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Articles by Nathan Buchanan
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Drawing closer to the Lord
When you pray, what is your goal? Do you have the goal of getting God to do what you want Him to do? Think about this for a moment. When you pray, do you pray for those who are sick, those who need something, or even for blessings to come your way? Petitioning God is perfectly fine, however, if that is all we do in our times of prayer, we are missing the best part of prayer. Prayer is more than petition or supplication. It is also abiding.
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Sunday is coming
No doubt you have heard it said, “The darkest hour of the night is just before dawn.” Whether true or not, the premise is definitely valid. When things seem at their worst, when hope is at its end, when you feel like you cannot go on another step, or when the cold of night penetrates your heart, hold on to hope. The warmth of a new day is moments away. Things begin to look different in the light.
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Continuous conversion
My 4-year-old son, Jackson, is fascinated with becoming “big.” Last Christmas we bought him a toy shaving set. It came with a mirror, a fake razor, a shaving brush and some shaving cream. Since the moment he received this set, he has joined me in the bathroom shaving his face. One day I caught him looking at my razor. I told him that when he got bigger, he would use a razor like mine, but for now, he should only use his razor.
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Continuous conversion
My 4-year-old son, Jackson, is fascinated with becoming “big.” Last Christmas we bought him a toy shaving set. It came with a mirror, a fake razor, a shaving brush and some shaving cream. Since the moment he received this set, he has joined me in the bathroom shaving his face. One day I caught him looking at my razor. I told him that when he got bigger, he would use a razor like mine, but for now, he should only use his razor.
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Continuous conversion
My 4-year-old son, Jackson, is fascinated with becoming “big.” Last Christmas we bought him a toy shaving set. It came with a mirror, a fake razor, a shaving brush and some shaving cream. Since the moment he received this set, he has joined me in the bathroom shaving his face. One day I caught him looking at my razor. I told him that when he got bigger, he would use a razor like mine, but for now, he should only use his razor.
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE: Finding happiness in Jesus - and ice cream
Awhile back, I ran across an article describing what is needed for people to be happy. Before I read their list, I could not help but think about three things that make me very happy: my Lord, my family and ice cream. Even when it is cold outside, I enjoy a good bowl of ice cream. I was disappointed when I discovered that according to the aforementioned article, ice cream was not one of their three things. However, they did list three great things.
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE: A warranty that never ends
On Black Friday, this past year, I was scanning through some online deals looking for gifts for the family. I came across something that looked interesting. It was a little toy drone. My kids have had remote controlled cars and such, but never a drone. Not only was this toy a drone, it was a Star Wars drone. There were several drones available. The store offered a speeder bike as seen on the moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi.
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES: Open our eyes
According to traditional eye exams using the Snellen eye chart, those who can see and read the 20/20 line on the eye chart without corrective lenses have what is called normal (20/20) visual acuity or sharpness. It is true that some people can see better than 20/20, but the common understanding is that people who can see the “20” line on the eye chart from 20 feet away have perfect vision.
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE: Generosity becomes you
Hopefully, we all have met some generous people in our lives. In my life, my grandparents on my maternal side were very generous people. If someone had need of something that they had and they knew about it, it would not take long for them to meet the need. I remember one time, someone they knew needed a car. So, my grandfather gave away his car to this person. The car was not super expensive, but it was a car my grandfather enjoyed driving and was valuable to him.
PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: Victory belongs to the Lord
Several years ago, I ran across on the internet some sayings from children expressing wisdom they learned from experience. Here are several of their sayings: Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.” Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ don’t answer him.” Michael, wise man that he was, also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.” Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.” I wonder how he came to this bit of wisdom.
PASTORAL THOUGHTS: Freedom in Christ
Making lists seem to be something we do quite regularly in life. We make to-do-lists, grocery lists, top 10 lists, and random lists about this and that and then post them on Facebook. Why do we like making lists? I believe lists help us to remember things, create order out of the chaos happening all round us, and are just fun to do on occasion. However, lists can also be exhausting and burdensome when one seeks to complete one’s list. The Bible is full of lists.
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Letter to the Editor: What problem is the recall really solving?
Nathan Buchanan Monday Mar 11, 2019 at 7:41 PM Right now Fall River's recall election is fresh in our minds. As a history major in college, I wonder how these two recall movements will be remembered in Fall River history. In the opinions and coverage of this story, it seems that the recall will only be successful if Jasiel Correia leaves office. The voter is concerned about the prize fight between incumbent Correia and his challengers: Joe Camara, Paul Coogan, Kyle Riley and Erica Scott-Pacheco.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: ‘Liar, Liar’
Did you know that according to some statistics online, the average child begins to tell lies somewhere between the age of 2 to 3 years old?In fact, by the age of four, 90 percent of children have not only told a lie but have learned the concept of lying. Some believe that lying is OK as long as no one is hurt. This idea is a lie, too, by the way.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: ‘Throw away the trash’
Several weeks ago, I drove to the church office and parked my truck in the east parking lot. Anyone who parks in our east parking lot at First Baptist Church has to walk toward and then across S.E. 4th Avenue in order to enter into our building. At the edge of our parking lot and the street, we have a blue trash bin. After turning off the engine, I grabbed my backpack, some trash, and my church keys.Intending to throw some trash away, I headed toward the big blue bin.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Learning how to roll
My middle daughter, Kate, asked her Mimi for a pair of rollerblades for Christmas. So Mimi bought her a pair and gave it to her at our family Christmas party. Soon thereafter, Kate decided she wanted to begin skating. However, it was really cold outside. Therefore, she decided to practice her rollerblading inside our house. Olivia, my youngest daughter, who previously had received her pair of rollerblades at an earlier time, also decided to rollerblade around the house.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: He came to us!
Back when I was a young boy, my family decided to have Christmas over at my grandparents’ home. We packed all our stuff and went to Grandma’s house. My uncle from Washington, D.C. was there and, of course, my grandparents, my parents and my brother and sister.Previously, we had always had Christmas at our house. Since we were at Grandma’s house, I was worried that Santa would not be able to bring me my presents. I just knew he would deliver them to my house and not where I was.
REFLECtiNG ON RELIGION: ‘The Lord is my light’
On Monday after the tragic events at First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs, Sherri Pomeroy (the pastor’s wife) said, “Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners; we were a very close family. We ate together. We laughed together. We cried together, and we worshiped together. Now most of our church family is gone, and the few of us that are left behind lost tragically [on Sunday].” Mrs.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Damage revealed
Sometimes our actions cause more damage than we realize. I recognized this truth again through a circumstance in my life.A week or so ago, I drove my truck and a borrowed trailer to my uncle’s house to pick up two 800-pound round hay bales. I got there after dark with a plan to leave early in the morning for an appointment with my daughter’s orthodontist.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: God is at work
A couple of weeks ago, I took the family to Destin, Fla. We had a great time on the beach, playing in the sand and surf. One of our young foster children loved looking out the window at the boats. We had a fun vacation, and then it was time for the trip home.The GPS said that it would take somewhere between 12 and 13 hours to drive from Destin back to Mineral Wells. Early in the morning, we loaded everyone up and started to make our way back home.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: What do you live for?
Several months ago, I ran across a “man on the street” video in which the man behind the camera asked people on the street “What do you live for?” Their answers were very interesting to me. Many of the people had no clue.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Thank you Mom!
For a little over 100 years, we in this nation have been celebrating mothers on Mother’s Day.Godly mothers make a huge difference in this world, and we are blessed immensely by them. Mother’s Day was originally set up as a special day to thank our mothers for their love for us and to recognize their valuable impact on society. Anna Jarvis, originator of this “memorial day for women” chose to honor her mother on that special day with carnations.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Hanging on the cross
As we approach Easter this year, let’s take just a moment and consider to what extent our salvation cost our Lord and Savior. We know Jesus was beaten, humiliated and died on the cross. We also know that the dying on the cross was an excruciating and a cruel way to die. Jesus knew this, too. The night before, Jesus prayed in the garden, “If possible let this cup pass from Me, yet not my will, but Yours” (Matt. 26:39). He prays again in Matt.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: The lost can be found
One evening after a basketball game in which two of my girls played, we ventured out to eat a bite of barbecue in Stephenville. This is my recollection of what happened next.It was a chilly night, so after arriving at the restaurant, I put on my jacket and placed my wallet in the inside pocket. We went inside, ordered the meal and proceeded to sit underneath some heaters outside on the patio. Those heaters were quite warm, so I removed my jacket and placed it on my chair.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: A name above all names
Just the other day, I was in a conversation about the names we give to our children. Many of us choose names based on a family member, a friend, or a name we happen to hear that we like. Others choose names based on their meanings, while still others seem to pick names for their uniqueness or for a variety of personal reasons.Just over 2,000 years ago, a baby was born with a name above all names. To the Hebrews, names given nearly always had some definite and significant meaning.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Serving Christ
Serving ChristHave you ever thought of the fact that real joy in life can be found in living your life unselfishly? The truth of the matter is when we give of our time, energy, and finances to those in need, joy seems to abound. I have both witnessed this truth in others and experienced it myself. When we take the focus off of ourselves and put it on God and others, joy seems to fill our souls.I know that it is not always easy to serve those in need.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: We cannot stop
When it comes to Braum’s ice cream, once I begin to eat, I cannot stop. One taste, and I am hooked. It is that good.The great taste of their peppermint or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream compels me to eat bite after bite. Psalm 34:8 tells us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” One “taste” of our Lord and Savior, and we cannot help but see that He is good.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Better is a dish of vegetables
Just this past week, I was sitting down to eat with my family. We had our drinks on the table, about to enjoy some wonderful pasta with meat sauce and our vegetables. It was a wonderful evening around the table. Everyone dove into the food, but for some reason, one of my kids decided that she did not like eating her peas. She ate everything else but would not touch those peas. My wife and I had to provide some encouragement in order for her to eat her vegetables.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Walk toward the light
A couple of weeks ago, I got up early in the morning, before daylight, to help my youngest daughter tend her and her sister’s rabbits out in the barn. We put on our boots, grabbed a flashlight, turned on the back porch light and began our trek across the backyard, through the back gate, and then across the field to the barn. After giving the rabbits their food and water, we began to make our way back to the house, and that was when my daughter made a very profound statement.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: The wise preparer
Our family likes to go camping, and summer is a great time to set out for such an adventure. However, before you get to the fun of camping, preparation is needed.If staying in a tent, camping requires making sure your tent is ready to go. The last time I went camping, I failed to check the tent for holes. About 10 minutes after the rain began my kids ran out of the tent into our shelter complaining that water was seeping into the tent.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Thank God, I am adopted
The Power of adoption is truly amazing. Yes, I understand that there are some horror stories associated with adoption, but for the most part when done out of love, it is a beautiful picture of what God has done for us. Adoption officially is defined as the act of voluntarily receiving a child of other parents as one’s own child. Adoption is also is the act of God’s grace by which sinful people are brought into His redeemed family.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Genuine faith matters
As I approached the age of 16, I began hinting to my parents my desire for a car. I remember telling them that it would sure be wonderful if they bought me a Ford Mustang.On my birthday, my parents gave me a Ford Mustang.You might think this would excite me, but I had one small problem with this car. It was only a matchbox car. As awesome as the car looked, it was not the real thing. I could not sit in the seat, start the ignition or drive it down the road. It was just a toy.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Attitude makes a world of difference
Many years ago, I heard a story about a boy with a great attitude. It has been around for some time, and you might have heard it before. Regardless, it clearly speaks of how one’s attitude makes a world of difference.As the story goes: One day, a boy was alone in his backyard playing baseball. Having a great imagination, he proclaimed, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world.” He threw the ball into the air, swung as hard as he could, and missed. “Strike one!” he announced.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Simply obey the word of God - Mineral Wells Index: News
It is at that point in time that we contemplate our options and formulate, according to our minds “a better idea.” There were several times growing up in which I felt like I had a better idea about how to do something than my parents. It did not take me long, however, to come to appreciate their wisdom in those situations. A true mark of faith in God can be seen in the life of a person who gives up all preconceived ideas and simply obeys the Word of God.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Be still; He is God! - Mineral Wells Index: News
I believe adults also have a hard time being still. In fact, it seems like most of our days are non-stop. We go from one event to another, day after day. Some of these busy days seem to fall apart before they even really begin. When these turbulent days hit, being still can actually bring peace and comfort. Yes, this means we might have to face some hardship or pain, but on the other side of that valley, there is peace.
REFLECTING ON RELIGION: Thank God, I am adopted - Mineral Wells Index: News
There is a great need for this kind of adoption in our world today. Thankfully, many families have graciously opened their homes and their hearts and welcomed these children into their lives. There is another side of adoption that does not usually cross people’s minds and yet this adoption carries with it eternal implications. Adoption is also the act of God’s grace by which sinful people are brought into His redeemed family.
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