Peoria Times
February 24, 2022
RELIGION
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Create something great about something
SEE SOMETHING PAGE 25
Harvest CHurCH 8340 W. Northern Ave. Glendale, AZ 85305 Information 623.334.9482
Dr. Ron G. Rockwell – Pastor
Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Nursery Provided
Wednesday: Family Night 7:00 p.m.
10935 W. Olive Ave. Peoria 85345 Phone (623) 972-8479 office@westolive.com www.westolive.com
Sunday Bible Study 9 a.m. Worship 10 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Harvest CHurCH 8340 W. Northern
Northern Ave. Glendale Ave.
83rd Ave.
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Let’s explore some rare insight by an unknown author. “You glow differently when you have good people with good intentions in your life.” We could also say you glow differently when you are happy. Or you glow differently when you are loved and treated well. How about you glow differently when you’re not hating, hurting, bitter or messy? Finally, you glow better when you create something great for others that comes from love or genuine altruism, not some self-serving agenda. George Bernard Shaw said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Of course, finding yourself is essential, but finding yourself doesn’t end with finding yourself. Instead, we find ourselves to create ourselves, hopefully for genuine service or ministry to others. In Elmer Bendiner’s book, “The Fall of Fortresses,” on page 139, he describes one bombing run in World War II over the German city of Kassel. Read, grow, be inspired. “Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but our gas tanks were hit on this occasion. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a 20-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple. “The morning following the raid, Bohn went to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of our unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but 11 were found in
in the nick of time. They took the risk of their lives and saved someone else who was risking their lives. They made a deep dive into their deep reserves. They didn’t save all, but they did save some. And one of those someones made known to the world what no one
91st ave.
Peoria Times Columnist
torical event. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Notice how the prisoners maximized their plight and pivoted. If their situation wouldn’t change immediately, they created something great for others. They became innovative disrupters
Fre
CONNECTION
Pastor Ed Delph
the gas tanks — 11 unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. “Even after 35 years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn. “Bohn told him that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. When the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them. “One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. In Czech, the message read: ‘This is all we can do for you now.’” Wow, what a powerful statement, especially when you consider the origin of those written words. For much of World War II, German munitions were made by Jews in Nazi death camps — slave labor. These Jewish prisoners carried out their duties, loading explosives in the shadows of the gas chambers that would claim many of their lives. Yet, in those direst of circumstances, they were looking for goodness — looking to do good in any way they could. One thing they could do was disable the firing mechanisms in the munitions. And because of their actions, the crews’ lives were saved. Men came home from the war, married, built homes and had families. And those families had families and so on. Their small, seemingly insignificant act of goodness echoes for generations. It still resonates today. Here are my thoughts about this his-
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CHURCH-COMMUNITY
16000 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City AZ 85351 Tel: 623-974-3611 IN-PERSON WORSHIP SUNDAYS - 10 AM Music Begins 9:50 AM Live-Streamed at www.scfaith.org
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Wednesday Bible Classes for all ages - 7:00 p.m.
Revs. Mike and Sheryl Campbell
Everyone Is Welcome!
Music “Days of Elijah” & “I Shall Wear a Crown” By Ladies Ensemble, Pueblo El Mirage
Transfiguration Sunday
“An inclusive, welcoming, caring community, serving Jesus Christ”
