Phone: 785-994-6370 (home) or 785-476-5206 (cell) Life has improved out here in the country in the last several weeks, including my mood. We can shed some of the winter layers of clothing and mud boots for a while.

One of our purposes as a Christian church is to 'restore the essentials of the primitive, apostolic church, and with them, engage in the common task of extending the kingdom of God.' We took a deeper look at that purpose this week in our continuing study of church by-laws.

PARADOXES. There are quite a few of them in God's Word. A paradox is something that seems to be a contradiction, yet when understood correctly, it is actually true. One of the most obvious is God Himself. In Mark 12:29, we read, 'And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.' God is one, yet God is three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (e.g., Matt. 28:19). It's true, yet impossible to fully grasp. In his God-given wisdom, Solomon states in Proverbs 11:24, 'There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more.' How can you give away and yet have more? That's a paradox.

Madison Horn of Stockton is among the 3,686 students who were on the WSU Dean’s Honor Roll for fall 2023. To be included on the dean's honor roll, a student must be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours) and earn at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale..

At the February Stockton Area Chamber of Commerce meeting held at The Daily Grind on Monday, February 5th, the Chamber unveiled its new logo, with the winning logo submitted by Julie Glendening. The new logo has two heads of gold wheat on both sides of the blue writing of Stockton Area Chamber of Commerce, with the motto “Cultivating Community” also incorporated into the sign.

First Christian Church was honored to have the Director of Lakeview Christian Camp, Luke VanSkike, visit our congregation on Sunday to update us on the camp goals and activities. Luke, a Norton native, has been Camp Director for the last year. FCC has been an active supporter of the camp for many years.

STUFF. Benjamin Franklin must have been quite an interesting guy. He's a well-known wise guy due to having made many sage statements throughout his life. One of those statements is, 'Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that's the Stuff Life is made of.' Squander means 'to waste in a reckless and foolish manner.' Most Christians would profit by heeding Franklin's adage. Consider two biblical observations about life. Life is short. It was suffering Job who wrote, 'My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle' (Job 7:6). He also wrote, 'Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey' (Job 9:25-26).

(The following article is taken from the unapproved minutes of the January 8th meeting.) The Council of the City of Woodston met via teleconference on January 8th, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. due to bad weather.

The family of Ken and Ruth Roy request a Card Shower to help them celebrate their 90th birthdays. Ruth turned 90 years young on February 6th, and Ken will reach the milestone on February 23rd.