Articles

“Collected”

“Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” the father in Mark 9:14-29 confessed to Jesus. That confession should also be on our lips every day of our lives as baptized children of God–we should confess our sinfulness, and we should confess our faith. But confession is not something we are able to do on our own, without the Lord first giving us His Holy Spirit. The Word of God is the only thing that can enable us to confess our sin or faith. His Word of Law reveals our sin and unbelief, and His Gospel delivers forgiveness of sins, which creates faith and moves us to ask the Lord to get rid of the sin and unbelief that remain in us. The Lord speaks first, and only then can we respond with a correct confession at all. This is what happens in Mark 9. The father of the demon-possessed boy did not realize his unbelief until Jesus rebuked him, but after Jesus spoke, then the man was able to confess: “Lord, I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

A STORY WORTH TELLING

MCDADE – The Mc-Dade High School varsity football team secured a much-needed 57-12 victory for Homecoming on Sept. 30 as the Bulldogs routed visiting Bell County Home School for its second win of the 2023 season under firstyear head coach Nick Parker.

BELTON – Turnovers and a stout opposing rushing attack doomed the Elgin High School varsity football team on Sept. 29 as the Wildcats were defeated 45-16 at the hands of undefeated Belton High School on a night the Tigers celebrated Homecoming.

BASTROP – The Bastrop High School and Cedar Creek High School varsity volleyball teams renewed their rivalry on Tuesday, Sept. 26 in an intense match between the Bears and Lady Eagles at Bastrop’s gym. In a match that came down to the wire, it was the Bastrop Lady Bears who came out on top in a five-set thriller: 25-12, 19-25, 23-25, 25-20 and 16-14 to edge the visiting Lady Lady Eagles.

BASTROP – The visiting Tivy Antlers were riding high with an undefeated record going into Friday night, but the Bastrop Bears put an end to the hype with a dominant performance.

DEL VALLE – The Bastrop High School varsity cross country team was in action on Thursday, Sept. 28 as the Bears and Lady Bears traveled to take part in the Del Valle Invitational meet.

MCDADE – The McDade High School varsity volleyball team continues to tally up victories as the squad held down home court on Sept. 26 with a victory over Waelder High School. In four sets, the Lady Bulldogs took care of business over the Lady Wildcats: 2512, 20-25, 25-13 and 25-20 to get the job done.

Although it has been a tough season for Elgin High School varsity volleyball, the team continues to compete within strong District 23-5A matches.

GIDDINGS – The Cedar Creek High School and Smithville High School varsity cross country teams each competed on Friday, Sept. 29 in the Camp Tejas Invitational meet hosted by Giddings High School.

SMITHVILLE – The Lady Tigers picked up a District 22-4A victory on the road as Smithville High School was in control from start to finish on Sept. 26 against Austin Achieve High School. In three straight sets, the Lady Tigers dominated the Lady Polar Bears: 2513, 25-4 and 25-17 to seal the deal for the district win.