Faith

by Debbie Wallis

may feel that your witness is rejected You may feel alone or question your own beliefs when others won’t listen "How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!”

“And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, because his sins would be exposed,” John 3:19-20

There has always been people who disagree with the word of God and refuse to listen They seem to be careless about their paths that are clearly leading them to destruction and away from God If a person belongs to God then they will listen to His words Believers in God’s word know that He loves them and His ways are perfect Listening to God’s word is not just with our ears but rather with our heart A true believer in Jesus Christ will follow, listen, meditate and allow the word of God to change their way of doing life Romans 12:2, “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect ”

Sometimes life is discouraging It

Matthew 5:10 Jesus would tell you that you are not alone, to keep being a witness of His Word, it will never fail and that He Himself was not believed He also was ignored, laughed at, ridiculed, persecuted and accused of blasphemy People that live in the dark are afraid to be in the light In the darkness people can ignore what they refuse to see and believe anything that want to It’s Jesus that is being rejected when you are speaking the truth of His Word “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God,” John 8:47

As a believer in Jesus Christ you are to submit to His authority and make Him Lord over your own will Even Satan and his fallen angles believe in Jesus Follow Jesus’ example by loving those who are the least lovable Love those who reject you Show mercy and kindness when mercy and kindness is withheld from you Pray for your enemies; forgive them so you will be forgiven and be a blessing to your enemies “But I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you Who ever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other, too; and who ever takes away your coat, give him your shirt, also,” Luke 6:27-29 This is what God looks for when He is searching for someone who will represent Him to those in the darkness Our Father God loves you to a degree that is indescribable Even when you are at your worst, He is kind to you Even when you show little gratitude for His love and mercy, He is patient and remains the same Remain faithful in Christ and continue to be an example of His love to each other and to the lost In John 5:1-15, Jesus healed an invalid man Afterward, Jesus found the man and told him, “See, you are well again Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you ” We are not told the specifics of the man’s physical condition other than he was an invalid but Jesus knew what had caused his suffering He warned the man that he had been given a second chance and that he should make better choices If the man returned to his sinful behavior, he would have wasted the opportunity Jesus gave him to live whole and forgiven Jesus did not ignore sinful behavior and at the same time by His grace and mercy heals. It is His love and desire to see the captive free that speaks straight forward to their own personal darkness

In the darkness of sin it’s easy t believe a lie It’s easy to embra values that seem to be right but far from it It’s easy to believe something that feels good is go In the darkness it’s easy to loos your way and wonder farther an farther away from true love and freedom It’s easy to be tripped fall in the dark and sometimes t falls are life-ending Jesus is th only true light There is a new move today that refers to good the light It speaks of “thinking good thoughts and sending ligh

This new age doctrine never refers to sin as darkness or Jesus as the Light of the World. It refers to negative speaking or thinking as darkness and positive speaking or thinking as light Jesus is the only answer to true peace and joy He alone is the only way to the Father in Heaven This doctrine leaves Jesus out and will leave you deeper in the dark than you ever expected to be No one needs to stay in the dark, it’s a choice Call out to Jesus, He will lead you to where your Creator purposely has ordained for you to be You’ll then see the truth of the darkness and the value of the following Jesus. You’ll see the truth of sin and its depraved and degrading ways God’s Word is a lamp that you can depend on so you won’t stumble or fall He has made the way for you to walk away from your past darkness and fellowship with the love of your life, Jesus Christ

“I have come as a light to the world, that all who believes in Me would not stay in the darkness,” John 12:46

If you do not have a Bible please contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo.com and I will provide you one

Artist Rose O’Neill designed her first Kewpie in 1909 for the December issue of Ladies’ Home Journal She retained the design patents for them until her death in 1944 O’Neill claimed that Kewpies danced across her bed and shared their name while she was napping in her art studio She always maintained that she did not invent Kewpies, she introduced them to the world The wide-eyed, blue-winged, top-knotted sprites are reminiscent of Cupids who get into trouble, whereas the Kewpies work to get themselves out of trouble always seeking ways to make the world better and funnier

In 1912, George Borgfeldt held the manufacturing rights for Kewpie dolls and by mid-1913 it took 21 factories in Germany to keep up with the demand A 17-year-old art student, Joseph Kallus, designed the first Kewpie doll

Early Kewpies were made of bisque Although imports from Germany ceased during World War I, Kewpies continued to be made in the United States

These beguiling creatures proved so popular that they soon were found on Jell-O advertisements, postcards, cradles, greeting cards, clothing, valentines, Christmas ornaments, calendars, tea sets and children’s dinnerware, banks and clocks The Cameo Doll Company of Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania, manufactured composition Kewpies and later plastic and vinyl Kewpies The demand was too high for one company to supply, so other companies such as Effanbee, Strombecker, Knickerbocker, and Amsco aided in manufacturing these adorable babies

Collectors seek all forms of Kewpies Determining an authentic Kewpie can be tricky

First check for O’Neill’s signature often incised in the bisque on the bottom of the foot Licensed Kewpies were never made in Japan A “Nippon” or “Japan” mark indicates that the Kewpie is not authentic Rose O’Neill and Joseph Kallus insisted on top quality If a doll is made of poor quality materials or the application of decoration is inferior, the Kewpie is not authentic All Kewpies have blue-tipped wings Authentic Kewpies have starshaped hands

O’Neill’s canny marketing of her Kewpies earned her more than a million dollars before the Depression brought the fad to an end But O’Neill was lavish in her generosity and gave away money to impoverished artists and her family almost as fast as she earned it Rose O’Neill passed away sixty years ago, but she and her beloved dolls are not forgotten The Kewpie Collectors’ Club and the Bonniebrook Historical Society provide a lasting memorial to her genius Bonniebrook, located near Branson, Missouri, was Rose’s home and is her final resting place and is open to the public

GREAT NEWS!! Howe Mercantile will be celebrating our one-year anniversary in business the weekend of April 21-23 with a special offer to Howe Chamber members We will donate 10% of every sale made by Chamber members to the Chamber fund We will also have a sidewalk sale (weather permitting) with much of the proceeds benefitting the Save the Church fund So come have refreshments with us and support two of our favorite Howe organizations

Dr Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m She has written four Denton history books and has finished a 5th history about the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo that will be published in August She hopes her next book will be the history of Howe PLEASE SHOP LOCALLY We can show you Howe!

Police report

by the suspect The woman had a mixed drink in the center console

April 1, 2016 – At 11:00 pm

Ofcr

Jordan Clark arrested a 56-year-old Denison woman for DWI (three prior convictions) on US Highway 75 at Van Alstyne Parkway in Van Alstyne The stop was the result of a citizen report of reckless driving

Officer Keith Milks stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on US Highway 75 After smelling the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, Milks searched it and found less than two ounces of marijuana, numerous prescription pills, and less than a gram of methamphetamine A 32-year-old Sherman man (driver), was arrested for PCS PG 3 < 28g and POM < 2 oz The passenger, a 30 year-old Sherman woman, was arrested for PCS PG 1 < 1g

April 1, 2016 – 11:40 pm