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What Are You Waiting For? By Pastor Jimmy Tucker
The Bottom Line
Jimmy Tucker
Several weeks ago, my wife invited her family to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. She’s happy and excited to find out that all sixteen of the Haywards will be attending — not one will be missing! Some, realizing the importance of the occasion, even went to the effort of making special work arrangements in order to come.
Jesus sent out invitations to the greatest celebration that will ever be given — “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). This is an occasion you and your loved ones will not want to miss! These invitations didn’t go to just a few prominent people. They were sent, and are still being sent, to the entire world. “Whosoever will” may accept and come to the feast. There are only two responses: whosoever will and whosoever won’t. Unfortunately, there are many who are not interested, don’t believe it, or are too busy with their lives to accept His invitation.
Jesus gave a parable recorded in the book of Luke 14:16-23 NKJV: “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses.” When God’s invitation arrives, we should accept it immediately because He deserves our highest priority. Procrastination is one of the devil’s best tools. If we make excuses and put off responding until it‘s too late, we’ll miss our opportunity to receive an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. There’s no such thing as a self-sufficient person because everyone has an appointment with death. Everyone has sinned and needs to be forgiven — that‘s why Christ Jesus died a sacrificial death so that sin could be forgiven.
Any reason you have for not responding to Jesus’ invitation will be nothing more than a pathetic excuse when you’re facing Him at the judgment. Anyone who winds up in hell is there because of his own foolish and selfish choices in life. Don’t ignore Jesus’ call to eternal life. You may try to dismiss Him, but you’ll find that He’s everywhere. He’s in the sunrise and the sunset. He’s in the first breath of a newborn baby and the last breath of the saint. If you want to enjoy the awesome supper in heaven, RSVP to the invitation now and accept God’s only Son as your Lord and Savior.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Past tense — He’s already done it! The ball is in your court; what will you do with it? “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20 NKJV).
The Bottom Line: Make sure you’ve sent an appropriate RSVP to Jesus’ invitation ASAP.
Pastor Jimmy Tucker
(620) 223-1483
Diamond Community Church
4 miles east of Hwy 69 on Jayhawk
10:45 a.m. Worship
No Ice by Pastor James Collins
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
When Amanda and I first got married, we bought an old used refrigerator. It was the kind with a freezer which we had to defrost regularly. It lasted only about a year. It would have lasted longer, but one time when I was defrosting it, I used a sharp knife to chip away at the ice…
We needed a new one anyway.
Amanda hated that refrigerator, and the one we bought to replace it, because of no ice-maker. We had to use plastic ice-trays. It was a hassle to get ice from the trays, fill them back up with water, and put them back in the freezer. It wasn’t so much a hassle for me because I never refilled the trays. I had a habit of getting ice and putting the empty tray back in the freezer which infuriated Amanda.
Last year, we remodeled our kitchen. We went to the appliance store where I embarrassed the life from my wife in my effort to bargain with the salesman. Finally, after I noticed a small scratch on the back, I got the store to discount the price on a brand-new side-by-side refrigerator-freezer with a built-in ice-maker.
To save money, I opted to install the refrigerator myself. I spent the better part of a Saturday running the new water line. After everything was hooked up, I pushed the refrigerator into place and announced to Amanda that her fantastic husband had given her the ice-maker of her dreams.
The next morning, there was no ice.
“No problem,” I said, “I know what’s wrong. I will have it fixed in no time.” After “no time” hours, I confidently pushed the refrigerator back into place and informed Amanda that her wonderful husband had done it again.
The next morning, there was no ice.
“It must take time for the first batch to make, that’s all,” I assured her and started working on it again.
The next morning, there was no ice.
I went back to the appliance store and the salesman said, “Mr. Collins, you need a new what-you-may-call-it, but they are on backorder.” Six weeks later, the what-you-may-call-it showed up in the mail. I pulled the refrigerator from the wall, reached up to turn the water off, and made an incredible discovery. I had never turned the water on in the first place.
No water, no ice. No wonder, no ice.
If you think I looked foolish there, it is nothing compared to what God sees when He looks at people and our efforts to make life work without His power.
The point is: A Christian who forgets the Holy Spirit is like an ice-maker with no water.
How can we forget the infinite, personal Holy Spirit lives within us to guide us and give us power? The answer is regretfully clear. The power is off. When we are preoccupied with the pleasures of the world, we miss the power that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. His Spirit enables us to fulfill His purposes, but we must stay plugged in through prayer, reading God’s Word, and having complete reliance on His power – not our own.
Is the power flowing in your life?
James Collins is a pastor at First Southern Baptist Church. He can be reached through the website www.thepointis.net or by email at [email protected].
Holiday Dinner Theater Dec, 13
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Halloween Parade Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Oct. 25
Bourbon County Commission Meeting Minutes of Oct. 8, 15
October 15, 2019 Tuesday 9:00
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present. The County Counselor Justin Meeks and the County Clerk Kendell Mason were also present.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Nancy & Kerry Van Etten and Julie Saker each attended a portion of the Commission meeting.
Michael Hoyt met with the Commissioners to clarify his request from the last time he met with the Commissioners; he said he would like for the County to engage Emergency Manager Will Wallis to test or evaluate all EOP plans in place to see if there is room for improvement. Mr. Hoyt said the USD 234 plan fell apart in two areas on September 3, 2019 when there was an intruder; the 911 system and notifying the parents of students of the incident. Lynne Oharah said he had a conversation with Will Wallis and asked what the County’s responsibility was for those plans; Will said he was asked to critique USD 234’s plan, he said he did and felt it was a good plan. Mr. Hoyt said they had an event or incident and said there was no reason why the County leadership couldn’t take control and evaluate the plans. Lynne said he would discuss this with Will Wallis again.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim said they are mowing and crushing. He said they are making chips at the Beth Quarry. The County is making 1,400 tons of asphalt for the City of Fort Scott. He said they did a 23,000 ton blast. Jim Harris said they will be doing a snow drill this week.
Lynne said there are potholes at the north end of Devon that need filled and said a culvert may be needed; Jim said they would send the pothole patcher to the area.
Jeff made a motion that Kendell Mason send all department heads a memo asking that they watch and control their overtime since we are over budget in employee benefits (taxes and KPERS are based on compensation, and are elevated due to the extra overtime), Lynne seconded the motion. Jeff said we need to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money and said if we don’t reduce expenses it will require a reduction in force.
Jeff discussed the work done on Ironwood and the collapsed culvert there; he said the County did an amazing job there; he complimented the work that Jared Lord did.
Jeff discussed Mr. Phillips property on Justin Lane; he said there is water running from a spring or from a runoff, Mr. Phillips asked that ditching be done there. Jim Harris said he would view the area.
Lynne reported that 125th & Osage going east and west needs gravel.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Bill Martin, Ben Cole, Bobby Reed and Leslie Herrin (who was videotaping the meeting) met with the Commissioners to discuss a bill the Sheriff’s department received from Noxious Weed. Bill said he had requested gravel (which they have not received) for an area on the north side of the Sheriff’s building. Bill said they received a $566 bill from Noxious Weed for chemical spraying done by the Sheriff’s building. Bill suggested that the bill be written off since the property belongs to the County. Jim Harris said Noxious Weed has to purchase the chemicals and said if Noxious Weed sprays at the Landfill then the Landfill pays for the chemicals. Jeff questioned how the bill for spraying is different than the bill for fuel delivered to the Law Enforcement Center for the generator; Bill said the fuel for the generator should be paid out of operations. Jim Harris said they mow the area, but do not send a bill for mowing. Lynne said they would discuss the bill for spraying with Nick Ruhl when he returns. Jim Harris said there is a $506 delinquent bill owed from the Law Enforcement Center to Road & Bridge for fuel that was delivered for the generator; however, it was later stated that the $506 bill had been paid.
Julie Saker briefly met with the Commissioners; she announced that she was planning to run for Sheriff in 2020.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she discussed the event center, she said she and Rod Markin had attended a work group meeting and did site visits. She said the next step is to do business (to see if there is a need for the facility) & resident surveys. Jody said she needed to put out a press release to businesses and residents to identify long term property tax goals. Jody said the average mill levy for Bourbon County is 180.77 (which is the 11th highest in the state of Kansas). Jody suggested adding value to help reduce the mill levy and to obtain a long term goal (by 2030) of an average mill levy of 158.61. Lynne made a motion to accept this goal, Jeff seconded and the motion passed. Jody said that Jim Keller and Steve Buerge had both made contributions towards having the market demand study done.
Jeff Fischer discussed the St. Martins Academy on Indian Road; he said he had met with Daniel Kerr, Mr. Kerr said they did not want regulations or restrictions, but asked that the County place school zone signs (without restricting or reducing the speed limit at this time). Jim Harris recommended 45 mph since this was the current speed limit in the area. Jeff said that St. Martins had constructed a bridge and pathway for the students to use to keep them from walking on Indian Road. Jeff made a motion to direct Jim Harris to install school zone & warning signs with a 45 mph speed limit, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
William Laporte from Hidden Valley met with the Commissioners; he said they have received good service from the Sheriff’s department. He said recently the club house alarm had gone off, but it was a false alarm; he said he wanted to contact the Sheriff’s department to notify them of the false alarm so they didn’t make the trip to Hidden Valley, but said he had to call 911 to cancel the call, but said his 911 call went to Linn County. He questioned if it was true that only 2 deputies were on duty at one time and asked if it was too expensive to add more deputies; Lynne said the tax payers do not want their taxes to go up. Mr. Laporte asked about Yale Road; Lynne said it would eventually be paved.
Sparky Schroeder met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; he said the base on 230th is coming apart, Jim Harris said the asphalt came apart but said the base did not. Jim said they did a good job on the base of the road and said if it fails they will fix it. Mr. Schroeder said if it’s a blacktop issue, what are they doing to fix; Jim said it is unpredictable in what asphalt will do.
Mike & Judy Wilson met with the Commissioners regarding Unity & 75th Terrace; Mr. Wilson said the gravel had washed off of the road and said the road needs a crown or peak so that the water can run off. Jim Harris said they would view the road.
Justin Meeks reported that the City of Uniontown had accepted the real estate contract for the Noxious Weed building in Uniontown; he said he would discuss this at the next Commission meeting when Nick was present.
Lynne gave Justin Meeks permission to attend the KAC conference in November, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
Justin Meeks discussed the tax sale and said that the tax sale is progressing; he said the publication for the tax sale cost $10,000.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded the motion, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:23, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/21/2019, Approved Date
October 8, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Rod Markin with Markin Consultants met with the Commissioners and Jody Hoener regarding a multi sport indoor arena in Bourbon County. Nancy and Kerry Van Etten were also present for this meeting. Markin Consultants specialize in multi sport indoor arenas. The first phase for Markin Consultants is to do a market demand analysis, look at possible sites, demographic trends, look at competitive factors, determine who would use the facility, talk to producers and promoters of events then develop a program or plan for the facility. Once phase one is complete, they would share this with the Commissioners to see if a complex is viable. Phase two is to do a market and financial feasibility study and look at the related economic impact. Phase one will cost $15,000 (this will take approximately 10-12 weeks) and phase two is $6,000. Mr. Markin said we need support from the local community. Jody Hoener felt the arena could help retain our population, businesses and help with sales tax. Mr. Markin discussed the fairground and the FSCC rodeo arena, he asked how those would be impacted if a multi sport arena was built; it was stated that they wouldn’t be affected since they are smaller and there’s no room for them to grow. Lynne suggested since Bourbon County was located at the crossroads of two highways and close to major cities this could possibly be a good option for our area.
Jim Harris met with the Commissioners; Jim discussed tires and the Landfill, he said he was going to reach out to other Landfills for options on disposing tires.
Jim said they were going to blast at the Beth Quarry this week and will then make asphalt chips. He said they are patching and hauling gravel around the County. Jim said he recommended to not lay anymore asphalt this year, he said the Sales Tax fund is done; Jim said they completed close to 18 lane miles of asphalt in 2019.
Nick made a motion to give Jim Harris permission to hire a replacement mower employee, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim said he met with Will Wallis; Will asked Jim for a burning station at the Landfill, Jim said he is getting the location ready.
Nick reported a plugged culvert on 145th North of 54 Highway.
Lynne asked Jim to look at an area between 85th & 95th and Xavier Road.
The Commissioners approved reclaiming the road to get some ditches, install culverts and cut tress (out of the County’s right of way) on the North side of KOA Campgrounds.
Jeff Fischer attended a renewable energy conference; he said wind and solar energy were discussed. Jeff suggested that Counties obtaining windmills should pay attention to roads; he said Allen County has approximately 60 windmills and are now doing the road restoration after the installation of the windmills. Transportation innovation was also discussed. Jeff will attend an APEX wind energy meeting on October 10th.
Jeff did a presentation about the Forward Kansas Visioning Transportation Futures meeting he attended; he said the meeting discussed many items and needs involving planning for future transportation. After his presentation, he questioned what the Commissioners should do differently to plan for future transportation.
The Commissioners briefly discussed the overtime to be paid on October 11th; for a two week period the Sheriff’s department had 199.00 hours, the Attorney’s department had 67.75 hours, the Correctional Center had 116.75 hours and Road and Bridge had 99.00 hours.
Lynne made a motion that the Commissioners approve Gold Mechanical to fix the HVAC system at the jail for $65,500, but want a contract to do the work and the contract needs a timeframe for completion and needs to have a guarantee that it will fix the problem, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). After the session, Nick made a motion to authorize Kendell to replace a full time employee, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Deb Schoenberger and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne the authority to sign the Savvik Buying Group contract, Nick seconded and all approved.
At noon, Nick made a motion to adjourn for the day, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
ATTEST: Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/21/2019, Approved Date
Obituary of Justin Calvert
Justin James Calvert, age 45, of Madison, WI passed away on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. He was born on Sept. 21, 1974, in Girard, Kansas, the son of Douglas Calvert and Marcia (Hughes) O’Neal.
Justin graduated from Caney Valley High School in Caney, Kansas in 1993.
He served in the U. S. Marines from 1995-1999. He moved to Wisconsin in 2003 and married Dr. Mindy Haseleu on May 1, 2011. Justin worked as a finance manager at Smart Motors for the last 12 years.
Justin was a big, tall and muscular guy with an incredibly loving heart. He was very protective of his family and friends. He loved spending time with them and especially relished teasing his nieces and nephew. Justin was very generous, caring and sweet. He was very hard working, dedicated and successful in his job. He loved classic cars and started his collection with a red 1967 Chevelle. His pride and joy was a Verdoro Green 1968 Pontiac GTO, owned by his father-in-law since 1971 and restored in 2017 by his high school friend Scott Mills. Justin and his GTO won numerous awards including Best of Show at multiple shows. He enjoyed working out, watching football, going to car shows, swimming in his pool, collecting anvils and vises, and eating home cooked meals. Many who knew him may not have guessed how much he loved his cats, Bibi and Vitto. Justin was very patriotic and extremely proud of his service in the Marines. He was thrilled to reconnect with his Marine Corps brothers after 20 years.
Justin is survived by his wife, Dr. Mindy Haseleu; his mother, Marcia (Hughes) O’Neal and her husband, Dan; his father, Doug Calvert and his wife, Ilana; his brother, Matt Bowersock; niece, Madison; in-laws, Bob and Beth Haseleu and Vance and Teppy (Haseleu) McCaw; and niece, Rowan and nephew, Lane. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Mari-Kate Bowersock; and grandmother, Mary Hughes.
A funeral service was held at Gunderson East Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 5203 Monona Dr., Madison, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 12 p.m. until the time of service on Sunday. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
Following services for Justin in Madison, WI, there will be Cremation, then, Services with Burial at the Fort Scott National Cemetery at 12:30 p.m., Friday, November 1, 2019 under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., Fort Scott, Kansas. Members of the United States Marines Funeral Detail will present Military Honors.
Obituary of Walter Earnest Foulk
Walter Earnest Foulk, age 91, resident of Arcadia, KS, died Wednesday, October 23, 2019, at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, KS.
He was the youngest of seven siblings, born on April 4, 1928, in Arcadia, the son of John and Lydia Moore Foulk.
Walter served in the Army during the Korean War.
He married Mary Alice Lynch in September 1955 and together they had four children (Connie, Lydia, Andrew and Lora).
She preceded in death on September 10, 2018.
He worked in Springfield, MO, beginning at the City Utilities, then Springfield Tablet, and finally for Litton Company.
Walter enjoyed fishing, watching football, tinkering with lawn mowers, and visiting with local friends.
He was a lifetime member of Arcadia American Legion Post #110 and a member of the Arcadia Christian Church.
Survivors include three children, Dorthy Lydia Baker, Springfield, MO, Andrew Foulk, Springfield, MO, and Lora Jean Pratt, West Alton, MO; seven grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by an infant son Connie; two brothers, John and Marion Foulk; fours sisters, Emma Suzetta, Violet Wilson, Vida Cullman, and Wanda Tullis; and his parents.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM Saturday, October 26th, at the Arcadia Christian Church.
Burial will follow in the Sheffield Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the Girard American Legion.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Friday at the Cheney Witt Chapel, Fort Scott
. Memorials are suggested to the Arcadia Christian Church and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
KDOT requesting comments on STIP amendment
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) requests comments on an amendment to the FFY 2020-2023 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.
The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System. The list of projects being amended to the STIP can be viewed at http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burProgProjMgmt/stip/stip.asp
The approval of the STIP amendment requires a public comment period, which concludes Nov. 6. To make comments on the amendment, contact KDOT’s Division of Program and Project Management at (785) 296-2252.
This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Office of Public Affairs, (785) 296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).
Adopt-A-Child and Elk Christmas Basket Sign Up Nov. 5-7, 12
The Beacon announces the Adopt-A-Child and Elk Christmas Baskets sign up it Nov. 5, 6, 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Beacon, 525 E. 6th St. Ft. Scott, Ks.
Also, Tuesday, November 12, 2019, from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Bring your Beacon Card to sign up.
If you don’t have a Beacon Card
*We will need Picture ID for all adults in the household.
*Social Security card for all in household
*Proof of Bourbon Co. residency
*Proof of Income
* If you receive any service from DCF must sign a release for verification
Submitted by
Gary Murrell, Director
Contact for more information: 620-223-6869