Keys to the Kingdom

We’ve heard the colloquial expression, “She can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.“ There’s some truth to that because we’re not supposed to talk on the phone and drive at the same time. Blabbing is a huge distraction from whatever I’m trying to do. That’s why I don’t really want anyone in the kitchen while I’m fixing a meal — “I can’t think what I’m doing.” One time I was talking on the phone while walking briskly in my pasture (killing two birds with one stone). After the conversation ended, I walked to the house and suddenly realized my legs had turned to rubber and were completely worn out. I hadn’t the foggiest idea I‘d talked and walked for an hour!

We don’t know much about Enoch in the Old Testament, but his brief biography always inspires me. He was the great grandfather of Noah, and a prophet who preached to the unbelievers of his day about God‘s judgment to come. “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (Genesis 5:23,24 NLT). This particular Bible translation specifically mentions how Enoch lived — which was walking in “close fellowship with God.”

Enoch’s departure was a fading away, a ceasing to be here. Can you imagine the possibility of God saying: “You know what, Enoch, we‘ve walked so far today that we‘re closer to My house than yours. Why don‘t you just come home with Me?” Enoch was translated into God’s presence without experiencing death. He simply walked his race right through the pearly gates. I wonder what Enoch’s family thought when he didn’t come home for supper after his daily walk.

In 1963, J. S. Eastman composed the lyrics and music to the song, “I’m Nearer Home (Than I was Yesterday)” as recorded by the Happy Goodman Family. I wonder if Enoch‘s life could have inspired these words: “I’m nearer home than I was yesterday. I’m closer to God along the way. Each step I take, each prayer I pray, I’m nearer home than I was yesterday.” Enoch had persevering attention for God and was an excellent model of what it meant to draw close to God. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8 NKJV).

The New Testament records Enoch as a great example of faith: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying — ‘he disappeared, because God took him.‘ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God‘” (Hebrews 11:5 NLT).

I’m grateful that God continues to work with me as I walk with Him. “I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). It’s comforting to know I’m a work in progress until my last breath. If believers keep walking in close fellowship with God, we’ll keep coming up higher and higher in our trust and obedience. And one amazing day we’ll find ourselves in the splendors of heaven with all the other heroes of faith.

The Key: Keep walking and talking with God and, when all is said and done, He’ll take you Home.

 

The foundation of every business transaction is trust. I hire a contractor because I trust they will do a quality job, even when the work is below ground or behind a wall, and I cannot see it. We trust a bank to take care of our money. We believe an insurance company will honor our legitimate claims. When we open a package, we take it for granted that the food inside was prepared safely. When trust diminishes, more accountability is required to complete a business transaction, and the price increases.

During my 65 years of life, it seems as if a large quantity of trust has eroded from our culture. I do not know who or what to blame; is it the 24-hour news cycle, social media, or just the diminished character of our people? I would love to hear your views on the topic.

The precious commodity of trust was formerly one of the great benefits of living in the country versus the city; one knew their neighbors, acted in ways that benefited the community, and the consequences for violating trust were instant. In the city, an element of mistrust shadows every interaction because of the lack of familiarity; however, apparently, “familiarity does breed contempt.”

A tidal wave of mistrust has hit rural America, and we are paying the price. In the last twelve years, I have spoken to several people who moved to the country out of urban settings to find peace, community, and the trust that big cities naturally lack, and they have been sorely disappointed. Many people have headed back to the asphalt jungle.

I can draw only one conclusion: rural America is paying a much larger price for this negative megatrend than our cities. Americans are losing their faith and trust in the traditional values of small-town America. Without trust in Bourbon County, one just as well conduct business in the big city where less is expected.

We cannot change this megatrend, but we can change ourselves. How do we re-establish trust? The answers are basic and traditional:

• Be a person of your word.
• When you make a mistake, apologize.
• When a person errs and tries to correct it, forgive.
• If you are offended, go to that person, not the phone or social media.
• Be proactive in looking for ways to build community.
• Expect less from others and more from yourself.
• When you conduct a business transaction, give excellent value.

Economic development depends on the precious commodity of trust. At the heart of Bourbon County REDI is the drive to build trust in all areas of the Bourbon County geography, the business community, and the public sector. Without trust, we will not succeed. We believe that together, we can make a difference.

Last week, we left off with me threatening to do bodily harm to my husband. Admittedly, this was not a godly move, but the thought crossed my mind after he, not the first time, caused trouble for us at the Mexican border when he forgot to bring the original car title to allow us to enter that country. Now we would have to drive back to Kansas to locate the document.

We were an hour north when I had a thought: we could call our daughter-in-law, Jenn, have her open our safe, find the car title and over-night it to us at some…soon-to-be-named, San Antonio hotel. Hubby also had a thought. Perhaps the title was hidden in the briefcase located on the back seat floor, the briefcase he had already checked but failed to look in his secret hiding spot. I drove for a moment in silence, desperately trying to conjure up a lovely thought.

I mean, Philippians 4:8 sounds so easy…until you are asked to apply it. “Is that your way of asking me to exit so you can re-check your briefcase?” “Probably can’t hurt.” Ten minutes later, we were back on the road, luckless in finding the title in Dave’s little hideaway.

It was 10:15 A.M., a Saturday morning. Jenn had asked her dad to do the safe-duty at our house, but when we realized the post office closed in 15 minutes, we knew there was no way this would work. It was then that Adam called. “Sit tight,” he said, “I might have a plan.” “Does ‘sit tight’ mean to keep driving toward Kansas, but slower than the Nascar-rate I now am using, or does it mean ‘visit the Alamo and stay put’?” I asked.

Adam explained that he had several soldiers at his ranch, they were leaving the next day, and one was driving through San Antonio; perhaps he could bring the title with him. We could just find a hotel and hang out instead of making the long drive home, only to turn around and head back to the border. Which is where we are at this writing.

Yesterday evening, we stopped at a local pizza restaurant near our hotel. Its front door boasted a scribbled sign: “We are short-handed. Please be kind to our employees who took the time to show up.” This was right up my alley, since my 2022 goal was to follow the Philippians verse and “think lovely thoughts.” I ordered their $5.00 pepperoni special but asked if black olives could be added. “Also, may I have some parmesan packets?” “No problem,” said the sweet young gal behind the register.

“That will be $10.19.” “Black olives cost $5.00?” I asked. “No. It’s the extra cheese you ordered.” “Oh, I don’t want extra cheese, just the Parmesan packets.” “Oh dear, I am so, so sorry. My mistake. So sorry.” “It’s no big deal.” “Okay, you owe me $9.19.”

I handed her a $20. She gave me $1, plus change. “Um,” I began, “I gave you a $20.” “Oh dear, I am so, so sorry. My mistake. So sorry.” (This was becoming a pattern.) “It’s no big deal,” I repeated. “Well, yea, it sort of is. I closed the register. That’s a problem.” Think lovely thoughts. Think lovely thoughts. Think lovely thoughts.

We have choices every day to dwell on positives and not negatives. God wants us focused on what is going right in our lives, not on things about which we can complain. Nowadays, people feel hopeless, and any time we can spread a little joy, a little positivity, we can model for them how to do the same. No matter what the cost.

Keys to the Kingdom

 

Although I’ve not had the benefit of blood sisters, I’ve been blessed through the years with several fun-loving gals to make my life a rip-roaring joy. Two of them stood up with me at my wedding and I can refer to them as “partners in crime.” During the 55-mph speed-limit law in the 1970s, Jennifer and I were playing our kazoos on the way home from Tulsa and having a grand old time. She happened to glance at her speedometer and discovered she was running 80 mph. Oops! And ever since third grade, when Mrs. Oldham gave Jonita and I our well-deserved nicknames as “Giggle Boxes,“ we‘ve been laughing together for over 50 years.

Here’s the definition of partner: (1) either of two persons dancing together, (2) one who joins in an activity with another, (3) a player on the same team, (4) an ally. The Bible clearly states that believers have an unseen but very-real partner. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative — that is, the Holy Spirit — He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26 NLT). It’s comforting to know that the Holy Spirit is our helper, teacher, and reminder. We’re never alone or without direction.

He’s an around-the-clock continuous partner in the lives of all Christ followers. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV). The Holy Spirit comes from God as the wonderful gift promised to every believer.

Jesus said, “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you” (Matthew 18:19 NLT). It’s good to have a flesh-and-blood partner to agree with you in prayer, but if your request is so deeply personal that you can’t share it, rest assured that the Holy Spirit will serve as your “two.” He is the third person of the Godhead and He intercedes for you.

When we are a partner with someone, both parties have specific responsibilities. Agreeing and working together is of utmost importance for success. “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (Amos 3:3 NLT). If you’re part of a band, you have to play the same song as the other musicians. If your dance partner is doing the Twist while you’re Square Dancing, your team is absolutely not going to win the competition! The Word of God instructs us on how to live godly lives; we agree with God and then the Holy Spirit helps us stay on track. This is a sure-fire partnership any way you slice it.

However, should we mess up, we don’t give up! We can repent, ask for forgiveness, and start dancing with our Partner again. You’re never too old, too young, or too dumb to make a difference in the Kingdom of God. And don’t live in the past, stewing about what happened or didn’t happen. God’s a big-enough Partner to obliterate your baggage — but you have to be willing to hit the delete button. You can be restored to the authentic person God created you to be. Believers get a fresh new start every morning according to Lamentations 3:23. And that’s a splendid way to begin the new year.

The Key: You can happily promenade through life with the Holy Spirit as your Partner.

 

I mentioned in last week’s column that the list of local men and women who have made a heroic commitment of time, talent and treasure in Fort Scott could go on, and this week it will. This list, combined with the first, will certainly not be exhaustive, but here are some more recent investments by Bourbon County residents that have made us a better place to live and work:

State Farm Insurance/law firm. This significant investment at the intersection of South National and South Main dramatically improved a building that is highly visible by people traveling through Bourbon County on 69 Highway.

Bourbon County Cars. Another building at that same intersection was recently repurposed by local families, and has become a thriving business that creates significant tax revenue for Bourbon County.

Crooners/Liberty Theatre. An important Fort Scott historical district building was renovated and put to great use. Great restaurant and nice event venue.

Bartelsmeyer Jewelry. This family purchased a building on North Main near the National Historic Site and created a great place for locals and tourists to shop. Additionally, as was intended by these structures when built, they live above their store.

Edward Jones/Armstrong. This strip center on South National houses some popular tenants, and represents a significant financial risk to the local residents who took it on a few years ago.

Sunshine Boutique. This family business at Wall Street and Main Street has been popular for a long time, and they recently expanded their investment at that location, adding to their store, along with space for another tenant.

Smallville. This couple bought the lumber yard on 19^th Street and expanded the fitness options for locals, assuming a significant financial and construction risk. They put in much sweat equity (pun intended) as well.

What kind of investments in Bourbon County are good opportunities going forward? Besides pursuing your own business passion, rental housing represents a high need with relatively low risk. We have a dearth of good quality rental homes in Bourbon County, and demand is strong. Rent usually covers all monthly costs with a reasonable return on investment. We need local heroines and heroes to step up on housing; not as slumlords, but as men and women who understand that they have a responsibility to our community as well. Investors must turn a profit, but we have to think beyond ourselves as well if rural communities are to survive and thrive.

I am so glad I live and work in a community where so many people think beyond raw profit and want to make local investments that will create a legacy. Bourbon County REDI is committed to uncovering and supporting future local heroines and heroes.

So, like I vowed last week, I’m going to think only lovely thoughts, as Philippians 4:8 recommends. Easy peasy. I will make myself focus on how our hotel room is clean and no one has broken into our car. And how I now have a full day in which to write this article. And how our family bailed “us” out of a travel nightmare when, in reality, Dave and I could be adding 28 hours of travel time to our trip to Mexico. Much about which to be thankful. Indeed. I will refuse to dwell on how a friend in Mazatlán asked if we could pick up a car part in Oklahoma City on our way to Mexico. Only a few hours out of our way, we could spend the night there and continue to the border the next morning at 6:00. Oops! None of the three buildings to which we were sent held the “part” we needed. It was a few miles away in a warehouse, but, oh no, that building closed an hour ago. We would spend the night and pick up the part at 8:00 when the office opened. Lovely thoughts. Lovely thoughts. Lovely thoughts. Dave entered the warehouse at 8:00 sharp. He exited at 8:40, empty-handed. The part could not be found. It was in the inventory guide, but had disappeared. “Must have been sold and not recorded or it was misplaced. So sorry.” That’s how our day started. The next night, we stayed two hours from the Mexican border. Rising early, we wanted to get to the crossing before the crowd. Mind you, we have made this trip multiple times. Entering the immigration office, we knew the protocol. Dave was in charge of making sure we had all the documents required to cross. I grabbed the envelope from our glove compartment. The first stop was the passport check office. We weren’t felons. Good to know. Second stop? Perhaps we were felons. I handed the lady behind the glass all of our paperwork, a copy of our car title, drivers’ licenses, proof of Mexico insurance, passports, etc. “Where is the legal title to your car?” I pointed to the COPY of our title. I turned to Dave. “Honey, where is the actual title?” He exited the building while I begged. “We live in Kansas. That’s 14 hours from here and then 14 hours back.” Senora’s “sorry” seemed insincere. When I met up with Dave at the car, he was going through his “special” briefcase, the one that carries every important document, every end-of-the-world-life-saving-item imaginable. “Maybe I put it in here.” I sat in the driver’s seat, thinking NOT lovely thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, we were on our way back to Kansas. Dave broke the silence. “Well, we sure messed this up, didn’t we?” I gasped. “We? WE? WE? How did ‘WE’ get blamed for this?” “Well, think about it. You could have double-checked the envelope.” And this is where my unlovely thoughts probably went too far. “Yes, and I could smack you upside your head with your briefcase too, couldn’t I?” Dave found that funny. I owed him an apology. No Christian speaks to her husband like that, especially after, just the week before, she has vowed to follow Paul’s words in Phil. 4:8: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Then again, Paul wasn’t married. What would he know?

Keys to the Kingdom

 

When my daughter and son were young enough to play outside without hands-on supervision, yet not old enough to be entirely trusted, they played within the boundary of our fenced-in yard. As they grew older and proved themselves to be trustworthy, they were allowed to leave our property and play down by the creek bank just west of our house. Mariam and Aaron learned about nature and mastered the art of catching crawdads by placing a cup behind them as they shifted into reverse when threatened. I could always depend on the kids to return home whenever I blasted my athletic whistle. Because of their maturity and obedience, they were continuously rewarded (blessed) with the fun of expanded freedom.

Our heavenly Father is kindly watching our steps of obedience and disobedience. He watched the steps of the Israelites as they wondered all over the wilderness for 40 years. As a test, He gave them simple instructions on how to collect the miracle manna. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow My instructions‘” (Exodus 16:4 NLT). By their disobedient actions when collecting the manna, they proved they didn’t think God’s voice was important. They also proved that they weren’t trustworthy.

As believers, most of us are willing to do great things for God, but few are willing to do little things for Him. But God tests us in the little things first and if we flunk that simple test, we can’t be promoted to bigger things. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10 NLT).

Christ followers need to make the wise decision to start obeying God’s instructions in the little things. If we won’t obey the gentle voice of God and do little stuff, we can’t be promoted to bigger stuff because of our spiritual immaturity. We pray, “O Lord, what do You want me to do? I’ll do whatever You tell me to do,” thinking it will be something glorious in the limelight. Then when He gives us a small task and we ignore His voice because it’s not what we expected, or appears to be unimportant, we get to stay in spiritual kindergarten.

What are examples of little things? Picking up trash as you walk down the hall at work, not parking in the handicapped stall when you’re able-bodied, being kind to harried cashiers, reaching out to people the Lord has put on your heart, etc. Small acts of obedience are big in God’s eyes. “For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me” (Matthew 25:35,36 NLT). If you haven’t heard God tell you to do something specific lately, He’s probably still waiting for you to do the last thing He told you to do. God will give you greater responsibilities once you follow His previous instructions.

The Key: Stay within the boundary of God’s authority so you can hear and obey His voice and be blessed.

 

In previous columns, I have mentioned the importance of leadership as a critical ingredient in the success of a community, and we do have some men and women in our county that are leaders. The citizens that I consider heroic are making important time, talent and treasure investments in our community. Here are a few projects that I consider of particular significance:

Sleep Inn. This project, mostly funded by local investors, beautified an entry corner to Fort Scott and our historical district. It also gave us a newer hospitality facility that leaves many of our visitors with a positive impression of our community.

Fort Scott Munitions. This was a big investment by a local family in another blighted property at the entrance to Fort Scott. While they are putting the property to great use, they may never fully recover all the money they invested in the property to make it usable.

Hole in the Wall. Yes, this project had some public funding, but local investors took a risk and developed an attractive building out of an eyesore across from the National Historical Site. Remember the concrete blocks and poles on Scott Avenue?

E3/Common Grounds. A large amount of money has been put into this project by a local couple, restoring an important intersection in the historical district, and attracting several new businesses into the development.

Sharky’s and Luther’s. This investment in a downtown building, and renting another important landmark, has created an attractive gathering place for local people and tourists alike.

Bandera Stone. This Bourbon County company announced a new showroom location in Uniontown. This is a much needed investment in the Western side of our county.

Dairy Queen. Another local couple making a big investment to build a brand new building on South Main that is accessible by many who are just passing through. Our county has realized a nice increase in sales tax collection at the expense of this couple’s increased overhead.

Eddy Street. Two local men bought a couple of blighted properties in the 300 block, west of the Presbyterian Church, and built two new houses that are a significant upgrade to the neighborhood. About two years after they were built, the men sold the properties at a loss. Heroically, they embarked on the project, not to make money, but to make our community a better place.

Good Neighbor Action Team. This group of community leaders have made countless personal investments in Bourbon County communities, usually below the radar. Yard clean ups, paint jobs, wheel chair ramps, and other community improvements have been performed dozens of times by these generous Bourbon County stars.

The list could go on. Investments like these by local people are the lifeblood of our community, and represent commitments above and beyond the call of duty. It is another goal of Bourbon County REDI to help facilitate future investments like these all over our county, not only by local heroes and heroines, but by newcomers as well.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

In 2022, I hope to follow the advice in that scripture. Take this past Christmas holiday, for example. I will reminisce about how my husband led us in sweet devotions, and we purposefully prayed for individual families, instead of being sad because some relatives could not attend.

I will think of our white elephant gift exchange and be grateful I ended up with a lovely tray instead of the pair of high heels I previously had given my granddaughter which were chic and stylish but squished my toes, instead of how she obviously couldn’t wait to give them away.

I will be grateful for aching thighs the day after walking the hills my children and grandchildren jumped on their dirt bikes, even though I could not bend over to pick up a kitchen towel I dropped.

I will think of all we learned about each other after drawing random questions out of a bowl, including how one person answered “If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would it be and why?” with “Jesus and Hitler.” (She redeemed herself with her reasoning: She wanted to see how Hitler would react when he faced the one who died for his sins).

I will remember how all the women spent an afternoon together making our favorite cookie recipes to take to the three local Afghanistan families, even though I failed to spray oil on the cookie sheet of my first batch and only a few survived.

I will think of the beautiful 45-degree weather that allowed us to have a weenie roast, instead of the sleet that had to be chiseled off our windshields the next day on our drive to the airport.

I will recall how the women thumped the men in the highly competitive marathon of Marbles and Jokers (4-1, but who’s counting?) instead of how some of the men acted like babies when they lost.

I will never forget how much everyone enjoyed the Christmas games I found on the internet (like the Alphabet Game where, in 15 minutes, you list as many Christmas words as you can for each letter) and how competitive everyone was to win the prizes, instead of how argumentative they were when I wouldn’t accept their answers.

As my son, Adam, put it, “We should have known that the only answers Mom would accept were words from the Bible. We could have put Jehoshaphat under ‘J’ and she would have found a way that related to Christmas.” (Really? “Bed” is not a Christmas word, even though you sleep in one, waiting for Santa to come down the chimney, and “Oh” doesn’t count just because it starts the song “Oh Christmas Tree.”) I. WAS. A. FAIR. JUDGE.

I will think of those who have survived Covid and those who have gone to Heaven over the holidays because of it and will be reminded of the need to tell everyone I meet about Jesus.

And I will think of how every single moment gives me a chance to follow the advice of Philippians 4:8. I pray I can live up to that resolution. I should have known that, within a week, my 2022 resolution would be tested to the max.

Keys to the Kingdom

My daughter Mariam had asked if I could watch the girls while she attended a doula-client appointment.

Lydia Mae is 7 years old, Felicity 5, and Vivienne 2. When I entered their house, all three granddaughters greeted me with smiles and hugs.

Immediately, Vivienne looked at me and said, “I want to play hide and theek.“ Felicity focused her big green eyes on mine and warned, “She can only count to four, so you better hide quick.” Vivienne started counting and I dashed to the bathroom, got in the tub, and stood behind the open bathroom door. After counting, Vivienne chose not to look in the bathroom and headed down the hall. Lydia Mae saw me through the crack in the door and coaxed Vivienne into the bathroom. She entered, walked straight to the toilet, and looked in. I then heard Lydia Mae exclaim, “She won’t be in the toilet.”

Vivienne was simply covering all the bases because she was determined to find me…wherever I might be.

Many scriptures tell us to seek God, however, I don’t believe He’s hiding. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT).

All who really want God will find Him. As believers, we should have a continuous lifelong desire to revere and worship God. Seeking God means studying His Word, listening for His voice, praying, and obeying.

“The Seeker,“ written and recorded by Dolly Parton, was released in 1975 and peaked at #2 on the U.S. Country singles chart. She shared that this song was her heart-to-heart “talk with God.“ Some of the lyrics are: “I am a seeker and You are a teacher, You are a reacher so reach down. Reach out and lead me, guide me, and keep me in the shelter of Your care each day. ‘Cause I am a seeker and You are a keeper. You are the Leader won’t You show me the way.“ The songwriter may have used the following scripture as her foundational inspiration: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need” (Luke 12:31 NLT).

I’m all for reading good books in order to gain insight into areas that need improvement or further understanding. But if believers are not reading and obeying The Good Book as our #1 resource, we’re headed for trouble.

“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure My commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT).

God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. However, the following scripture states the reason why we may not have certain things: “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2 AMP). He promises to give wisdom and understanding to those humble enough to ask.

If believers could truly comprehend that wisdom is of greater value than money or stuff, we could be walking in high cotton.

God’s children need wisdom to live victoriously in Christ, so seek His face and ask for insight and understanding.

The Key: Be a lifelong seeker of God and you’ll have everything you need.

New Tax Information

Tax and population data is out for the State of Kansas, and the news is not great for the Southeast region (“SEK”). Take a look at the following chart which compares recent statistics of ten SEK counties:

2020
SEK CO	Ave. Levy	Assessed Valuation	RE Tax Collected	Total Indebtedness	State Sales & Use Tax	Pop.	Pop. Change Fr: 2010
Allen	165.46	$146,805,344	$24,290,135	$75,368,802	$13,591,758	12,526	-6.3%
Andersn	157.31	$102,604,431	$16,140,605	$56,970,915	$6,753,171	7,836	-3.3%
Bourbon	177.71	$110,449,986	$19,628,242	$74,703,182	$12,359,701	14,360	-5.4%
Chrokee	126.63	$183,227,294	$23,201,518	$89,831,807	$13,122,232	19,362	-10.4%
Crawfrd	140.53	$283,005,938	$39,771,012	$103,816,059	$39,673,559	38,242	-0.4%
Labette	182.10	$140,643,679	$25,611,206	$77,859,089	$17,756,922	20,184	-6.6%
Linn	114.72	$276,085,698	$31,672,158	$55,630,275	$7,384,659	9,591	-0.7%
Montgy	168.61	$319,796,651	$53,919,647	$178,713,713	$32,637,872	31,486	-11.2%
Neosho	184.67	$131,908,705	$24,359,925	$131,369,383	$18,528,447	15,904	-3.7%
Woodsn	170.58	$39,443,799	$6,728,368	$1,703,681	$1,860,797	3,183	-5.9%
Average	158.832	$173,397,153	$26,532,282	$84,596,691	$16,366,912	17,267	-5.4%

The bad news is that SEK loses about 83 people a year, about 8 of which move out of Bourbon County. The good news is that Bourbon County had the highest average levy a few years ago, and now is down to 3^rd out of the 10 counties; our levy has been lowered slightly in recent years, while surrounding counties have continued to increase theirs. Additionally, our countywide debt is lower than the average SEK county.

Notice that two of the three counties with the lowest average levies experienced the lowest percentage of population loss. The exception is Cherokee County, which is experiencing other cultural issues; additionally, their levy is low because their assessed valuation is relatively high.

The two challenges ahead for Bourbon County are to raise our total assessed valuation by attracting new construction, and continuing to lower the mill levy until we are not in the upper half of this list. We cannot think about competing with the rest of Kansas and Western Missouri for economic development if we do not compare well with our neighbors in SEK. These two objectives will be the focus of Bourbon County REDI in the coming years.

At this year’s Christmas family reunion, we played the “Name That Song” game. Twenty-four individual, cartoon-graphic images were printed on a single piece of paper, each representing a different Christmas carol, and points were awarded for the couple with the most correctly-named songs within a ten-minute period.

For example, one picture showed “O’s” stacked as a Christmas tree. The correct answer? “Oh Christmas tree.” Most weren’t quite so easy. This was one that caused problems: ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. As I walked from room to room, a twenty-two-year-old couple kept reading those letters aloud…over and over again.

One time through should be sufficient, but my granddaughter, Britney, and her boyfriend, Cole, could not figure it out. “There is no ‘L.’ There must be a clue in that somewhere.”

They had answered much more difficult pictures but had completely missed this one. How was that possible? When time was up and we congregated to hear the correct answers, they could not believe that they had failed to answer something so obvious.

“We kept saying ‘no L’ but never put it together that the answer was ‘Noel.’” Another couple had done likewise.

Have you ever missed the obvious? I sure have. I don’t see the Christmas tree farm for the firs.

That’s what happened when, following a Sunday service one morning, a church congregant asked the pastor this question: “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one book, which book would it be, and why?” The pastor answered with his “obvious”: The Bible because “it would give me spiritual strength to get through the challenge of being alone on a desert island.”

He asked his questioner what he would choose. The answer was immediate. “I would want a book titled ‘How to Build a Boat.'” The pastor realized his mistake. After all, they were in a church when the question was asked. Surely a spiritual answer was expected.

Unfortunately, the pastor missed the obvious. If God sent that marooned man a Bible, he probably would have remained on the island. While it may not have cost much for the pastor to miss the obvious, it can cost us everything.

Following Jesus’ death, he appeared to two disciples on their way home from his execution. Downtrodden, they were appalled when Jesus asked them why they were so sad. After all, everyone knew that the one they believed would be their king had been crucified. Who wouldn’t be heartbroken?

It’s a Biblical mystery as to how they didn’t recognize the Messiah until he later broke bread with them at which time their eyes were open and Jesus’ resurrection became real to them.

Over the holidays, a granddaughter said that she wondered how many times she, as a child, had missed what God was doing in her life, how many times He saved her from disaster or even favored her but she took credit. I told her that I think that when we get to Heaven, we all will be overwhelmed by stories God shares about how much He was involved in our lives, and we never recognized it or gave Him credit.

I pray that 2022 is filled with opportunities to become aware of all the ways God is working in our lives. Just being aware will help us not miss the obvious.