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♦ FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2007
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
Grafted by Grace plays at “Wake Up!,” a music festival of contemporary Christian music held Saturday in Perry and
sponsored by The Awakening, Chick-Fil-A and Parrish Construction. This is part of an ongoing Christian music min
istry. To learn more, visit www.WakeUp-GA.com.
Adults must respond swiftly to cruelty among children
Question: As an elemen
tary school teacher, I am
bothered by what I see my
students doing to each other
every day. They can be bru
tal - especially to the child
who is a little different. I’m
not sure what my role should
be. I feel I should step in
to defend the underdog,
but other teachers say kids
should learn to work out
their own problems. What
do you think?
Dobson: As a former
teacher, I am very familiar
with the cruelty of which
you speak. Every classroom
has a few boys and girls
at the bottom of the social
hierarchy who are subjected
to frequent ridicule. Their
ranks include those who
are physically unattractive,
intellectually challenged,
uncoordinated, boys who
are very small or effeminate,
girls who are taller than all
the boys, the foreign child,
the stutterer, etc. Anyone
who is different is an easy
mark for the wolf pack.
What is most disturbing is
that adults often feel no obli
gation to come to the aid of
these vulnerable children.
I’ve heard the argument
that says, “Kids will be kids
- adults should stay out of
the conflict, and let the chil
Church Briefs
VBS news
welcome
All churches are asked to
send their Vacation Bible
School announcements
to appear in a listing on
this page. Send e-mails to
cperkins@evansnewspapers.
com, or mail to Church News,
Houston Daily Journal, 1210
THESE SERVICE PROVIDERS 1 f (.
h >vesp °ns°“.t"'B Church & Religion pac.
JJ B\’ Calling 478-987-1823!
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Wake up bash
dren settle it themselves.” I
disagree emphatically. It is
almost criminal for an adult
to stand by passively while
a defenseless boy or girl is
shredded
by peers.
The dam
age inflict
ed in those
moments
can rever
berate for
a lifetime.
Some
years ago
a woman
told me
about her
* - JHfl
Dr. James
Dobson
Focus on the Family
uuw.family.org
experience as a room mother
for her daughter’s fourth
grade class. She visited the
classroom on Valentine’s
Day to assist the teacher
with the traditional party on
that holiday. Valentine’s Day
can be the most painful day
of the year for an unpopular
child. Every student counts
the number of valentines
he or she is given, which
becomes a direct measure of
social worth.
This mother said the
teacher then announced
that the class was going to
play a game that required
the formation of boy-girl
teams. That was her first
mistake, since fourth-grad-
Washington St., Perry, GA
31069.
VBS being held
at Perry UMC
Perry United Methodist
Church will hold Vacation
Bible School June 4-8 from 9
a.m. until noon each day. This
year’s theme is “Avalanche
Ranch.” Children from four
ers have not yet experienced
the happy hormones that
draw the sexes together.
The moment the teacher
instructed the students to
select a partner, all the boys
immediately laughed and
pointed at the homeliest and
least-respected girl in the
room. She was overweight,
had protruding teeth, and
was too withdrawn even to
look anyone in the eye.
“Don’t put us with Nancy,”
they all said in mock terror.
“Anybody but Nancy! She’ll
give us a disease! Ugh! Spare
us from Nasty Nancy.” The
mother waited for the teach
er (a strong disciplinarian) to
rush to the aid of the belea
guered little girl. But noth
ing was said to the insulting
boys. Instead, the teacher
left Nancy to cope with that
painful situation in solitude.
Ridicule by one’s own sex
is distressing, but rejection
by the opposite sex is like
taking a hatchet to one’s
self-concept. What could this
devastated child say in reply?
How does an overweight
fourth-grade girl defend her
self against nine aggressive
boys? What response could
she make but to blush in
mortification and slide fool
ishly into her chair? This
child will never forget that
to fifth grade are invited to
attend. Parents may pre-reg
ister their children by call
ing 987-1852 or by visiting
perryumc.org.
Ugandan choir
performing
The Children’s Choir from
the Ugandan Orphanage will
perform at Second Memorial
*Ttecv ’Penny
(Ztetutew,
flB
l
736 Main Street
Perry, Georgia 31069
Jackie & Terry Mullis
987-1965
Serving Houston County
Perry • Warner Robins
Member FDIC
CBST
Bank of Middle Georgia
LOCAL
moment (or the teacher who
abandoned her in this time
of need).
I say again to teachers:
Defend the most defenseless
child in your classroom. We
can do no less.
Question: Is it harder for
a man or a woman to recover
from a spouse’s affair?
Dobson: I have not
observed any appreciable dif
ference between the sexes at
the time of disclosure. Both
husbands and wives suffer
incalculable anguish when
a mate is unfaithful. Men
do seem to have a cultural
advantage after the crisis is
over, however. Their work is
often a better diversion and
their economic consequenc
es are less severe. They also
find it easier to find some
one new, as a rule. But no
one wins in illicit affairs of
the heart.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, PO.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or www.family.
org. Questions and answers
are excerpted from “The
Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference
Guide” and “Bringing Up
Boys,” both published by
Tyndale House.
Church, 1845 Kings chapel
Road, Perry, Wednesday at
6:30 p.m. All are welcome
and a nursery will be pro
vided. A love offering will
be received for the orphan
age. For more information,
call the the pastor, Dr. Tracy
L. Brinson, 987-1025, or
Minister of Music and stu
dents Jenny Ledger, 218-
0485.
SntlwAielenf • ’TK&t&yiAmmiHf • /4tU*Ati9*&
478-988-2448
740 Main Street
Perry GA 31069
1/Uit 'll* Online
www.sewingbees.com
[Tjk 1 THE BANK
W OF PERRY
Please worship at the
church of your choice
1006 Main St. • Perry
987-2552
Member FDIC
146856
June, doodle and
lightning bugs
I have many pleasant
childhood memories
regarding insects. The
young people of my day
would catch a June bug
and tie a soft string around
one of
its legs.
The June
bug was
a large
beetle
with
wings.
While
tied
to the
string
the bugs
would fly back and forth.
Youngsters would run up
and down the street with
the June bug encircling
them.
Remember the doodle
bug? It was a tiny insect
that burrowed into the
sand. You had to coax it
out of its subterranean
abodes by saying, “Doodle
bug, doodle bug come out
of your house. Your house
is on fire and about to burn
down.” While saying this
you would slowly stir the
dirt around the burrow
with a small stick or twig.
After some time the little
creature would emerge
from the soil.
During the early summer
there were lightning bugs.
Just after the sunset they
would come out en masse.
The glowing light made
by their tails, flashing on
and off, was an enchant
ing sight to behold. They
flew low and were easy
to catch. I would usually
catch a dozen or more and
put them in a mason jar.
It was fun to walk around
in the dark and marvel at
how much light they gen
erated. It was also intrigu
ing to ponder how their
tails could actually pro
duce light by some chemi-
God keeps his promises
The 3-year-old child
sat around the dining
table with her fam
ily. While others ate of the
meal, the little girl picked
over her
food,
finding
reasons
not to
eat.
“You
must eat
your din
ner if you
want des
sert,” the
mother
gently promised the child.
Still, the little girl was not
enthusiastic over eating her
dinner. The food was “too
hot.” It burned her throat,
or she was “too full.”
Everyone else finished
their meal. The table was
cleared, including the
unfinished meal left by the
child who was not hungry.
Ice cream was dipped
up and served along with
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Ben RartNt A Hubert Bennett,
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1036 MACON RD. • Pf RRV, (.A
988P1144
1812 D.S. 41 N.l
Perry, GA
987-1112
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
cal means. The spectacle of
lightning bugs or fireflies
always reminds me of two
Bible passages: Gideon’s
night raid in which his
small army used flaming
torches to frighten the
enemy and Jesus’ “sermon
on the mount” exhorta
tion: “Let your light shine
before men that they may
see your good works and
give glory to your Father
who is in heaven.”
Another fascination I
had was the transforma
tion of caterpillars into
beautiful butterflies. The
metamorphosis from larvae
to pupal stage and final
ly to the imago or adult
butterfly was something
to behold. To witness the
winged butterfly flying
away and leaving behind
its cocoon is symbolic of
the soul departing the body
at the moment of death.
Paul describes the resur
rection in I Corinthians 15
thusly: “What you sow
does not come to life unless
it dies, so is it with the
resurrection of the body.
What is sown is perishable,
what is raised is imperish
able. It is sown a physical
body. It is raised a spiritual
body.” We have witnessed
the death of loved ones.
When they breathe their
last and the curtain of
death falls, the spirit of life
takes flight leaving behind
a corpse. The departing
life force that once pow
ered their human body can
be likened to the electricity
that no longer illuminates
an incandescent bulb.
Paul writes: “I show you
a secret. We shall not all
sleep, for the last trum
pet call will sound and the
dead shall be raised...in
the twinkling of an eye we
shall all be changed, this
mortal nature shall put on
immortality.”
Billy Powell
Columnist
homemade cookies. An
excited little girl returned
to the table, climbed up on
her booster seat and waited
wishfully for ice cream and
cookies.
Her mother calmly asked
the child one question.
“Are you hungry enough
to eat your dinner now?”
Without a moment’s hesi
tation, the child replied,
“Yes!”
There was no bargain
ing. No threats were made.
She was not overly coaxed.
The child was simply
enticed by her mother who
keeps promises, to eat her
meal. Soon, her dish was
clean and she anxiously
awaited the ice cream and
cake.
Just as the child’s moth
er was true to her prom
ises, God is true to the
promises He makes to His
children.
“There hath not failed
one word of all His good
promises.” -1 Kings 8:56b.
m p:'
Earline Cole
Reflections
LONGHORN
BUTCHER SHOP
YOUR HOMETOWN BUTCHER SINCE 1976
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734 Main Street
Perry, Georgi* 31069
987-1656
478-987-5711
800-516-1004
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