Maturity, by definition, is “a very developed or advanced form or state.” What would that definition look like if you were talking about spiritual maturity? In our continued look at Growing in Grace and Knowledge, Pastor Matt had us consider spiritual maturity by first looking at what spiritual maturity is NOT. The scripture he focused on was 1 John 2.

TRUE WORSHIP. It's one thing to read your Bible; it's another thing to possess such awe and respect for God and His Word that it causes us to tremble. Isaiah 66:1-2 says, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles atMyword.''It'sonething to offer up to God lip service and to go through the motions of worshiping Him; it's quite another thing to serve and worship Him from the heart. Jesus told the Pharisees, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me'' (Mark 7:6). It's one thing to sit in silence; it's another thing to implement Psalm 46:10, which exhorts us, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' It's one thing to plop down in our favorite pew; it's another thing to sit reverently at the feet of Jesus. After Jesus healed the demon-possessed man, people 'went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind' (Luke 10:39). It's one thing to hear God's Word; it's quite another thing to heed God's Word and obediently do what it says. 'But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves' (James 1:22). It's one thing to join in singing the Doxology; it's another thing to desire nothing but God's glory as Paul wrote, 'Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Romans 15:6).

MEMBERS OF THE USD NO. 271 BOARD OF EDUCATION

The first sentence of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life is this: “It’s not about you!” If we are honest with ourselves, coming to this realization can be difficult but, at the same time, life-changing.

TRUTH. Imagine your doctor telling you, 'I've got bad and good news. The bad news is you're obese, on the verge of being diabetic, and have coronary heart disease. The good news is that I can help you make changes and get healthy.' How would you respond? Would you ask your doctor any questions? For example, would you ask them, 'Why are you so judgmental?' Or how about, 'What gives you the right to be so hateful and biased and critical?' Or would you say, 'Well, you're not perfect either because you're overweight, too, so just stop judging me and take care of your own problems.' The reality is that most people already know the truth. And they've accepted their condition and don't want to hear others tell them the truth. However, doctors tell their patients the truth as an act of love. The same thing is true in the spiritual realm. Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes, 'Those who well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance' (Mark 2:17). Jesus was telling the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes that they were morbidly sick spiritually. As the Great Physician, He spoke the spiritual truth to those who needed to repent their sin. They knew in their hearts that they were spiritually sick, but they didn't want to be confronted with the truth. We live at a time when sin abounds, when people are bold in their sin when people are trying to normalize their sin within our society, and when people are lying to themselves and expecting others to confirm them in their lies. The bad news is that they're spiritually sick. The good news is that Jesus can heal and deliver them from sin. As Christians, we must love people enough to speak the truth in love, to accept being attacked, and to point people to the Great Physician. God, give us the grace to love and talk about truth as Jesus did!

Fort Hays State is pleased to announce the renewal of funding for the NW Kansas Live and Learn Scholarship for the upcoming year. The university has received another year’s commitment from the Dane G.

Soil Conservation is a combination of practices used to protect the soil from degradation. First and foremost, soil conservation involves treating the soil as a living ecosystem. This means returning organic matter to the soil on a continual basis.

1. To maintain an adequate amount of organic matter and biological life in the soil.

During the 1930's, the Dust Bowl made the need to conserve natural resources, particularly soil, very clear. Agencies ranging from Land Grant Universities to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration researched and implemented conservation practices throughout the nation. Eventually the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was created under the Soil Conservation Act of 1935, to develop and implement soil erosion control programs. It was soon evident that local leadership was needed to encourage local participation and coordinate efforts of conservation agencies. As a consequence, the U.S. Congress developed a model Conservation District Law, for consideration by state governments.

The Stockton City Swimming Pool one-cent sales tax began on January 1st, 2017, with the new pool opening that summer on Tuesday, July 25th. It was anticipated at the time that the generated one-cent tax increase would be between $13,500.00 to $14,500.00 a month, and would more than cover the bond payments for the pool. Since then, the monthly sales tax has been more than sufficient to cover the payments, with the extra funds set aside at this time in a special pool fund.