Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 14, 2023 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
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Love is not
love
Perhaps the most laud-
ed phrase in the month of
June is, “Love is love.” I
have often wondered how
the mantra of that saying
helps anyone understand
what “love” is. To say, “A
brick is a brick,” or, “joy
is joy,” is not helpful. Us-
ing a word to define itself
brings no clarity. So, what
does it mean? The Urban
Dictionary proves helpful,
“’Love is love,’ is a phrase
meaning that the love ex-
pressed by an individual or
couple is valid regardless
of the sexual orientation
or gender identity of their
lover or partner.” This is the
LGBTQ+ perversion that
the western world is being
commanded to accept. And
not just accept, but promote
and proclaim. The phrase
“Love is love” is meant to
be the trump card to every
argument made against the
deviant ideologies being
promoted by those within
the LGBTQ+ community.
-Christian: “God says
sex is good, but only when
it is had within the con-
fines of the marriage bed
between one man and one
woman.”
-Opponent: “Love is
love.”
-Christian: God says
sexual relationships be-
tween two men or two
women are an abomination.
God hates it.
-Opponent: “Love is
love.”
-Christian: Just because
you change the name from
pedophile to “minor attract-
ed people,” does not change
the sinfulness of that act. It
is wicked.
-Opponent: “Love is
love.”
Love is not love. Paul
says in Romans 12:9, “Let
love be without hypocri-
sy—by abhorring what is
evil, and clinging to what
is good.” Other translations
say, “Let love be genuine.”
Point being, there is a type
of love that is not genuine;
it is pretend. What kind is
that? The kind which does
not abhor evil and cling to
that which is good.
“God is love” and the
definition of it (1 Jn. 4:8).
“Love is neither self-exis-
tent nor self-defined. God
alone is self-existent and all
true love comes from Him
and is determined by Him”
(Tom Ascol, Founders Min-
istries). God has not given
mankind the authority to re-
define love, marriage, male,
female, etc. To define those
terms in a way contrary to
what God has declared is
to call Him a liar, abhor
what is good, cling to what
is evil, and thus love hypo-
critically.
The greatest display
of love ever observed on
planet earth was seen in
the person of Jesus Christ.
The one who is love (God),
became man. And what do
we see in His life? We see
a man who loved perfectly.
How was that love demon-
strated? Speaking truth. The
one that was truth, spoke
truth.
Men hated Him for
it. So much so, that they
murdered Him by nailing
Him to a cross. For doing
what? Loving people with
a genuine love. He loved
them enough to tell them
the truth. He loved sinners
to the extent that He sacri-
ficed Himself for them. His
disciples are called to do
the same. The most loving
thing any Christian can do
during Pride Month, is to
speak the truth in love. “Let
love be without hypocri-
sy—by abhorring what is
evil, and clinging to what
is good” (Rom. 12:9).
When someone tries
to convince you that you
are unloving because you
will not participate in what
God says is evil, take the
opportunity to explain to
them what genuine love
is. This will mean defining
and condemning sin as God
does. This will mean agree-
ing with Paul when he says,
“Or do you not know that
the unrighteous will not in-
herit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived; neither
the sexually immoral, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor homo-
sexuals, nor thieves, nor
the greedy, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor swindlers,
will inherit the kingdom of
God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
But do not stop there.
Christians must also share
the good news of the gos-
pel, for the forgiveness of
Whopper!
Mike Procter holds up a fish his grandson caught during
the fishing derby at Cutsforth Park. Duke Baker caught the
biggest fish of the day. - Contributed photo.
all those sins can be found
in Jesus Christ. Our culture
has determined to define
love in terms of sex. God
defines love in terms of
sacrifice, “But God demon-
strates His own love toward
us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us”
(Rom. 5:8).
Love is not love. God
is love. God is truth. And
God commands you to
genuinely love your neigh-
bor by speaking truth. It is
high time for Christians to
come out of the closet and
“let [their] love be without
hypocrisy” (Rom. 12:9a).
Eric Schonbachler
Pastor, Lexington Re-
formed Baptist Church
Lexington, OR
Unethical
behavior is
deeply
concerning
Dear Editor,
I am writing to bring
attention to a matter of
significant concern regard-
ing the recent violation
admitted by Greg Sweek,
and to express my deep
concern about the unethical
behavior exhibited by both
Sweek and the Columbia
Enterprise Zones.
The recent revelation of
Greg Sweek’s admitted vio-
lation in statement earnings
and income reporting is
deeply troubling. As a com-
munity member, I believe it
is imperative that we hold
our elected officials and or-
ganizations accountable for
their actions, particularly
when they involve uneth-
ical behavior. This viola-
tion calls into question the
integrity and transparency
of the Columbia Enterprise
Zones, an organization that
Spiritually Speaking
should be promoting ethical
practices.
It is essential that such
behavior is thoroughly ex-
amined and addressed. This
matter raises serious con-
cerns about the organiza-
tion’s practices as a whole.
The public deserves an
explanation, and corrective
action must be taken to
ensure that such unethical
behavior does not continue.
I urge our community
leaders, as well as rele-
vant regulatory bodies, to
conduct a comprehensive
investigation into these
matters. It is crucial that
we have a system in place
that promotes ethical con-
duct, transparency, and
fairness, particularly in
organizations that are meant
to benefit our community.
This investigation should
not only focus on the vio-
lation committed by Greg
Sweek but also review the
practices and operations of
the Columbia Enterprise
Zones.
I believe that our com-
munity deserves better,
and it is our responsibility
as concerned citizens to
demand accountability and
strive for a more ethical
and transparent society. By
addressing and rectifying
these issues, we can rebuild
trust in our local institutions
and ensure a more just and
equitable future.
Thank you for your
attention to this matter. I
hope that the Gazette-Times
will continue to provide a
platform for community
members to raise their con-
cerns and hold our leaders
accountable.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Tallman
Boardman, OR
Doherty Clan
-Continued from PAGE TWO rived for the second time
ine, and shortly after their
meeting, Sarah Doherty and
Charles Cunningham were
married.
With Sarah Doherty
Cunningham’s and Cath-
erine Nelson’s encour-
agement, Catherine Grant
Doherty gathered her three
remaining children and
towed them off to Ore-
gon. Soon, after Sarah’s
marriage, Catherine Grant
Doherty and James, Barney
and Mary Doherty arrived
at the Nelson’s on Butter
Creek. Sadly, in February
1885, Sarah passed away
in childbirth.
James and Barney
quickly signed on to work
for Cunningham’s outfit
and continued to do so until
1887, when they purchased
a ranch and ran their own
sheep for a few years. In
the early 1890s, Catherine
Grant Doherty, James and
Barney bought a place and
moved to Blackhorse Can-
yon in Morrow County.
Catherine was, by that time,
considered to be the family
matriarch by virtually all.
Another Catherine
Doherty, the oldest child of
Big Paddy Doherty of Bal-
lylosky, one of 11 children
and great-granddaughter of
John of the Isle of Doagh,
struck out for Oregon. This
Catherine, however, went
to the door of Catherine
Doherty Mullaly in Pend-
leton.
Catherine Mullaly
is another of these giant
Doherty women. She was
the daughter of Philip
Doherty and granddaughter
of John of the Isle of Doagh.
This Catherine had actually
come first to California to
help Catherine Doherty
Nelson run a boarding-
house. She returned once
to Ireland, and then came
back.
Catherine Mullaly ar-
in 1879 and ran a boarding
house in California, after
which she came to Uma-
tilla County. She met and
married John Mullaly in
1894. Mullaly was a former
Indian fighter who farmed
on Butter Creek. He moved
to Pendleton after the Ban-
nock war in 1878.
There are some samples
of strong Doherty women:
Catherine Doherty Nel-
son; Sarah Doherty Cun-
ningham; Catherine Grant
Doherty; and Catherine
Doherty Mullaly. It seems
if you are wondering about
a name for an expected
child, you might do worse
than to consider the name
“Catherine.”
A gathering of the
Doherty Clan in Pendle-
ton June 30 to July 2 will
celebrate these women and
dozens of other Dohertys
who pioneered here. The
event includes bus tours of
Vinson-Gurdane; Black-
horse-upper Sandhollow;
and the Sands.
All those interested
in Doherty and Eastern
Oregon settlement history
are invited to call 303-350-
8226 or visit http://www.
dohertyreunion2023.com
for information.
Father Thankachan Joseph
St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner
Go and proclaim the Good
News of Christ
This coming Sunday we are going to reflect on
Jesus’s selecting of His close associates to be with
Him and to be sent out to proclaim the good news.
The first reading of the day is from the Old Testament
book of Exodus (19:2-6), comforting words of the Lord:
“You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings and I brought you here
to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep
my covenant you shall be my special possession, dearer
to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine.”
He enters into a covenantal relationship with His
chosen people, asking them to be faithful and obedient.
God is telling them to adhere to His voice and mold
their lives accordingly. He is constantly reminding the
people of Israel to see how He brought them out from
the land of Egypt and led them to the Promised Land
and made their lives easy and comfortable instead
of full of agony and suffering in Egypt. We need to
keep on calling on Him in times of joys and sorrows.
He is always close enough to us to reach out to us.
This week’s Gospel passage is from Matthew
(9:36-10:8). Chapter 10 is a very special and important
teaching of Jesus that is addressed by Matthew the Evan-
gelist. Jesus is admonishing His followers, and if we are
members of the kingdom of heaven, we need to learn
how and to strive to recruit members to His kingdom.
We notice something important in the person of
Christ. We can say it is the summary of Jesus’s public
ministry. He is moved with empathy and compassion
for the universe at large. Matthew describes it as “At the
sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity….”
He felt empathy towards the crowd because they were
like sheep without a shepherd. We know from this ex-
pression what Christ meant by those words—the people
had nobody to lead or guide them to their destination.
So, Jesus appoints the 12 disciples as apostles to
lead and guide His flock. The Gospel reports that Jesus
commissions 12 disciples, and many scholars believe that
the 12 disciples symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. It desig-
nates, therefore, continuity between Israel and the Church.
Matthew lists the names of the 12 disciples, as do
Mark and Luke. Matthew also uses the word apos-
tle when referring to the Twelve. The word apostle
would mean “one who is sent.” In this context, Mat-
thew is calling attention to the mission that the 12
disciples are being given. They are sent by Jesus to
proclaim the kingdom of heaven in word and deed.
There is a slight difference between the Evan-
gelists of Matthew and Mark. Mark’s explains that
before sending them out, Jesus summoned the 12 to
be with Him and learn from Him all that He acquired
from the Heavenly Father. Like any electronic gadget
plugged into a power plug-in gets charged, similarly,
Jesus calls His close associates to be with Him for the
rest of the final three years to get to know and do all
that Christ has done for His suffering contemporaries.
As Jesus sends His disciples to continue His work
and mission, so, too, the Church is sent by Jesus. The
Church is His continuing presence on earth. Every
member of the Church is sent by Jesus to contribute
to this mission. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares His
mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven with His
disciples. The signs of the kingdom’s presence consist
of the work that Jesus has already been doing: those
physically ill are cured, lepers are cleansed, demons are
driven out, and the dead are raised to life. The disciples
are sent to continue doing the work that Jesus has begun.
This is a moment of transition in Matthew’s Gospel.
The focus has shifted from the ministry of Jesus to the
work of the community that He has inaugurated. More
than any other Gospel, Matthew’s Gospel elaborates
on the work of the Church, which is to continue after
Jesus’s death and resurrection. We are members of
this large community: the Church. It is our prime duty
and responsibility to proclaim the Word of God to our
fellow beings through our kind gestures and deeds.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Please join us at Cutsforth park Sunday June 18th at 1PM
for the annual Elks Father's Day picnic.
Some of the events scheduled are;
Corn hole - Kids treasure hunt, egg toss & water Balloons
The Annual Kenny Turner Memorial Horseshoe Tournament
Beverages, Hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided.
Side dishes are welcomed.
Open to all Elks members and their families.
HEPPNER ELKS 358
"WHERE FRIENDS MEET"
541-676-9181 142 N MAIN ST