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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Watching disaster coverage on tv can profoundly affect kids
(Editors note: Dr. Dobson
is currently out of town on a
writing trip. Today’s column
is written by dr. Bill maier,
vice president and psycholo
gist in residence at focus on
the family).
Q: During the past few
weeks my family has
been watching the news
coverage of the tsunami
in Southeast Asia. Now
my youngest child, a 5-
year-old girl, is having
nightmares about
tsunamis. Is it a bad idea
for kids to view disaster
coverage on TV? Also,
how can I help my chil
dren cope with their
fears about the tsunami?
A: Many of us have been
profoundly affected by the
images we’ve seen on our
television screens since the
tsunami struck on Dec. 26.
The devastation and loss of
life is almost too overwhelm
ing to comprehend. Perhaps
Spaghetti tonight
WARNER ROBINS - Mt.
Calvary Lutheran Church is host
ing a spaghetti dinner tonight
from 5 to 7. The cost is $5 per plate
take-out or eat-in. For children
eating in, the cost is $2.50. Thre
will be entertainment. Call (478)
922-1418 for more information.
Kilbourne to perform
CENTERVILLE - Singer, story
teller, and folk-theologian Ed
Kilbourne, will perform on Sunday
at 8:45 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., at
First United Methodist Church of
Centerville.
Emotional Fitness: dealing with an ok
By BARTON GOLDSMITH
Scripps Howard News
Service
Most of us have at least
one former partner in our
lives. Sometimes these rela
tionships are smooth and
sometimes the lines between
ex and ex-tremely bother
some may be blurred. Here
are some tips to help you
make that relationship work
without hurting your cur
rent partner.
Be patient. There’s usual
ly uncomfortable fallout
from most relationships, so
give your ex (and yourself) a
little space to make appro
priate adjustments.
Seek balance. If you and
your ex have kids together,
you will be connected with
this person for a long time.
Putting the kids first will
Printed prayers - does it have no value?
Conducting a Bible study
on prayer, the leader placed
strong emphasis on printed
prayers being of no value.
As he continued to speak on
the subject, such a prayer
kept flashing through my
mind.
A friend once gave me a
printed copy of a prayer,
which was kept in my Bible
and committed to memory.
According to the
spokesman, memorizing
prayers is also worthless to
our spiritual life.
Still growing, still failing
God so often I know the lit
tle prayer is one that needs
to be offered at break of
each new dawn.
Agreeing with the leader
of the Bible study, prayers
merely read hold no value.
But, read from the heart,
Serving Houston County
Perry • Warner Robins
Mrmher FDIC
OBST
Bank of Middle Georgia
Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family
www.family.org
the most tragic aspect of the
disaster is the impact it has
had on children.
As a father of two young
children, I have been
brought to tears by the pho
tos of lifeless little bodies
lying on a beach. The stories
of parents whose children
were ripped from their arms
by the monstrous waves are
almost too painful to bear.
This popular artist is known for
his collections of moving music,
humor, and insightful monologues.
He combines acoustic guitar, key
boards and singing with a story
telling style that has been com
pared to that of Garrison Keillor,
the radio humorist from “Lake
Wobegon.”
Conert at Oakland
WARNER ROBINS - Terry G.
Hall will be in concert at 6 p.m.
Saturday at Oakland Baptist
Church, 1509 Russell Parkway. A
“one man quartet,” hall use a vari
ety of styles in his concerts, inlud
ing gospel, old spirtuals nd country
help you keep your priorities
straight.
Don’t threaten, name call
or belittle. Having a mature
and respectful relationship
with your ex is healthy for
you, for the ex and for your
current relationship. If you
are not in a place where you
can be emotionally stable
around (or about) your ex,
then communicate via e
mail or through a third
party until you (or the other
person) has calmed down.
Use soothing words and
tones. Getting upset and
angry is not going to help
you get your point across.
Remember that there are
probably some hurt feelings
lingering, so the gentler you
are (without becoming a
doormat) the more likely
you will arrive at a mutually
Earline Cole
Reflections
marybobl 7@juno.com
the following prayer can be a
source of strength.
“Just For Today”
Oh God, give me grace for
this day.
Not for a lifetime, nor for
a week,
nor for tomorrow, just for
Tjkl THE BANK
IP OF PERRY
Please worship at the
church of your choice
1006 Main St • Perry
987-2552
Member FDIC
113652
FAMILY&FAITH
And now there are the
heartbreaking images of the
orphans wide-eyed 2-
year-olds and 5-year-olds
and 8-year-olds who have
lost their parents, their sib
lings and often every mem
ber of their extended family.
Parents should avoid
exposing their children to
the media coverage of the
tsunami disaster. Young
children, particularly those
under 6 years of age, could
easily be traumatized by the
images of death and destruc
tion. After the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
there were numerous
reports of children who
experienced symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder after repeatedly
viewing video footage of the
airliners crashing into the
World Trade Center and the
burning towers collapsing.
While adults have the
capacity to comprehend and
emotionally process the
music. All are welcome. For more
infomation, call (478) 923-3533.
Oak Level Fish Fry
KATHLEEN - Oak Level
Baptist Church, 439 Lake Joy
Road will hold a fish fry and bake
sale from 11 am. to 3 p.m. on
Saturday.
wesleyannes to sing
WARNER ROBINS - The
Wesleyannes, a select choral group
from Wesleyan College will be
singing at the 11 a.m. worship
service at Trinity United
beneficial decision.
Don’t talk business at
family gatherings. If you see
your ex at a family event, be
polite, but don’t try to talk
about “relationship busi
ness” issues. These discus
sions are best kept private
and between the two of you.
Don’t use the kids as
leverage. One of the most
damaging things people can
do is to put the kids between
themselves and the ex. This
makes everyone uncomfort
able and will make your
relationship with your chil
dren and current partner
more difficult.
Don’t flaunt your new
partner. If you have found
someone new (or when you
do), keep that person out of
the “business dealings” with
your ex. These kinds of tri
this day. . .
Direct my thoughts and
bless them.
Direct my work and bless
it.
Direct the things I say,
and give them blessings, too.
Direct and bless every
thing that I think and speak
and do
So that for this one day,
just this one day,
I have the gift of grace
that comes from Your pres
ence.
Oh God, for this day, just
this one day,
Let me live generously,
Kindly in a state of grace
and goodness
That denies my many
imperfections
and make me more like
You. - Amen (copied)
Arnold's Auto Sen ice
1202 Main St.
Perry, Ga. 31069
Complete Car Maintenance
Pick-up & Delivery “Road Service
Call Thomas Call Chris
987-9439
iaal
■ 13651
graphic images of the tsuna
mi tragedy, young children
lack this ability. For this rea
son it’s important to limit
your viewing of the disaster
coverage when your chil
dren are present. The fact
that your daughter is having
nightmares about tsunamis
isn’t surprising. After the 9-
11 attacks, I spoke to par
ents whose children told
them they were afraid that
airplanes were going to
crash into their house, or
that “bad men” would try to
kill their family.
Since your daughter has
been frightened by the
images that she’s seen, she
will need extra reassurance
that her world is safe and
secure. Young children look
to their parents for emotion
al “cues,” so you should try
to avoid expressing anxiety
about the disaster (or about
her nightmares). Encourage
her to talk about the fright
ening images that she saw,
CHURCH BRIEFS
angles can be painful for
both the old and the new
partners. It will make your
life more difficult if one or
the other sets up roadblocks
because he or she is feeling
insecure or angry.
Don’t put down your ex in
front of others. If you speak
in a derogatory fashion
about someone you once
loved, those close to you may
fear that you will talk about
them in the same manner.
Be friends (it’s OK). As
long as your behavior is
appropriate and you don’t
favor your ex over your chil
dren or current partner,
being friends with an ex can
be a good thing. It shows
your kids how mature adults
should behave and helps
both families deal with the
inevitable speed bumps that
The disciples asked of
Jesus, “Lord teach us to
pray.” The prayer He gave
is recorded in Luke 11:1-4.
The “Lord’s Prayer,” as it is
known to us, is recorded
<■
Jenny Jackson-Adams -Senior Pastor
Roland Fall -Associate Pastor • Josh Bizzell - Youth Minister
Krissy Pope -Pastor to Children & Director of Christian Education
1002 Carroll Street Childcare
478-987-1852 Provided
Methodist Church on Sunday, Jan.
30. Ruth Knox, President of
Wesleyan along with the Rev. Bill
Hurdle, college chaplain, will
share a word about the mission
and ministry of higher education
at Wesleyan. The church is located
at 129 S. Houston Road. Call the
church office at 923-3797 for addi
tional information.
Clergy Appreciation
WARNER ROBINS - The
Warner Robins Civitan Club will
host a Clergy Appreciation
Luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 1, in
the Ramada Inn on Watson
Boulevard The luncheon will begin
Perry United Methodist Church
but don’t pressure her.
Allow her to express her
feelings and answer any
questions she may have.
One of the most effective
ways to deal with feelings of
fear, anxiety or sadness is to
do something constructive
in response to those emo
tions. You might encourage
your older children to write
down their feelings about
the terrible loss of life in a
journal, while your 5-year
old could draw pictures of
the rescue efforts. Hold a
family meeting and brain
storm with your kids about
how your family might con
tribute to the relief work in
the affected countries.
By the way, Focus on the
Family is partnering with
World Harvest Indonesia
and organizations in India,
Sri Lanka and Malaysia to
deliver resources to those
directly affected by the
tsunami. Our initial goal is
to raise $1 million for disas
occur along life’s highway.
A little distance is also
good. Make sure you set
proper boundaries with your
ex and are open with your
new partner about how you
want to deal with your ex.
Having everyone on the
same page will prevent
destructive events from
occurring.
Letting uncomfortable
feelings about a past rela
tionship rule your life is
such a waste of energy.
Learn your lessons and
focus on the good that’s yet
to come.
Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.,
has resided and practiced in
Westlake Village, Calif., for a
decade. Contact him at
Barton@EmotionalFitness.
net
again in Matthew 6: 9-13.
The value of this written
prayer is determined by the
individual as it is presented
to, “Our Father, Who art in
heaven.”
~YcLct<yiA/ /Oebcotwe/(
I MORNING WORSHIP
9am & 11am
SUNDAY SCHOOL
10am
SUNDAY NIGHT WORSHIP
I 7pm
4
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2005 ♦
ter relief. We are currently
arranging to distribute
300,000 relief packets con
taining survival staples of
food, water, and medicine,
plus materials to address
the emotional needs of vic
tims, including excerpts of
Dr. Dobson’s book, “When
God Doesn’t Make Sense.”
You can learn more about
our efforts at our Web site,
www.family.org, or by calling
1-800-A-FAMILY.
• • •
Dr. Dobson is president of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, EO.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or
www.family.org.
Dr. Dobson is brought to
you by WCOP 99.9 FM. You
can hear Dr. Dobson
Monday - Saturday at 11:30
a.m., Bp.m., Sat. Bp.m.
W 99.9 FM
at 12:30 p.m. There will be a visit
from Uncle Sam. For more infor
mation and to register, call Pat
Spivey at (478) 328-8551.
Oldfield to celebrate
PERRY - Oldfield Baptist Church
will celebrate the second anniver
sary of the church’s pastor, Dr.
Stephen D. Summerow, on Sunday,
Feb. 15. The Rev. Lorenzo Davis of
Greater Friendship Missionary
Baptist Church in Macon will be the
guest speaker. The service will be at
2:30 p.m. For further information,
call Gwendolyn Woodward at (478)
987-2632.
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1812 IS. 41 N.l
Perry, GA
987-1112
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