Author: Jimi Witt

Up Beat

United Parish Newsletter
July 2020

AUTHORGreg KouklPUBLISHED ON06/07/2020
During these last couple of weeks, we have not weighed in on the conflict that’s seized our beloved country, and some have wondered about our silence. It’s not because we haven’t been thinking and praying hard on the issues. We have.
The present situation is somewhat of a Gordian knot—a tangle of evil events, emotions, and reactions—and Proverbs consistently counsels against haste in judgment and speaking out of turn. Up until now, I have chosen that road. It gives me an opportunity to listen, to reflect, to fact-check, to get wise counsel, and to carefully examine this social turmoil from a larger worldview perspective.
On a personal note, for years I have been grieving the heartbreaking rise of racial tensions in our communities. I was horrified when I learned of the terrible death of George Floyd and then horrified again by the destructive response that followed and the innocent people killed and lives ruined in its wake. And I am not alone; we all grieve together.
As a Christian thinker, I want to untie that knot, and I’m frustrated as an apologist that I don’t have the power to do so, to present a line of thinking that will remedy the problem and bring healing to all of us.
The biggest reason I can’t is that this isn’t just a “problem” to be solved by clever thinkers. Our communities will only ultimately be repaired as its individuals are spiritually reborn. This is a battle that requires a spiritual solution.
It’s a time to get on our knees and pray for the Lord’s intervention—for wisdom for our leaders, for truth to prevail, for hearts to be changed, for grace to be extended.
The government—as an extension of God’s justice—must be just. We, the people, also
have an obligation before God. We are not to return evil for evil, but rather to overcome evil with good.
Our responsibility as Christ’s ambassadors is clear: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). One friend pointed out that this process best proceeds in reverse: first, walk humbly, then be merciful, then—with those virtues informing our actions—do justice.
As an organization, we are going to stay on mission, training Christians to think clearly to defend the truth of classical Christianity and classical Christian values—which includes the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, regardless of race or political views. As an organization, we are going to fulfill our vision of providing confidence for every Christian, clear thinking for every challenge, and courage and grace for every encounter. It is what you have counted on us to provide for 27 years.
Some may think I have not said enough here and will want me to champion a particular political solution. I understand the impulse, but that is not Stand to Reason’s calling as an organization. It is not what God has gifted us best to do. We’re going to stick to the business God has given us to accomplish—teaching the truth of Christianity, including the truths of human dignity and equality, justice, and the peace that God’s grace can bring to our communities as we each consciously and deliberately live out our Christian virtues.
We just received a letter from a dear member of our STR community. She wrote, “Keep up the marvelous work you do for Christians, striving to share God’s Word.” No matter what happens in our culture at large, at Stand to Reason we are committed to keeping our hand to that plow, serving the kingdom, building ambassadors in knowledge, wisdom, and character.
.Hello!
My name is Erin, and I am the Family & Community Wellness Extension Agent for NDSU Extension – Bottineau County. I just wanted to share with our Bottineau-area faith groups that there is a newsletter developed specifically for faith communities available through NDSU! https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/faithcommunitiesalive. There is a lot of wonderful information available through Extension.https://www.facebook.com/fmfaithcommunitiesalive/
Best, Erin Caroline, MPH, RDN, LRD
Family & Community Wellness Agent
Bottineau County Extension
Courthouse, 314 W. 5th Street, Suite #3
Bottineau, ND 58318-1272
Tel: (701) 228-2253; (701) 228-2176 erin.caroline.2@ndsu.edu

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1 – Braden Pewe
3 – John Patterson
3 – Travis Wettlaufer
14 – Ken Mund
22 - Kristen Allard
23-Dawson Glinz
27 – Nolan Pewe
30 – Jacob Sand
30 – Marlyss Jostad
Anniversaries
9 – Les & Dawn Patterson
9 – David & Donna Reinholz
22-Ralph & Luella Bjornseth
25 – Daryll & Brenda Gardner

Kids Say the Funniest Things
01. A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible -- Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Bobby was excited about the task, but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Bobby was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd . . . and that's all I need to know!" 02. When a mother saw a thunderstorm forming in mid-afternoon, she worried about her seven-year-old daughter who would be walking the three blocks from school to home. Deciding to meet her, the mother saw her daughter walking nonchalantly along, stopping to smile whenever lightning flashed. Seeing her mother, the little girl ran to her, explaining happily, "All the way home, God's been taking my picture!" 03. A mother took her three-year-old daughter to church for the first time. The church lights were lowered, and then the choir came down the aisle, carrying lighted candles. All was quiet until the little one started to sing in a loud voice, "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...." 04. A little boy walked down the beach, and as he did, he spied a matronly woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her and asked, "Are you a Christian?" "Yes." "Do you read your Bible every day?" She nodded her head, "Yes." "Do you pray often?" the boy asked next, and again she answered, "Yes." With that he asked his final question. "Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?" 05. One day a space shuttle crashed to the ground in the yard of a preschool. When he finally struggled out of the wreckage, the astronaut shouted, "I'm free! I'm free!!!" At this point, one of the little children standing there shouted back, "Big deal, I'm four!" 06. A Sunday School teacher asked her class, "Does anyone here know what we mean by sins of omission?" A small girl replied: "Aren't those the sins we should have committed, but didn't?" 07. A bright 8-year-old child was being tested by the Speech Teacher and was given analogies and asked to describe the following differences: Speech Teacher: "What's the difference between an oak tree and a Christmas tree?" Child: "One has leaves and the other has needles." Teacher: "Very good! What's the difference between a saucer and a plate?" Child: "One files and the other doesn't."

United Parish
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Box 175
Bottineau, ND 58318
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08. A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?" 09. Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers." 10. Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness and today is the happiest day of her life," her mother tried to explain, keeping it simple. The child thought about this for a moment, then said, "So, why's the groom wearing black?" 11. On the first day of school, the Kindergarten teacher said, "If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers." A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that help?" 12. A three-year-old put his shoes on by himself. His mother noticed the left was on the right foot. She said, "Son, your shoes are on the wrong feet." He looked up at her with a raised brow and said, "Don't kid me, Mom. I KNOW they're my feet." 13. A three-year-old boy went with his dad to see a litter of kittens. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother, "There were two boy kittens and two girl kittens." "How did you know?" his mother asked. "Daddy picked them up and looked underneath," he replied. "I think it's printed on the bottom."