When we read Nehemiah 4:14b again, to “fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses”, we of course know this is about spiritual warfare – Ephesians chapter 6 is clear about that: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: La libertad es un anhelo permanente en el corazón de pueblos y naciones, y Dios en su infinita bondad quiere que vivamos libres sin hábitos destructivos o costumbres que dañen el cuerpo o la mente.

Sometimes life is so difficult that we can barely keep it together. All of us have faced serious trials and for those who are Christians, we have appreciated the comfort and peace of God’s presence.

It would be very easy for people to ignore tragedy around the world as long as it is not pertaining to you or me. However, for those of us in Christ that is something we should speak to God about if it does not grieve our spirits when so many people die or are going through great hardships. …

Fans of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are the newest target of a scam on Facebook that cons people out of money and personal information. The Rock himself has posted a video on social media warning fans to be vigilant and not engage with the people behind this scam.

Here’s another reason to love October. The Andale Del Rio Family Health Event is celebrating 20 years this October because it’s been “Rockin’ Family Health Since 1997.” Well, technically, this is actually the Community Health Improvement Coalition’s 21st Andale Del Rio after 20 full years of promoting health and fitness for our community and families. That’s a whole generation!

C.S. Lewis wrote about distractions during prayer in his book The Screwtape Letters. “When our minds wander, we tend to use willpower to steer ourselves back to our original prayer. But it is better to accept the distraction as our present problem, and lay that before God and make it the main theme of our prayers. God wants us to be real as we talk with Him and open up about our deepest concerns, fears and struggles, and He is not surprised by anything we mention.”

Years ago, I was invited to help start a Bible study at a large industrial plant. Several people wanted to meet during their lunch break and study the Bible.

I am a math professor at Rio Grande College. I came to work here when I received my doctorate in 2009. I sought out this job. I grew up in southwest Texas. I’m proud to give back. I’m proud to work among people who have devoted their careers to helping our communities improve.

As a parent you are your child’s first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their children’s schools, the children do better and have better feelings about going to school. In fact, many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child’s school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have. There are many ways that parents can support their children’s learning at home and throughout the school year. Here are some ideas to get you started:

I love the month of October. The weather begins to moderate, there are lots of things to do in Del Rio, and it’s my birthday month (yikes, 65 this year!). It’s also the month that this column began back in 2009. Here is an edited version of my very first column.

Have you noticed lately that conflict and disagreement are more abundant than unity? Though the average person would give peace as the answer to what they would like to have more of, we are bombarded with an environment that is filled with arguing, strife, and criticism.

Normally she does not have them, but lately she has been rolling and scratching especially at night because she has gotten fleas. Anyway, I love that little dog and she goes with me a lot and I have even made her a little bed in my pickup from one of my old jackets.

When one’s conscious is becoming seared with a hot iron, then one’s ability to accept the leading of the Spirit of God dwindles. Instead of feeling the loving conviction to turn back to God one becomes deaf to the voice of the Spirit to turn. One has to be so very careful not to allow yourself to remain there.

If you noticed that I made a mathematical mistake in my last article, then I am thankful – because it means that you really read it! God is definitely the best mathematician around, and He showed me that January is NOT 6 months before the Feast of Tabernacles (Sept./Oct.), but April is! So I owe an apology about this.

You’ve been to the doctor and had your blood tested. Your A1C number came back somewhere between 5.7 and 6.4. Hmmmm … you could be classified as pre-diabetic with blood glucose levels that high. But whew! You heave a sigh of relief because you were worried. After all, you are overweight, like your sugary drinks, and have diabetic relatives. But you’re not there yet. You’re not diabetic – yet. Do you even need to care?

Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” (Matthew 24:42-51)

The Hebrew history and language is amazingly deep! There are so many beautiful jewels from Heaven in it, and so many prophecies about our Lord Jesus – many are fulfilled already, how He would be born of a woman (Gen. 3:15), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), of a virgin (Isa.7:14). How He would come from the line of Abraham (Gen.12:3 and 22:18).

Walking circumspectly and soberly before God is wise! Redeeming the times for they are evil. With full assurance of faith we stand in Christ alone! Dare we try to stand on another foundation or go another way than through Christ and His shed blood for our sins. How many now desire to repent as they scream loudly for mercy which shall not be found once in the abyss?

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy. Un dicho popular dice: “Dios nada vende, todo lo da” y esto es verdad, porque Dios entregó a su hijo a morir en la cruz sólo porque te ama.

As much as we would like to avoid worry and anxiety, these feelings are just a normal part of our natural emotions. When I say “normal” I’m referring to the everyday aggravations and frustrations that are a part of this journey.

The 4th of July 1776 was on the Hebrew calendar the 17th of Tammuz. That day is remembered when Moses broke the tablets, The Temple service was disrupted by Babylonian siege, the Jerusalem walls were breached by the Romans, and King Menashe placed an idol in the temple.

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy. En la vida diaria se presentan problemas de diferentes clases y de manera natural buscamos opciones para solucionarlos, aceptamos consejos, escuchamos sugerencias, usamos hasta el dinero ahorrado.

I called and they said come by and spend the night (his wife is a real good cook). I arrived just in time for dinner. After dinner we sat around and visited but as the evening wore on I realized something was wrong.

While consumers may write fewer checks in this era of digital wallets and debit cards, fake check scams are on the rise. That’s according to a new, in-depth study by Better Business Bureau.

Walking circumspectly and soberly before God is wise! Redeeming the times for they are evil. With full assurance of faith we stand in Christ alone! Dare we try to stand on another foundation or go another way than through Christ and His shed blood for our sins. How many now desire to repent as they scream loudly for mercy which shall not be found once in the abyss?

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: Platicando con un amigo, me contaba que por manejar a exceso de velocidad el policía le dio una infracción y ahora él debe pagar la multa.

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened” – Winston Churchill.

John Sidney McCain was born August 29, 1936 and died August 25, 2018. He served as a Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War and was shot down shot down October 1967 on his 23rd bombing mission on a raid over Hanoi.

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: Hace unos días manejando por una ciudad de México la calle llegó a una rotonda, en el centro de la misma estaba la estatua del Benemérito de las Américas y entonces la calle entró a ese círculo lleno de tráfico que te comunica como a seis diferentes destinos, y si no te fijas puedes quedar atrapado en la rotonda y dar varias vueltas o salir por el camino equivocado.

Congress passed the anti-trafficking bill (SESTA – Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act) recently, and it seems President Trump signed it into the law of the land and forced Backpage.com to shut down with top officials arrested.

There is a lot of joining with other faiths to pray and to fellowship together these days. Those doing so do so with well-meaning but the truth is there is only one God, one Father, and one Lord of all, and we must pray through our Mediator of the New Covenant by the blood of Jesus.

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: En la vida real se presentan problemas y retos a vencer que en ocasiones nos llenan de preocupación, y cuando estos son graves nos llevan al stress y a la amargura.

The small building was on the main street and had been abandoned for years. One day as I passed by I noticed an old man painting the building. Later on it had windows, a door and a sign that said, “Donut Shop.”

Here are some thoughts for finding and experiencing joy in your life. There’s a distinct difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is fleeting and is based on circumstances that are pleasing, when all is well. Joy is a fruit of the spirit and requires a deliberate decision to be joyful in the midst of fiery trails. This doesn’t mean that you ignore that the problem exists, being joyful is an inner strength which gives you the ability to deal with and go through trails.

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: En la vida se presentan problemas que rebasan nuestra previsión y nuestras estrategias, y por momentos no encontramos la manera de salir adelante.

Last week I was standing in a checkout line of a major grocery store when I happened to notice a number of different magazines. As I stood there looking at the different covers I noticed several topics or recurring themes.

Can we measure someone’s love by their cheerful heart of giving to those in need? Indeed, sometimes our love for others can be tested in our willingness to esteem other’s needs above our own. If there are larger needs presented before us does it become even harder to do what the Lord possibly is showing us He wants us to do? It is an issue sometimes. I am not talking about people on the streets as much as the brethren in Christ. Jesus specified that if one of our brothers or sisters in Him have a need and we have the ability to help but we just walk by again and again then there is an issue.

That would actually be a good idea for most families … yet, the good Lord tells us “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

A friend of mine whose backyard lies adjacent to the walking track on Fox Drive maintains a shallow water trough in his backyard that is an appealing attraction to all the neighborhood birds throughout Del Rio’s long, hot summer.

You saw it reported in the Del Rio News-Herald on August 7. The San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District will be getting $600,000 less to spend this coming year than planned. That means it is time to tighten the belt, right? Make sure the priorities are covered, right?

“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,” quoted by Stephen Covey in his book, 7 Habits of Successful People. This quote speaks well about how thinking directs and determines the successes and failures in our lives. Take a moment and reflect. Have you ever thought of something happening, good or bad, and BOOM it happened!? You may be inclined to say that the resulting action was a coincidence, but in reality; the seed of a thought cultivates subsequent actions.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

God is the author of marriage.

We read in Genesis Chapter 1, verse 27, first story of creation, “God created man in His image, in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them.”

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile (destroy) the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1st Cor.3:16-19).

Les saludo con gusto Pueblo, y como siempre pasemos al comentario de hoy: Hay ocasiones que la forma de vivir parece natural, donde el sufrimiento y la amargura dominan, pero déjame decirte que en Cristo esto no es natural.