Deuteronomy 32:9: “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession.” more

One of the most important promises in the Bible is found in Matthew’s Gospel: God with us. more

Beginning Dec. 18, the West Plains Daily Quill Church & Religion Page will move to Wednesday publications in order to allow area churches more time in the week to notify the public of special events. more

The Tiptons, a Gospel singing group from The Ozarks, will be featured in a Gospel Music Concert Sunday morning at The Bridge Church of West Plains. The service begins at 10:30 a.m. more

Revelation 16:12: And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. more

Christmas is a time of hope, not because our lives are perfect (because they are not), not because we are doing everything just right (because we aren’t), but because even in the most difficult of times, God gives us hope. more

Okay, one holiday down, and another to go. As you read this, Thanksgiving is a memory that is continuing to be reactivated by the leftover turkey in your fridge. Now that I think about it, how is that turkey stew after the fourth warm-up? more

People worshiped the Dragon because he had given authority to the Beast, and they also worshiped the Beast and asked, “Who is like the Beast?" (Revelation 13:4) more

Happy New Year: Now, before you accuse me of stripping a cog, let me explain: Dec. 1 starts the New Liturgical Calendar. By the time many of you read this article we will be heading to Dec. 1.  more

Psalm 9:1 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” more

Members of the Craft Group at St. Paul Lutheran Church in West Plains say they had a wonderful Christmas Craft Show from Nov. 7 through 9. Calling the show “a great success,” they have announced that many beautiful items are still available for a special one-day-only sale. All remaining items are priced 20% off. more

More than 4,700 locations in the U.S. are now open to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for the Samaritan’s Purse project, including more than a dozen locally. more

Seven years ago, on Nov. 5, 2017, First Baptist Church of Sutherland Texas, made news around the world when Devin Kelley killed 26 people and wounded 22 more at their Sunday morning worship service. According to Wikipedia, it is the deadliest mass shooting ever in the state of Texas and the most fatal shooting ever in a U.S. house of worship. Kelley had a lengthy history of mental illness and had received a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force years earlier after assaulting his wife and fracturing the skull of his toddler stepson. more

We read in Psalm 107:1, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” more

“I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5) more

No matter who you voted for last Tuesday, or if you even voted, you are probably glad this year’s election is finally over. Most of us look forward to watching television again without candidates telling us how horrible their opponent is. more

In the New Testament, the Greek word for God’s love is agape’. In Romans 12:9, Paul says, “Let love be genuine.” Genuine means authentic, real, and sincere. Paul is saying let the love you have for others be the real thing, and I believe that in the words that follow, he is telling us how to express this genuine, authentic love in our lives. Verse 9 continues, “…hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good,” and it is strong language. Hate what is evil…hate what God calls evil…lying, greed, sin, selfishness, violence, sowing discord, wickedness. Cling to what is good, and verses 10-21 give us practical instruction. Verse 21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Persevere in prayer, live peaceably with others, do not return evil for evil, serve the Lord. One after another, these statements reveal God’s love in action, and that is the love we as Christians are to express in our lives. May God’s genuine and authentic love be present in our words and actions. God bless your week! Diane Cooke, Pastor, Presbyterian Churches, Willow Springs and Mtn. View. more

Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” more

Election week has come and gone, and for many, it was a tense few days. It’s a familiar scene, watching votes roll in and feeling either relief or frustration depending on the outcome. But as I’ve written before, this time of year is a good reminder of something important: We mustn’t confuse patriotism with holiness. The hope of Christians lies in Christ, not in any politician or party. more

One of my favorite authors, Pastor Charles Swindoll, turned ninety earlier this month. He has written over seventy books; I have read many of them. I also heard him speak more than forty years ago when I was a student at the Moody Bible Institute. He is one of the most gifted communicators I ever heard. God used Swindoll’s gifts as a skillful communicator and superb storyteller to help inspire and shape my style of speaking and writing. more