Opinion

In the Bible we find a book titled Colossians. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the local church at Colossae. The local church by definition is a group of baptized believers who are committed to God and to one another to regularly gather to take the Lord’s Supper, see others baptized, to pray, preach and sing God’s Word.

Fort Stockton sure put on an exciting Halloween. There were many trunk-n-treats, costume contest, pumpkins patches, and Halloween parties. The candy begins to mount up. You soon realize something has to be done with the mountain of candy. Even though it’s fun, it’s probably not the best idea to eat it all. So this year, after sorting through your favorites, why not find something else to do with the rest? Give my ideas a try.

Dear Neil: Do I need to worry about mistletoe? If so, how can I eliminate it? Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. That means that it draws life out of the branches of afflicted trees, and it’s definitely is a concern when you’re growing trees that are highly susceptible to it (cedar, elms, bois d’arc, oaks and pecans, among others).

The Permian Basin Water In Energy Conference will return Feb. 22-24, 2022. It promises another far-reaching and educational discussion of the role water plays in oil and gas production and the challenges associated with it. COVID-19 took away a year, but we are back and better than ever!

Despite the many blessings of living in America, why aren’t more Americans happy? According to World Population Review, the 2021 World Happiness Report ranks America as the 19th happiest out of 146 countries. The report bases happiness on six categories, including gross domestic product, social support, life expectancy, generosity, perceptions of each country’s corruption levels, and the freedom for citizens to make their own life choices.

Dear Neil: Someone crossed a beaver with a giraffe, and the offspring attacked my tree. What happened? What caused this, and what can I do? I love your description! Actually, however, it’s a twig girdler beetle.

Happiness, an emotion typical of the human, is quite a paradox. It is difficult to talk about the subject when today, happiness and joy are materialized. When happiness has more to do with property, vacations, cars, money, brands, business, fame, prosperity, pleasure, and not so much with the pure, the good, the honest, the innocent, the small, and the collective. And at the end of the day, joy and happiness are sold to us as something personal, individual, and private. But what does the Bible tell us about happiness and joy? What is it for? Is happiness a private matter or a collective matter?

It’s very easy these days to say that social media is toxic. People act in ways they’d never do in real life because it isn’t real life. They act like feral wolves because they can. The Twitter police don’t carry guns, and their badges are imaginary.

Major League Baseball’s odyssey toward the World Series began with two wild card games — the Boston Red Sox defeating the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fort Stockton Texas Red Ribbon Week raises awareness of drug use and the problems related to drugs facing various communities. It encourages parents, educators, business owners, and other community organizations to promote drug-free lifestyles.