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PAGE 6 - THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 14. 2013
Wild Geese Predict An Early Spring
The 1993 movie
’’Groundhog Day” starring
Bill Murray brought much
notoriety to Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania. After the
movie’s debut, tens of
thousands of visitors came
to see the famed groundhog,
Punxsutawney Phil, make
his annual prediction. On
Groundhog Day this year,
February 2, 2013, Phil didn’t
see his shadow. This signaled
an early end to the cold winter.
According to popular legend,
if the groundhog leaves his
den and sees his shadow,
there will be six more weeks
of winter. If he doesn’t see
his shadow, winter will
end soon. This method of
forecasting is undependable,
because the verdict depends
on whether the appointed day
is sunny (producing shadow)
or overcast (no shadow). Its
unreliability is borne out
by Punxsutawney Phil’s
predictions being erroneous
61 percent of the time. Last
year, for example, spectators
were led to believe there
would be six more weeks
of winter, when, in fact, the
January to June period was
one of the warmest on record.
One of the best predictors
of both spring and winter is
the migration of wild geese.
Because cold temperatures
and icy lakes reduce
accessibility of their food,
as winter approaches, wild
geese migrate from northern
habitats to warmer southern
climates. When spring is
just around the comer, geese
fly back to northern locales.
While jogging recently, I
heard the honking of a flock
of wild geese flying overhead.
The geese were flying in their
traditional V-formation and
heading north—signaling that
spring was just around the
comer.
God equips geese with a
meteorological sixth sense
that allows them to predict the
weather. They also possess a
directional compass enabling
them to navigate hundreds
of miles, even at night. In a
larger sense, innate weather
forecasting ability is seen
in both land animals and
birds. They know when a
storm is approaching and
take refuge before it strikes.
When the tsunami smashed
into Southeast Asia on Dec.
26, 2004, killing more than
200,000 people, almost no
wild animals perished (except
those confined). Animals
possess an early warning
system that allows them to
flee to safety.
On the sixth day of creation,
the Bible states that God
created the land animals, the
fish of the sea, and the birds
of the air. It was then that
God equipped animal life
with abilities and instincts far
superior to humans. Take the
tiny hummingbird, weighing
less than a penny. It has an
astonishing heartbeat of 1260
times a minute and flaps its
wings at a rapid rate of 80-
100 times a minute. They
can reach speeds of 35-40
Billy Powell
Columnist
www.billypowellbooks.com
miles per hour, and even fly
backward. There are 320
species of hummingbirds, 12
of which summer in North
America and winter in tropical
areas. Their lifespan is 10-12
years.
Those that spend summers
in central Georgia migrate to
northern Mexico and Central
America before winter
arrives. Next spring, the same
hummingbirds instinctively
return to the same nectar
feeders they drank from
the previous summer. In
summary, the extrasensory
instincts of animals and birds
defy human comprehension
and point to the creative
genius of Almighty God.
ItDoesnt
Matter
It doesn’t matter what
people say about you but
what matters is what you
say about yourself. It
doesn’t matter if you can’t
do or be like another person.
That is a form of jealousy;
a cruel disease that starts
on the inside. What does
matter is knowing who you
are and knowing there’s
no need to envy anyone,
because when God made
you. He made YOU! He
made us individually,
fearfully and wonderfully
made in His image. When
He called us, He called us
by name and not by number
to do a specific job and to
fill a specific role in His
kingdom. This is why we
don’t have time to waste
by worrying about what
someone may be saying
or have said about us. It
doesn’t matter. In this life
we have to keep it moving;
not dwelling on the past.
Sometimes people tend
to let things bother them
and fall into depression or
oppression, then become
bound up. I feel as though
there are three things that
keep us bound up and we
can’t move forward. They
are feeling of failure,
rejection and of regret.
At the end of the day,
remember it doesn’t matter.
Be Blessed.
True Love Trumps A Romantic Fling Every Time
February is the month we
celebrate romance. Actually,
the only romantic things about
me are my ”love-handles,”
which is why I have spent
so much energy developing
them over the years. You think
somebody would appreciate
them.
For some people, romance
is an easy, if not natural
thing. Others, like me, find
it complicated and elusive.
It is not that men are less
romantic than women are;
they just have different ideas
of romance.
For most women, romance
is flowers and candy in
heart-shaped boxes.
For men it is a Big Mac
with fries and a soda — and
SUPER SIZE it, please.
Why are women so
complicated and men so
simple? I do not think that
came out the way I meant it.
If it were not for women,
romance would have died
a long time ago. There is
nothing quite like springtime
with a hint of romance in the
air with a delicate dash of
chivalry.
People from Hollywood
try to define romance for us,
but their idea of romance
is raw sex and lurid lust.
Hollywooders would not
know romance if it nibbled
on their ears. Romance is
not a fling in the spring,
but a lifelong relationship,
experiencing all the ups and
downs of life - together - and
no growing apart!
There is no picture quite
as refreshing as a couple still
together after all those years
of turmoil and temerity. The
easiest thing in all the world
is to fall in love for a few
years and then, when it gets
difficult, bale out. What kind
of thing is that?
Ah, but to see a couple
married for 50 years or more;
now that is the epitome of
real romance.
I’ll have you know that
romance has not been a
stranger at the parsonage. I
met my wife (actually, she
wasn’t my wife then) when I
went away to Bible college in
1970.
At the time, I
was functionally
romance-challenged. Before
I left home for college, I
prayed for a wife. I had the
good sense to know that a
minister needs a good wife to
support him in the ministry.
I prayed something like
this, ’’Father, I need a good
wife and I don’t know how to
go about it. Let the first single
girl I meet at Bible college be
the wife of Your choosing.”
Now, I know this is a crazy
and dangerous prayer to
make. Some would take the
high road of romance, but I
took the low road of prayer. I
may have been a bit desperate,
but nobody could doubt my
earnestness. I also figured
that prayer was a lot cheaper
than dating. After all, I am a
Pennsylvania Dutchman.
Nevertheless, I prayed for
a wife.
The day of my arrival on
campus came and found me
a bit anxious. I remembered
my prayer and wondered just
how God would answer it.
My parents took me to the
college, which was some
500 miles from home; good
planning on my part the
men’s dorm, I figured I was
safe. I planned to avoid all
contact with the opposite sex
as long as possible.
But just as we pulled into
the men’s dorm parking lot, a
young woman exited from the
men’s dorm. Remembering
my prayer, I immediately
amended it. ” God, this doesn’t
count. I’ve not stepped out of
the car yet.”
Have you ever noticed that
God has a marvelous sense of
humor?
The young woman
emerging from the men’s
dorm defied description. Do
you remember when women
rolled their hair up in big
rollers? Well, this young
woman had rolled her hair
up in tomato cans! Nothing
prepared me for such a sight.
She actually looked like some
space alien.
I do not know what she
was wearing or even what
she looked like. All I could
see were those tomato cans
on her head. At the time, I
did not know much about
romance, but I knew this was
not it.
The next few days I did
everything to avoid the
women’s dorm for fear I
would ran into her. Whenever
I did see her, I crossed to the
other side of the street. But
the more I tried to avoid her,
the more I ran into her. Prayer
makes strange partners.
Thinking I was making
progress in my plan of
avoidance, the inevitable
happened.
One week after arrival,
my roommate invited me to
come along with him and
his girlfriend to a restaurant.
Being the neurotic naive that
I am, I said, ’’Sure, I’d love
to come along.” After all, I
had nothing else to do and it
seemed like some fun.
When my roommate went
to the women’s dorm to pick
up his girlfriend, who do you
suppose was standing with
his girlfriend waiting?
That’s right. The young
woman with the tin cans on
her head.
Would you believe it? The
young woman with the tin
cans turned out to be the sister
of my roommate.
It was awhirlwindromance.
I met her in September and
in February she asked me
to marry her. In August of
that year, I found myself at
Out to Pastor
Rev. James L. Snyder
jamessnyder2@att.net or
whatafellowship.com
a church altar mumbling, ”1
do.”
The Bible makes this
promise: “Whoso findeth a
wife findeth a good thing,
and obtaineth favour of the
LORD” (Proverbs 18:22
KJV).
A good wife is the find of a
lifetime, as long as God is in
charge of the search.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and kind; love does not
envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is
not irritable or resentful; it does not
rejoice at wrongdoing; but rejoices with
the truth. Love bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never ends. As for prophe
cies, they will pass away; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will
pass away.
CfiurcH Happenings
Prayer Line, Tuesdays and
Thursdays, Christ Abundant
Life Ministries, S. Dugger
Ave., Roberta. Call 478-
836-3912.
Word of God Tabernacle
invites you to join us for the
following weekly services:
Sunday Prayer at 9:00 a.m.,
Sunday School at 10:00 a.m.,
Sunday Service at 11:00
a.m.; Monday Prayer at 9:00
a.m.; Wednesday Prayer at
9:00 a.m., Wednesday Bible
Study at 7:00 p.m.; Friday
Prayer at 9:00 a.m. Everyone
is invited. Pastor Frank
Martin, Sr.
Springhill Baptist Church
is providing free Tutoring
Service every Monday at
5:30- 6:30p.m. 71, Springhill
Church Rd., Roberta.
Pop-Tops For Kade:
Christopher Smtih a member
of the Fellowship Church
and Sunday School Teacher
wants your pop-tops! For
each 1,000 tabs from drink
cans St. Jude’s will give
a free treatment. Kade
Howard, a local little boy
who is receiving treatment
at St. Jude’s in Tennessee
for medulloblastoma will
benefit from the tabs being
collected. To find out how
to help and where to drop off
your tabs call Christopher
Smith at 478-365-0441.
Cerese Independent
Church: The Women
Ministry of Cereses
Independent Church in
Musella, GA will host their
Woman in Red Program, Feb.
17, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. Guest
speaker will be Minister Mia
Collier of Thomaston, GA.
They are asking your church
family to at least send three
of your inspiring women to
participate in the program.
For more info please contact
Dana Montford 478-258-
7081.
The Lighthouse Church
Movie Day: Saturday Feb.
23rd. Bring the kids and their
friends too for a free and fun
Saturday movie morning
including popcorn and drinks
beginning at 10 a.m. They
will be showing the ’’Veggie
Tales” movie ’’Robin Good”
at 10:30 a.m. In keeping with
the motto of the movie they
ask that you bring one item
to donate to the local food
bank.
The Lamb’s Well: Vacation
Bible School Preview
February 21, 2013 come to a
free preview of 2013 Vacation
Bible School programs. An
great opportunity for VBS
Directors, Children’s Church
Leaders, Pastors and other
who work with children.
Refreshments and door
prizes. Two sessions offered
2-4 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. RSVP
early- space is limited 478-
971-2677.
Smith Chapel Baptist
Church will be having their
Black History Program on
the hird Sunday (Feb. 17th) at
2:00 p.m.
Mt. Zion C.M.E. Church
will celebrate Black History
month at 11:00 a.m. Sunday
Feb. 17th. The speaker will
be one of their own, Sister
Yvonne Harvey. The theme
will be ’’From Yesterday until
Today. ’’All are invited to come
and join the celebration.
Livingstone Baptist Church
will be having a morning of
’’Praise and Worship” with
Tammie Klima in concert
Sunday, Feb. 24th at 11:00
a.m. For more info contact Mr.
Shelnutt at 478-825-5706.
Deadline for Church
Happenings: Friday 5 p.m.
McLeighton Funeral Service
View Obituaries at
375 S. Dugger Avenue
Roberta, Georgia
478-836-3336
www.mcleightonfuneralservice.com
David & Donna
McLeighton - owners
’Our Family Serving
Your Family
Granite • Marble • Bronze • Coping • Monument Cleaning • Sandblasting
”Serving all Middle Georgia cemeteries 33
Kade £. Rooks
P. O. Box 1711, Fort Valley, GA 31030 *478-825-2424 or 478-951-1571 *Fax: 478-825-3794