Newspaper Page Text
(Tin- 3|inftiutl
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 21, 2005
Billy Powell
Columnist
Do tsunamis
presage the end?
Recently, I received an
email from Dr. Lettie Watford
who was typing some old ser
mons preached by her father,
the late Rev. Mervin Watford
of Fort Valley. Dr. Watford
found herself typing a ser
mon on the second coming of
Christ in which her dad used
Luke 21:25 as his text. She
wrote, “It was chilling read
ing this scripture in view of
the recent tsunami that
caused such destruction in
the Indian Ocean.”
In this passage Jesus iden
tified the events that would
signal the end of the age. It
reads: “And there shall be
signs in the sun, and in the
moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the
sea and the waves roaring.”
The “sea and the waves roar
ing” aptly describes the
tsunami that struck
Indonesia and Sri Lanka,
causing an estimated 150,000
casualties - more than the
atomic bomb dropped on
Hiroshima in 1945 that
ended World War 11. It was
caused by an earthquake 6-
miles below the Indian Ocean
measuring 9.0 on the Richter
scale. Scientists say that the
earth is still vibrating from
the massive undersea earth
quake and that it may have
permanently accelerated the
earth’s rotation, causing it to
wobble slightly on its axis.
Tsunamis will not end the
world but they could com
prise the end-time events.
The rainbow is God’s promise
(Genesis 9:11) that the world
will never again be destroyed
by water. So how will the
earth end? The answer is
found in 2 Peter 3: 10: “The
day of the Lord will come like
a thief. On that day the heav
ens will disappear with a
shrill noise, the heavenly bod
ies will burn up and be
destroyed, and the earth with
everything in it will vanish.”
In 1950 during a revival at
the old Perry First Baptist
Church (sat across First
Street from present church),
the evangelist said that,
according to the signs of the
times, he believed the world
would come to an end by the
year 2000. Of course the min
ister was only speculating for
no man knows when the end
will come. Speaking on the
end-time, Jesus said, “No one
knows the day or the hour,
not even the angels in heav
en, nor the Son, but only the
Father.” Jesus continued, “As
it was in the days of Noah, so
it will be at the coming of the
Son of Man. For in the days
before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marry
ing and giving in marriage,
up to the day Noah entered
the ark; and they knew noth
ing about what would happen
until the flood came and took
them all away.”
A plausible scenario is a
nuclear holocaust. As more
third world countries and
rogue states develop the
atomic bomb, the likelihood
of a nuclear exchange will
dramatically increase. An
intensified nuclear war could
knock the earth off its orbit,
causing it to drift toward the
Sun and a certain fiery incin
eration. Thus the shrill noise
detailed in Peter’s prophecy.
Peter imparts this advice: “As
you wait for that Day, do your
best to be pure and faultless
in God’s sight and be at peace
with Him.”
Faith
TohmUew Immj/imi/
(but more are needed at Summerhill every day)
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
PERRY - Marilyn Hooten
is at the piano playing a
lively tune while Margery
Deibert claps, dances and
leads the band.
Rhythm band, that is.
It’s a gathering at
Summerhill Senior Living
Center where residents are
enjoying the music, the
reminders of old favorite
songs, and even making a
little music of their own
with tambourines, rhythm
sticks and harmonicas.
As for the two volunteers
leading the music, they’re
both senior citizens them
selves. Deibert stays on the
move, not only volunteering
as a music leader, but also
helping in the Assisted
Living center with a ceram
ics class.
She’s one of those people
who never heard of “getting
too old.”
So is Margery Zerko, a
petite lady in sneakers, who
doesn’t really seem to
understand why everyone is
so astonished to learn that
she’s 88.
Zerko, a Perry native,
who has been a world trav
eler as a Methodist minis
ter, learned French in
France before she was
assigned to a new post in
Algeria.
Now she lives in one of
the independent apart
ments at Summerhill, and
is teaching nursing home
residents to speak a little
conversational French.
Bill Beam also lives inde
pendently, but, because his
late wife needed nursing
care, he spent a lot of time
in the nursing home, and
; IftS; . -
1
Young Perryan writes stories that illuminate faith
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
PERRY - Can a young man of
19 write for all ages? Rick
Shelton, who began writing for a
high school audience when he
was still a student at Westfield
Schools, is living proof that
youth makes no difference when
it comes to writing inspirational
tales and devotionals
Shelton, who is now a student
at Mercer University, has just
published his first book,
“Devotional Tales,” will be sign
ing copies at the Perry Bookstore
from 11 am. to 1 p.m., Saturday.
The book is made up of inspiring
stories followed by in-dept dis
cussions of spiritual topics.
“I make sure that reader can
apply the topic of the story to his
own life,” Shelton says. “From
enjoys helping “push folks
back and forth,” helping
with bingo, and, for that
matter, helping with any
problem that comes along.
“Whatever your talent
is,” Activities Director
Elaine Miller says, “We can
fit you in.”
Miller is actively looking
for more volunteers who
can give a little time, even
as little as a half hour a
week, to help the nursing
home residents have a more
enjoyable, more stimulat
ing, more sociable time.
Her list of 50 possible vol
unteer jobs includes every
thing from creating bulletin
boards to praying with resi
dents, from delivering mail
to shopping, from leading
singing to just visiting.
How about organizing
your club to plan a tea party
or a fashion show? How
about teaching a craft or
reading aloud or sharing
your travel slides?
If you don’t know what
you’d like to do as a volun
teer, don’t worry about
that. Miller will find some
thing for you.
Maybe you could help
with a garden, feed the
cockatiels that live in the
nursing home, help with
decorating for special
events, discuss current
events, or even be a fourth
for bridge.
If you’re interested, give
Elaine Miller a call at (478)
987-3100, and remember,
Summerhill isn’t the only
nursing home in the area
that will appreciate your
volunteering a little time.
Just find the one closest to
you, make a call and ask for
the activities director.
there, I suggest to the reader
how to use what he learned from
the chapter to change the way he
lives.”
He considers his writing to be
both inspirational and “self
help,” and also says that it is
non-denominational. ”
Regarding his personal goal,
Shelton says it’s the same as the
one he had when he read his
devotionals for his fellow stu
dents at Westfield.
“I wish to change just one
heart.”
His writing began when he
was 16 and had made a commit
ment of faith, but was still deal
ing with his grief over the sud
den death of his father, Jeff
Shelton, two years earlier. He
prepared the devotionals for his
classmates, writing them by
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hand, and this past summer
finally found the time to time
them up. When he was doing so,
he also realized that he had
more that he wanted to say, so
he spent the entire summer on
the project.
Nick Shelton is the son of Lisa
Shelton and the late Jeff
Shelton, and the grandson of
Perry Volunteer Outreach direc
tor Frank Shelton. He has to
brothers, Sheldon and Alex.
To learn more about the young
author and his work, and to read
sample chapters, go to
www.TheDevotionalTales.com,
or stop by Perry Bookstore
Saturday morning to get your
own autographed copy.
Hardcover editions sure $17.50,
and softcover are $12.50.
8A
ABOVE: Elaine Miller
with Margery Deihert,
Bill Beam and Margery
Zerko.
LEFT: Marilyn Hooten
plays the piano.
BELOW LEFT: Margery
Deihert leads the
rhythm band.
BELOW: Margery
Zerko teaches French
to residents.