About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
Page 4B, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, December 18,2019 Where Does Santa Get His Naughty or Nice List? From The Bible By Jerry Kingery Special to the Ledger Dr. James L. Snyder This week the Gra cious Mistress of the Parsonage approached me with a serious ques tion. As far as I am con cerned, life is full of questions, but coming from her, I need to be very careful. I have found out that a question with her is not merely a question. It can be a whole lot more than that with multiple layers. I am still trying to figure out the dimen sions of her questions. If I do not understand her question, my answer is going to get me into trouble. Believe me; I know what trouble is all about. I have several cats in the neighborhood that I feed. I am not sure where they come from, but they show up at the back porch for the free treats I put out for them. This has also attracted possums, raccoons, and foxes that come for the treats I have there for them. Most of them are somewhat antsy and try to stay out of trouble as much as possible. I can certainly relate to that. Last week my wife purchased a brand-new rug for the back porch. It was red and looked very nice. Showing it to me, she said, “Make sure you don’t spill any thing on this new rug.” I must not have been the only one who heard that. Ever since then, none of my “critters” coming to my back porch has walked on that rug. They all walk around it and stare at it as though it is some thing very special. I under stood their dilemma since I have faced that dilemma many times myself. However, the ques tion posed to me by the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was, “Are you on Santa’s naughty or nice list this year?” Hearing that question caused me some trepida tion. If anybody knows the difference between naughty and nice, it has to be my wife. I assume that Good Old Santa gets advice on this from my wife. If I am on his naughty list, then I know who put me there. I am not sure I can remember any time that I was on his nice list. There must be a story behind that, I am sure. Precisely, what does it mean to be naughty from Santa’s point of view? For a moment, the temptation danced in my mind to ask my wife about this, but I was sure if I did, she would tell me and tell me more than I actually wanted to know. I tried reflecting over the year to see if there was any indication that I crossed the line some where into the naughty area. I could not think of any, but I am sure I was overlooking some thing. The thing I try to fig ure out is, how do I get on his nice list? Is there something I can do to get off the naughty list? I am open to all kinds of suggestions here. It is not that I am worried about being on Santa’s naughty list. I can handle that. I simply do not want to be on my wife’s naughty list. That certainly is my goal in life. I will do anything within reason (if I had any reason) to not only get on her nice list but to stay there. I must confess there are times when I lean toward the naughty. I hope Santa never sees me in that stage of my life. More importantly, I hope my wife never sees me at that stage. Naughty, for me, is doing something behind my wife’s back. For instance: eating an Ap ple Fritter is best done behind my wife’s back. If she sees me eating an Apple Fritter, she will remind me that it is not on my diet. When she says, “my diet,” she is referring to her diet imposed upon me. If you look at my diet, it includes Apple Fritters and a whole lot more not on hers. Personally, I do not consider it naughty to eat according to my diet. I do not know of any thing nicer than sitting down with a nice hot cup of coffee and a fresh Apple Fritter. Then, it is a lot nicer when I am not caught. As to the question, am I on Santa’s naughty or nice list, I am not quite sure. All year long, I tried to stay out of the naughty and focus on the nice. I must confess it is difficult trying to focus on being nice when naughty comes so much easier. Another consider ation is, why should somebody who only visits once a year know anything about whether I’m naughty or nice? How can their judgment be correct if they do not keep tabs on me all year long? So, to answer my wife’s question, I simply said, “I believe I’m on his nice list this year.” She simply looked at me with one of “those looks” and I knew that her belief and my belief were on different pages. I thought about what I read in the Bible a cou ple of days ago. Some thing King Solomon said. “That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous” (Prov erbs 2:20). The important thing is not if I’m naughty or nice or if I’m on Santa’s See Snyder, page 5B The Beatitudes From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fish ers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mend ing their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Bless ed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteous ness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace makers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are perse cuted for righteous ness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so perse cuted they the prophets which were before you. from Matthew 4 and 5 For a free Scripture packet, please write From the Bible, BIBLE FOUNDATION, PO Box 908, Newberg, Oregon 97132. email: bf@bf.org James L. Snyder Attend The House of Worship of Your Choice This Sunday Lee County Church Of Christ Eddie Garcia, Minister Bible Study 9:30 AM Worship..10:30 AM & 6:00 PM Smithville Baptist Lance Fendley, Pastor Sunday School... 10:00 AM Worship...11 AM & 7 PM Philema Road Baptist Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Evening Worship ..6:00 PM Alpha Baptist Les Reed, Pastor Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM 1st Sunday of the Month Evening Worship ..6:00 PM Antioch Baptist Church Rev. Lem Wright 1st and 3rd Sunday Sunday School 9:00 AM 4th Sunday Worship Service. 10:00 AM Friendship Baptist Church of Lee County Mark Spraggins, Pastor Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Service.. 11:00 AM Phillip Grove Baptist Pastor Jenkins Sunday School... 10:00 AM 1 st & 3rd Sunday 11:00 AM Mt. Pleasant Baptist Pastor E B Washington Sunday School 8:00 AM Worship Service ...,9:15AM Albany Bible Church Pastor Pete Daughtry, Sun. Bible Class...9:30 & 11:00 Christ’s Sanctified Holy Church Rev. Gary Collier Sunday School... 10:00 AM Worship Service.. 11:00AM Life Church Pastor Matthew Schluckebier Sr. Adult SS 9:30AM Sunday Service....10:45AM Westview Baptist Church Rev. Grady Morey Sunday School....9:45 AM Worship Service...11:00 AM Evening Worship...5:00 PM Kinchafoonee Baptist Rev. Melvin Slappy Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Evening Worship ..7:00 PM Smithville United Methodist Rev. Duane Whittaker Worship 9:30 AM Sunday School ...10:45 AM Palmyra Baptist J. D. Bolden Sunday School ...10:00 AM Morning Worship 12:00 PM Bible Study (1st Sun) .5:00 PM Eve. Wor. (1st Sun)7:00 PM McAfee Grove Missionary Baptist Minister Robert Lewis Morgan First & Third Sundays Sunday School ...10:00 AM Worship 11:00 AM Second & Fourth Sundays Sunday School 8:00 AM Worship 9:00 AM Macadonia Baptist Church Sunday School ...10:30 AM First Sunday Morning Worship 11:45 AM Third Sunday Evening Worship .6:00 PM Jordan Grove Baptist Rev. Rod Hubbard Sunday School 9:45 AM Worship Service . 11:00 AM The Pointe Carl Barnhardt Sunday Worship...9:00 am Children’s Ministry (Infants - 3 yr old) Sunday Worship...10:30 am Children’s Ministry (Infants - 5th grade) Leesburg Church Of Christ Bro. Howard Bouldin Sunday School 9:30 AM Morning Worship 10:45 PM Evening Worship .5:00 PM Greater Zion Hope Apostle Henry L Hosley Every 1st, 4th, 5th Sunday Sunday School...8:00 a.m. Sunday Worship..9:00 a.m. Albany Community Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor Steve Rose Saturdays Bible Study 9:30 AM Worship 10:40 AM Unity Church of Christianity Rev. Joanna Gabriel Morning Worship ...,11:00 AM New Hope AME Rev. E.X. King Every 1st and third Sunday Sunday School 10:00 AM Sunday Worship 11:00 AM House Of God Saints In Christ Elder A.F. Caldwell, Pastor Sunday School 10:30 AM 1st, 2nd, & 4th Sundays Morning Worship ...,11:45 AM 2nd & 4th Sunday Evening Service 6:30 PM For any corrections or additions to the Church Page, Contact The Lee County Ledger at 759-2413 The Church at the Groves Worship 9:00 AM Worship 11:00 AM Wooden Grove Baptist Joe Jones, Pastor 1st, 3rd, & 5th Sunday Sunday School ...,9:45 AM Worship 11:00 AM 2nd & 4th Sunday Sunday School 7:45 AM Worship 9:00 AM Lifegate Church Sunday Service...10:00 AM Thundering Springs Baptist Church Sunday School 9.45 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Evening Worship .6:00 PM Leesburg United Methodist Church Pastor Lee Smith Worship 8:30 AM Sunday School ...,9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Green Grove Baptist Smithville, GA Rev. H. Waters Sunday School ..11:00 AM Every First Sunday Morning Worship 11:45 AM Kingdom Vision Christian Center Rev. Earl S. Harrison, Pastor Sunday School... 10:00 AM Sunday Worship. 11:15 AM Heritage Full Gospel Church Hickory Grove Road Sunday School 9:45 AM Sunday Service.... 10:45 AM Sunday evening.. 6:00 PM LIFE. TOGETHER. DOCO CREDIT UNION Cmmunity YOU aLWAYSWaMTE „. DOCOCU.com 239 Cedric Street, Leesburg, GA For more information call 229-435-1715 □□1® till Colony bank Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender Located on Robert B. Lee Drive in Leesburg - 759-2800 2609 Ledo Rd - 430-8080 and 113 North Westover Blvd. - 229-317-2157 v eesbt,^ HOMETOWN 216 Walnut Ave. US 19 N. Leesburg 759-6286 Subscribe to The Lee County Ledger Call 229-759-2413 Your Hometown Source for Local News Jlatfjetosi Funeral Home Crematory/Memorials Mike Mathews - Gary Mathews 3206 Gillionville Rd. Albany, GA 31707 435-5657 Leesburg Cemetery IXimMl-Stm FUNERAL DIRECTORS Crematory and Memorials Crown Hill Cemetery 1503 Dawson Road • P.O. Box 92 Albany, Georgia 31702-0092 Phone: (229) 883-4152 “Service Since 1880” Leesburg First Baptist Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship 10:15 AM Evening Worship ..6:00 PM Greater United Pleasant Green Baptist Church Rev. Andrew E. McDowell, Jr. Sunday School 9:45 AM Worship 11:15AM Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Steven Youngblood, Pastor Morning Worship.10:30 AM Evening Worship..6:00 PM Amazing Grace Baptist Church Dr. Johnny Nixon Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Worship..10:45AM Evening Worship...6:00 PM Mt. Hope Baptist Church Services 1st Sunday Church 8:00 AM Sunday School 9:00 AM Piney Grove #3 Charles Carr, Pastor Sunday School... 10:00 AM 2nd and 4th Sunday Worship 11:00 Noon Emmanuel Community Baptist Church Al Bryant, Pastor Sunday School ..10:00 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Shady Grove Baptist Church Rev. Sterlie Calhoun, Pastor 1st and 2nd Sunday Worship Service. 11:00 AM Every Sunday Sunday School ..10:00 AM St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Dr. H. C. Wilson, Pastor Sunday School... 10:00 AM 2nd. Sun. Worship.. 11:00 AM 4th Sunday 7:00 PM Church Family of Prayer Ministry Pastor Norbert Ingram Sunday. 11:00 Place your ad here. Call (229) 759-2413
