Off and on for about 11 and a half years all of us here at the Holabird Advocate have been bringing the world a little slice of life from what the rest of the nation calls "flyover country" What we do here had never been done before, and from what we've seen it's not being done now. Throughout the world, many have tried to describe and even explain our little newsblog, but it's something that can only be experienced. When our Publisher put this thing together, mixing everyday life and small town gossip along with politics and religion, he wasn't sure how long he could keep it going. We've had breaks when not much was going on, but we now have 1600 posts behind us. We've come a long way in the time we've been given. A lot has changed, but one thing has remained constant: if there is a story that our Publisher thinks needs to be told, it'll be told, and told truthfully whenever possible.

Dr. Robert "Bob" Duffet and his wife Connie will be leaving the Mitchell area Friday. Dr. Duffet has been the President of DWU for 13 years, and was recently given an opportunity in the Philadelphia area that was too good to pass up. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate wish to avoid the rush and with them well now, hopefully it won't be one of those Minnesota goodbyes. Dr. and Mrs. Duffet have been an inspiration to a lot of people and will be missed by several as they leave us. They have exhibited a certain dignity, elegance and class that one would expect of people of their station, but they are also humble, kind and gentle. They are ready for this next leg in their life journey, that we know. We do wonder if those at the school in Philadelphia know the true worth of the great blessing that will befall them. If not, they soon will be!

People who serve in the ministry have a hard job. They have to spiritually feed the flock that they have been entrusted to by God for a whole week. There are some who must wonder if anyone is listening. Of the sermons that I have heard there is a rare breed that lives on past the one week mark. I call them "top ten" sermons. I've only heard 6 of them myself, but I wrote 3 of them.

The most recent to ten sermon was delivered by Dr. Boyd Blumer at the Mitchell Fusion service yesterday morning. He spoke of the Potters shop in Jeremiah and the creation of human life in Genesis and brought them both together in an interesting way. The Potter made useful things from the dirt that his assistant provided. In much the same way God takes the dirt that we give him and makes something useful things out of it. In fact, we were all made by God from the dust of the earth, made useful by his breathing the breathe of life into us. He tells it better than I can, but I'm sure you get the idea.

There are times when I wonder if God, or even my neighbor, has use for me. There are some jars of clay that take longer to make than others, but I know that he is still working on me. As long as the breathe of life is inside me, there is still time for me to be made useful, to serve God's purpose. Even though it's only been a little over a day, I know that the message I heard will stick to me like oatmeal. I hope that all of you who are reading were fed in spirit, just as I was! God be with you and do the best you can!