Category: The Pastor’s Column

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...

Rev. Bob Gilberg, The Olive Branch Community Church of Firebaugh When I was growing up, I was taught to admire those who made great sacrifices for our nation, those who overcame insurmountable obstacles to reach extraordinary...

 Fr. John Schmoll, St. Joseph’s Church Los Banos As a fan of the Olympics every two years (Summer and Winter alternating), I was very much looking forward to the opening of the games. Personally, I have always found the opening...

By Pastor Mike Neu, St John’s Lutheran ChurchContributing Writer A shrine sits alongside a busy roadway. It is dedicated to a young man who lost his life running across that road rather than playing it safe and walking to the...

By Fr. John Schmoll, St. Joseph Church Contributing Writer My undergraduate years were spent at Merced College and the University of California, Santa Barbara. I studied hard and did very well at both institutions. I made a lot...

By Susan Young, Our Father’s HouseContributing Writer In Luke 24 we meet up with two men walking to Emmaus which is a town about seven miles from Jerusalem. They are talking about Jesus’ death and are sad. The Bible calls them...

By Father Anthony Iromenu, Sacred Heart ChurchContributing Writer Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is the holiest of weeks as it is the week of our redemption. Through this week’s liturgical ceremonies, we...

By Father Anthony Iromenu, Sacred Heart Church, Dos Palos Contributing Writer Lent this year begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. It is the season that we recall the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness in preparation for his...