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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Opinions
Ruffin’s Renderings: Mortal love
BY MIKE RUFFIN
ruffinml@gmail.com
Valentine’s Day falls
on February 14 again
this year. It’s regular like
that.
Ash Wednesday, on
the other hand, moves
around. It doesn’t mean
to, but its date depends
on the date of Easter,
which can fall anywhere
between March 22 and
April 25. So Ash Wednes
day, which occurs forty
days before Easter (not
counting Sundays) falls
between February 4 and
March 10.
Ash Wednesday is on
Wednesday. February 17
this year.
I offer the following
observations in light
of the closeness on
this year’s calendar of
Valentine’s Day, which
celebrates human love,
and Ash Wednesday,
which reminds us of our
mortality.
Let me define my
terms. In the statements
below, “mortal” means
“human” and “love”
means having attitudes
and carrying out actions
that are other-affirming,
other-focused, self-empty
ing, and self-giving.
To be mortal is to be
temporary, which makes
love valuable.
We are on the
earth for just a
little while, so
we get to love
each other in
these fantastic
earthly ways
for just a little
while.
When we
know the time
will come when
we won’t have something,
it becomes much more
valuable to us. Life is that
way.
Love is that way. So we
should treat our beloved
ones with the honor befit
ting their value.
To be mortal
is to be frail,
which makes
love graceful.
To be mortal
is to be break
able. We get
hurt, sometimes
in our bodies,
sometimes
in our minds,
sometimes in
our hearts, and
sometimes in our spirits.
Sometimes we hurt those
we love by not taking our
commitments seriously
or by not embracing our
relationships enthusiasti
cally. At such times (at all
times really, but especially
Ruffin’s
Renderings
at such times), love saves
us by its grace. By “grace
ful” love 1 mean love that
is full of grace, which is
the ability and willingness
to accept each other in
our frailty and to lift each
other up when we fall.
To be mortal is to be
dying, which makes love
lively.
Each passing moment
brings us a moment closer
to death, so we want to
live lives that are as full
of purpose and meaning
as possible. Love con
tributes to such fullness.
By “lively” love 1 mean
love that is life-giving
and life-enhancing. If love
becomes stronger as our
bodies become weaker,
we become more alive
even as we move toward
death.
On Ash Wednesday,
we remember that we are
mortal. On Valentine’s
Day, we remember that
we love and are loved.
Mortality and love make a
wonderfully risky combi
nation. If we embrace that
combination fully, we’ll be
alive for as long as we live.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives in Yatesville and works in
Macon. His new book, Praying with
Matthew, is available at helwys.com
and at Amazon.
SPECIAL PHOTO
Pike County 4-H members recently competed in the
first ever virtual State Horse Quiz Bowl Qualifier. New
members are invited to join Horse Club this month with a
meeting set for Feb. 22 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Pike
Extension Office at 74 Gwyn Street in Zebulon. Members
do not have to own a horse to participate and compete.
Local 4-H members
have horse fever
Pike County 4-Hers
showed their stuff dur
ing the first ever virtual
State Horse Quiz Bowl
Qualifier.
Though the two
teams will not be
advancing to state, the
teams made Pike County
proud! Both the junior
and senior team were
made up of students
with various levels of
equine background but
they practiced, studied
and worked as a team to
make it to the end. We
cannot wait to see how
these teams will do next
year.
Now that Horse Quiz
Bowl is in the rear
view, we are setting our
sights on Horse Club
and the State Horse
Show. These activities
are for students fourth
grade or older and who
love horses. Owning a
horse is not required to
attend club meetings or
compete.
Competitions at
the state level include
photography, painting,
essay and more along
with traditional riding
classes.
Most paperwork
for state show is due
in March, so February
is a great time to join
Pike County 4-H’s Horse
Club and see what it
is all about. Our next
meeting will be Febru
ary 22, 2021 from 5:30
until 6:30 p.m. Be sure
to contact the office to
receive more informa
tion as this club occa
sionally meets in differ
ent locations given the
activity.
All students fourth
grade and older are
welcome to attend our
free Horse Club meet
ings. We also welcome
any interested volun-
teers.
BROOKLYNE WASSEL
PIKE COUNTY
EXTENSION AGENT
NAVIGATING LIFE’S CURVES
Follow the diet of redemption
BY BARBARA LATTA
kbkj@bellsouth.net
Diet
plans
abound at
the begin
ning of
each new
year. Most
resolutions
involve a person’s goal of
shedding a few pounds.
Unfortunately, very
few of us stick to those
regimens because they in
volve too much self-con
trol and willpower. Losing
weight requires a change
of lifestyle, not temporary
food restrictions.
And in the month
where more chocolate
than usual calls our
name in every store, we
don’t want to think about
limiting sweets.
But the kind of pounds
we really need to lose are
the weights of oppres
sion. All humans have
experienced guilt-ridden
thoughts at some point
in life. It’s a fact of human
nature. Because we were
born into the fallen na
ture of the first man.
But God had a plan
that included redemption
before the foundation of
the world.
According to the Ox
ford Dictionary, redemp
tion means the action
of gaining or regaining
possession of something
in exchange for payment,
or clearing a debt. Adam
incurred a debt. Jesus
paid it off. That means
done, complete, nothing
owed.
At times we can feel
so badly, we think we
are too unworthy to
approach the throne of
heaven. And, of course,
none of us are worthy.
But Jesus is. And He lives
inside every believer
and it is His presence
that opens the door to
approach the Almighty.
If we don’t run to our
Father when we have
sinned, who else can we
go to? We can’t clean
ourselves up enough.
Jesus came to earth as
the second Adam and ful
filled what the man in the
garden should have done
when he was tempted. He
should have kicked the
serpent out of Eden and
completed God’s plan of
perfection on earth. The
Creator had given him
the right and authority to
do that.
But Adam submit
ted to temptation and
allowed sin to enter the
world which corrupted
the bloodline of mankind.
Christ completed His
Father’s plan. He didn’t
give in to temptation. He
didn’t sin. He became the
perfect sacrifice with his
blood, and He gave us
the right to be cleansed
from the fallen sin nature.
But because we still
have a mind of our own,
we can still give in to
temptation and sin. But
that doesn’t mean the
debt returns. Our bill
is cleared. For all time
(Hebrews 8:12).
But the mind will still
condemn us.
The devil will accuse us.
Other people will still
judge us.
When we give in to
these mental attacks,
our soul can feel the
anchor of heaviness pull
us down to the depths
of darkness. That’s why
it’s important for us to
feed on the Lord’s fare
of redemption. Then we
will recognize those lies
of accusation and they
cannot get a stronghold
in our thoughts.
Knowing our spiri
tual inheritance reveals
the gift given at salva
tion. Here is the spiri
tual menu (all references
from NKJV):
There is therefore
now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ
Jesus, who do not walk
according to the flesh,
but according to the
Spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has made me free
from the law of sin and
death (Romans 8:1-2).
For by one offering
He has perfected for
ever those who are being
sanctified (Hebrews
10:10).
The Lord redeems the
soul of His servants, and
none of those who trust
in Him shall be con
demned (Psalm 23:22).
Beloved, if our heart
does not condemn us, we
have confidence toward
God (1 John 3:21).
Neither do 1 condemn
you; go and sin no more
(John 8:11b).
Just like losing
physical weight requires
starvation in some form,
losing the weight of
shame requires starving
the mind of condemning
thoughts and replacing
them with nutritional
therapy from the Lord’s
table.
And what better way
to start this nourish
ment than in the month
when we celebrate love.
Remember the greatest
love ever given to the
world has taken away the
power of guilt and shame
over our lives. And that’s
way better than pounds
and pounds of chocolate.
Barbara Latta is a freelance writer
who posts online articles at barbara-
latta.blogspot.com and contributes
to the devotion website Christian
Devotions.
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Pike County
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www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.O. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Moiena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
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Inc. Second class
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Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers; Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
AT PIKE
BY DWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
February 18, 1921: The Zebulon High School
drama club was rehearsing the play “An Old Fash
ioned Mother.” The play’s sad theme was relieved
by antics of the comical old maid Miss Custard
and country boy Jeremiah Gosling.
75 YEARS AGO
February 21,1946: Rebe and Rabe of the Grand
Old Opry were to appear at the courthouse in Zebu
lon on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. An evening of real entertain
ment was promised; admission was 25 and 50 cents.
50 YEARS AGO
February 18, 1971: The Pike County High
School hosted an exhibition of art work of the 17th
century classic artists. The religious art reproduc
tions were on loan from the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
25 YEARS AGO
February 21, 1996: At the February Zebulon
council meeting, attended by 40 black men in
support of Sgt. Mike Owens, the promotion of Roy
Sweatman was rescinded. New procedures would
be written by city attorney Tom Morton and coun
cil would be required to approve all promotions
by the police chief.