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4-Minute Primer On The Bible
The Bible is a collection of
66 books (Old Testament-39,
New Testament-27), written
by 40 authors. These writers
never knew their works would
be included in Holy Bible.
The Old Testament begins
with the story of creation,
including the formation of
the earth, sun, moon, stars,
and the generation of human
and animal life. The most
memorable stories—those of
Moses and Abraham—were
passed along by word of mouth
from generation to generation.
Some scholars attribute the
Pentateuch (first 5 books) to
Moses; however, other Bible
experts believe that writing
was not perfected in Moses’
day and that Jewish writers did
not start compiling these stories
until King David’s reign, about
a thousand years before Jesus.
The authorship of many OT
books is unknown. Psalms
was attributed primarily to
David. Proverbs, Songs, and
Ecclesiastes were written by
Solomon, the son of David
and Bathsheba. All books of
prophecy bear the author’s
name, except Lamentations by
Jeremiah. Among the sources
used in producing Genesis were
the genealogies from “Adam
to Noah” and from “Noah to
Abraham.” These and other
ancient records were preserved
on clay tablets. The scriptures,
however, were written in ink
on papyrus scrolls. Jesus used
such a scroll when He read
passages from Isaiah at the
Nazareth synagogue.
The Old Testament consists
of the Pentateuch (Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy), Jewish
history (Joshua, Judges, I &
2 Samuel, I & 2 Kings, I & 2
Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah,
etc.), the writings (Job, Psalms,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs),
and 17 books of prophecy:
5 Major Prophets (Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, and Daniel) and 12
Minor Prophets. Jesus alluded
to OT Messianic prophecies
when He stated, “Everything
must be fulfilled that is written
about me in the Law of Moses,
the Prophets and the Psalms.”
When the temple was destroyed
by Romans in 70 A.D., the Jews
were forced to abandon temple
worship and refocus on sacred
scripture. This expedited the
canonization of Old Testament
scripture at the Council of
Jamnia in 90 A.D.
According to Old Testament,
a Jew named Abraham was
singled out by God for special
favor. God decreed that
Abraham’s descendants would
be God’s chosen people and
become a mighty nation. Of
Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael
and Isaac, God’s preferred
lineage went through Isaac
and then to Isaac’s son Jacob,
whose twelve sons became
the founding fathers of Israel’s
12 tribes. Consequently,
the descendants of Ishmael
(Muslims) and Isaac (Jews)
have been at war ever since.
Each group claims to be the
true descendants of Abraham
and rightful owners of ancient
Palestine, now modem day
Israel. Jews subscribe to
Judaism, which rejects the
Billy Powell
Columnist
www.billypowellbooks.com
New Testament; Muslims
follow Islam and as their holy
book use the Koran, which
purportedly represents God’s
revelations to the prophet
Mohammed.
The New Testament was
written because Jesus Christ
arose from the dead. Without
the resurrection, there would
be no New Testament. The
principal witnesses of the
resurrection were five men:
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
all of whom wrote gospels
(Luke wrote Acts also), and
the Apostle Paul, the author
of 13 epistles. Other notable
NT books are Revelation,
Hebrews, and letters by John,
Peter, James (Jesus’ brother),
and Jude (also Jesus’ brother).
Both Old and New Testaments
were officially canonized as
Holy Scripture by the Roman
Catholic Council of Hippo in
393A.D.
The Proper Etiquette For Eating An Ice Cream Sundae
Not everybody realizes
how important it is to follow
protocol. Many Philistines
in our society do things so
haphazardly that it is a real
affront to those of us who know
better. There should be a law
forbidding such perfunctory
behavior. We have a law for
everything else, why not this?
Plus, it would better serve our
country and help maintain
civilized behavior among our
citizens.
I will be the first to admit that,
throughout my lifetime, I have
not always been committed
to civilized behavior. It took
me a long time to realize what
civilized behavior really was.
Before I got married, I had an
idea of what I thought civilized
behavior was. Unbeknownst
to me I had wandered about in
sheer ignorance.
Looking back, I think of
those times and know why
somebody said, ’’Ignorance is
bliss.” And to be sure, I was
very blissful. In fact, I did not
know how very blissful I was.
Then came the time when I
was willing to throw away all
that bliss for the, ”1 do,” of a
certain young lady I chanced
to meet. It was then that my
idea of bliss radically changed
forever.
After getting married I
realized just how uncivilized
by behavior had been up to
this point. Fortunately, for
me, my bride was more than
willing to take up the challenge
of nurturing me to a more
civilized behavior.
I would not say that she
has been overwhelmingly
successful in this attempt,
however. I am a lot more
civilized today than I was
prior, which has to count for
something.
One of the things that she
attributes to civilized behavior
has to do with cleanliness,
in particular, clean clothes.
For some reason she has a
fetish that everything has to
be cleaned. In my uncivilized
days, I had more of a fetish
about saving water. Through
the years, her persistence has
paid off and I have come to the
place that I really appreciate
clean clothes.
Of course, there is a
discrepancy in what each of us
deem as clean.
For me, clean is when it
passes the sniff test. As long
as I cannot smell anything on
my shirt, I consider it clean.
My wife, on the other hand,
believes that if you wear a
piece of clothing one time it
ceases to be clean.
Then there are spots. If
a spot is on my shirt where
nobody else can see it, I
consider the shirt clean. After
all, appearance is what really
counts. However, my wife
believes any and every spot
renders a shirt unclean.
This brings me to the subject
at hand. That is, the proper
etiquette for eating an ice
cream sundae. It appears, so I
am told, that the correct way to
eat an ice cream sundae is not
to get any on your shirt.
My favorite ice cream sundae
is hot fudge, which is humanly
impossible to eat without
getting something on your
shirt. No matter how careful,
I always drip hot fudge on my
shirt. The cleaner the shirt, the
bigger the smudge.
It is for this reason that
the Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage has laid down some
very strict rules when it comes
to ice cream sundaes. No ice
cream sundaes!
Period! For the most part, I
do not let her catch me eating
an ice cream sundae. It is more
for her good than for mine that
I keep this a secret. Whenever
she discovers I have had an
ice cream sundae it affects her
blood pressure, not to mention
the wear and tear on her vocal
cords. (I will not even mention
my eardrums.)
I have tried everything under
the sun to master the etiquette
of properly eating an ice cream
sundae. No matter what I do
or try, the result is always the
same. Some little smidgen
of fudge on my clothing
somewhere.
I recently came to a milestone
in my pursuit of ice cream
sundaes. At first, I thought it
was an ingenious plan. In the
beginning, it looked promising.
It went simply like this. Since
a hot fudge sundae usually
drips on my shirt evidencing
the fact that I indulged in the
forbidden delicacy, I switched
to strawberry sundaes where
there is absolutely no chance
(Dbituarij
Out to Pastor
Rev. James L. Snyder
jamessnyder2@att.net or
whatafellowship.com
of smearing your shirt with
fudge.
This plan of mine worked
for several months but came
crashing down this past week. I
had indulged in a very delicious
strawberry sundae and thought
I had gotten away with it. When
I got home my wife looked at
me and then said, ’’What is that
stain on your shirt?”
Knowing that if I confess
I had an ice cream sundae I
would be in deep trouble the
thought occurred to me until I
took my chance.
”1 think it’s lipstick,” I said
with a smile on my face.
”0h, I thought it was
strawberry syrup,” she said.
I am not sure what that means
but I did not want to pursue the
subject at the time.
I am learning that some
things are not worth the effort.
The apostle Paul thought this
too.
’’All things are lawful for
me, but all things are not
expedient: all things are lawful
for me, but all things edify not”
(1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV).
There is a proper way of
doing everything and some
things are not worth doing at
all.
Eudora Parker
Ms. Eudora Parker, 88, of Forsyth, GA,
passed away on Tuesday, March, 12, 2013
at the Medical Center of Central Georgia
in Macon. She is preceded in death by her
husband, Jim Parker.
Survivors include one son, Dan Parker
(Angie) of Fayetteville, GA; four daugh
ters: Faye Scoller of San Antonio, TX; Dee
Dee Fibich (Kenneth T.) of Houston, TX;
Sheila Howell (Daniel Holt) of Hampton,
GA; Treva Reeves (Hal) of Forsyth, GA;
one brother Bud Franklin (Genevieve) of
Tampa, FL; two sisters, Annie Worley of
Forsyth, GA and Frances Trawick of Brew-
ton, AL; sixteen grandchildren and numer
ous great grandchildren and great, great
grandchildren.
Visitation was Thursday, March 14 at
McLeighton Funeral Home in Roberta from
6-8 PM. Memorial Service was Friday,
March 15 at Musella Baptist Church in Mu-
sella with Rev. Joe McDaniel officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to:
American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718,
Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.
You may sign the online guest register at
www.mcleightonfuneralservice.com
A Personal
Prayer
You never know when
God is going to bless you.
Good things happen when
you least expect them. This
is a prayer that I would
like to share with you. I
believe God is going to
bless us if we make it a
habit of praying it every
day; and not just reading it
but believing it as you start
your day.
Dear Lord, I thank You
for this day. I thank You for
being able to see and to hear
me this day. I am blessed
because You are a forgiving
and understanding God.
You have done so much
for me and you keep on
blessing me even though
I don’t deserve it. Thank
You for your grace and
mercy. Forgive me this day
for everything I have done,
said or thought that was not
pleasing to you.
Please keep me from all
harm and danger. Help me
to start each day with a
new attitude and plenty of
gratitude. Keep me from
all sickness and disease
from touching this body;
and if it does that it dies
instantly; In the Name of
Jesus. Every organ, tissue
of this body function in the
perfection you created it to
function. And I forbid any
malfunction in this body;
whether it be cancer, heart
trouble, diabetes, high
blood pressure, H1N1 or
whatever because your
Word says that; “By Your
stripes, I am healed.”
Let me not whine
about things I have no
control over; and know
that everything is in your
hands. I know that when
I can’t pray, You listen
to my heart. Continue to
use me to do your will.
Keep me strong that I may
help the weak; keep me
uplifted that I may have
words of encouragement
for others. I pray for those
who are lost and can’t find
their way. I pray for those
who are misjudged and
misunderstood. I pray for
every household that they
are out of debt and their
needs are met. I pray that
everyone who reads this
knows that there is no
problem, circumstance, or
situation greater than God.
Every battle is in your
hands to fight. I pray that
every Word be received into
every heart; and everyone
that believe will receive. In
Jesus Name, Amen!
CfnircH 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.
Covenant Care Services
is hosting the 8th annual
’’Ladies’ Night Out,” in
Middle Georgia on Thursday,
March 21, beginning at 7:00
p.m. at Shirley Hills Baptist
Church. Dessert will be served
before speaker Connie Carey
makes her presentation. ’’Your
spirit will be encouraged,
your soul will be refreshed,
and you will laugh until your
sides hurt!” remarked Rev.
Joe McDaniel of Musella
Baptist Church. Proceeds
from this event benefit the
pro-life, adoption ministries
of Covenant Care in Middle
Georgia nd throughout the
state. Tickets are $20 and must
be purchased in advance. Visit
www.covenantcareadoptions.
com to purchase online or to
find out the many locations to
get your ticket.
For Real Come To Jesus
Conference at the Crawford
County Senior Center on
Saturday, March 23 at Noon.
Contact Minister Carolyn
Clark at 478-550-8066 or at
dramapraise2010@gmail.
com.
Lighthouse Community
Church located on the comer
of Boy Scout and Jordan
Road will have community
Easter Egg hunt Saturday the
23rd of March at 3:00 p.m.
All children are invited!
Marriage Restored weekend
is scheduled for April 12-14,
2013 in Macon, GA. Marriage
Restored is a weekend
program for couples who
have experienced marriage-
threatening circumstances
and it is a weekend of hope
for couples in crisis. All faiths
are welcome. For more info
visit the website at www.
marriagerestored. com
Joy Tabernacle will have
Youth Day on the 4th Sunday,
March 24th at 2:30 p.m.
Guest churches are Cerese,
Mount Moriah, and Cathedral
of Praise.
Gospel Meeting Revival:
Knoxville GA Church of
Christ. Guest speaker Daunae
Permenter. Wednesday,
March 27- Sunday, March 31,
Wed-Fri 7:00 p.m., Sat. 6:00
p.m. and Sunday, Lord’s Day
Worship at 10:30 a.m.
Pineview Baptist Church
will be celebrating their
church anniversary the 1st
Sunday in April (4/7/13) at
11:30 a.m.
Deadline
for Church
Happenings: Friday
5 p.m.
McLeighton Funeral Service
viewobituanesatWww.mcleightonfuneralservice.com
375 S. Dugger Avenue
Roberta, Georgia
478-836-3336
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
