LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. Those who are familiar with the Bible are also aware of Israel's struggle to remain faithful to the very God who brought them into a special relationship with Himself. Of course, this is no surprise due to the pervasive sin nature that indwells humanity. However, it is rather bewildering to see the repeated return of Israel to the worship of sham gods. Every time they did so, they also descended into great darkness. What a joy it is then to consider those times when God raised up a righteous king to lead Israel back to Himself! One of those bright lights of blessing was King Josiah. Imagine this - King Josiah was a mere eight years old when he ascended to the throne. But even as a young boy, "he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father (ancestor) David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (2 Kings 22:2). His age is shocking. His heart for God is far more shocking! Why is that? If you read 2 Kings 21, you'll see that Josiah's grandfather was the astonishingly wicked King Manasseh. He built altars to make-believe gods in the very house of Jehovah God in Jerusalem (v. 5). Most horrifically though is that Manasseh actually "made his son pass through the fire" (v. 6). In other words, Manasseh sacrificed an unnamed son in his worship of a bogus deity! He murdered his own son! Let that sink into your heart. Can you think of anything spiritually darker than burning to death your own boy? Over his 55 years as king, he also "shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another" (v. 16). That was Josiah's grandfather. His father, Amon, also "walked in all the ways that his father (Manasseh) had walked" (v. 21). Despite the darkness of his lineage, Josiah chose to be light. May true Christians today be such lights as they train their children to also be lights in the darkness of our sinfilled world!

God loves you! This may not come as a big revelation to some, but it is something that you need to remember every day. God is proud of you and proud of the work you do. What a joy that should be for all of us!

The Stockton Recreation Commission is hosting an Adult Softball Tournament on Saturday, October 17th. Registration is due by Wednesday, October 14th, and is $150.00 per team. There will be a twogame guarantee with team check-in at 8:00 a.m. that day, with the first game to start at 9:00 a.m.

The menus for the week beginning Monday, October 5, are as follows: Monday—Chicken strips, scalloped potatoes, corn, bread, mandarin oranges. Tuesday—Pulled pork in gravy, mashed potatoes, beets, bread, peaches. Wednesday—Sloppy joes, tater tots or triangles, green beans, bun, pineapple. Thursday—Liver and onions in gravy, mashed potatoes, seasoned carrots, bread, plums. Friday—Tuna and noodles, brussel sprouts, bread, hot cinnamon apple slices.

Gabriel Wilkens of Plainville was among the nearly 575 students who completed degree requirements from Kansas State University in summer 2020. The graduates are from 48 Kansas counties, 36 states and 20 countries.

The book of James has been the focus for many of us over the last several months as we consider how we are instructed to control our tongue. James 3:8-10 says, “..but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” There is a lot to learn from these three verses.

EBED-MELECH. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jer. 13:23) Jeremiah had a friend in Ebed-Melech. Jeremiah proclaimed God's truth one day saying, "This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it" (38:3). However, some Jewish leaders didn't have "ears to hear" God's truth. In response, they told King Zedekiah that Jeremiah deserved to die. The king then said, "Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you" (38:5). These wicked leaders then lowered Jeremiah into a cistern to die a slow, lonely death. The king was weak-kneed, so God used Ebed-Mel-ech, an Ethiopian or black man, to spare Jeremiah's life. We know that Ebed-Melech was a man of faith because God said concerning him, "For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me, says the LORD." (39:18). It could well be that Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech were close friends and that Jeremiah was thinking of him when he asked, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin?" For those of us who are caucasians, we can change our skin. We can spend hours and hours in the sun for that summer tan. Or a chimney sweep can darken his skin by virtue of his business. However, neither of these truly change the nature of our skin. Likewise, a black person can do things by self-effort to temporarily change their skin. But they cannot change the true nature of their skin. They cannot become "white." Jeremiah's point was not skin...but sin. A person's skin has no bearing on their eternity. None. Zero. It's NOT skin, but sin, that makes the difference... and no one can change their inner sin nature. Only God can do that. Ebed-Melech's skin was black, but God washed his soul "whiter than snow!" He'll wash you, too, if you trust Jesus Christ!

One of the Sentinel’s readers wanted others to be aware of a scam which is going around. She recently received a message on her answering machine tell her that $399 had been charged to her credit card for a one-year subscription for PC Tech Support.

The menus for the week beginning Monday, September 28, are as follows: Monday—Smothered steak, mashed poatoes, corn, bread, tropical fruit. Tuesday—Closed for training. Wednesday— Polish sausage, coleslaw, applesauce, bun, pudding. Thursday and Friday— Menu not yet made available for these days.