Opinion

Cleaning the Blackboards

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Back in my grade school days you were told to clean the blackboards if you didn’t do your work or obey the teacher. Every time you did something wrong (breaking the rules) our teacher would write your name in the upper right-hand corner of the blackboard. Mine was usually up there for talking and I had to stay in at recess and clean the blackboards. Cleaning those blackboards is somewhat like sinning. Every time we break God’s rules or fail to obey Him it is recorded in books in Heaven (Revelation 20:12). The only way I could get the blackboards clean was with a special cleanser. Just as the only way we can get forgiveness from our sins (removed from the books in heaven) is by the blood of Jesus, (Matthew 26:28). Before we went to cleaning, she would review the events of the day and point out what we did wrong and we had to acknowledge what we did. This is somewhat similar to what the Bible calls confession (acknowledging or admitting) of sin. In, (1John 1:7-10) it says that we must confess or admit __________________________________ get forgiveness from them. It was so nice to see a clean, fresh blackboard with no names (especially mine) on it. How wonderful it will be when the books of heaven are opened and they see a clean spotless page where our misdeeds had been recorded (Acts 10:43) See you in church on Sunday. Brother J
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John R. Burtis Drugs

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An old Madisonville photo on Facebook attracted attention lately. It featured a corner business emblazoned “Burtis Grocery,” and I was among those who mistook it for John R. Burtis Drug. Luckily, Beth Burtis Richardson informed us that it was her father’s grocery in the 1930s.
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Agencies blasted over wildfire oversight

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State agencies and regulators were heavily criticized at a Texas legislative hearing for failing to communicate during the deadly Panhandle wildfires, the Texas Tribune reported. The three-day hearing, held in Pampa, investigated the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that burned more than a million acres, destroyed hundreds of homes, killed up to 10,000 cattle and resulted in two deaths.
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‘ROUND TOWN

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GALA NETTLES Editor’s Note: “Opinions in this column are not representative of the views of The Madisonville Meteor.” Did you watch it? The eclipse of the sun last Monday was an awesome thing to see or, as our employees describe “pretty cool.” Stick around 20 years or so and you can see it again. If that’s too long plan your vacation to be in either Greenland, Iceland, or Northern Spain on Aug. 12, 2026.