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I have not been that hungry yet
BY JACK WARD In May 1846, 187 men, women, and children left Missouri in a wagon train headed for California. There was nothing exceptional about the group or this journey, and we would never have known about them had they not decided to try a shortcut. The “Hastings Cutoff,” as it was known, was indeed
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Be holy
BY JACK WARD Ludwig Nommensen traveled to begin mission work with a tribe in Southeast Asia. The village chief welcomed Ludwig and said, “You have two years to learn our customs and convince us you have a message worth hearing.” After two years, the tribal leader asked the missionary how Christianity differed from the tribe’s
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The Modern Prodigal Son
BY JACK WARD From a sermon by Scotty Plummer: The day I turned 18, I left home. I had saved some money, and despite my parents’ strong objections, I packed a few things in my Volkswagen and headed for California. Just outside of Needles, California, a man at a rest stop pulled a gun, took
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William ‘Bill’ Lee Preston Obituary
William ‘Bill’ Lee Preston 1967—2026 William “Bill” Lee Preston, age 58, of Tomahawk, passed away Jan. 17, 2026, at Community Hospice in Ashland. Born Aug. 27, 1967, in Lawrence County, he was the son of the late Willie Preston and Rella (Howard) Preston Amburgey. In addition to his parents, William was preceded in death by
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We need a sign
BY JACK WARD Rabbi Feldman had been having trouble with his congregation. It seemed they could agree upon nothing. Controversy filled the air until the Sabbath itself became an area of conflict and unhappiness filled the synagogue. The president of the congregation organized a meeting of 10 elders and the rabbi. They met in the
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The ‘Living Water Challenge’
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Remember way back in 2014, when they had the Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? It involved dumping a bucket of ice water over one’s head to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It went viral throughout social media in mid-2014.
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Blessing or curse
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
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The true Christ of Christmas
BY PASTOR JACK WARD “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5 A person without Jesus is not only spiritually dead, he is also spiritually darkened. Jesus said in John 8:12: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who
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Verladene (Setser) Carter Obituary
Verladene (Setser) Carter 1952—2025 Verladene (Setser) Carter, 73, of Tomahawk, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Dec. 16, 2025, following a brief illness. Born Feb. 10, 1952, she was the daughter of the late Virgil and Saddie (Wells) Setser. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by an infant
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Faithfulness
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Faithfulness is a dirty word among people today. Standing up for what you believe and being faithful to a cause is almost unheard of today especially among God’s people. Half-hearted effort and lack of interest plagues our society and even our churches today. During the 1995 college football season, 6-foot-2-inch, 280-pound
