Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31.2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5B
Church News
Minister’s Column - Continued from Church Page
Genesis 3 : 1-3, Now the
serpent was more cunning
than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had
made. And he said to the
woman, "Has God indeed
said, 'You shall not eat of
every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the
serpent, "We may eat the
fruit of the trees of the gar
den; but of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of
the garden, God has said,
'You shall not eat it, nor shall
you touch it, lest you die.'" -
NKJV
How important is the truth?
Have you ever been de
ceived but didn't realize it
until after you incurred prob
lems or loss in your life?
Truth is of the utmost impor
tance when it comes to re
ceiving and sharing
information. Misinformation
has caused so much damage
throughout the history of
man, but none so destructive
as when the serpent inten
tionally lied to Eve concern
ing the tree of knowledge.
When we inadvertently share
misinformation, this can
cause harm to our relation
ships. It can undermine peo
ple's trust in us, even though
it was not intended to harm
them. Since we understand
what it is like being told in
correct information, we
should be willing to seek out
the truth before acting on
hearsay.
There was a conversation
that must have taken place
between Adam and Eve, but
it's not recorded in the Bible.
After the serpent lied to Eve
about God's warning con
cerning the forbidden fruit,
she told it that she couldn't
eat of its fruit or touch it, or
she would die. However, we
don't read in Genesis 2 that
the Lord commanded Adam
not to touch the fruit of the
tree of knowledge. Secondly,
we know from the chrono
logical order of scripture that
Eve didn't exist when God
told Adam not to eat of the
tree of knowledge.
Therefore, we can conclude
that Adam, not the Lord
God, told Eve not to eat or
touch the tree. This story
teaches us what can happen
when we act on misinforma
tion instead of going to the
source. Since Eve didn’t hear
God speak the command
ment to her personally, it
caused her to doubt God
when she heard the serpent’s
lie. This is why we all need
to read the Bible for our
selves. If we know the truth,
then neither Satan nor a false
teacher will be able to de
ceive us into thinking some
thing is true when it's not.
Why didn’t Eve stop listen
ing to the serpent and go to
the Lord to ask Him if the
serpent was correct or not?
Why don’t we seek the truth
when so much could be at
stake when making major,
life-altering decisions? Truth
must be sought out; quite
often, that may require extra
effort or be inconvenient. It's
at that point that we must de
cide if we want to be incon
venienced by digging for the
truth or face the conse
quences of believing a lie.
Truth matters!
[Pastor Asa Dockery of
World Harvest Church North
and a published author who
has been writing devotions
for more than 11 years. Asa
is also the host of Keys to
Kingdom Living Television
program. ]
Jesus’ Coming Is at Just the Right Time
By Rev. Tony Elder
Did any of you have prob
lems with items you had pur
chased online getting
delivered to you in time for
Christmas? In spite of order
ing weeks before and receiv
ing repeated assurances that
those packages were on their
way, as that deadline ap
proached I was still waiting
for a couple of gifts. I know
of some people who had to
do last minute shopping
when they got word that their
online purchases weren’t
going to make it in time.
I understand part of the
problem this year was due to
the combination of a heavier
volume of online purchases
and the effects of our Covid-
19 situation on delivery serv
ices. Failed promises, unmet
expectations, and late deliv
eries can be very stressful
and disappointing when it
comes to Christmas shop
ping.
At the time of Jesus’ birth,
there were likely many peo
ple who were experiencing
similar disappointment in
God concerning His promise
of sending a savior into the
world. It appeared that such
a deliverer for God’s people
was sorely needed. And the
promise had been given re
peatedly over the course of
hundreds of years. Neverthe
less, that special delivery
from God had not arrived. In
the midst of expectations of
His coming, there was likely
skepticism and doubts about
it ever being fulfilled.
However, the Bible de
clares that God’s gift of His
Son was not past due. As a
matter of fact, it was right on
time. “But when the fullness
of the time had come, God
sent forth His Son...” (Gala
tians 4:4). God knew when
everything was in place and
the conditions were right for
delivering His special pack
age to the world. Even
though many people thought
it was long overdue, Jesus’
coming as our Savior took
place exactly when needed
and according to God’s plan.
As we look ahead to
Christ’s Second Coming, we
need to have the same confi
dent assurance. With every
thing that’s going on in the
world today, many believers
are looking expectantly for
Jesus’ return. Some think it’s
long overdue in light of the
spiritual condition of our so
ciety and the impending
judgment of a holy God. But
there are others who may
have given up on the idea al
together. After all, it’s been
so long since the promise
was made.
Many of our predecessors
who have thought it would
take place during their life
times have been disap
pointed, so why should we
think we may be the ones to
experience it?
Whenever Jesus comes
back, it will be right on
schedule - God’s schedule,
not ours. Some of us may
hope it will happen soon in
order for us to be spared the
hardships that appear to be
looming on the horizon. Oth
ers may be praying that it
doesn’t happen for a while
out of concern for lost loved
ones and friends. While there
are those who believe it
could take place at any mo
ment, others of us believe the
Bible indicates there are still
some events which may need
to take place first. We
shouldn’t be surprised if the
Church has to go through the
purifying fires of tribulation
and persecution in order to
get it ready for Christ’s re
turn. We need to be making
our own personal prepara
tions for facing Jesus by
making sure we’re trusting
Him as our Savior and sub
mitting to His lordship over
our lives. Additionally, we
need to be busy doing the
work that the Lord has given
His Church to do until His
return.
Just as sure as Jesus was
born in Bethlehem, He’s
coming again. And we need
to be getting ready. Whether
or not He comes when we
think He should do so, He
will come exactly when God
plans, and He will be right
on time.
[Rev. Tony Elder is a
North Georgia native who
serves as a pastor and au
thor of the daily devotional
book, Everyday Encounters
with the Lord” and serves as
the Executive Director of the
National Association of Wes
leyan Evangelicals. He may
be reached at
revtelder@aol. com.]
PICKENS COUNTY
RECYCLING CENTER
ACCEPTS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS
DC
DC
#1 Plastics
Wafer bottles,
drinking bottles,
soda bottles,
mayo jars,
peanut buffer
jars, etc.
#2 Plastics
Milk jugs, washing/
detergent jugs,
bleach bottles,
etc.
Paper Products
Mixed paper,
junk mail,
newspapers,
etc.
DC
DC
Glass
Bottles Only:
Clear, brown,
green
No window panelsI
or car
windshields
Steel Cans
£
Metal
Do Not Accept
Styrofoam, Plastic
furniture, water
hoses, all other
plastics not
mentioned, inch
#3-7, Plastic
flowers, hard
or rigid plastics.
Help us recycle the correct products.
Director Waste/Recycling, Kenny Woodard
390 Appalachian Court, Jasper, GA
Continued from Page IB
Sports betting will take spotlight as legislature convenes
Professional Sports Alliance.
“[The teams] have to engage
them or they’ll go else
where.”
Some new ammunition
the sports alliance will bring
to the 2021 debate is the rev
enue numbers sports betting
is generating in the nearly
two dozen states where it’s
legal.
In Tennessee, online
sports betting produced
$131.4 million in wagering
last month - an average of
more than $4 million per day
- after legislation legalizing
sports betting took effect
Nov. 1.
In 2019, the first full year
of sports betting in New Jer
sey generated $4.55 billion
in wagering, with more than
$3.8 billion bet online.
Legislation backed by the
sports alliance to be intro
duced into the General As
sembly this winter will call
for dedicating 20% of the
proceeds from sports betting
in Georgia to the HOPE
Scholarships program.
The lottery-funded HOPE
program covered the full tu
ition costs of eligible Geor
gia high-school students
until 2011, when then-Gov.
Nathan Deal pushed a cut in
benefits through the General
Assembly to keep the pro
gram solvent amid rising stu
dent enrollment and the
increasing costs of tuition.
“We’ve got the COAM
[Coin-Operated Amusement]
Machines and the lottery
drawings producing more
than $4 billion [a year] in
revenue, and it’s not able to
completely fund the HOPE
scholarship anymore,” said
state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-
Alpharetta, who has been the
legislature’s leading cham
pion of horse racing. “We’re
going to have to find differ
ent revenue sources.”
Other lawmakers are ad
vocating other uses for the
state’s share of legalized
gambling proceeds.
Rep. Alan Powell, R-
Hartwell, chairman of the
House Regulated Industries
Committee said he’d like to
put the revenue generated by
casinos in Georgia toward
“the No.-l hole in the [state]
budget: health care.”
House Democrats have
expressed an interest in set
ting aside a portion of the
state’s share of gambling
proceeds for low-income
families that can’t afford to
cover the funding gap the
2011 cuts to the HOPE
Scholarship opened up in the
program, or for a new schol
arship program to help
young Georgians pay off
their student loans.
Besides the financial ar
gument, supporters of legal
ized gambling also argue that
illegal gambling is generat
ing billions of dollars in
Georgia without the state
seeing any benefit.
“All we’re going to do is
capture the tax,” Stephens
said.
“It’s time to bring it out of
the darkness and into the
light,” Linville added.
But Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-
Athens, chairman of the Sen
ate Regulated Industries and
Utilities Committee, said
competition for Georgians’
limited entertainment dollars
from legalized sports betting,
casinos or horse racing could
hurt the lottery program’s
revenues.
Lawmakers also should
consider how casinos, race
tracks and/or online sports
betting available at the fin
gertips might affect problem
gamblers and their families,
he said.
“We need to make certain
we educate the gamblers
what the risks are ... and do
something to make sure they
don’t hurt themselves,”
Cowsert said.
The 2021 version of the
legalized gambling debate
should kick off early. Back
ers of all three options -
sports betting, casinos and
horse racing - say they plan
to pre-file legislation during
the first week of January.
The 2021 session begins Jan.
11.
Continued from Page IB
Youths of the Month at the Boys & Girls Clubs
the Pickens Teen Club. She
has been a club member for
one year and has spent that
time spreading her kindness
to everyone that she comes
into contact with within the
club. While she is at the club,
Hayliee enjoys drawing pic
tures and playing various
board games. When the di
rector of the Pickens Club
was asked, he said: "Hayliee
is one of the kindest young
ladies you will ever meet,
but don't think that means
she'll let you win.
She is quite the formida
ble opponent in a game of
Monopoly". Hailee's future
plans include graduating
from high school and be
coming a teacher. We are ex
cited to see the young leader
that we are sure Hayliee will
become.
Jayden is a 2nd grader at
Hill City Elementary School
and has been a member of
the Club for one year. Jayden
is a very artistic young lady.
Whether it is coloring pic
tures while she is at home,
painting in the Club's art
room, or spreading her con
tagious smile, Jayden is al
ways making things she
comes in contact with more
beautiful.
Jayden's future plans in
clude graduating from high
school and then becoming a
doctor. Novelist Gabriel
Garcia Marquez once said,
"No medicine cures what
happiness cannot." With Jay
den's consistent friendliness,
willingness to help others,
and ability to bring happi
ness to those around her, we
have no doubt that Jayden
could become one of the best
doctors that this little town
has seen.
Continued from Page IB
Sports
History
own
15. Staubach dropped back
and calmly heaved a pass
down the right sideline to
Pearson, who was being cov
ered by Vikings' comerback,
Nate Wright. Wright had a
perfect opportunity to make
a play, but fell down, with
some saying that Pearson
shoved him before making
the catch. Anyway, Pearson
caught the ball and strolled
into the end zone for the go-
ahead touchdown, leaving
Minnesota perplexed over
the missed interference. The
fans took matters into their
own hands, venting their
frustrations with hisses and
boos. One in particular threw
a glass bottle at the official
that missed the call, striking
and injuring him. Neverthe
less, the Vikes were unable
to recover as the Cowboys
hailed their way to the 17-14
win.
December 29th:
On this day in 1934, the
very first college basketball
doubleheader took place at
Madison Square Garden.
New York University hosted
Notre Dame in the opener
before Westminster College
faced St. John's in the night
cap. This idea was organized
by Ned Irish, who later be
came the executive vice
president for the New York
Knicks. As for the games,
Westminster defeated St.
John's, 37-33, before New
York took care of Notre
Dame, 25-18.
December 30th:
On this day in 2018,
Kansas City Chiefs' quarter
back, Patrick Mahomes, be
came the second passer in
NFL history to throw for
5,000 yards and 50 touch
downs in the same season.
The first was Peyton Man
ning, who had 5,477 yards
and 55 scores with the Den
ver Broncos in 2013. Ma
homes joined Manning fol
lowing Kansas City's 35-3
rout of the Oakland Raiders
in the regular season finale.
He achieved those feats on
an 89-yard touchdown pass
to Demarcus Robinson be
fore finishing the day 14 of
24 for 281 yards and two
scores. "Mahomeboy" con
cluded the year with 5,097
yards and exactly 50 touch
downs while making the Pro
Bowl.
December 31st:
On this day in 1961, the
Green Bay Packers estab
lished themselves as the
team of the sixties by win
ning their first of five cham
pionships for the decade. The
Packers claimed their first
NFL title since 1944 by shut
ting out the New York Gi
ants, 37-0. Green Bay's Mr.
Everything, Paul Hornung,
set a championship game
record by accounting for 19
points. Hornung scored one
touchdown, converted four
extra points and made three
field goals before compiling
136 yards from scrimmage.
Quarterback, Bart Starr,
threw for three more scores,
including two to tight end,
Ron Kramer. Starr's New
York counterpart, Y.A. Tittle,
threw four interceptions
while the Giants were lim
ited to six first downs and
137 total yards. This repre
sented the Packers' first post
season whitewash since the
1939 title game, which iron
ically came against the Gi
ants.
January’ 1st:
On this day in 1902, the
very first Rose Bowl Game
was played at Pasadena's
Tournament Park, where
Michigan handed Stanford a
49-0 romping. Unlike sev
eral other Rose Bowl en
counters, this contest was
played on a 110-yard field,
touchdowns were worth five
points and the game was di
vided into two 30-minute
halves. Forward passes were
against the rides as well, but
the Wolverines didn't have to
throw or worry about field
length on this day. They had
everything go their way
against the befuddled Stan
ford squad, racking up 27
first downs and 527 yards on
90 carries. Stanford, on the
other hand, managed just 67
yards while fumbling the ball
away nine times. Michigan
fullback, Neil Snow, scored
five touchdowns and was
voted the player of the game.
Left end, Curtis Redden,
found the end zone on both a
fumble and punt return be
fore Albert Hermstein
capped the carnage on a 21-
yard scoring run.
January 2nd:
On this day in 1985,
UNLV head basketball
coaching legend, Jerry
Tarkanian, collected his
600th victory in historic
fashion. Nevada-Las Vegas
and Utah State duked it out
for two halves and three
overtimes before the Runnin'
Rebels finally pulled
through, 142-140. The 282
combined points broke the
NCAA record of 275, which
was set in 1976. In 31 sea
sons at UNLV, Long Beach
State and his alma mater,
Fresno State, Tarkanian com
piled an overall record of
784-202 before retiring in
2002. His teams won 20 or
more games 29 times, in
cluding 30 or more on four
occasions. Tarkanian also led
his squads to 16 conference
regular season crowns, 10
tournament championships
and four Final Fours. He
even guided the Rebels to the
national title following a
103-73 destruction of Duke
in 1990. Tarkanian received
the WCAC (1975), UPI
(1983) and WAC (2001)
Coach of the Year awards as
well. He was inducted into
the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 2013 and his number two
was retired by Fresno State
University in 2014.