Welcome Readers! Stay tuned for my official launch of this website.
This Fall, I’m excited to share that my two inspirational books will be featured in Christianity Today as part of their seasonal campaign. May these messages of hope and faith encourage you in your walk with Christ.
Death is Not the Final Answer: ...
but wait, there's more!
By: Pastor Barry L Nehls
Death and dying, what could be a more interesting and frightening topic? Statistics show that over one hundred die worldwide every minute! Death and violence of every kind flood our theater screens. Interactive video games depicting the gruesome violence of war are now at the fingertips of our children. Major cities across America record shootings and deaths nightly.
For most people, the very thought of their impending death causes panic and anxiety. Perhaps it is the fear of the unknown. Since the beginning of time, man has pondered the question, “Is there life after death?”
What if you could know precisely, definitively, and exactly what happens after death? Could this calm your fears?
This book will guide you through the Scriptures to show you without question that death is not the final answer. Much like the television infomercial, this book will tell you—but wait, there’s more!
It is my prayer that this book, along with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will break the bondage of fear over your death and the death of your loved ones. For those who have gone on before you, perhaps this book will give you the needed assurance to find peace and comfort at their loss.
May this book challenge you to set aside your fear and push forward to know that Jesus Christ once and for all defeated hell, death, and the grave. It is the best news you will read today—or ever!
Crucify That Thing Before It Kills You
By: Pastor Barry L Nehls
Jesus clarified the requirements of every believer. He simply said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). Sounds simple enough…until you begin to break it down.
In today’s affluent society, most are not accustomed to denying themselves anything, even if they don’t have the means to pay for it. Personal responsibility is at an all-time low. When tragedy strikes, we look for someone or something to blame. Certainly not my fault.
Jesus requires us to take up a cross. Well, that’s easy enough…gold, silver, or platinum? But don’t forget the cross is not jewelry to be worn; on the contrary, it is an instrument of death. Our death.
Have an addiction that you are struggling with? Perhaps you have concluded that God made you to live as a homosexual. God’s fault there. And that alcohol or drug addiction, well, it’s a disease. Not my fault there either.
So open the pages and take a look. Dare you. The hard truth for all is that the Bible, God’s Word, is a mirror. You and I must see ourselves, in light of His Scriptures, as He sees us. But read on. The Bible contains all the power and tools you and I need to obey Jesus’ command. So take up your cross and follow Him!
The Myth Of Spiritual Death
By: Pastor Barry L Nehls
Webster’s dictionary defines myth as “a thing having only an unverifiable or imaginary existence.” How fitting, then, to refer to this widely accepted concept of spiritual death as a myth. Over thirty years ago, I came to a place of understanding where the concept seemed to fit the events of the Garden of Eden. Admittedly, I never really challenged the teaching. Today, most Christian believers have accepted spiritual death as the fulfillment of God’s warning to Adam and Eve: “For in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
And if spiritual death is a reality, then the requirements that Jesus told Nicodemus to be “born again to see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) seem to fit as well. Man has spiritually died and now needs to be born again of the spirit. With our limited intellect, we simply love to have everything figured out, boxed up, and placed on the shelf.
For the believer, as you spend time in the Word of God, you soon realize that much is unclear and most is left to faith. Thankfully, there are times when the person of the Holy Spirit speaks a nugget of truth into our spirits and a clearer revelation bursts forth.
Perhaps you will find nothing new in this discourse; perhaps it will shake up your theology just a bit. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will illuminate your spirit to the truth of what was really lost in the garden transgressions and what Jesus Christ requires of each of His disciples. Secondly, that you will discover God’s intentions for the marriage relationship. And finally, stir your spirit to more diligently and prayerfully study your Bible, like the Bereans found in the book of Acts, and “search the Scriptures daily whether those things be so” (Acts 17:11 KJV).
The Blindfolded Church
By: Pastor Barry L Nehls
Explore a collection of uplifting stories and reflections from the West Bend Journal, written to inspire faith and everyday living.
A Little Respect
February 2024 A Little Respect
To say this nation is in crisis is probably the most understated comment of the decade. The division, the violence, along with the mean-spirited messaging on social media have all continued to fire the chaos of our day. Many will point to the pandemic, a virus that totally transformed life in America, as the cause of the crisis. I believe it is something far deeper.
When I lived in England in the 1980’s, I became close friends with the Honorable David Lightbown, a Conservative member of the House of Commons. We shared many a meal together, often at Parliament. I remember one specific time with David when there was a processional making its way from the chambers of the House of Commons to the House of Lords. The procession was led by the Speaker of the Parliament arrayed in ornamental robes, gold royal scepter in hand. David and I stood against the wall of the wide hallway, and as they passed by, David bowed in reverence. The British are big on pomp and circumstance, but I could not help but ask David about his actions. I will never forget his response. “I pay respect to the office, not necessarily the person,” he said.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T was a very popular song recorded by the great Aretha Franklin in 1967. All I want is a little respect the song refrained. For all the social and political issues facing America today, this land I so love, I believe one of the major root causes for division and chaos is a lack of respect.
Growing up in a small Midwest town in the 1950’s and 1960’s, my parents taught us respect. It started with a respect for “our elders”. Grandparents were cherished and respected. Today they are shuffled off to care facilities to live out their lives in abject loneliness. Next, we were to respect our teachers, the principal, our coaches, including our bus drivers, the cafeteria cooks, and the janitors that cleaned our messes. If I misbehaved at school and was in trouble there, I was in even more trouble when I came home. Too often today students disrespect their teachers, and the parents condone their actions and challenge the authority of the school.
My father was a working man, operating a sawmill in our small town. He taught me to respect professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and ministers. In fact, he encouraged me to aspire to their achievements and insisted I complete a college degree in lieu of the physical labor of that mill. In todays’ society lawyers are the brunt of the latest joke. Ministers are ridiculed and projected as weak hypocrites, all lumped together with the few charlatans that seek only to enrich their fortunes by preying on their flocks.
I was taught to respect and hold the U.S. flag dear, not burn or desecrate it. I was taught to have respect for the men and women of our military that proudly wear the uniform. It is respect for the uniform, for those that died wearing it for our freedoms. It is the soldier who understands the importance of respect and the chain of command in carrying out his duty and mission. In addition, my father taught me to respect law enforcement, to respect the men in blue. Such respect included saying “yes sir” and “no sir” when stopped and questioned for any reason by an officer of the law. We have all seen the disrespect of police officers in the streets of most major cities in America. And while there may be bad police officers, it is generally the resisting and disrespecting of the orders of police officers that has led to deadly violence.
This is a presidential election year, and already the vitriol mudslinging has started. It has become nearly unbearable to listen to the news channels with the slander, hatred, and ugly statements made concerning politicians and those sent to represent citizens in the halls of Congress. Worse still has been the lack of respect for the highest office in our land, the presidency and those seeking to occupy the White House.
You can be in total disagreement with the person holding that title, but like my British Parliamentary friend, we are to show respect for the office. After all, we are all Americans, blessed to live in the greatest, most highly favored nation on the earth. Where has the respect gone? What are we to do?
Moving to West Bend last summer was a bit like stepping back in time. There, Sue and I have seen the kind of respect we were both taught growing up. Respect and assistance for the elderly woman struggling through the door at Kampen’s with multiple bags of groceries. I’ve seen respectful students at the school for their teachers, coaches, and staff. Both baseball and football games begin with a standing for the National Anthem, and following the game, the contestants pass single file in a show of respect and sportsmanship.
Respect is both taught and earned. I believe it falls to us, the older generation, to show respect to others, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, etc. As we do this, our children and grandchildren will have instilled in them the same values of respect that makes living in a small town like West Bend a real blessing.
By Barry Nehls
A New Master
A New Master
All of us have a new master. He does not have a name, but he commands our attention nearly every waking moment of the day. When we hear him call, we come running. If we miss his call, we panic, and make every effort to retrieve his message before it is lost. Unfortunately, we invite him everywhere we go. He has a place at the dinner table, sits with us on the airplane, and often accompanies us to the bathroom. You all know who I mean: the cell phone!
In just a few short decades, the cell phone has become the most common companion of our daily lives. Convenient? Absolutely! But perhaps we need to step back from this technological wonder and reclaim our lives, at least the better part of them. Where are the quiet evening meals with family where each member has the opportunity to discuss the activities of their day?
As a small boy, I remember playing a fun game when traveling on a long trip. From the backseat of the car, we would take turns spotting the license plates of passing cars. We would each take a state other than Ohio, our home. The winners would have the seat next to the backseat doors for the next leg of the journey; the loser got the hump. There was also the occasional singing in the car with the family. Windows down, breeze wafting through our hair, with a simple joy of the moment.
Today the vehicle moves forward silently down the road. Each person except the driver has their nose buried in the latest social app or game. Conversation is boorish. We text friends and other family members relaying details of our trip. At times, if we stop for an unusual or special meal, we photograph the plate and send it out to our social network. Look at what I had for lunch…
For those of us growing up in the 60’s, who can forget The Jetsons. It was the first program ever to be broadcast in color on ABC-TV, originally airing on prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963. In addition to the flying vehicles, space age sky pad housing, the coolest device was the Jetson’s video phones. I can remember my mother not believing there would ever be such devices, but also not in favor of such unwanted intrusion into the privacy of her home. Before she passed away over twenty years ago, I was able to set up a computer-to-computer video call that she thought was pretty cool. Today a video call is commonplace along with Zoom meetings and video conferencing. Some of these tools, such as Skype and other video call software, have been a real blessing to missionaries and military personnel for staying in touch with loved ones.
Currently there are nearly 15 billion mobile devices in use worldwide. That is a lot of conversations. But wait…it is not just the conversations it is the untold number of applications (apps) that one can have on his cell phone to enhance life. Games, word puzzles, Saduko, videos, and movies have become a fertile advertising ground for suppliers and vendors. The designers have your phone popping up all sorts of items for purchase as well as the latest games and YouTube videos. The goal is to keep your attention and focus on the phone. Clever algorithms track your buying habits and even wish lists.
There has been a serious spike in automobile accidents due to texting or talking while driving. In 2020, 3,142 people died in collisions involving distracted driving. The national insurance institute estimates that approximately 1.6 million crashes happen each year because of someone using a phone while driving. We simply must stay connected!
I must admit that my cell phone is something that I simply cannot leave home without. Ever arrive at the store and realize you don’t have your cell phone? You are suddenly “out of touch”. You may even tend to panic like a small child that loses his blanket.
Cell phones are a great tool and when properly used can provide directions, keep us in touch with distant family members and friends, and assist the scheduling of our daily lives. However, I want to challenge each of us to become more disciplined in their use. When dining out with family and friends, leave it in the car. Engage in meaningful conversation at the meal. The same for any public gathering such as in church or at a theatre. And finally parents, hold off supplying a cell phone to your child until they are old enough to use it responsibly. Then consider placing time limits on their use. I know many schools wisely insist the students keep their phones in their lockers during class time. Let us take our lives back from this new master.
All In Good Time
West Bend Journal
March 2024
All In Good Time
How does one begin to define the concept of time? Even more difficult to comprehend are concepts such as eternity or timelessness. While I will perhaps explore these additional concepts later, let’s explore some ideas of time itself.
The Biblical discussion in the Book of Genesis says that God created light and called the light “day” and the darkness “night”. It is a simple explanation of the first “day”. The sun of our solar system is a big part of our experiencing time. On March 10, 2024, we will move our clocks forward by one hour, the common practice of changing over to daylight savings time. I’m not quite sure how time is “saved”. In fact, our televisions are constantly bombarding us with “time saving” devices…with all that time “saved”, we should each realize much longer lives…or not.
The sun is a star located at the center of our solar system. It is a near perfect sphere of hot plasma and contains 99.86% of the mass of our solar system, with a radius of 432,288 miles. It is located approximately 92.96 million miles from the earth, and light from the sun takes approximately eight minutes to reach us. The surface temperature is approximately 5,500 degrees Celsius, and the core temperature can be as high as 15 million degrees Celsius. It is so large that over one-million earths could fit inside the sun!
We organize our days around the rising and setting of the sun. Like the earth, the sun is in motion, traveling at the rate of 2200 kilometers per second (nearly 5 million miles per hour), requiring approximately 225-250 million years to complete an orbit of the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Because the earth travels on an elliptical orbit around the sun, the distance between the two bodies varies from 147 to 152 million kilometers, dividing our time by the seasons. Scientists have estimated the sun contains sufficient hydrogen to continue burning for 5 billion years. Well that’s a relief: won’t be shutting down any time soon!
And finally, here are some statistics that simply boggle the mind. There is something like 300 billion stars in the Milky Way, with an estimated 30 billion planets in our galaxy alone. In the observable universe, there are over 100 billion galaxies which translates to something like ten to the twenty first power (that’s 1 then 21 zeros) additional planets.
Back to the concept of time. The earth’s rotation establishes our 24-hour day. We are all driven by time. Most wear watches, although I must admit that since retiring, I don’t seem to find the need to wear a watch nearly as pressing, especially with a cell phone nearby. We schedule everything around time, when we arise in the morning, set appointments throughout the day, hopefully book a tee time at the West Bend Country Club, and generally head off to bed at a set time. As they say, “creatures of habit.”
In the workplace, we spend up to forty hours for a “normal” work week; any additional work is referred to as “overtime”. During the Olympic games, athletes compete in numerous events, with the best time posted taking home the gold metal. Time, time, time. We’re all “on the clock” each day.
When my wife and I were blessed to retire several years ago now, we did so realizing that there are two items that are critical to an enjoyable retirement. You might think that one of these is money, but it is not. No, the two commodities are time and health. Good health is not easily returned if lost, and it is certain that none of us can do anything to garnish more time (in spite all the time saving gadgets). And money cannot purchase either of these precious commodities.
With the dawning of each day brings the hope and joy of another day of life. One of my wife Sue’s favorite songs is “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. While not the greatest vocal performance ever recorded, the lyrics embody the joy of life itself. Living in West Bend during the sunny days of late spring and summer is certainly a joy indeed! Time…as “snowbirds” we look forward to spending our time in West Bend watching the various athletic activities, cheering on the Wolverines, and spending quality time in a great community with family and all our new friends!
Always Thankful
Always Thankful
By nearly every measure this nation is divided as never before. In a politically charged year of another presidential election, people on both sides of the political divide are dug in. Free speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution is under assault. Terms like “misinformation” and “dis-information” are used as masks to discredit conversations that don’t fit with the political narrative of one side or the other. There seems to be no middle or common ground.
When normally you would witness multiple yard signs throughout communities as candidates seek the highest office in the land, today you see very few. Most people are silent about their political beliefs for fear of rejection or confrontation by friends, family, and neighbors. To be honest, I would wear my MAGA hat more often if it would generate honest and civil conversation. Instead, it remains on the coat hook for fear of becoming an offense.
Growing up in the 1960’s we all looked forward to hearing the nightly news from CBS anchor Walter Cronkite or Chet Huntley and David Brinkley of NBC. The thirty-minute broadcast contained all the news of the day presented in factual tones without drama or opinion. I remember in 1980 when CNN was launched by Ted Turner, the world’s first live, 24-hour global news network. When my father first heard of it, he commented, “how can they talk about the news around the clock?”
I met Walter Cronkite and his wife one day along a sidewalk in downtown London. They had been shopping as Mrs. Cronkite had a bag or two at her side. We were just window shopping and a bit awestruck to see them.
Walter Cronkite was a different kind of journalist. He went ashore on D-day, parachuted with the 101st Airborne, flew bombing missions over Germany, and covered the Nurenburg trials following the war. He joined CBS in 1950 as its Washington affiliate. At the end of each newscast, he concluded with his trademark statement: “And that’s the way it is, for this Friday, March 6, 1981” (date of his last broadcast).
Today we seem not to have news programs but “opinion” programs. It is no longer a reporting of the actual news events of the day, but guest after guest is called upon to render their opinion on topics from abortion to political polling. I’m not certain, but I don’t think Walter Cronkite ever started any news item with the words, “well I think…”
The two most inflammatory topics to discuss at your Thanksgiving dinner table, as always, would be religion and politics. When friends express views on either of these topics, perhaps differing from mine, I avoid engaging in any meaningful conversation for risk of an offense. Seems sad.
I’ve had Facebook friends that were high school classmates “de-friend” me because on occasion I would challenge their posts. Even cousins and relatives that I grew up with have taken strong positions that I honestly find difficult to understand. No longer can you agree to disagree; better to just not say anything. I believe such visceral has given rise to an even larger silent majority.
The unfortunate result of elections is that you always have winners and losers. In the four different church congregations where I served as pastor over the years, one of my cardinal rules was a prohibition on voting. Finding consensus, coming to the place of agreement builds strong congregations and results in sound decision making. Too bad our partisan U.S. Congress can’t find more consensus and agreement in lieu of maintaining deadlock.
So, what discussions can we have at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year? I would like to suggest that each person invited to the meal be prepared to share items for which they are grateful. By the time the Thanksgiving meal hits the table, the presidential election will be over. That’s something right there to be thankful for, regardless of the outcome. As Sue and I return to Florida, we are grateful for all the new friends we have made in West Bend, and for the way they have welcomed us into the community. Assisting with seventh and eighth grade baseball this summer, and most recently the fifth and sixth grade girls’ volleyball has been a real blessing.
I believe maintaining an attitude of gratitude and always being thankful is something we can all support! Almighty God has blessed this nation above all others. Be grateful for all we have: food, shelter, clothing, friends, family, health, and long life. Remember each day is a gift. Live it thankfully for every blessing both small and great that come your way. Happy Thanksgiving!
By Barry Nehls
Better Plan Ahead
Better Plan Ahead!
The famous saying, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. History records that Franklin wrote these words in a letter to the French scientist Jean-Baptiste LeRoy in 1789 just after the ratification of the United States Constitution. While it serves as a reminder to us of all of life’s unavoidable certainties, it seems Franklin was perhaps predicting the tax burden that he foresaw being placed on these new colonies.
It turns out that some taxes are avoidable, if you at least have a good tax accountant to find you the loopholes and deductions, all legal, mind you. There is also a great deal of rhetoric today about everyone paying their “fair share” but I’m not certain who decides what is fair. Sadly, because of the out-of-control spending of our government officials, the national debt is going to be a tax burden that will be passed down to our grandchildren and their children as well.
Enough about taxes. I want to focus the remainder of this article on death. I believe that death is even more certain than taxes. In fact, there is a 100% mortality rate for all of us. There is no escape. Every day on the morning news we see the soaring crime in America claiming the lives of young and old. Recently young, innocent girls have fallen victims to vicious deaths at the hands of illegal immigrants. That is perhaps the subject of a future article.
All of us at one time or another have been touched by the death of a loved one. For me, I’ve lost both parents, both brothers, and two daughters. My wife Sue has lost both parents and a brother-in-law. Each death reminds us of the brevity and frailty of life. As a pastor, I have conducted funeral services for ninety-five-year-olds and five-year-olds. I even conducted the funeral of my oldest daughter who died of fentanyl poisoning at the age of fifty-one two years ago.
It is in times like these that I fall back on my faith and the promises of the Bible. In Psalm 139 God declares that He writes each of our days in a book before we are born. Isn’t that amazing? Think of it: a divine plan that ensures that we each receive every day of life the Lord has planned specifically for us.
When a young person passes, especially one of our children, we can often become angry with God and feel that life is so unfair. For me, I find comfort, knowing that each person receives all their days of life according to the divine plan of God.
When it comes to taxes, most of us make plans to meet our obligations, especially the property tax bill that is due every year. There are organizations that advertise their ability to have a person’s tax liability greatly reduced with the IRS. Perhaps that works for some; honestly, it seems a bit unfair to all of us that pay our taxes as required.
But here is the critical question for you to ponder today: how are you planning for your death? I’m not talking about pre-planning your funeral as many do. Some prepay, even go so far as to leave instructions with their family members as to the flowers, music, and other details they wish for their funeral service. My twin brother did that last fall and left a request that I should present the eulogy. I was honored to do so.
Have you ever thought about the people that you would anticipate attending your funeral? Would they include siblings, children, coworkers, fellow church members, and neighbors? Ponder this for a moment. Are you building loving and kind relationships with these that you would have at your funeral? Do you walk in the Biblical admonition to love God and your neighbor as yourself?
And finally, I would be amiss if I didn’t challenge what you are planning for your life after death. Some believe that death is the final sleep with nothing to follow. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are confident that, as one of my books is entitled, “Death Is Not the Final Answer.”
Life is short, and time seems to gain speed the older we become. Better plan ahead; death will be here before you know it. And think about those that will be at your funeral. Reach out to them: love and appreciate each one every day. Tomorrow is promised to no one.
Cherish the Ones You Love
West Bend Journal
March 2025
Cherish the Ones You Love
Being from the Midwest, we called out daily meals as breakfast, dinner, and supper. Growing up those were special times that were as regimented in our home as if run by the military. Breakfast was a bit scattered as Dad always headed off early for the sawmill; and me and my two brothers wolfed down breakfast just before the morning school bus arrived.
In the summer I generally worked at the sawmill with Dad. At twelve o’clock sharp we shut down the mill and headed home, which was only a couple of miles away. We took one of the trucks home stopping to pull the mail from the mailbox which Dad would go through while I drove. Looking back I am still amazed that he had me driving the truck home and rarely glanced at the road ahead as he poured through the mail.
Mom always had the noon dinner ready when we arrived. It usually consisted of fried eggs, bacon, toast, and in the summer, fresh fruit. It was all very punctual. The three of us would talk a little about the day’s events to that point as we hungerly ate the meal. By 12:30 p.m. we headed back to the sawmill and resumed work promptly at 1:00 p.m.
The supper routine was very similar. At five o’clock the mill shut down. Each of us took turns at the air compressor blowing off the day’s sawdust and dirt. Soon we headed back home where once again Mom had the supper table loaded up with the evening meal. I don’t know if I ever really appreciated how she managed to feed Dad and us three hungry growing boys. I hope I did. Thinking back, she literally timed her entire day around the family schedule.
One summer afternoon I became busy with the next door neighbor boy as we were building a go-cart in his dad’s garage. Time slipped by and before I realized, it was a couple of hours past suppertime. I rushed home to find the kitchen clean, dishes washed, and all food put away. As I reached for the refrigerator door, Mom was there to inform me that her kitchen was closed, and I missed supper. Lesson learned: I was never late again!
Today with all the outside activities of our young people, it seems mealtimes are far less organized. Everyone grabs food on the run as we pass each other in the kitchen. Sadly, many meals are eaten staring at the television, or in today’s high tech society, everyone is engaged with their hand held device. I must admit I miss the regimentation of growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Now they are all gone. I can see in my memories my father sitting at the head of the table, my older brother at the other end, my mother across from my twin brother and me. I can hear the voices; I can smell the aroma of the supper meal. There was laughter, at times conflict, occasionally tears, but it was family. I never remember leaving those supper tables hungry. We were blessed.
How I would like to see them all again, to talk, to laugh, to hug close. Time has become a thief. I would therefore like to offer some simple advice: cherish the ones you love. As you pass one another after grabbing a quick bite from the refrigerator, stop to initiate a hug. Oh sure the kids will think it a bit corny, but trust me, as they walk away they will smile inside. It is so important that our children not only hear they are loved and appreciated but that they feel loved as well.
Whenever possible, gather your family around a supper table. Strengthen your family bonds through the breaking of bread together as a family. Take time to appreciate those the Lord has brought into your life. Make the moments last.
In 2008 Trace Adkins released a song entitled, “You’re Gonna Miss This,” a song written by Ashely Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller. In the three verses of the song, typical events are described, and though not immediately realized, these important moments of life will be missed. The song was a huge success as so many can relate to its message.
So live in the moment, cherish the ones you love each and every day. It is a key to living a life with no regrets.
Climate Change Really
Climate Change, Really? By Barry Nehls
The term “climate change” seems to be an oxymoron; climate defines the change in weather. To say “climate change” is to say the change in weather is changing, a seemingly contradictory combination of words. Be that as it may, the term seems to be the latest “buzz word” when it comes to forming governmental policies and the spending of our hard earned tax dollars.
Most recently climate change has replaced the concept of global warming, defined as the ongoing increase in global average temperature and its effects on the earth’s climate system. The term “global warming” was first used in print in a publication by oceanographer Wallace Broecker in August of 1975. During the 1970’s, he stood alone in his theories as most of the scientific community during the 1970’s was predicting the planet was heading for another ice age by the year 2000.
In 2008 some predicted that by 2040, most of the world’s population would be moving to places like Antarctica when temperatures made everywhere else too hot to live. They went on to predict that the melting ice caps would cause global flooding. Several politicians, realizing that “panic” sells, have made dire predictions, even going so far as to predict the end of civilization within just a few years. This, of course, unless we spend billions of tax dollars on alternate energy sources and eliminating fossil fuels.
In 1988 the U.S. congress received testimony that the earth would be warming 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit from the year 2025 to 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions were left unchecked. Now some thirty years since that prediction, global temperatures have only risen by one degree Fahrenheit, and sea levels are only up a few inches.
While I will admit I never read the 2006 book, An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, it turns out that nearly everything he predicted in that compilation of “facts” has not been true. There is still a significant snowpack on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. The prediction of more frequent and devastating hurricanes in Florda (where Sue and I summer) have not happened. Nevertheless, Gore’s book became a number one seller, and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Speaking of Florida hurricanes, since records from 1850, the deadliest was Hurricane Okeechobee in 1928 with landfall winds of 145 mph. The most intense was the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, with landfall winds measured at 185 mph. The costliest hurricane was Irma in 2017 due to where it made landfall. When comparing the number of major Florida hurricanes, categories three, four, and five, the most occurred between 1941 and 1950 at ten, in comparing the numbers since 2000, there were seven between 2001 and 2010, four between 2011 and 2020, and only two in this current decade.
The problem when it comes to global warming predictions is that we’ve heard so much nonsense over the past half-century that it is difficult to believe more of it. Perhaps it is somewhat like the story of the little boy crying wolf. So what does all this mean?
Most recently, the current federal administration seems to have launched an attack on fossil fuels, even making predictions to eliminate them. The facts are that the U.S. currently gets 81% of its total energy from oil, coal, and natural gas, i.e., fossil fuels. To even suggest eliminating them is total absurdity. By all statistics, the U.S. has the largest reserves of oil (40 billion barrels), coal, and natural gas in the world, which is why we were previously a net exporter of these fuels.
Inflation has affected every American household as costs have risen dramatically in the past four years. I submit it all began as the Keystone XL pipeline was shut down and world oil prices rose dramatically (from $50/barrel to current $80/barrel and higher) and we saw the immediate impact at the gas pump. Since goods and services travel, the increase in energy costs simply pushed the prices of everything higher. And they won’t be coming down. Ever. And remember, these moves were all made in response to the climate change crisis predictions.
I don’t believe that the scientific community has enough data to accurately predict the widely changing global weather trends. Perhaps the Old Farmer’s Almanac has a better track record, continually published since 1793 and the Farmer’s Almanac since 1818. What I do believe is that our Lord knew we would find and utilize these fossil fuels as a source of energy, and God is never taken by surprise by the circumstances of man.
In conclusion, a recent bumper sticker I saw seemed to have it right: “Definition of climate change: Weather.”
Community Christmas
Community Christmas
Community. What comes to mind when you hear the word? Most likely each of us has a different perception of the concept of community. I’ve heard it said that community is a feeling and a set of relationships among people who meet common needs and have a sense of trust, belonging, and caring. To me, that perfectly describes West Bend!
Now that the cold winds are blowing and the snow is on the horizon, Sue and I have escaped back to our home in Florida. The contrast could not be more glaring between life in West Bend and life in Clearwater, Florida.
While we’ve been in Florida since retiring in 2017, earlier this year we moved into a condo community in Clearwater where our daughter Rebekka also lives. Fortunately, we were spared any damage from hurricane Helene and Milton just before arriving back. There was considerable damage in the Tampa/Clearwater area, and numerous trees down and roofs damaged near us, but we were spared!
We live in a gated community called Coachman Reserve where there are 144 units. There is a great pool and a gym for our use. People are generally friendly, but we seem to be the newcomers and are considered strangers here. The traffic is heavy at all hours of the day or night; the pace feels quicker every year. I know Dave Welter can attest to the challenges of the heavy traffic in Clearwater and Largo!
By contrast, our summers in West Bend feel more like “home” each summer. The pace is typical, small town USA, much like the village of my childhood. People know each other. When you are at Kampen’s for groceries, people stop to talk, if about nothing more than the current weather. If I stop over at Community Lumber, there is always someone there to greet you by name and give assistance. Isn’t it great when people know you by name?
Here in Florida most of the shopping is in the big box stores such as Sam’s club, Target, Walmart, or Publix. Nobody talks to anyone; everyone is a stranger. There is really no sense of community. While these shopping conveniences are close by, some, like the local Walmart, is often filled with some rather shady characters. No sense of community there.
But now Christmas is approaching. The angels proclaimed the exciting news of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. All men. The stores begin to take on an air of excitement with all the lights, decorations, and holiday music. Somehow the strangers are no longer so strange. Yard decorations go up, and Christmas caroling brings back the warmth of community once again.
To date we have not spent a Christmas season with the West Bend community. Perhaps at some point in time we will forfeit our love for the warm weather and remain there for the full year. Text and phone calls from our West Bend family and friends remind us of the blessings of small community living. We are grateful for so many close friends that have welcomed us there.
So this Christmas be grateful for the community that meets common needs, promotes trust, and gives everyone the sense of belonging. These are blessings to be closely cherished in small communities like West Bend. And if you are looking for that special Christmas gift for that special person, look no further than the hug, the smile, and the encouragement you can share with family and friends in this special community. The gifts, the beautiful packages, bows, and ribbons will all fade away. But the spirit of Christmas lives on each day in the people of a small town in Iowa that has become home to us. Merry Christmas to the West Bend community!
By Barry Nehls
Cool Breezes and Fall Leaves
Cool Breezes and Fall Leaves
Don’t you just love the changing of the seasons? Spring gave way to a summer of great baseball, cookouts, camping, boating, swimming, and traveling. As “snowbirds” we travel up from our home in Florida to spend these carefree days in Iowa. Family is the most important thing in our lives, a fact that I trust each of you have embraced.
In addition to the many Wolverine West Bend-Mallard and Northwest Iowa Badger baseball games, as most of you know, we purchased a home here in West Bend. A great home with “good bones” we have worked tirelessly to make it our own. Our son James outdid himself in rejuvenating the landscaping and making it once again, beautiful.
But now the winds are shifting. Perhaps the most favorite season of all is upon us: Fall. In talking with local children, it (as usual) brings a mixed bag of emotions. Some are anxious to return to classes with teachers and friends; others would like a few more days of freedom to cruise the streets on their bicycles. And we now shift our attention from baseball to the all-American football games.
Growing up in a similarly small town of Oak Harbor, Ohio, I was one who always looked forward to and loved the fall. There was a local ketchup and pickle factory in town (J. Weller) and you could smell the tomatoes cooking all throughout the village. As the leaves began to fall, back in those days residents simply piled them at the curb and set them ablaze. I miss the smell of those burning leaves and the cool fall breezes that wafted the scent into our classrooms.
I was passionate about football, but rarely played as I missed too many practices for the coach to believe I was serious and committed. My father owned and operated a small sawmill in that town, and throughout the summer and then after school I would be called to join him at the mill. It was hard work, and I was usually in good physical shape from all the heavy lifting and pallet work, but mostly warmed the benches on football game night.
Looking back that was ok. It is not always about being the “star” or being “first team”. After all, football is a team sport, and I enjoyed the comradery of being part of the team. There was always great fun traveling to the “away” games on the buses and being a part of something bigger than oneself. I sometimes think we have missed that concept altogether in today’s “me” society. Everyone wants to be the star, the local hero; everyone wants to receive the trophy.
Dad fell from a load of logs and hurt his back during my sophomore year in college. I dropped out for a full year and for several months, operated the main saw. He was as patient as he could be with me. He had been a sawyer for many years, and I only knew what I had seen him do to turn oddly shaped logs into usable lumber. My father is gone now, and I look back at our days of working together at the sawmill with sadness that those times have passed.
On Saturdays, he and I would be the only ones there. We would saw up specialty logs and lumber for local carpenters and wood workers. He was great at turning awkward limbs into potential walnut gun stocks. What little white oak was still standing in Northwest Ohio, we sawed into lumber for the Matthew’s Boat Company in Port Clinton, Ohio. Other specialty lumber such as cherry, walnut, curly maple, poplar, and others were set aside for local consumption. All soft maple was trucked to a local basket factory while hickory was sent to a company in southern Ohio for making shovel and axe handles.
As you can imagine, sawing logs all day generated a great deal of firewood. When I was too young to work in the mill, my brother and I would ride our bicycles to the mill after school to stack up a truckload of firewood. At only 10 or 11 years of age, the best part was being thrown the keys to the truck and driving down to the large mountains of firewood at the south end of the mill property. We only had an hour to load the entire truck, so we worked hard to have it ready to leave the mill at the end of the workday. Dad would usually run it down to the campgrounds near the areas around Lake Erie.
Living now in Florida, the onset of Fall means the end of the rainy season and the beginning of ideal weather of moderately warm days and cool nights. We miss the fall colors that accompany much of the rest of the country at the change of seasons but enjoy incredibly excellent golf weather well into the winter months.
Ever wonder why God created this world as He did, setting in motion the changing of the seasons? King Solomon, reported to be the wisest person to ever live, wrote “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” He went on to say that God has “made everything beautiful in his time.” I believe what he was saying is that we are to rejoice in today!
Perhaps your summer has not been as good as ones in the past. Perhaps you have experienced sorrow and grief, maybe even some setbacks in your life. The season changes! We can enter this new season of Fall, full of all its sounds, smells, and colors with a renewed sense of the wonder of life itself. None of us are promised tomorrow, and as we have come to understand, life is fragile.
In conclusion, enjoy the blessings of living in a great small-town community like West Bend! Encourage one another, support the many activities of the community, and in all things be grateful and give thanks. Hug your children and grandchildren as they move onto another year in school and celebrate their accomplishments and achievements. Smile: Fall is here!
By Barry Nehls
Drop The Labels
September 14, 2023
Drop The Labels
For those of us old enough to remember, in the fall of 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union came as close as they ever would to global nuclear war. Hoping to correct what he saw as a strategic imbalance with the United States, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev began secretly deploying medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles to Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Once operational, these nuclear-armed weapons could have been used on cities and military targets in most of the continental United States.
Before this happened, however, U.S. intelligence discovered Khrushchev’s brash maneuver. In what became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy ordered a military embargo of the island, surrounding Cuba with ships and submarines from the U.S. Navy. The entire nation braced for what could become the start of World War III.
Tensions were high. I remember one evening that a supersonic jet flew overhead, apparently breaking the sound barrier. The sonic “boom” was so loud and intense that it shook the windows of our house. Families in the neighborhood ran into their yards to check the night sky for signs of a missile strike. In school, we ran frequent drills, jumping under our desks in the event of an attack.
As I mentioned in my first article, the response by my family was to build a fallout shelter at one end of the basement. It was constructed and inspected to specifications provided by the U.S. Civil Defense. Thankfully, the Soviet Union backed down and removed all offensive weapons from the island of Cuba. However, my mother made it a mission to have that fallout shelter always stocked and ready just in case.
Gallons and gallons of fresh water were stacked on the shelves, along with a variety of canned goods. My father kept a couple of kegs of wine brewing there as well. All the supplies were rotated each month. It was part of our family life in the sixties.
As mentioned, the shelter really became a pantry of sorts for dry and canned goods. Not long after the shelter was fully stocked, a school fund-raising event came up where students were asked to bring in various can good labels. I do not remember the details anymore, but my brother and I were enthusiastic participants in the effort.
My brother decided that we were simply not collecting enough labels quickly enough, so he took a shortcut. He went to the fallout shelter and removed the labels from all the canned goods. Mark the cans? Nope. When mom went to the shelter to retrieve a couple of cans of corn for supper, what she found were the shelves full of shiny, unlabeled cans! Needless to say, it created quite a stir!
Labels. Are they important? Well certainly to distinguish between a can of soup or beans, absolutely. However, today it seems labels are destructively separating this nation. Pick your label: Republican, Democrat, MAGA, liberal, BLM, Antifa, Black, white, Latino, union, non-union, Jew, Christian, Muslim, atheist, LGTBQ+, and the list goes on and on. Although we are all Americans, we allow labels to separate and divide. The emotions attached to these labels have caused civil unrest in our cities across this nation. It is sad and disheartening to see America torn from within. Unfortunately, these labels often become symbols for the justification of hate and violence one against another.
Most of western civilization has heard of the Biblical ten commandments. When asked which was the most important, the answer given was to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. So now the question became, “who is my neighbor?” The answer came in the form of the story of the good Samaritan. There we go with labels again. The familiar story relates how a man from one race of people cares for a man of another race that had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. The point was clear: all are our neighbors.
As American, don’t we all want very similar things? We want peace in the streets of our towns and cities. We want jobs and employment to earn our way. We want a good education for our children and grandchildren, quality healthcare, and services for our elderly. We want safety and security in our homes that provide shelter and peaceful rest. Before the Cuban missile crisis, we rarely locked our doors at night. That all changed even in our small hometown of Oak Harbor, Ohio.
Sue and I are so proud and happy to now be a part of the West Bend community. In the last 22 years of marriage, we have lived in Toledo, Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania, Mason, Ohio, and Brooksville, Florida. Last year we spent the summer in Okoboji, Iowa. We both agree that the people of West Bend have been the friendliest and most kind in all our travels.
Spending our summer here and then the winter in Florida, we enjoy a lifestyle that is simply the best. We are blessed beyond measure! I want to close by encouraging readers of this article to drop labels. It is easy to become caught up in the fray as we see the violence and riots in the streets of our cities on display in the nightly news. It is easy to judge, to take sides, to point fingers. Remember, love our neighbors as ourselves. A tall order indeed. May we look beyond the label and see a precious life that needs our love, support, and respect.
Hope for 2024
December 25, 2023 OUR HOPES FOR 2024
Hope is a difficult concept to define. I have heard many express the opinion that they “hope 2024 will be better than 2023”. A typical definition of hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing or event to happen. According to Merriam-Webster, hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation, to expect with confidence. Then there is the concept of hope against hope, essentially expressing a desire for something without the slightest expectation that it will or could come to pass.
I have often wondered about the hope of past generations. What did the soldiers of the various wars who fought both on this soil and overseas hope for? Were their expectations met, or their hopes ever realized? During WWII millions were tortured and killed in Nazi concentration camps. In the face of such vile and cruel treatment, could there be any hope? Was their hope simply short term to survive the day or was there a longer-term hope of one day being free and returning home?
There are thousands of men and women incarcerated in prisons across America. What do they hope for? What can they place their hope upon? Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who was ill most of his short life wrote, “In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of man.” On the other hand, Martin Luther King wrote, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”
I have always enjoyed the classic movie Shawshank Redemption. Wrongly convicted in 1947 of murdering his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) never gives up hope of being free again. Andy endures pitiful treatment in prison during his years there but is driven by hope for a better day. His best friend, Ellis Boyd “Red” Reddington (Morgan Freeman), attempts to dissuade him from hoping against hope.
Red tells Andy, “ Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing; hope can drive a man insane.” “It’s got no use on the inside”, he reminds Andy. Once he escapes, Andy writes these words to Red: “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
The Biblical Proverb declares “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” This was never more realized than at my youngest daughter’s birthday. Katie was turning ten years old, and convincing me she could care for a pet, I promised her a puppy on her tenth birthday. She had long hoped for a puppy of her own, and the day of her birthday finally arrived.
Following a birthday dinner at home along with a traditional cake, Katie began opening her presents. I had arranged for the dog breeder to drop off the puppy around 6:00 p.m. However, the breeder was late. Katie opened some packages. One was a dog bowl, another a dog leash. Still no puppy. Perhaps she thought we were playing a cruel joke on her, and she was nearly in tears. Then the puppy arrived. Her hope was realized, she was filled with joy.
As a parent, it is always rewarding to fulfill the hopes and dreams of your children, and even greater to see them succeed as they move forward in life, achieving their hopes and dreams along the way. America is the place where that happens.
Many of us in West Bend are retired. It seems the hope of every working person is reaching the goal of retirement. For some, it is postponed as long as possible. For others it is the realization of a time in life fueled by years of hope. I must admit, spending summers here in West Bend and wintering in Clearwater, Florida exceeds the expectations of my hope for retirement.
So, what are you hoping for in 2024? My hope is for health, peace, prosperity, and blessings each day and throughout the year for all who make West Bend home. Remember, hope is a good thing!
How Did We Get Here
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
In the midst of such polarization in our nation, have you ever asked yourself, “how did we get here?” As many of you reading this article probably know, my wife Sue and I recently moved to West Bend, Iowa. You know this because in a small town news travels quickly!
I grew up in Oak Harbor, Ohio, a small rural town in Northwest Ohio near Lake Erie while Sue is from Estherville. The 1950’s and 1960’s were a much slower-paced time where the focus was on family, community, church, and national pride. My father, along with two brothers and a friend, started a small sawmill in 1944 where I learned early on the value of work.
At our age it is easy to get caught looking back nostalgically at the past to times that were simple and seemingly carefree. Realistically, there were serious problems then as well. How many of us remember the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962? I remember helping our dad construct a nuclear fallout shelter in the basement. He had the Civil Defense inspect the structure and mother kept it stocked with food supplies and fresh water like an extension to her pantry. A year later President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and we all watched in shock as the black and white images flickered on our lone TV set. When seeing on live TV a local bar owner named Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas police department, I can still hear my father’s comment: “this nation is out of control.”
The 1960’s saw the rise of protest marches and civil rights demonstrations all over the country. Once again, the nation seemed to be polarizing around racial and policing issues, not all that different than today. As Martin Luther King Jr. worked tirelessly to bring attention to the injustices of racism in America, he too fell victim to an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968. Standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee the nation watched in shock as his life was ended at the age of thirty-nine. King had arrived in Tennessee the day before to prepare for a march the following Monday on behalf of striking Memphis sanitation workers.
It wasn’t long after JFK’s death that his brother, Robert Kennedy, was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California on June 5, 1968, just shortly after I graduated from high school. Was there really a “Kennedy curse” people began questioning? I can vividly remember traveling down to Dallas a few short weeks after the assassination and walking around the Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas where the president’s motorcade had traveled. I was just thirteen and had traveled to Dallas for a national Luther League convention.
After graduation I headed off to college to seek a degree in chemistry. It was the height of the Vietnam war, and many of my high school buddies not moving on to college were called up to serve. It was the era of the military draft, and at 18 we had all signed up at the draft board and carried our draft cards. Being in college, I had a student deferment. Running out of funds to continue, I dropped out after my sophomore year (1970) and worked to save money to return. Although reclassified 1-A, I was not drafted, and was able to return to college and finish my first degree in 1973. There were many protests of the war including flag burning and riots. To the shame of our nation, those heroes of the Vietnam war returned home to ridicule and scorn.
I mention just a few of the pivotal events of the 1960s and 1970’s as a brief reminder that each decade, including the current one, has had its tragic events and trying times. As I stated at the beginning of this article, today we are more deeply polarized than ever. So, how did we get here?
In 1962 and 1963 there were two landmark decisions made by the Supreme Court which focused on school-sponsored Bible reading. Based on the result of these decisions, the court established what is now the current prohibition on state-sponsored prayer in U.S. schools. Essentially, we kicked God out of the training of our children and youth. There has been since a great deal of progress made in support of first amendment rights. However, according to an attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Bibles may only be kept inside a teacher’s desk for personal reading outside of school hours. And we wonder how we got here.
While I worked numerous jobs in the secular world, I also served as pastor to four awesome congregations in the Northwest Ohio area. Retiring in 2017 to Florida, my wife and I now conduct services each Sunday at two separate assisted living facilities for the elderly. And now we are blessed to be “summering” in West Bend!
In many ways, West Bend reminds me of the small Ohio town where I was raised. The pace is slower and quieter. It is a close-knit community where locking your doors is optional. I like that. After purchasing a home, we have begun to settle in and have been welcomed by so many! The folks at Community Lumber (especially Kurt and Sherri) have been great to work with as we began renovations. For a small community, Kampen’s Grocery has an awesome variety of products and items to meet just about every need. What a service to the community!
Amid polarization, violence, high crime, and riots in so many of the large cities of this nation, a recent song by country singer Jason Aldean has struck a chord with communities like West Bend everywhere. “Try That in A Small Town” reinforces the blessings of living in a place like West Bend. Sue and I are so blessed to see our son (James Hansen) and daughter-in-law (Dr. Jillian Hansen) raise our grandsons, Tyler and Cooper, in a community that exudes the values of my childhood. We are blessed to be in West Bend and shall miss everyone when we return to our home in Florida for the winter.
In the Bible the Apostle Paul warned Timothy that in the last days perilous times would come (II Timothy 3:1). Yes, the days are evil, and the nightly news is filled with tragic events around the nation. However, let us each be grateful for living in a community of faith, family, and friends as found here in West Bend!
By Barry Nehls
I Cant Wait
I Can’t Wait!
For most in the Mid-west, February always feels like the month where winter sort of drags on. Perhaps that is why it is the shortest month of the year: simply get it over with!
Ever notice how we are always waiting for something? Seems like we were just making plans for spending time with family and friends around the Thanksgiving tables in homes across America. And then there was the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. “I can’t wait for Christmas to get here!” is the most familiar phrase of workers and school children alike, throughout the month of December. And we wait. And while the wait often feels torturously slow, moving at the pace of a snail, the day arrives and soon passes by, and fades into our memories of another Christmas past. And now we refocus our attention on the next event upon which to wait. Let’s see, ah yes, February is the month for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Historians tell us the special day has its roots in an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia, a fertility celebration annually recognized on February fifteenth. Pope Gelasius I, recast the pagan festival as a Christian feast day around 496, declaring February fourteenth to be Valentine’s Day. The holiday was named for Saint Valentine, a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the Emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples be joined in marriage. The Roman army had concluded that single young men made better soldiers and decreed they could not marry while in the service of the emperor. However, romance and love found a way, and Saint Valentine was instrumental in performing numerous secret marriages.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent or given each year, making it the second largest card-selling holiday (2.6 billion are sent for Christmas on average.) And while we wait for Valentine’s Day to arrive, statistics tell us that 64% of men will buy flowers, spending a whopping $1.9 billion dollars. Various boxed candy ranks second, with a spending of approximately $1.6 billion dollars.
Interestingly, while we wait for this special day to arrive, most men procrastinate until the last hour. I used to chuckle when visiting the card, flower, or candy shops after work on Valentine’s Day. The aisles were jammed with these procrastinators (including me) finding that “quick-let’s-purchase-something” present to represent our undying love for our spouse and children.
Typical male shopping goes something like this: find it, kill it, bag it, and take it home. Having three daughters home at the time, I always had a small box of candy for each. I quickly realized that as dad, you’re not their Valentine for very long.
Back to this idea about waiting. Often you will hear children make the comment, “I can’t wait until” and what follows are a litany of growing up milestones: becoming a teenager, driving, dating, going off to college, landing that first job, finding that perfect mate, etc. Often new couples can’t wait for the birth of that first child, to see them take their first steps. Then in a blink it’s the birth of the first grandchild!
If we are not careful, we spend our lives always waiting or looking forward for something or some special event. I don’t know about you, but right now I can’t wait for spring to arrive with warmer weather, even here in Florida. The warmer weather will also bring Sue and I back to West Bend! The golf courses will green up, the pools open and warm up, and we’ll be able to enjoy outdoor activities once again. But I guess, like all of us, we’ll just have to wait.
Or perhaps here is another suggestion: rejoice in the day! Each day is a gift of 1,440 minutes deposited into our daily time account. Living in this great country, we are free to spend these minutes any way we choose. Unless you’re retired, you are off to work forty hours or more each week; but I urge you to enjoy the experiences of each day. Don’t be caught sleepwalking through life, or your job for that matter, waiting for the next vacation, holiday, or eventual retirement. Make certain your family members sense and know your love and care for them today. And let’s not wait for someone else to reach out to us, be a friend now. Share a kind word now. And before you know it, we’ll be complaining about the dog days of summer!
By Barry Nehls
It's A Grand Ole Flag
It’s A Grand Ole Flag!
Just how important is a flag? Throughout history flags have played an important part in the development and growth of nations. Depending upon your experiences and background, the U.S. flag, the red, white, and blue, can mean different things when observed waving in the breeze.
By basic definition, a flag is a chosen piece of fabric, usually with distinctive colors and designs, to be used as a symbol, a signaling device, or even a decoration. No one knows when the first flags were flown, but historians have traced the use of flags back to the ancient civilization of Egypt and Rome. In China, flags or banners were used to identify different parts of the military. It was the Romans who first made the most widespread use of flags and banners known as vexillum to represent each army unit.
During the Crusades at the end of the 11th century, banners and flags were used by kings and nobles to differentiate themselves on the field of battle. Maritime flags have been used at sea as a form of communication between trading ships and other sea-going vessels.
With the rise of the concept of nation states at the end of the 18th century, flags were developed to represent collective citizenry and peoples, as nations were formed across Europe. The adaptation of a flag became seen as an integral part of the nation building process. As the thirteen colonies sought independence from Great Britain with the declaration of independence on July 4, 1776, the need for a national flag and symbol became apparent.
History gives credit to Betsy Ross for the development of one of the first U.S. flag. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the flag resolution which stated that “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation”. Flag day is now observed on June 14 of each year.
The Betsy Ross flag, featuring thirteen alternating red and white stripes, a blue canton with thirteen five pointed stars arranged in a circle, was adopted shortly after the Flag Act of 1777. She was an upholsterer in Philadelphia who produced uniforms, tents, and flags for the Continental forces. Ross became a notable figure representing the contribution of women in the American Revolution. Other early flags were designed, one by Francis Hopkinson, showing the thirteen stars arranged in rows, with the additional difference that these were six pointed stars in lieu of Ross’s five pointed stars.
In 1795 the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 to recognize the inclusion of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. It was this flag that inspired Francis Scott Keys to write the Star Spangled Banner which, as you know, became the American national anthem. Later in 1818, Congress passed a plan that would add a new star when each state was admitted to the Union with the number of stripes reduced to thirteen to honor the original colonies.
In 1912, the 48-star flag was adopted which remained in use until 1959. In 1960, the current 50-star flag was adopted after both Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood. Today this flag is the nation’s most widely recognized symbol. Within the U.S. flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences and is often a common motif for decals on car windows and on clothing in the form of badges and lapel pins. Our flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism and is flown on many occasions with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. There’s nothing as grand as seeing a giant “Ole Glory” waving in the breeze.
Growing up in a small town in Northwest Ohio, we were taught to have great respect for the flag. Each morning, we stood, hand on our hearts in class to repeat the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Never was the flag allowed to touch the ground. Even today my wife and I make certain to deliver our worn flags to the local VFW for proper disposal; never would we think to dump it in the trash.
Whenever I see anyone burn or desecrate the U.S. flag, it makes me angry. Our cemeteries across this land, including the heroes buried at Arlington National (over 400,000) gave their very lives for this nation our flag represents. Despite a number of attempts to ban activities that desecrate the flag, such remains protected as free speech under the First Amendment.
What is even more concerning is to see students on college campuses replace the U.S. Flag with the flag of other nations. I never dreamed I would see such national disrespect, which to me, is betrayal. So, on Friday, June 14, let’s fly the red, white, and blue and rekindle the patriotism of the greatest nation on the earth!
Know Your Source
Know Your Source
Everyone has experienced the sharp rise in the costs of nearly everything! From groceries to gasoline, from electricity to heating oil, from clothes to automobiles. Everything seems to have taken an exponential jump in cost.
For us older Americans, I am sure we remember the inflation of the early 1980’s. At the time I worked a secular job and was responsible for preparing equipment quotations for industrial filtration products. At that time we had “standard” price sheets with multipliers. As the consumer price index rose each month, we modified our price sheets as well, raising the prices.
As a small company, we were borrowing at two points over the prime interest rate. At one point, that meant we were borrowing monies to cover operating expenses and growth at as high as twenty-two percent! It was “crazy” times.
Eventually President Ronald Reagan, who served as our 40th president from 1981 to 1989, worked with the U.S. Congress to pass laws that made it illegal for any provider or seller to increase prices without the permission of the federal government. It worked. Looking back, inflation almost seemed like a self-fulfilling prophesy. Everyone was concerned that their costs were automatically going up, so they raised prices accordingly.
Inflation is a terrible thing that can, if left unchecked, destroy an economy and a nation. In many ways inflation is what contributed to the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. Primarily in 1923, Germany and the Weimar Republic suffered from what is now considered hyperinflation. At the most fevered moment of this German hyperinflation, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the German Deutch mark was one trillion marks to one U.S. dollar. A wheelbarrow full of those notes could not even by a newspaper.
German workers were paid during these times every hour. They would receive the cash, then run out of the plant and pass the money to their wives waiting just outside the fence. Once they had the money, the wives would race down to the local store to buy whatever they could. Shopkeepers had employees whose job it was to mark up the prices of the goods every hour. As an example, a loaf of bread in January 1923 cost approx. 250 Deutch marks; by the end of October, the cost had risen to over 200 million.
This nightmare of hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic finally ended on November 15, 1923 when the German central bank finally stopped monetizing government debt and issued new currency. They also stopped printing money, which at the time, was worth less than the paper it was printed on.
Such hyperinflation is generally seen as a consequence of government ineptitude and fiscal irresponsibility, printing currency that far exceeds real growth in the GDP. Inflation is bad for everyone. There are no winners or losers. The most effected are the poor and those on a fixed income.
I remember during those inflationary times of the 1980’s that I attended a local prayer breakfast in Bowling Green, Ohio where I was living. During my short talk before prayer, I held up a typical pay voucher of the company where I was currently employed. The statement I made to the group that morning was basically this: “The company name on this pay voucher is not my source. My source is the Lord Jesus Christ.” I also quoted from the Psalms where David wrote, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
Know your source. Though prices rise, as I often say, “And this too shall come to pass.” And in the meantime, I know that our God will supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. He has been and always will be my source. I pray that He is your source as well!
Lest We Forget
West Bend Journal
May 2025
Lest We Forget
My oldest grandson, Hayden, currently lives in Oklahoma City. Four years ago, my wife Sue and I traveled there to spend time with a new great-granddaughter. It was the first time we had ever been there and were excited see these grandchildren.
We visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. Quite honestly, I had forgotten about the events of April 19, 1995. It was a typical Wednesday morning, and employees of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building were off to work on a beautiful spring day. For many, little did they know it would be their last day on earth.
Earlier that morning, Timothy McVeigh, with the help of Terry Nichols, parked a rented Ryder truck just in front of the building. At 9:02 a.m. that morning after office workers were settled into their day and children were gathering at the daycare center to begin their activities, the truck bomb exploded with a tremendous blast. The devastation that crisp spring morning left 168 people dead and injured more than 680 others, demolishing more than one-third of the federal building. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned 86 cars. It was the first massive domestic terrorist attack in the history of the U.S. until the September 11, 2001 attack on the New York City twin towers.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum was dedicated on April 19, 2000 by President Bill Clinton on the site of the Murrah Federal Building, commemorating the victims of the bombing. Remembrance services are held every year at the time of the blast. There are many facets to the memorial museum. The gates of time stand at each end of a reflecting pool positioned where fifth street was located on that fateful day. There is a survivor tree, a 100-year old American elm that stands at the highest point of the memorial as a symbol of strength and resilience.
The most moving sight was the field of empty chairs. Constructed of glass and metal, chairs are positioned in a field located where the Murrah Federal building once stood. Arranged in nine rows that reflect the floor where victims were located, the 168 chairs are each etched with the name of a person whose life was lost. Most sad were the 19 small chairs representing the children that died in that terrible bombing.
As we walked around the grounds, pushing the stroller with our great-granddaughter, it seemed a vivid reminder of just how precious life is, but also how fleeting it can be. None are promised tomorrow, and the memorial and museum are a reminder of the importance of each day. Across the plaza is a large, white statue of Jesus, hand over his face, with the inscription at the base, “And Jesus wept.”
Why the violence, why was this terrorist attack carried out on so many innocent victims? Timothy McVeigh was a Gulf War veteran, apparently motivated by the dislike for the U.S. government’s handling of the Ruby Ridge incident in 1992 and the Branch-Davidian compound siege in Waco, Texas. The attack on the federal building which housed numerous federal agencies was timed to coincide with the second anniversary that ended the siege in Waco. For his crime, Timothy McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001 at the age of only 33. His accomplice, Terry Nichols, is serving a life prison sentence without parole in a Florence supermax prison.
Oklahoma City first responders and firefighters were credited with rescuing several lives on that fateful day. One responder, Rebecca Anderson, a 37-year old nurse, lost her life in the rescue efforts when she was struck by falling debris while attempting to extract additional injured victims.
The memorial and museum is a sad place, and I had to wonder if it has become a bitter reminder for family and friends to relive the horror of that day. On the museum brochure is the following statement: “The sacred site is a place of remembrance for many, but for some – you cannot remember something you never knew.” I recall on the return flight from Oklahoma City, I sat next to a young woman. She and her husband had moved a few years earlier to the Oklahoma City area from Ohio. She was only four years old when the bombing took place. She knew nothing about the incident or the memorial museum.
Today we hear reports of violence and death in nearly every major city of America. The police officers who pledge their lives for our safety are under attack for the crimes and abuses of the very few. When we see these acts of violence, destruction, and death on the nightly news, it is easy to dismiss the chaos as “happening somewhere else to someone else.” No one in the peaceful city of Oklahoma City thought it could happen there, but it did. As Americans and citizens of West Bend, we are all in this thing called life together. It is precious, it is fleeting. Let us never forget tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing and the 911 attack on the New York Twin Towers. Remember and pray always for peace and for the brave men and women of law enforcement!
By Barry Nehls
Let It Heal
West Bend Journal
August 2025 Let It Heal!
There always seems to be a plethora of mosquitoes, flies, and gnats every summer here in West Bend, designed to disrupt barbeques and picnics and chase us indoors. These pesky little creatures can seemingly bite us without us even realizing it.
I remember our first summer in West Bend when working on the landscaping at the front of the house. There were these gnats constantly swarming around my legs and arms. I gave them little notice. Growing up in Ohio, we had gnats there, too, but while they could swarm around you, they never did bite. Boy, was I shocked to find my legs and arms with multiple bites later that evening.
We are told the mosquito and gnat bites itch because their saliva triggers our immune system to release histamine, causing the itching sensation. When a mosquito bites, it injects saliva into your bloodstream which your body recognizes as an allergen. In response, your immune system sends histamine to the bite area, leading to itching and swelling.
Here is my problem: I usually scratch these bites until the skin is broken, and they bleed. It can be so hard to ignore the itch! We have an electronic “zapper” that produces an electronic burning sensation on the bites, and it seems to relieve the itching. What is worse, even once the bite is scabbed over, we scratch some more and pull off the scab, and the healing process starts all over again. Know the feeling?
When returning to West Bend this summer, we found a delivery person had opened and failed to secure the front storm door on the house. A winter storm tore up the door, the hinge, and the pneumatic enclosures. Our son, James Hansen, found it and pulled it apart. He was able to order a new hinge assembly and pneumatic enclosures from Community Lumber. Once the parts arrived, I began to reassemble the door. Just as I was working on the front porch with the door, a gust of wind took the door, with large glass, airborne. Wearing shorts on this warm day, I dove for the door to prevent it from crashing to the concrete steps and sidewalk. I was successful but tore the skin from my left knee. I carried a scab on that knee for weeks!
I don’t know about you, but my mother always chided me and my brothers to “leave the scab alone and not pick it!” Easier said than done. Much like the itch of the mosquito bite, as skin heals, it begins to itch. However, prematurely pulling off the scab simply sets the healing process back.
Here is the life lesson. Most all of us are touched by the death of loved ones during our lifetime. There are many of you, much like me, that have lost children. I have carried two daughters to their untimely graves. It seems to go against nature that any of us should outlive our children.
I have a pastor friend of mine that lost his daughter to an auto accident nearly fourteen years ago. She was a young mother of two small boys, leaving behind a grieving husband and her parents. My friend continues to relive the accident over and over again. It has caused him unending struggle with depression and pain. He is currently in the process of writing a book on what he calls the myth of closure.
For each of us, we deal with grief and loss in different ways. It has been my trust in the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ that has sustained me. But like the scab of a mosquito bite, we have to let it heal. To constantly relive the painful moments repeatedly only pulls off the scab and makes the wound fresh all over again. It is not that we forget these loved ones we have lost. We cherish their memories and thank the Lord for the time we had with them – truly a gift.
There is the old saying, “time heals all wounds.” Those that continue to pick off the scabs of life resent that sentiment because their wounds are never allowed to heal. I live with the sure and blessed hope of one day being reunited with my two daughters, as well as other family members that have gone on before. That is the hope purchased through the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is He that sent us the Holy Spirit, the great comforter.
So, for all that have experienced these painful losses, I pray, with the Lord’s help, you let it heal!
By Barry Nehls
Liar Liar
West Bend Journal
August 2025 Liar, Liar
Have you ever told a lie? I have. If you answered “no” you may have just told your first one. What is it about human nature that at times there is a natural inclination to lie? Often children lie to conceal from parent’s actions or conversations they know will not meet with their approval.
Interestingly, while we teach our children numerous skills, we don’t need to teach them to lie. In considering the ten commandments, there is not one specific about lying. The ninth commandment does say we are not to bear false witness against our neighbor.
So why do we lie? Perhaps there are times when we are embarrassed about what we may or may not have done, so we try to hide our guilt and shame by lying. It seems no matter what, as the saying goes, “the truth always comes out.” The things we try to hide in the darkness of a lie always seem to find the light of day. There simply are no secrets.
One of the problems with a lie is that it potentially starts a chain reaction. You tell one lie, and then to not be caught in the lie, you tell another. And then another. A wise man once said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!” Unfortunately lies result in dragging us deeper from the truth.
I am reminded of a 1997 comedy movie entitled “Liar, Liar.” It starred Jim Carrey as a lawyer who built his entire career on lying. Unknown to him, his son is granted a birthday wish that his father would be unable to tell a lie for a full day. Finding himself forced to speak only the truth, he struggles to maintain his career and reconcile with his ex-wife and son whom he had alienated with his pathological lying.
Pathological lying is a chronic behavior characterized by the habitual or compulsive tendency to lie. It involves a pervasive pattern of intentionally making false statements with the aim of deceiving others, sometimes for no clear or apparent reason, even if the truth would be beneficial to the liar. Some say the only way you can tell if such person is lying is evident by the fact their lips are moving!
Psychologists tell us that people lie, and some lie more than others, but most people are generally honest most of the time. Studies seem to support the notion that while the average person is entirely honest across a typical day, the majority of people (95 percent) cannot go an entire week without telling at least one falsehood. Despite the disheartening message that most people are liars, many take solace in recognizing that many of the lies people tell are small, white lies. So, what is a white lie?
Justifying our lies as a means of protecting someone’s feelings, we lie to avoid the truth. “Does this outfit make me look fat?” one spouse asks the other. “Of course not,” is the immediate reply! People tell white lies when telling the truth would be overly complicated, uncomfortable, or tedious. White lies allow people to censor harmful truths, reframe socially awkward facts, and otherwise circumvent the inevitable unpleasantness that would follow a path of brutal honesty.
In the classic movie “A Few Good Men,” attorney Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) shouts to Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson), “I want the truth!” His immediate response back from the witness stand is “You can’t handle the truth!” It is the goal of our court system to push past all the lies and deceptions and arrive at the truth. The goal would certainly be more achievable if all attorneys, prosecutors, and witnesses told the truth.
Science has developed lie detection machines to monitor a person’s physical reactions when telling the truth versus a lie. The results of these lie detector machines have been skeptical at best.
King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend: but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” That’s powerful. There are times in my life, perhaps in yours as well, when we need to hear the truth. In the confines of a solid, Godly marriage, spouses can be brutally honest with each other without the fear of offense. We can only improve when we know our faults and shortfalls.
The Bible also reminds us in Romans 8:4 to “let God be true and every man a liar.” I don’t know about you, but I am very comforted knowing God’s promises are true and faithful. The Bible is the only real source of truth. It is a sure foundation, a truth to stand the test of time.
So, when you see me on the streets of West Bend, let me know your thoughts on my articles in the Journal. Be honest, be truthful, and of course, be gentle!
By Barry Nehls
Our History For Better or Worse
Our History, For Better or Worse
Many commit their intellectual efforts to the study of history. My older brother was a history major in college, and a real Civil War buff. My brother-in-law, Dick Broadie, was a history professor at the University of Northern Iowa. While I admit to some interest in history, I was never very adept at remembering the specifics of dates and events of the past.
While living in England in the mid-eighties, we spent evenings strolling through a local church cemetery. The stone markers of past lives were fascinating as many dated back to before the discovery of America. There is a more profound sense of history embraced by the British people. Old buildings and shops are generally never razed but, oftentimes a more costly renovation is pursued in lieu of building new. It was a stark contrast to my experiences in the U.S. where we tear down the old to build the new. A popular tea and scone shop in Lichfield, Staffordshire, U.K. proudly displayed the sign dated 1514 on the facade of the building and boasted the original wooden flooring.
There are several groups active today in America where Civil War battle reenactments with uniforms, weapons, etc. are conducted with historically accurate detail of the actual events. The 161st Gettysburg reenactment is scheduled for July 6-7, 2024. The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association hosts summer and fall living history events each year.
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in 1863 in Madrid, Spain, he was raised and educated in the U.S. from the age of eight. He was a professor at Harvard from 1889-1912, becoming part of the Golden Age of the Harvard philosophy department. Some of his Harvard students became famous in their own right, including T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Walter Lippmann, and W.E.B. DuBois. He is popularly known for aphorisms such as “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” The first is probably the best known and was repeated by other world figures such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
A recent phenomenon has surfaced dubbed “cancel culture.” It seems there is a growing effort on the part of many of our current leaders, pundits, and journalists to erase or eliminate historical events, personalities, writings, or past ideals from American history. We have all seen the monuments defaced or torn down of important historical figures such as Robert E. Lee, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington, and others. Many were not only historically significant but genuine works of art destroyed by those that had neither the skill nor ability to create them in the first place.
If we clearly look back at the history of America, there are numerous injustices, despicable practices (such as slavery and racially motivated violence), and acts of cruelty that are nothing less than reprehensible today. But they are all, nonetheless, the history of a nation’s growth. Not unlike the growth of a child, there are many things I can recall doing as I grew up that today make me cringe. Perhaps you can think of one or two yourself.
Attacking children’s books such as Dr. Suess’s book “The Sneetches” because of a so-called racial bias found me scratching my head. I enjoyed reading this and many other Suess books to the delight of my three daughters. The Sneetches taught that there was no difference from one to another in terms of appearance. The lesson was clear that whether there were star-belly sneetches or non-star belly sneetches, they were all the same!
George Santayana was never more correct than now. We must honestly look at our history in all its glorious and ugly truth and learn. That is how we grow as individuals, and how we have grown as a nation. Any society that seeks to sterilize its past with the morals of the day is doomed to repeat the same mistakes. History is a great teacher!
I am not for celebrating or aggrandizing in any way the entire history of this nation. The heroics, however, of our founding fathers, are nothing short of miraculous. I do want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be taught the factual lessons of the past. I want their moral character to be formed by not only the Bible, but by the history that forged this nation into the greatest ever to exist on the earth. Our experiences must be genuine, not sanitized.
I have experienced successes and failures throughout my lifetime. Most life-changing experiences resulted from failures. I never want to hide those failures but leave them as a legacy for the future generations of my family to experience the positive that came from the negative. History? There is much of it that we surely hope to never repeat. No more holocausts. But if we erase those events, we may very well be doomed to repeat them.
Remember When
West Bend Journal
May 2025
Remember When
“Remember When” is a heartfelt country classic written and recorded by country artist Alan Jackson first released in 2003. The song reflects on love and life’s shared moments. In many ways for Jackson the song is autobiographical, inspired by his journey with his wife, Denise. It captures their marriage’s highs and lows since they met as teenagers, serving as a tribute to their enduring love and the milestones that have shaped their lives together. The iconic song spent two weeks as number one on the U.S Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2004, and was certified four-time platinum, selling over one and a half million copies in the U.S.
Alan Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise, on December 15, 1979, at the age of twenty-one. Married still today, the marriage has produced three daughters. Watching the Grand March in the West Bend-Mallard high school gymnasium made me remember my high school proms so long ago. It also made me wonder if any of the relationships of these beautiful couples would perhaps blossom one day into marriage.
On Monday, May 26, 2025, America will once again commemorate Memorial Day. The special day is always observed on the last Monday of the month of May as declared by Congress. It was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates all the men and women who have died in military service for this great nation. Many people will visit cemeteries and memorials on this day traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.
The day started as an event to honor Union soldiers who had died during the American Civil War. Decoration Day used to be held on May 30th regardless of the day of the week. However, in 1968 (the year I graduated from high school) the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends, and Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day. It is tradition to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon. Flags are often placed at the gravesites of fallen soldiers throughout cemeteries across America to honor the sacrifice of these brave men and women.
Unfortunately, Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance as many people choose to hold picnics, sporting events, and family gatherings this weekend. In the small Northwest Ohio town of Oak Harbor where I grew up, the local school bands visited each cemetery in the area. Both the national anthem and Taps were played at each as people strolled throughout the cemetery, stopping to remember their lost loved ones. I remember my Uncle Paul refused to attend the small cemetery near his house. The playing of Taps always moved him to tears as he remembered the buddies he lost during World War II.
Memories, though sometimes painful, are a true gift from God. As a pastor, I have conducted numerous funerals over the past thirty years of ordained ministry. In nearly every eulogy I reminded family and friends that though we lose loved ones in death, we take with us the cherished memories of our time spent together. I believe that is why Alan Jackson’s song “Remember When” has become a popular country classic.
I would encourage each of us to ponder on this Memorial Day all the military heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. The U.S. Civil War was the deadliest war in our history with over 600,000 deaths. The U.S. lost over 63,000 in World War I, and in World War II there were 405,399 deaths and overall casualties (dead and wounded) of 1,076,245. The Korean War which followed saw the loss of 36,574, and the Vietnam War saw a total 58,220 men and women of my generation perish. And let us not forget more recent U.S. military engagements. We lost 382 in the Persian Gulf War, 4,604 in Iraq-Related Operations (including Operation Iraqi Freedom) and a total of 2,459 Afghanistan-related operations.
One way to remember and give back to our veterans that so bravely served this nation for our freedom is by involvement in several non-profit private organizations such as Tunnel to Towers, the Wounded Warriors Project, The Gary Sinise Foundation, and many others. In Florida Sue and I recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Let Us Do Good Village located in Land O’ Lakes for a new home provided for a severely wounded first responder from Cleveland, Ohio.
I encourage you to make this Memorial Day not just another three-day weekend, but let your children know the significance of the day: we remember when brave young men and women marched off to foreign lands to fight for the freedoms we so richly enjoy here in West Bend.
By Barry Nehls
Send Up The Fireworks
West Bend Journal
July 2025 Send Up the Fireworks
July 4th this nation will once again celebrate Independence Day. It commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 and is considered the birthday of this great nation. The Continental Congress declared the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The document was signed by 56 brave patriots. Some would go on to become president. The oldest signer of the document was Benjamin Franklin at 70; the youngest was Edward Rutledge who was 26 years old; he later became the governor of South Carolina.
The United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States since taking effect in 1789. The document was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. Since 1789, the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; particularly important amendments include the ten amendments of the United States Bill of Rights.
These critical documents have served to define and direct this nation for the past 249 years. While the Declaration of Independence signified the desire for the thirteen colonies to be independent from British rule, along with the U.S. constitution, they serve to declare the independence of every citizen.
In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, we find these famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Within this historical framework I want to briefly discuss an alarming movement in this nation. Known as critical race theory, I believe it dramatically attempts to undo the desires of not only this nation’s founding fathers, but that of every citizen. The goal of CRT is to categorize individuals into groups based on skin color or ethnicity. The misguided idea is based on the theory you are no longer an independent, free individual as created by God, but a part of a group or sect. When you add to that the accusation of systemic racism in America, we become a nation divided against itself.
Prejudice based on skin color is a reality that dates back a very long time. In the Old Testament (Bible), as recorded in Numbers chapter twelve, Moses married an Ethiopian woman, and his sister, Miriam, and brother, Aaron, threw a fit. God punished them both and rightly so.
At its core, critical race theory promotes a framework suggesting this nation is inherently evil and that white people should feel guilty for their skin color. As all are equal in the eyes of God, no person should be oppressed or feel guilty because of the color of their skin. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
My dear friend in Toledo, Ohio, Frank Jacobs, shared with me his struggles as a young black man trying to find employment. He served this nation in the U.S. Marines, and upon discharge found himself unable to find gainful employment. He believed it was because of the color of his skin. As a young white boy, I never found myself in that position, but always found employment when needed, often working several jobs to finish college.
America is not perfect, but it is the best the world has ever produced. The documents, both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution are not perfect, but they have resulted in producing an unmatched standard of living found anywhere. It is true that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
But it is also true that any nation divided against itself cannot stand. Is there racism in America? Only a fool would say “no.” But is it systemic, growing, and everywhere? Absolutely not. Could relations between the ethnic groups such as Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others be better? Absolutely. But taking away our independence, lumping us into groups based on the color of our skin, and then pitting these groups against each other will only serve to rekindle the abhorrent race relations of the 1960s.
From Lee Greenwood’s famous song: “…And I’ll gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today; for their ain’t no doubt I love this land…God bless the U.S.A.” There is so much more that binds us together than divides us! This nation is the most generous and greatest proponent of freedom and independence the world has ever known. And it all started back on July 4, 1776. So here in West Bend, let’s celebrate and send up the fireworks once again!
By Barry Nehls
Slow Down
Slow Down!
Ever feel like the pace of life is simply too fast? With school back in session along with all the sporting activities, it seems each day needs more like thirty hours in lieu of twenty-four. Another year of school pictures and your children seem to be growing up right before your eyes.
Every morning the activities of packing lunches, finding the appropriate attire, making the bus, finding last night’s homework, and packing book bags makes your mornings pretty chaotic. Groceries seem to be flying out of the refrigerator and off the pantry shelves, and the laundry piles up all on its own!
Clearly the lazy days of summer have ended, and fall has arrived. Weekend football games, parties, and neighborhood get togethers bring loud cheers from the winners and sighs from the losers. The school is a bustle of activity from dawn ‘til dusk. Buses are once again collecting and returning our children each day. Teachers are busy in the classrooms, preparing lessons and grading papers in their evenings.
The farmers in the area are finally beginning to harvest their crops. It goes without saying the growing season this year in the West Bend area was less than ideal. Early rains made it impossible to plant at optimum times. Once the fields were planted, many went dry. The brief hail shower on July 4th wiped out several fields in the area. Farming is certainly not for the faint of heart!
The leaves are beginning to turn to brilliant fall colors. Lawn growth has slowed down, gardens are cleared off, and soon we’ll be preparing for the first snowfall. Warm sunny days followed by cool nights are ideal for many who have struggled with the heat of summer. So how do we slow down and enjoy each day to its fullest?
Perhaps in the midst of all the complexity of activities in your household, you find it nearly impossible to rest. Slow down, you say? I can’t seem to get everything done now each day. It is estimated that insufficient sleep has an economic impact of more than $411B annually in the U.S. Nearly five out of ten workers are regularly tired during the day. It is said that fifty-five percent of nurses experience insomnia on a regular basis. About one in three adults in the U.S. do not get enough rest or sleep daily. We are told by medical experts a healthy adult requires at least seven hours of sleep each night. As one of the members of my congregation used to say, “fatigue makes cowards of us all” and we can find ourselves frustrated and even angry.
As a senior now for several years (and counting) I can attest that part of me misses the bustling activities of the household. Children grow up so fast and leave before you know it. As a pastor, I have always instructed new couples during marriage counseling that the goal of every parent is to teach and encourage your child to do one thing, and one thing only: LEAVE.
There is nothing more satisfying than to see your children grow into productive, kind, generous, and successful adults. And while we know they will eventually leave, it is still difficult when it happens. Suddenly you feel relegated to a quiet house and sleepless nights. For those seniors that have lost children to an untimely grave as I have, it makes you look back at the times you were granted with them and wish they had never ended.
For those in the midst of the chaos, I want to encourage you to slow down! In their 1966 album entitled Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Simon and Garfunkel released the song “59th Street Bridge”. The opening verse of the folksy song started out “slow down, you move too fast…you’ve got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobblestones: looking for fun and feeling groovy.”
For those of us that lived back during the sixties, it was a turbulent time. The presidential election of 1960 between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon was highly contested. Muscle cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, and Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner were racing down our streets. Both Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated in 1968. The Woodstock revival happened in 1969. The era of the 1960’s was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, counter cultural movements, and riots in major cities such as Detroit and Los Angeles. Chaotic times? Absolutely, and Simon and Garfunkel wanted all of us to slow down and feel groovy. I’m certain that term has gone out of vogue a very long time ago. This was a simple time long before cell phone texting and memes.
My father who passed away several years ago, used to tell me to “slow down and smell the roses.” He was concerned that in working sixty- and eighty-hour weeks and raising a family was causing me to miss the moments of life. Perhaps he was right.
So slow down and take time for yourself. Find a quiet time in your day for rest and reflection. For me it is in the early morning hours at dawn. One of my favorite passages by Jesus is found in the gospel of St. Matthew chapter eleven where he tells us to “come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” It is there that I can find physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual rest.
As the season now changes and the pace of life has quickened, slow down. Find peace and rest for your soul. And once you’ve found it, guard it ferociously!
By Barry Nehls
Somebody Else
West Bend Journal
April 2025
Somebody Else
Have you ever met Somebody Else? Oh, I’m sure you have; I know I have met him often. You see he is the busiest fellow I’ve ever known. If you really have never met him, let me introduce you.
The other day as I was picking up a few items at the local Walmart, I saw Somebody Else in one of the aisles. There were several boxes of crackers that had been knocked off the shelf, and I thought to myself, “let Somebody Else pick them up and place them back.” Then I thought, nah, he’s awfully busy, perhaps I should pick them back up myself. When I returned to the parking lot with my groceries, I saw there were abandoned shopping carts scattered everywhere. Again, I thought, “let Somebody Else collect and put them in the cart rack.” I’d like to say I repented and rounded them all up; I did put my cart back in the cart rack.
We often take the attitude that Somebody Else will do what we can or should easily do. I was walking back from the gym the other day, and there was a bit of trash on the road. How long it had been there, I did not know. Passing by I thought to myself, “it looks a bit nasty, let Somebody Else pick it up.” But then I realized it could easily stay there for a long time if everyone had the same thought. I walked back, picked it up out of the roadway, and returned it to my garbage can at home.
In my last secular job before retiring, we found the attitude of “let Somebody Else do it” to be a constant theme. I actually proposed at a board meeting that we take one of the spare offices on the production floor and put his name on the door. We’d place a box outside the office that read “Somebody Else’s problem” where workers could deposit their issues. Of course Somebody Else would be so busy, he’d probably never be in his office.
Growing up I was blessed to have three brothers. Mike was four years older, and as I’ve written before, I also had a twin brother, Tarry. Both are gone now. Whenever we met together at a restaurant, my older brother and I always knew how my twin brother would approach the meal: Somebody Else will pay. He never even offered.
The other day I was driving over to my daughter’s condo here in Florida. At the side of the road as I was making my last turn towards her place, there sat a homeless woman on the sidewalk. She had a grocery cart full of her worldly possessions. She looked disheveled and hopelessly lost. As I drove past, making my turn down the one-way street, I wondered to myself if Someone Else would help her. The next time I passed by that way, she was gone.
It reminded me of the story in the Bible of the Good Samaritan. Left robbed, beaten and half-dead in the street, those that passed by were sure Somebody Else would help this poor unfortunate soul. Only one man did: the good Samaritan. He became involved at a great expense of his time and money. How often we use the excuse that we don’t want to be involved, we simply can’t afford the time or bear the inconvenience.
Well I think by now you get the point: Somebody Else is you and me. Whether it is a random act of kindness or you and I going the extra mile to meet the needs of others, God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is so easy to take the attitude it is Somebody Else’s problem and refuse to become involved. We can and we must do better.
There is a tremendous blessing that accompanies doing for others. Don’t let Somebody Else steal your blessing by relegating your opportunity to show compassion, love, and care for others. In your workplace, don’t wait for Somebody Else to pick up the slack or go the extra mile. If you do, you will miss the opportunity to be a blessing to your co-workers and employers. As you can see, Somebody Else is extremely busy, overworked even. So the next time you see an opportunity to be there for someone or something, and you think it is for Somebody Else, stop and seize the moment to be a blessing to others.
By Barry Nehls
The Attitude of Gratitude
The Attitude of Gratitude
It always seems as though November is the month where the weather really turns the corner. We’ve all enjoyed the warm fall days and cool nights of the past couple of months, but now the air is just a bit crisper. The harvest completed, the fields stripped bare of crops, and the days seem to grow ever shorter.
November is the month where we begin to focus on the holidays that lie ahead. Many stores have already begun displays of Christmas trees, lights, and decorations. When I was a small boy in rural Northwest Ohio, these Christmas markings were never seen until after Thanksgiving. Seems like we are in more of a rush each day; always looking forward instead of taking stock of today.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite family celebrations. My thoughts always go back to the great meals my paternal grandmother prepared in her tiny farmhouse kitchen. Today nearly every kitchen is blessed with double ovens, microwave or hot air ovens, electric carving knives, and a refrigerator or two. Not so my grandmother’s kitchen.
Typical of a home built at the end of the 19th century, her kitchen was equipped with a wood burning stove and a water hand pump at the sink. The house did not receive electricity until 1938, and the only heat source was a small kerosine heater in the dining room. By the time I arrived on the scene in the early 50’s, a small electric refrigerator was added to the sparse kitchen.
But oh the wonderful meals my grandmother prepared for our Thanksgiving celebration! Cooking and preparing food for the large extended German family was no small task. There was always the traditional turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry relishes, and a wide selection of vegetables. Often times my grandfather along with Dad and his brothers would have an early morning hunt resulting in a pheasant or two to add to the feast. I’m not sure my grandmother appreciated the last minute additions.
What always amazed me was the selection of homemade breads, cakes, pies, cookies, and candies that we would snack on throughout the day. And it was a day-long celebration that concluded with an evening meal of yummy leftovers. While I can still smell the great feast as it was set out before us, I also remember that it was a day of thankfulness and gratitude. It was family time.
These generations of Americans had endured the first world war, the great depression of the 1930’s, the second world war, followed by the Korean “conflict”. There were memories of those of the family that didn’t return from those wars, and times of being grateful for having enough to eat throughout the winter. My father told me that during the depression, they used the same coffee grounds over and over, just adding a spoon of fresh to the top of the pot; the very bottom grounds would be white by the end of the cycle.
Today the world seems to be in more serious turmoil than ever. On the world stage are the raging military conflicts in the Ukraine and Israel. At home, we seem to be more divided than ever. Our federal government appears mired in gridlock, and it is as though we are constantly debating an upcoming election. At times it seems difficult to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
So this Thanksgiving, and throughout the year, let us each be a little bit more grateful. Say thank you to all those that serve us each day, from the mailman to the baker, the garbage collector, teacher and policemen. There is no doubt that in spite of all the issues that confront us, we can stop to be grateful for the many blessings we experience each and every day. Perhaps this year around your Thanksgiving day table, let each one express the blessings they appreciate in their lives and give thanks. And above all, let us bow our heads and give thanks to the Lord for His bountiful provisions!
The Search For Truth
November 14, 2023 The Search for Truth
Turbulent 2023 is coming to a close. The pace of life seems to be gaining speed. Or perhaps our busy lives allow little time for reflection. In the last issue of the West Bend Journal for the year, I want to address a topic that has drifted off into a sea of obscurity: truth.
When I was a small boy growing up in Northwest Ohio, my mother was a real stickler for the truth. I’m not just talking about a relative truth, but an absolute truth. If I or my brothers were caught in a lie or using inappropriate language, it was down to the bathroom sink with the bar of ivory soap! It was all you could do not to throw up, but what a lesson you never forgot. Child abuse? I think not.
In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, we find these familiar words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Unlike other founding documents such as the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but the words ring as powerful today as they did in 1776. Those words, penned so long ago by Thomas Jefferson, continue to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality.
The passage has come to represent a moral standard to which we as a nation should strive to achieve and uphold. While the statement started out with lofty goals, the nation engaged brother against brother in a bloody civil war to address states’ rights and the issues of slavery. It was the 15th Amendment to the constitution that prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, passed on February 26, 1869. Women did not receive the right to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the constitution on August 18, 1920. It would probably be foolish for me to comment any further on the truth of the equality of men and women.
It was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that ended segregation in public places, banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It is considered by many as the crowning legislative achievements of the first civil rights movement. Later Congress expanded the legislation by passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It seems the truths of the Declaration of Independence were not so self-evident.
How does one define truth? The question has been asked for centuries and remains elusive. One definition reads: truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality. Today with a plethora of 24-hour news and cable programs, with the social media platforms of Facebook®, X®, Instagram®, and others, it is easy for one to become lost searching to separate fact from theories, lies from truth.
So, at the risk of seeming authoritarian, as we close this year 2023, I want to boldly share what I believe to be truth. The first truth is that life in the United States is the rival of the rest of the world. Having traveled on nearly every continent and lived abroad, there is nothing to compare to this nation that I love. Adding to that, life in West Bend is truly an amazing gift which Sue and I miss while we winter in Florida.
The second truth is simply this: our liberty has been achieved and fought for in numerous conflicts and wars. The freedoms that we enjoy, the prosperity, the ability to pursue dreams into reality are things to pause and give thanks for. The final unalienable right set forth in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, the pursuit of happiness, is a bit more elusive. The truth here is that happiness is fleeting, and so often dependent upon our immediate circumstances. I much prefer contentment over happiness. The lack of contentment by so many in this nation confounds much of the rest of the world where lack, hunger, poverty, and wars are their unfortunate reality.
Can you join me in making just one resolution as this year of turmoil draws to a close? Let us each resolve to see the good in every person. Let us resolve to celebrate those common blessings that bind us together as a nation and understand the differences that would seek to divide. We must avoid the mistakes of the past and learn from them. Referenced from the Bible by Abraham Lincoln in a speech on June 16, 1858, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. We are all equal, all loved by God, all blessed beyond merit, and all living in the greatest nation to ever exist on planet earth. Let’s pull together! It starts with you; it starts with me.
The Wedding Month
West Bend Journal
June 2025
June: The Wedding Month
In America, a majority of weddings are celebrated from May to October, often referred to as the “wedding season.” The most popular month statistically is the month of June. It seems for most of the country the weather in June is most suitable for outdoor celebrations and family gatherings. When traveling through a strange town or community on a Saturday afternoon in June, it is common to see a new bride and groom hustling down the steps of the church with flowers and cheers as they are whisked off in a decorated car.
As a pastor I have officiated a number of weddings. It was always one of my favorite duties as an ordained minister. Even though now retired, I did officiate a wedding last year in Florida, and have another one scheduled this fall.
I particularly enjoyed marital counseling with young, engaged couples, sharing not only God’s design and plan for marriage, but some of my own life lessons. Everything was up for discussion. There was usually a dozen or so sessions along with workbooks and lessons. Fortunately, there were only two couples that didn’t move forward with marriage. I say fortunately because it is much better to discover before the wedding vows than after.
Divorce has unfortunately become commonplace in America. It is estimated that approximately 42% – 45% of first marriages end in divorce. The average duration of marriage before divorce is about thirteen years, and surprisingly nearly 70% of the divorces are initiated by women. Sadly, these statistics are very similar for church members. This was certainly not God’s plan for marriage.
So, what was God’s plan for marriage? Genesis 2:24 tells us “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one.” The real key is the “oneness” that marriage forges. I always remind couples at the altar following the vows and the pronouncement of marriage: God no longer sees them as two people but as one: one man, one woman for life.
I urge couples to work on diligently maintaining and protecting the “oneness” of their marriage. Visually, I instruct them to imagine drawing a circle around themselves. The barrier is meant to include their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and none other. No in-laws or parents in the circle, and especially no children there.
Ever notice how children, especially when younger, are master manipulators at getting what they want? But mom said…or dad said. Know this – the place of agreement is the place of power. When mom and dad agree on any decision, that settles it. That is a big part of the oneness of marriage.
Again, the circle is sacred to the marriage. No strangers or others are allowed in. Maintaining such a tight circle requires great commitment on the part of both husband and wife. If you allow children inside the circle, when they leave, which is the thing we train them to do, they punch a hole in the circle. Once all the children leave the home, since they have cluttered the circle while growing up, the husband and wife are left alone discovering they don’t know each other anymore.
The ultimate goal for marriage is the development of intimacy: physical, emotional, and even spiritual. When this develops, in long-term marriages couples can communicate in more than simply words. A look, a gesture, and even a touch can relay deep feelings and thoughts. Communication is always the key. When one spouse or the other decides to use the “silent treatment” on the other, intimacy suffers greatly.
Intimacy of relationships is what the Lord requires of us. In the Garden of Eden, man enjoyed an intimate relationship with God. Sin, however, broke that bond of intimate relationship. Though God still spoke to man, intimacy was lost. It is an intimate relationship Jesus requires with every believer. Matthew 7:21-23 gives warning that works and words do not produce a saving, intimate relationship with Jesus. Marriage is the crucible where husbands and wives can learn how to develop intimacy with each other and with the Savior. That is a great reason to celebrate marriages throughout the month of June and the remainder of the year as well!
By Barry Nehls
Time Marches On
West Bend Journal
September 2025 Time Marches On
How quickly today turns into yesterday, and the past seems to fill up faster than we realize. Before long we may find we have more days in the past than perhaps waiting for us in the future. The fact is none of us know how long we will be here; each day is a gift and blessing. Psalm 139 tells us that in God’s plan for your life, He has written every day in a book. Having conducted funerals for the very old as well as the very young, I remind the family and loved ones left behind that each person received every day the Lord planned for them to have; God’s ways are much higher than our ways.
I have always been fascinated with history. I was never a good student of history; simply too many dates and events to remember. But I love to imagine life and the personal interactions that occurred in days gone by. The History Channel often has great documentaries on past events, with films and photographs of the people and their activities that have shaped this nation and our society.
The past can become a difficult place to navigate. Some have experienced so much tragedy and trauma that it negatively impacts their present lives. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul says, “forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forward unto those things which are before.” It is certain that no amount of effort or worry can change the past.
Some people are so full of regrets for past mistakes, tragedies, or hurtful experiences that they can become bitter. Perhaps someone did them wrong, mistreated them. The event can be decades old, and yet the wounds remain unhealed. Bitterness, like my daughter once told me, is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Allowing the past to overrun our present robs us of the joy of every sunset and the excitement of every sunrise.
The next time you drive your car, think of Apostle Paul’s advice. Every car has rear view mirrors. The newer vehicles are now equipped with backup cameras which are such a convenience and important safety feature. However, you and I would be in serious trouble if we attempted to drive down the highway only looking in our rearview mirrors! An occasional glance back is prudent to make us aware of what is behind, but our focus and attention must be on the road that lies before us.
But here is where navigating the future becomes tricky: we dare not forget the lessons of the past. In today’s climate of political correctness, there are many attempting to erase America’s past. Pulling down statues of those political and military men and women that have led, fought, and died for the causes of their day will not change history or the past. The America that you and I enjoy today has been formed through a series of mistakes and failures as well as tremendous successes.
Let us celebrate the successes of our past! We have all made mistakes, had misunderstandings and perhaps unknowingly hurt others. Let us focus on today. A wise person has said that “worry is the interest you pay on trouble before it is due.”
Is there someone in your past you haven’t spoken to in years? Send them an email or text; or perhaps even better, pick up the phone and give them a call. Don’t let the past pull down your today. As taken from book one of the Roman poet Horace’s work “Odes” (23 BC): “Carpe diem” or “Seize the day!” Keep those you love close. If necessary, take down the rearview mirror that keeps you from focusing on the joy of the day!
In West Bend we are blessed to be living in a beautiful community with wonderful friends and neighbors. With school now back in session along with all the sporting events and activities, it is a great time to get out into the community and renew friendships and acquaintances. Time is marching on.
Let me close with this final thought concerning time. It never stops. In the beginning of creation God created time for us. Genesis 1:5 records, “and the evening and the morning were the first day.” We know that for each of us time will stop. As I spoke at my twin brother’s funeral three years ago, it was strange to think our “clocks” started on the same day; his stopped, and mine continues. One day my clock too will stop. Next step: eternity.
Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) was a German theologian and professor of the New Testament at the University of Marburg, West Germany. He gave an extremely influential series of lectures in Great Britain and the U.S. in the mid-1950’s entitled “History and Eschatology: The Presence of Eternity.” His thoughts on eternity mirror my own: eternity is timelessness.
Most of us think of our God, in eternity, who has always been and will always be. Not an easy concept to understand. But timelessness? In the book of Revelation, chapter ten, and verse six, we read “there should be time no more.” Even a more difficult concept of eternity is timelessness. Oh, the glorious plans God has for our eternity!
For now, however, time marches on. Seize the day! Enjoy every moment with family, friends, and coworkers. Don’t waste a moment or be found simply killing time. It’s precious, it’s now, and it marches on!
By Barry Nehls
Turning The Corner Again
Turning the Corner Again
Happy New Year 2025! Does it seem possible? Are we ready to embark on another journey around the sun? What new adventures, what new “highs” and “lows” will this year hold for me and my family?
Most of us start a new year full of hope but also with just a bit of anxiety as to what the year might have in store. Will we see peace on the earth or will there continue to be wars? When I see the devastation in places like the Gaza and in the cities of Ukraine, it is hard to imagine trying to pick up your life in the midst of the remaining rubble.
January is often a time for making New Year’s resolutions. The local gymnasiums will be filled with those seeking to slim down, trim up, and somehow recapture that part of their youth that seems to have been overtaken by gravity. My experience has shown that the bustling activity of the gyms will quickly taper off and by mid-February there will be a return to the regular attenders that have made exercise a part of their lifestyle routines.
It is difficult to predict with any certainty the events that will unfold in 2025, but I am certain each one will experience changes of some kind. That is life. Some changes may be major such as a change in vocation, a move to a different location, or the loss of a loved one. For others, the changes may be small and even imperceivable. For certain each will celebrate another birthday in 2025, Lord willing.
What plans are you making for this new year? Recently my grandson, Cooper Hanson, called me for an interview. His class project was to interview a person to discuss perseverance and goal setting. I was thrilled to talk to him about several goals I have been blessed to set and achieve. One was becoming an author of now several books.
For any of you that have attempted writing, you will know the challenges of editing are enormous! It requires hours of meticulous review of the copy, over and over again finding the grammatical and spelling errors that have crept into the conveyance of thought to paper. Fortunately, as I told Cooper, his Grandma Sue is a superior editor. Other challenges for writing included working with the publisher, designing and working on the book layout, copy rights, and final publishing and book distribution.
Cooper then asked me about my patents and the challenges involved in obtaining them. I told him about a great deal of perseverance involved in working with the patent attorneys, the U.S. patent office, and in designing and building the equipment to prove out the inventions. An arduous task to be sure.
Are you setting goals for your new year? I mentioned to Cooper the age old adage, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” The Bible gives us a subtle warning about the making of plans for the day or tomorrow when we cannot, with certainty, know we will live to see these days. Instead we are encouraged to say, “If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that.” However, I do believe that it is a wise use of the time to set goals and make plans to achieve them.
It still doesn’t seem real that the year is now 2025. If you are like me, I will be writing 2024 for at least the next month or two. Had she lived, my mother would have been one hundred in August. I can tell you as I become older, I find I am not looking as far down the road as I once used to. These days I tend to take life a little more like the lyric, “one day at a time, sweet Jesus!”
Remembering that each day is a gift, and tomorrow is not promised to anyone, let us stay in the present and enjoy each day. Life in West Bend is truly a gift to be enjoyed. Cherish your family, your children, your neighbors, and friends. Make a point to perform random acts of kindness whenever you can. Let’s turn the corner and redeem the time together. By Barry Nehls
What Are You Waiting For
February 2025 What Are You Waiting For?
February seems to be the month where winter sort of drags on. Perhaps that is why it is the shortest of the months of the year: simply get it over with.
Every notice how we are always waiting for something? Seems like we were just making plans for spending time with family and friends around the Thanksgiving tables in homes across America. And then there was the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. “Can’t wait for Christmas to get here” is the most familiar phrase of workers and school children alike throughout the month of December. And we wait.
And while the wait often seems torturously slow, moving at the pace of a snail, the day arrives and soon is gone, faded into our memories of another Christmas past. And now we refocus our attention on the next event upon which to wait. Let’s see: ah yes, February is the month for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Historians tell us that the special day has roots in an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that was annually celebrated on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast the pagan festival as a Christian feast day around 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentines Day. The special day was named for Saint Valentine, a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. The Roman army had concluded that single young men made better soldiers, and decreed that such could not marry while in the service of the emperor. Romance and love found a way, and St. Valentine was instrumental in performing numerous secret marriages.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent or given each year, making it the second largest card-selling holiday of the year (2.6 billion are sent for Christmas). And while we wait for Valentine’s Day to arrive, statistics tell us that 64% of men will buy flowers, spending a whopping $1.9 billion dollars. Candy ranks second, with a Valentine’s Day spending of approximately $1.6 billion dollars.
Interestingly, while we wait for this special day to arrive, most men procrastinate until the final moment. I used to chuckle when visiting the card, flower, or candy shop after work on Valentine’s Day. The aisles were jammed with these procrastinators (including me) finding that quick-let’s-purchase-something to present when we finally get home that represents our undying love. Typical male shopping: find it, kill it, bag it, and take it home. Having three daughters in the home, I always had a box of candy for each: as dad you’re not their Valentine for very long.
Back to this idea about waiting. Often you will hear children make the comment, “I can’t wait until” and what follows are a litany of growing up milestones: becoming a teenager, driving, dating, going off to college, landing that first job, finding that perfect mate, etc. We can’t wait for the birth of our first child, then in a blink it’s the birth of the first grandchild. Gracious, I already have that first great-grandchild!
If we are not careful, we spend our lifetime always waiting for something, some special event or day. I don’t know about you, but right now I can’t wait for spring to arrive with warmer weather. I can’t wait for the pool to warm back up, for the golf course to burst into green, and to enjoy golfing and swimming once again. But I guess like the rest of us, I’ll just have to wait.
Or perhaps here is another suggestion: rejoice in the day! Each day is a gift of 1,440 minutes that is deposited into our time account. Living in this great country, we are free to spend these minutes any way we choose. Sure, many are off to work forty hours each week; but I tell you, enjoy the experiences of each day. Don’t be caught sleep walking through life, or your job for that matter, waiting for the next vacation, holiday, or eventual retirement.
Make certain your family members sense and know your love and care for them today. And let’s not wait for someone else to reach out to us; be a friend now. Share a kind word now. And before you know it, we’ll be complaining about the dog days of summer!
What Gift Do You Bring
What Gift Do You Bring? By Pastor Barry Nehls
Let us go back to where Christmas all began, back to Bethlehem. The name literally means “house of bread” and we know from the Scriptures that Jesus is the “bread of life.” The Old Testament prophet Micah foretold to the southern nation of Judah that a ruler would arise out of Bethlehem nearly seven hundred years before the birth of the Christ child. In the providence of God, just prior to Mary giving birth to Jesus, Caesar Augustus called for a census and taxation of the Jewish people.
Joseph, being of the house and lineage of David, journeyed from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Bethlehem to comply with the Roman proclamation. And it was there, on that cool, starlit night, that Jesus would be born. The angels heralded the birth to the shepherds tending sheep in the nearby fields. With haste they went to verify for themselves and see this newborn baby. Caught unexpectantly in the drama of that great event, they arrived without any gift for this newborn child of God.
Knowing as astronomers and wise men the appearing of a new star indicated a major cosmic event, they followed the Star to Jerusalem. Learning that the ancient prophesies foretold Bethlehem as the place for the birth of the Messiah, they traveled on. Each was bearing a gift for the Christ child.
One brought gold, paying tribute to a “king”, another frankincense, a sweet smelling savor in honor to God, and the other myrrh, a spice normally used in the preparation of a body for burial. These gifts would come to symbolize the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, His deity, and point to the reason for His birth: to die for the sins of the people.
Perhaps it is these first gifts that started the tradition of gift giving to celebrate Christmas. But I believe the Biblical understanding of giving goes much deeper. First, Jesus is God’s gift to us, the giving of Himself to us. John 3:16 reminds us that “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus Christ is God’s final revelation of Himself to us.
Secondly, as we respond to this gift of God, we give back to Him. Our greatest gifts to God are not in the things we do but in the giving to Him our thanks, our affection, our love, trust, hope, and our hearts. We come to God through Jesus Christ with empty hands and open hearts.
Finally, from God’s gift to us and the giving of our affections to Him, flows our giving to others. We give because God has first given to us! We give, as the Bible instructs, as we purpose in our hearts.
When I was a young boy, my thoughts of Christmas were tearing into the gifts under the tree labeled for me. Now much older, and hopefully a bit wiser, Christmas means my giving to God all praise and honor He is due and sharing the gift of Jesus with others.
This Christmas asked yourself, “What gift do I bring?” Do not labor over finding that “perfect gift” but rather, give yourself! Give your time and your love to God, your family, and friends. I can assure you they will be the best gifts you bring this year to your Christmas celebration!
What Is Easter
West Bend Journal
April 2025
What Is Easter?
The Christian faith celebrates two significant events each year: Christmas and Easter. The attendance for most churches associated with these two events is always the greatest. We sometimes referred to the rush of people coming to these services as the “C & E” crowd, as for many they are the only church services attended during the entire year. I always enjoyed preaching to a larger congregation on both occasions.
But what is Easter all about? The term itself is only mentioned one time in the Bible. It is found in the Book of Acts 12:4. It is a time where the Bible records the imprisonment of Peter by King Herod following the execution of John, the first of Jesus’ disciples to be martyred. Seems Herod chooses to wait on the execution of Peter until after the Easter holiday.
Easter is the oldest celebration of the Christian Church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is recognized each year in the Western Church on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox (March 21). This timing was established in 325 A.D. by the Council of Nicaea. Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.
The question I want to ask, however, is what is Easter to you? Throughout the years various activities have arisen, such as the coloring of eggs, the infamous Easter bunny, and even some traditionally held Easter day parades. Many decorate their homes with these various themes; some hanging colored plastic eggs on outdoor trees. Somewhere likely in the back of the closet, I have an 8-mm film of my first two daughters hunting for colored Easter eggs in the yard. Monica was seven and her sister, Rebekka, two at the time in 1977. While Monica is stepping on as many eggs as she finds for her basket, Rebekka stops at the picnic table to peel and eat one.
So let me tell you what Easter means to me. First, it is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecies and promises of God found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Abraham declared to his son Isaac in Genesis 22:8 that “God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” It was this Jesus, the Son of God, who would be the sacrifice made for the sins of all who believe. His death on the cross of Calvary was the shedding of blood to atone for my sins. Second, Easter is more than the sacrificial death of Jesus for it is the celebration and acknowledgement of His resurrection from the dead! It is a victory over death, hell, and the grave.
Jesus suffered the punishment my sins purchased. His righteousness is imputed to me and to all who believe! To put this in more common terms, it is a second chance! It is God providing for you and me another chance. When I mess up and fall, Easter tells me I can get back up and have another chance. I don’t know about you, but that is great news. God is long-suffering with us, willing to give additional chances to all who repent and believe. It is what I often refer to as a “do over.”
Many in West Bend and surrounding communities play golf. As spring is now arriving and the golf courses are greening up, all are looking forward to the challenges and frustrations of moving that little white ball into the cup. Depending on just how serious a game you play, there are those that on occasion like to call a “mulligan” on a poor shot. A second chance, if you will. No one is sure where the term originated. Most stories agree that it was named after a chap named Mulligan, but they differ as to who this Mr. Mulligan was.
For me, dropping down a second ball and calling a mulligan simply means I’ll hit the same poor shot all over again. I am hopeful, however, that this year as you contemplate a mulligan on the golf course, you will think of Easter. It is the God of the universe providing for you and me the greatest second chance of all: to experience forgiveness. To once again return to fellowship with our Creator.
By Barry Nehls
Who is My Neighbor
Who is My Neighbor?
How important is our neighbor? Currently days are traveling at a pace that far exceeded the pace of a mere decade ago. Everyone’s lives are filled with activities, and weeks quickly turn into months and years. We find ourselves spending more time with our computers and less time with each other.
The internet, social media, and texting have allowed us to “stay connected” albeit electronically. Too often we become isolated from each other, and from our neighbors. You may ask, “who is my neighbor”? It was this very question that a lawyer asked Jesus one day.
This lawyer started by asking what he needed to do in this life to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by answering his question with a question, namely “what is written in the Law?” Citing Leviticus 19:18, the lawyer responded, “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.” Seeking to justify himself, the lawyer then asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?”
At this point in the conversation, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable. It is a rich story, taking a common event and applying a spiritual truth. The familiar lights up the profound, and the profound is easily remembered through the familiar.
Recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter ten, Jesus tells of a certain man that was robbed, beaten, and left on the road half dead. It was a well-traveled road, and soon a priest happened by, but he avoided the man and quickly passed on. So, too, a lawyer came upon the man, looked at him lying bleeding in the street, but hurried past on his way. Seemed his life was too busy; he didn’t want to get involved.
Now this unfortunate traveler was a Jew. Certainly, the priest and/or the lawyer would have reached out to help a fellow Jew. Far easier to consider someone a neighbor who is like us, perhaps of the same race, color, or creed. But not on this day.
As the story progresses, it now happens that a Samaritan man finds the beaten stranger lying in the street. At the time there was great animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. However, this Samaritan has compassion on the man. He bandages up his wounds, transports him to a local inn, and took care of the man, providing money for his continued care until he could be restored.
Even today, we often hear of total strangers helping others in need, referring to them as a “good Samaritan”. In the parable, the neighbor is the one who showed compassion and mercy on the unfortunate traveler. He interrupted his life to help one in need.
Likely all of us have heard the advertising jingle, “And like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” In the early 1970’s Becky Mattison of Lakeside, Montana proposed a National Good Neighbor Day as a day to recognize the importance of being good neighbors. President Jimmy Carter signed Proclamation 4601 on September 22, 1978, establishing the national holiday which is now observed annually on the fourth Thursday of the month of September. This year it falls on September 26, 2024.
When I was a young boy growing up in a small, Northwest Ohio town, everybody knew everybody else in their neighborhood. The children all played together, and in the evening, neighbors often came together over popcorn or iced tea to share life. Moms borrowing a cup of sugar was commonplace. Dads sharing tools or helping with lawns was seen as the “neighborly thing” to do.
I lived in England for two years. We rented a small house in the village of Alrewas in Staffordshire. We were shocked to find that many living in row housing often did not know the name of their neighbors after sharing the building for years. Most didn’t embrace “Yanks” living on their street as well.
In this presidential election year, we have heard from both sides of the political spectrum. The best that I have heard from both sides is that we are all in this together! Regardless of your political views, we should all strive to be good neighbors.
West Bend is a great community full of wonderful people. New to this community last year, my wife and I have found everyone to be friendly and helpful. With National Neighbor Day recognized this month of September, let’s be encouraged to reach out to those living next door and down the next street. We all want “good neighbors” but let us not forget, to have good neighbors we must be good neighbors. Ask yourself the question, “what can I do to be a better neighbor?”
Back To The Bible
West Bend Journal
October 2025 Back To The Bible
Considering recent events such as the assassination of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, there seems to be a renewed interest in the Bible. Many historians and scholars are now comparing recent events with the end-time prophecies found in the book of Revelation. Politicians, government leaders, and news media personalities, pastors and priests are encouraging listeners and constituents to read their Bibles.
Retailers have seen a recent surge in Bible sales, attributed to the rising anxiety and uncertainty in the culture. The Bible has become the most widely printed book of all time. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Bible sales across a variety of editions rose 22% in the U.S. through the end of October 2024.
Called by many the “Charlie Kirk Effect”, young people are attending church services in large numbers, many for the first time. These young people are buying their own personal Bibles as they seek to make their faith their own.
For all of Christianity, the Bible is revered to be the Word of God. As we look at the Bible, we must keep in mind it is not a book of philosophy, although it is philosophical. Likewise, we must not go to the Bible as a scientific treatise, however, there is no discrepancy between ascertained facts of science and the Bible. The Bible is not a book of history but is found to be accurate when recording history. Someone once said, “Read the Bible to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be right.”
In the second book of Timothy, the apostle Paul makes the claim, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” As the inspired Word of God, the writings were inspired, not necessarily the writers, for the Bible nowhere claims to have been written by inspired men. Written by the person of the Holy Spirit, utilizing man as the instrument to write the passages resulted in the infallible Word of God. The Bible is therefore free from error and absolutely trustworthy.
Many find the Bible to be a difficult book. The reason: it came from the infinite (God) to the finite (man). You cannot, therefore, understand the Bible as you would understand the writings of other authors. You can study the great philosophers such as Plato or Socrates with the natural mind and by diligent application grasp their profound meanings. If the Bible could be understood by the natural man, it would be simply a natural book and could not be the Word of God. Since the Bible is from God and therefore spiritual, before you and I can receive its teachings we must be born of the spirit.
Before I became a Christian and gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible didn’t seem to make any sense to me. Perhaps you have found that to be true in your Bible reading. As declared by the Bible itself, the writings are foolishness to the unbeliever. But once I became a born-again believer, the Holy Spirit turned on the light of the Scriptures, and its truth and wisdom flooded my soul.
There is a oneness or unity of the Bible, which is truly a miracle, confirming the work of the Holy Spirit in its creation. Think of it: it is a collection of 66 books, written by over 35 different authors, over a period of approximately 1,500 years. Represented of the authors is a cross section of humanity: educated and uneducated, including kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers, and physicians. Included in the subjects are religion, history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography, and prophecy. To remain in complete harmony is literally a mathematical impossibility.
In the book of Hebrews, the Bible claims dividing power like that of a sword. The power is simply this: the Bible will separate man from sin, or sin will separate man from the Bible. The Bible also claims to have reflecting power as a mirror. Discovered in the passages of the Bible, we can see ourselves as God sees us: sinners in need of a Savior.
As you read your Bible, you will find there is a cleansing power as water to wash sin. In addition, there is nourishing power, spiritual food for our soul. The Bible imparts knowledge and wisdom so desperately needed today. Every sermon, every teaching, every church doctrine must align with the Word of God. It is therefore imperative that you and I read, study, and know God’s word for ourselves.
Today there are many versions, translations, and paraphrases of the Bible available to study. My preference has always been the King James version; an early modern English translation published in 1611 for the Church of England. While I often refer to other more modern or current versions, I find the KJV to be the most complete and accurate to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.
My personal KJV Bible discusses what it calls the “Scarlet Thread of Redemption” emphasizing how Jesus Christ is revealed to us from the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation. I want to encourage you to read your Bible! Make one your own, special, personal study. Make notes and write in the margins, especially when you receive special revelation. Share with your friends and family.
The Bible is our Lord’s gift to us all. Remember it in this simple acronym: B-I-B-L-E, meaning, “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.” In these troubled times, reading the Bible infused with prayer will bring peace to your soul. And finally, my prayer is that Jesus finds and chooses you as His own!
By Barry Nehls