how the world defines it. When you recognize your power, you can be humble....

By Rev. Bob Gilberg, The Olive Branch Community Church of FirebaughContributing Writer Trust is elusive. It takes a lifetime to earn and it can be destroyed in a moment. It seems to be that we have trust issues in the nation we...

BY PASTOR SUSAN YOUNGContributing Writer What does it mean to worship the Lord? When I look at worship in the Bible, I see the life of King David. In 1 Samuel 13:14, God said that David was a man after his own heart. David was a...

Rev. Stephen HammondSenior Pastor of Bethel Community Church “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the...