Our ongoing parish projects continue at St. Andrew’s School.   The installation of the exterior school doors has been completed.   The new doors are constructed for a high level of …

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, Jesus tells the chief priests and the elders two stories related to vineyards. The first is about a man with two sons and he asks them separately to go work in …

As Halloween nears, we need to be careful that we don't become zombies.  Not the version that you see in the movies.  The kind that slogs through life without paying any …

For too long, rural America has watched from the sidelines as big cities got the lion’s share of federal health care attention. In towns across Missouri’s Fourth District, our local hospitals are …

People sometimes tell stories about childhood memories that scarred them for life. The stories vary. Some involve being told to clean their plates because children were starving somewhere far away. …

The Conservation Reserve Program, better known as CRP, came along in the mid-1980s, and on our farm it meant one more job. For me, that meant several days mowing grass from a tractor seat, which also …

Hopefully, the air conditioning units on which you depend will be getting a break for a while. I worked mine like a rented mule this summer.  Around here, half of the power we use to …

Every Sept. 17, America celebrates Constitution Day. But for me, the Constitution is something worth thinking about far beyond one day a year. My father gave me a pocket Constitution that I …

It is interesting to see what we cling to as a society, and never wonder why. For instance, the 40-hour work week. No one today cares why it was instituted, but we all continue to honor it, even …

I am not proud of every stunt I pulled in college. But when a group of us gets together, many of those stories come up, and soon we are laughing at something that should have gotten us in more …

My first experience as an announcer did not involve helmets, pads, bats, horses or engines. It involved pigs. Between my junior and senior year of high school, our FFA chapter held pig races, and I …

A sweet friend and beloved member of our church recently passed away. I wanted to send a card or write a message to the family that did justice to the amount of love and respect I have for Cynthia …

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to remind ourselves that asking for help is a sign of strength, and that no one should have to face a crisis alone. In Congress, we are …

   I have sad news. I am no longer a chicken farmer. All five of my flock were killed by two ravenous raccoons. It was my fault. During one of the recent wind storms, a fencing panel was …

Twenty years have passed since Pluto was disqualified from its spot as the farthest planet. Twenty years since science told us we were wrong again. Twenty years of children growing up …

The start of a school year has a way of sharpening old memories. I do not remember every first day of school, but I remember the first day school changed sizes.   At North Nodaway, …

Recently, I had the opportunity to see John O’Leary in person. He is the author of the book “On Fire” and the inspiration behind the movie “Soul on Fire.” I watched the movie in …

In the days before the West was tamed, to get from place to place it was a hot, dry stagecoach ride with all your valuables. Tipton has seen a few stagecoaches. And valuables back then …

It seems like no matter where we travel, every town has one of those places locals know but passersby pay little attention to. In my hometown of Hopkins, that place was Hoover’s. Hopkins had …

Missouri must fix Medicaid’s paperwork problem before work requirements begin More than 300,000 Missourians lost Medicaid coverage. Ninety-two percent of them weren’t found …