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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Sacrificing solely for a career Question: I’ve always thought a man should be willing to work and sac rifice to reach his goals. I’ve heard you say “cool the passion and postpone the dream.” That isn’t the way I was taught. Dr. Dobson: There’s noth ing wrong with having pas sion and a dream. It should, however, be kept in balance with other valuable compo nents of your life - your family and your relationship with God being chief among them. Let me illustrate that need to keep the vari ous com ponents of our lives in perspec tive. I read an article in the Los Angeles Times St - i Dr. James Dobson Focus on the Family about a man named J.R. Buffington. His goal in life was to produce lemons of record-breaking size from the tree in his back yard. He came up with a formula to do just that. He fertilized the tree with ashes from the fireplace, some rabbit-goat manure, a few rusty nails and plenty of water. That spring, the scrawny little tree produced two gigantic lemons, one .veighing more than 5 pounds. But every other lemon on the tree was shriveled and misshapen. Mr. Buffington is still work ing on his formula. Isn’t that the way it is in life? Great investments in a particular endeavor tend to rob others of their poten tial. I’d rather have a tree covered with juicy lemons than a record-breaking but freakish crop. Wouldn’t you? Balance is the word. It is the key to successful living ... and parenting. Husbands and wives who fill their days with never ending volumes of work are too exhausted to take walks together, to share their deep er feelings, to understand and meet each other’s needs. This breathless pace predom inates in millions of house holds, leaving every mem ber of the family frazzled and irritable. Husbands are moonlighting to bring home more money. Wives are on their own busy career track. Their children are often ignored, and life goes speed ing by in a deadly routine. Even some grandparents are too busy to keep the grand kids. I see this kind of over commitment as the quickest route to the destruction of the family. And there simply must be a better way. Some friends of mine recently sold their house and moved into a smaller and less expensive place just so they could lower their pay ments and reduce the hours required in the workplace. See DOBSON, page 6B ■,■: THESE SERVICE PROVIDERS 1 , , HAVE SPONSORED THIS C C? /x Church & Kei^ion,^ Support Your Local Religious Institution And Place Your Ad On This Page C By Calling 478-987-1823! D Ei 'llcrur CLII { i* rrlj QlaiXtttg lit * l 554 Serving Houston County Perry • Warner Robins Member FDIC M Bank of Middle Georgia * . aPVBM ;' ;j|jp S 111™ gfiw |L* f v > Grovania UMC Church in Grovania. Elko, Snow and Grovania UMC - Rural churches keeping the faith Shining the ught By NANCY HAWK Journal Sta ff Writer One of the main blocks in the foundations of a com munity’s faith is the brick or wooden structure it calls the church home. This series will shine a light on the places of faith in our community The church es chosen also represent the past, present and future of the Houston County faith community. The series does not seek to tell you what to believe, where you need to go, but to demonstrate that hope lives in many corners of Houston County. A group of three United Methodist churches have kept the faith by sticking together, and their leader ship has come from one minister, working like the circuit riders of old. Known as charge church es, each of these institu tions has been on watch for their rural communities for over 150 years in the same locations. Through social and economic change, with families leaving and new families arriving, these churches have managed to keep their doors open. The Reverend Thomas Teate and his wife, Myra Teate are the clergy team for the churches known as the Elko, Snow and Grovania Charge of the Amecicus District, South Georgia Conference. The family, living in Cordele, has been steadfast in their ministry to these churches for nearly 16 years, providing services four Sundays a month, and when necessary, on a fifth Sunday as well. Pastor Tom Teate is a full time Branch Manager at the Ag Georgia Farm Credit here in Perry. The respon sibility of serving three churches is a fulltime job Perry Drug Company friendly. Professional Service Ben Bartlett & Hubert Bennett, RKiISTERED PHARMACISTS M*tt /WWWNW Ww AcctptfV 1036 MACON RD. • PERRY, GA I 00040090 988-1144 Iff 1 •Journal Nancy Hawk Elko UMC Church in Elko. that can’t be taken lightl. “While Elko, Snow and Grovania are served by one pastor, the congrega tions meet as one church, every Sunday of the month. There are many worldly hurdles to this type of cir cuit church but the unity of spirit through this charge has enabled many to share their gifts and keep the doors open,” Pastor Teate explains. Rev. Ronnie Wills, Superintendent of the Americus District of South GA. Conference saud, “ Rev. Tom Teate does an excellent job of serving this charge. He and the people of the charge are to be commend ed for the wonderful way they work together to serve each of the communities. It has been a pleasure for me to be associated with them 1812 D.S. 41 N.l Perry, GA 987-1112 09&tCXS FlooringAMßHCA 'Hecv ‘Pewuf &tea*ten& 736 Main Street Perry, Georgia 31069 Jackie & Terry Mullis 987*1965 „„„ 4W 7 100040099 RELIGION over the past three years.” The charge did have a fourth church on its route. Henderson United Methodist church closed in 1997/ This was a difficult loss. This small church in Henderson had been first organized in the 1830 s. The congregation grew older, despite the attendance by other charge members the church was unable to keep its doors open. The church has since been torn down. A historical cemetery has been maintained in this area. Elko United Methodist Church is less than one hundred yards from its sis ter church, Elko Baptist. A long history between the two churches has brought them into a mutual See THREE, page 6B Perry Antique Mall 631 Courtney Hodges Blvd. Perry, GA 31069 rtsvl io Perry Hospital 478-987-8775 TNGC perryantiques@alltel.nel A|/\ Rw IHE BANK \q) OF PERRY Please worship at the church of your choice 1006 Main St. • Perry 987-2552 Member FDIC •Journal Nancy Hawk because Your love in genu ine and leaves no one out. We can get along with dear old Santa, but there is no getting through life without God. God IS life! Even more than Santa, You were an important Being in my childhood days. You were not just an annual visitor but were &m6%tu.drt<t • 478-988-2448 740 Main Street Perry GA 31069 *t/iai£ Online www.sewingbees.com 00040101 00041036 Arnold's Auto Service 1202 Main St. Perry, Ga. 31069 Complete Car Maintenance Pick-up & Delivery **Road Service Call Thomas or Shelby 987-9439 '.wtuuto | 00040089 Christmas reunion beyond imagination Anew pastor and his wife reopened a church in Brooklyn. The church was dilapi dated and needed repairs. They worked hard to hold their first service on Christmas Eve. A week before Christmas, a driv ing rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. The roof leaked, loosening a large section of plaster that fell from the sanctu ary wall behind the pulpit. The pastor seriously contemplated postponing the Christmas Eve service; however, he found a solu tion at a nearby flea mar ket. There he spotted a beautiful, handmade table cloth with a cross embroi dered in the center. It was the right size to cover the hole in the wall, so he pur chased it. As he departed, He spot ted an older woman stand ing in the snow who had missed her bus. The pastor invited her to wait in his warm church for the next bus, which she agreed to do. While the pastor posi tioned the tablecloth over the hole in the wall, the lady sat in the pew and watched. Suddenly, the woman walked down the aisle. “Pastor,” sheasked, “Where did you get that tablecloth? Please see if my initials, EBG, are crocheted in the lower right corner.” The pastor checked and indeed they were. The woman stated she had made this tablecloth 35 years ago and had inscribed her initials. She and her husband had lived in Austria before the war. When the Nazis invad ed, she was forced to leave. Her husband promised to follow her shortly. However, she was cap tured, sent to prison and never saw her husband An open letter to God Dear God, This special love letter comes to expound on my let ter to “Santa.” The pur pose is to lift up the great est love ever known. Some folks disbelieve Your existence, just as they disbelieve the existence of “Santa.” This is so sad Earline Cole Reflections FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2006 ♦ again. The pastor offered to give her the tablecloth; but she refused. Rather than have the lady take the bus, the pastor drove her to her Staten Island residence. On Christmas Eve, the church was filled. Following a glorious service, the pas tor and his wife greeted everyone. After the church emptied, they noticed an older man still sitting in the pew and wondered why. G Billy Powell Columnist to one his wife had made 35 years ago in Austria. He related how the Nazis forced his wife to flee for her safety, and that he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a concentration camp. He never saw his wife again. The pastor asked the man to take a ride with him. They drove to Staten Island, to the same house the pastor had taken the woman days earlier. He helped the man climb the stairs to the woman’s apartment and knocked on the door. When she opened the door, the pastor wit nessed one of the great est Christmas reunions in human history. Christmas is a time to enjoy our families and to thank the Lord for His blessings. We especially praise Him for sending His Son whose mission to earth makes it possible for us one day to reunite with our precious loved ones who have gone on before. present at all times. Your gifts were not limited to Christmas morning. You generously provided from day to day - not waiting for a “want list.” So often, your generosity was not acknowledged. When time is taken to concentrate on Your being conceived by the Virgin Mary and the journey of Mary and Joseph from Galilee to Bethlehem, I visualize a journey of faith on the long tiresome travel. Your birth in a stable with only a manger for a bed ... the threat upon your young life ... So much transpired during the adventure. Later in life, a chain of events followed the last supper with the twelve disciples. You were denied by Peter - arrested, condemned, sentenced and crucified. But, there was the glorious moment of Your return . . . The Resurrection! See COLE, page 6B Sperry florist 734 Main Street Perry, Georgia 31069 987-1656 800-516-1004 LONGHORN BUTCHER SHOP your Hometown Butcher Since 1976 12117 SuriM-1 \u'. • Pern Playa IVrrj.ll Y.U069 Lee lavseter Greer Lasseter 3B The old man asked the pastor where he got the table cloth because it was identical 40094 478-987-5711