Page 6A – THE WAKULLA NEWS, Thursday, October 29, 2015 www.thewakullanews.com
Church
religious views and events
I can’t wait until my next birthday!
By SHERYL H. BOLDT
“How are you going to celebrate your birthday, Grandma?” Even though I’m dealing with the issues of entering another decade (which I’ll talk more about next week), I had a great birthday. My grandchildren’s phone calls made it even better. However, due to a Bible verse I read recently, I’m looking at the question they asked me in a different light. Before I give you the whole verse, I want to focus on the section that caught
my attention: “For the Lord is your life” (Deuteronomy 30:20b NIV 1984). I can’t help but love its grand declaration. When I consider everything the phrase could mean for me personally, a stirring desire grows in my soul: to live as if God, Himself – the creator of the universe, the King of Kings – was actually my purpose for living. If I lived that way, it would mean the Lord would become the center of all my dreams and goals. Plus, He would be my motivation for living a life of obedience, rather than wanting to obey only for the sake of pleasing others. If I were to allow God to teach me how to make those desires real in the way I live, I can only imagine how much I will have to celebrate by
my next birthday. Are you beginning to get excited too? If so, let’s pray and ask God to help us live as if He and His purposes are our reason for living. Perhaps reading and applying the first part of Deuteronomy 30:20 can help us get started. Here is the verse in its entirety: “And that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (NIV 1984). May it be so with me, Lord. Sheryl H. Boldt is a sales executive for Wave 94 and the author of the Memorizing Scripture Blog. Email her at sherylhboldt.wave94@gmail. com.
OUT TO PASTOR
‘Say it ain’t so, dear’
By JAMES L. SNYDER Honesty is a relative thing and with my relatives, it sometimes is not even a thing. Take Auntie, for instance. She wore such big hats, especially on Sunday, that if a breeze came by she would fly far away. Why she likes these hats, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because her relatives are not honest with her. “How do you like my hat?” she would inquire. Question: do I want to make her angry or sad? I think the rest of the family felt the same way. To tell the truth, it is a hard thing to do in this instance, her hats are terrible. “Isn’t my hat divine,” she would bustle. I do not have the heart to tell her how awful that hat is and how silly it makes her look. Therefore, I cave in to relative dishonesty, “That hat makes you look wonderful, Auntie,” I rejoin. At times, I feel a little guilty about this. Is it really lying when you do not want to hurt someone’s feelings? Like when your wife says, “Does this dress make me look fat?” The husband who will answer that question truthfully will pay for it the rest of his married life. I try to be as honest as I possibly can. I do not like dishonesty or people who tell lies. Who do you think I am, a politician? As I think of it, maybe these politicians are looking at me as if I was Auntie and not wanting to hurt my feelings. All I can say is, I have no feelings for any of these politicians so just tell me the truth. I can well remember back in the good old days, the old family picnics, when all the
relatives would get together on a Saturday for a picnic. What a good time that was the end what good memories I have today. At these family picnics was good old Uncle Fred, who had more stories to tell than any man could actually live. If he started one of his fishing stories that was the end of the day. I am not sure if old Uncle Fred was consciously lying or if he was dreaming out loud. That is a distinct possibility. Maybe when he was talking about his fishing days they were really dreams he had about going fishing. I can certainly under stand that. I have had so many wonderful dreams throughout my life, but the difference is, I do not tell anybody about my dreams. Some of them are just too spooky. If Uncle Fred is referring to his dreams, I am not sure I ever want to sleep over at his house. Between Auntie and Uncle Fred, honesty is a relatively scarce thing in our family. At the end of one of Uncle Fred’s stories I just want to look at him and say, “Tell me it ain’t so, Uncle Fred.” Both Auntie and Uncle Fred are long gone. The only thing I have are memories of the stories they told. It’s sometimes tempting to me to retell their stories as though they were my own. Now that I think about it, perhaps that is what Uncle Fred was doing. Perhaps when he was younger he heard one of his uncles tell some fishing stories and somehow through the mystery of life they became his stories. In reflecting on both of these relatives, I am so glad that I was not so pompous as to catch
them in some wee bit of dishonesty. They meant well, I am sure. They felt part of the family because Auntie loved to show off her hat and Uncle Fr ed loved to show off his stories. We do not have big hats anymore for ladies, which Auntie would kinda feel out of place. And with all the emailing and texting and technology today, nobody has time to listen to Uncle Fred’s stories. Man I miss those days. Those days before social media took over and made us all strangers. Occasionally I think of Auntie and Uncle Fred and for some reason a smile dances across my face. I want to bring joy to my family and when they think of me long after I am gone, a smile will dance across their face. The apostle Paul had the right attitude when he said, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). I discovered that what a person thinks about reveals a lot about who they really are.
The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship in Ocala. Call him at (866) 552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@ att.net.
Wakulla Worship Centers Crawfordville Area
Coastal
Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church Sunday Worship 9 a.m. Adult Sunday School 10:30 a.m.
Pastor John S. Quinton (850) 984-0127
Ivan Assembly of God
Christ Church Anglican
202 Ivan Church Road Crawfordville Pastor, Daniel Cooksey
Sunday 9:00am
Bible Study & Sunday School
“Come & Worship With Us”
926-IVAN(4826)
10:00 am
Worship Service
Sunday School........................ 10 a.m. Sunday Worship ...................... 11 a.m. Evening Worship .......................6 p.m. Wednesday Service ..................7 p.m. & Youth Service ........................7 p.m. Royal Rangers ...........................7 p.m. Missionettes ..............................7 p.m.
Wakulla Station
– Nursery available – Wednesday 5:30 pm Service 6:00 pm Dinner 6:45 pm Bible Study Thursday 10:00 am Adult Bible Study
The Rev. John Spicer, Pastor
850-745-8412
3383 Coastal Highway
Crawfordville United Methodist Church Sunday School 10 a.m. Worship 11 a.m.
Pastor alan Gaylord 926-7209
Ochlockonee & Arran Road “Come Grow With Us” www.crawfordville-umc.org
C
OUNTRY CH OY C UR B CH OW
AlwAys welcome
We’re Here to Share the Journey...
ServiceS in the green barn 1St and 3rd thurSday
AT
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you’re inviTed!
THursdAy, ocTober 1sT services AT 7Pm Join us THurs., nov. 5TH For our sPeciAl evenT 6:00Pm FisH Fry • 7:00Pm ForTress sing each month
2889C Crawfordville Hwy 850.926.9308 bigbendhospice.org
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(850) 926-7102
Medart
Trinity Lutheran Church of Wakulla County Hwy. 98, Across from WHS Web site: TrinityLutheranofWakulla.com Bible Class Worship Pre-School M-F
9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. (3-5 Years)
The Reverend Bert Matlock
Church 926-7808 • Pre-School 926-5557
Sopchoppy Spirit Life Church
131 Rose Street • Sopchoppy, FL 962-9000
SUNDAY WORSHIP ............11:00 am WEDNESDAY CLASSES .....6:00 pm Blood Bought Word Taught Spirit Wrought
Pastor John S. Dunning “It is the Spirit who gives life”
Sopchoppy United Methodist Church Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Worship 11 a.m. Pastor John S. Quinton
850-962-2511
www.GetReal.church Sun. 10:30 a.m. 850-926-3281 Wed. 7:00 p.m.
3167 Coastal Hwy., Medart
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Fr. Edward T. Jones, Pastor
3609 Coastal Hwy. Crawfordville • 850 745-8359 Sunday Mass 10:00 am Wednesday & Thursday Mass 7:00 pm 1st Saturday of every month: Confessions 10:30 – 11:30 Adoration Mass 10:00 am
Cemetery lots and Cremain spaces available. 850509-7630