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Billy Powell
Columnist
Looking for granddaddy
My dad never saw me play
a basketball game. He had a
heart condition and felt
uneasy in big crowds. He
did see Dwayne play on TV
when he was a star at the
University Of Georgia. My
grandparents often walked
from 800 Ball St. to the old
gym to see local games. In
1953, the Perry team won
the district championship
and was headed to the state
tournament. My grandfa
ther didn’t own a car, but a
friend offered him a ride to
the tournament games in
Macon.
Perry advanced in tourna
ment competition and faced
Clarkston for the state title.
Clarkston, a tremendously
tall and talented team, was
favored to win. As the Perry
team took the floor for pre
game warm-ups, I scanned
the crowd to locate my
granddaddy. Macon’s City
Auditorium was so packed I
couldn’t find him. Fearing
that he had been unable to
catch a ride, I became heart
sick. Granddaddy was my
source of strength. I desper
ately needed to feel his pres
ence at that critical point in
my life. I immediately asked
the cheerleaders and team
manager, Horace (Chance)
Evans, to search for
Granddaddy. Chance
returned in a few minutes
and pointed to the stands.
“Billy, .there is your
Granddaddy! He’s sitting on
the top row.” With a burden
lifted off my heart, I was
ready to play.
With only 1:45 remaining
in the game, a six-point
Perry lead had been reduced
to two points by a brilliant
defensive tactic employed
by Clarkston. Sprung sud
denly, it produced two quick
turnovers. The score stood
59-57. A capacity throng of
3,500 frenzied fans were
screaming and yelling. The
noise was deafening; the
pandemonium disconcert
ing. Macon’s City
Auditorium seemed to reel
and sway on its girders
Bringing the ball up the
court against a full-court
press, I felt a lump forming
in my throat. One mistake
on my part handling the
ball could signal defeat and
sound the death knell to a
lifelong dream of playing on
a state championship team.
I glanced toward the Perry
bench. Coach Staples sig
naled for a time out. As the
team huddled on the side
line, Coach Staples revised
our offensive attack and
emphasized controlling that
ball and the clock. As we
walked back on the court, I
quickly glanced toward the
stands. There stood grand
daddy, smiling and cheer
ing. A surge of confidence
swept over me. Coach
Staples’ strategy paid off as
it had hundreds of times in
years past. Our team scored
four points in the remaining
seconds, holding Clarkston
scoreless, and winning by a
six point margin, 63-57.
Granddaddy’s presence at
that game meant more than
words can express.
My Granddaddy was a
confidant in whom I could
carry any concern or prob
lem. After talking with him,
I always came away feeling
better. A big void was creat
ed in my life when he went
to be with the Lord. Were
granddaddy here today, I
would tell him I loved him
See POWELL, page 14A
FRIDAY,
AUGUST 26, 2005
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IIIU Hay Lightner
The deconstruction of the former Central Baptist Church is almost complete, with only I-beams holding up the
roof and steeple. Houston Medical Center owns the property and has plans for the site, which is otherwise sur
rounded by hospital buildings and parking. The church itself has moved to a new building off the Russell
Parkway extension.
Preparation makes for smooth move to new state
QUESTION: We’re
moving to another state
in a few months. I know
it’s going to be tough
for our two children,
who have so many
friends at school. How
can I get them ready for
life in a new city?
DR. DOBSON: Going to
a new school or moving to a
new town can be an
unpleasant experience for
children, but there are
some ways to make it easi
er for them.
Preparation and fore
thought are the keys.
Educator Cheri Fuller rec
ommends that those who
are about to relocate call a
family meeting to talk
about what’s going to hap
pen. Begin to lay plans
together. It’s sad to say
goodbye to good friends
and it’s hard to make new
ones. Try establishing pen
pals for your children in
the new school long before
the move is to occur.
Relationships can blossom
through the mail so that
the kids are not entirely
unknown in the new loca
tion.
It’s also helpful to create
curiosity about the new
city or neighborhood
you’re moving to. Write to
the state tourist bureau or
to the chamber of com
merce and ask for
brochures and maps. When
your children begin to
understand the adventure
of moving, they may devel
op a more positive attitude
toward leaving. A bit of
Earline Cole
Reflections
marybob 17@belbouth.net
Family Faith
Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family
www.family.org
preparation and a healthy
dose of communication can
help clear the way for a
smoother journey to a new
home.
• • •
QUESTION: When my
wife left me for another
man, I felt like the
whole thing was my
fault. I still feel that
way. I had never even
looked at another
woman, yet here I am
taking the blame for
her affair. Rationally, I
know I’m being very
unfair to myself, but I
can’t help it. Or can I?
DR. DOBSON: It is the
typical reaction of a reject
ed spouse, like yourself, to
take full responsibility for
the behavior of an unfaith
ful spouse. The wounded
partner - the person who
was clearly the victim - is
the one who suffers the
greatest pangs of guilt and
feelings of inferiority.
How strange that the
Writing in the sand
One of the most vivid
incidents in the Bible per
taining to moral standards
is that of the adulteress.
She was brought to Jesus
by accusers who stated her
crime which as being pun
ishable by stoning, accord
ing to the Law of Moses.
In an attempt to trick
Jesus into saying some
thing that could be used
against Him, they ques
tioned Him as to what
action should be taken.
Without saying a word
Jesus stooped down and
wrote in the sand while the
Almost gone
one who tried to hold
things together in the face
of rejection often finds
himself wondering: “How
did I fail her? I just wasn’t
man enough to hold my
woman. I am ‘nothing’ or
she wouldn’t have left. If
only I had been more excit
ing as a sexual partner. I
drove her to it. I wasn’t
handsome enough. I didn’t
deserve her in the first
place.”
The blame for marital
disintegration is seldom
the fault of the husband or
wife alone. It takes two to
tango, as they say, and
there is always some meas
ure of shared blame for a
divorce. However, when
one marriage partner - in
this case, a wife - makes up
her mind to behave irre
sponsibly, to become
involved extramaritally, or
to run from her family
commitments and obliga
tions, she usually seeks to
justify her behavior by
magnifying the failures of
her spouse. “You didn’t
meet my needs, so I had to
satisfy them somewhere
else,” is the familiar accu
sation. By increasing the
guilt of her partner in this
way, she reduces her own
culpability. For a husband
or wife with low self
esteem, these charges and
recriminations are accept
ed and internalized as
indisputable facts.
You must resist the
temptation to take all the
blame. I’m not recom
mending that you sit
questions continued.
Upon arising from the
stooped position, Jesus
replied, “He that is with
out sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her.
Stooping once again He
went back to writing in the
sand.
When Jesus stood up the
next time only the woman
was left. Those who con
. fronted Jesus with her
wrongdoing had left the
scene. Casting of stones
calls for perfection. The
perfect one wrote in the
around hating the memory
of your wife. Bitterness
and resentment are emo
tional cancers that rot us
from within. However, I
would encourage you to
examine the facts carefully.
Ask yourself these ques
tions: “Despite my many
mistakes and failures in
my marriage, did I value
my family and try to pre
serve it? Did my wife
decide to destroy it and
then seek justification for
her actions? Was I given a
fair chance to resolve the
areas of greatest irritation?
Could I have held her even
if I had made all the
changes she wanted? Is it
reasonable that I should
hate myself for this thing
that has happened?”
If you examine objective
ly what has occurred, you
might begin to see yourself
as a victim of your wife’s
irresponsibility rather
than a worthless failure at
the game of love.
• • •
Dr. Dobson is founder
and chairman of the board
of the nonprofit organiza
tion Focus on the Family,
EO. Box 444, Colorado
Springs, CO 80903; or
www.family.org.
Dr. Dobson is brought to
you by WQSA 99.9 FM. You
can hear Dr. Dobson week
days at 10 p.m., Sat. 9-10
p.m.
99.9
sand. He then sent the
woman on her way with
these words: “Neither do I
condemn thee: go, and sin
no more.”
The situation has not
changed. Every day oppor
tunities arise for someone
to cast the first stone. But,
if Jesus in confronted, He
will simply write in the
sand while the accusers
search their own con
sciences. Then He will lov
ingly say to the accused,
“Neither do I condemn
thee: go and sin no more.”
7A
FAMIL Y&FAITH
BRIEFS
Homecoming,
revival at WR CME
Warner Robins CME
Church, 200 Othal H. Lakey
Circle, Warner Robins, will
observe Homecoming,
Sunday, Aug. 28 at 10:45
AM. The Rev. Carlton
Mahone, pastor of Holsey
Chapel CME Church,
Fitzgerald, will be the
speaker. Dinner will be
served.
The church’s annual fall
revival will start Wednesday
and continue through
Friday at 7 p.m. nightly.
The Rev. Dr. Henry R.
Delaney, pastor of St. Paul
CME Church, Savannah,
will be the revivalist. The
public is invited.
Primetime at Perry UMC
The September
Primetime luncheon meet
ing at Perry United
Methodist Church will be
held at noon Thursday. The
speaker will be Youth Pastor
Josh Bizzell. Lunch is $5.
Reservations should be
made by calling the church
office, (478) 987-1852 by
Tuesday.
Cleghorns giving concert
The Cleghorns of
Kathleen will celebrate
their fourth anniversary
with a southern gospel con
cert at 7 p.m. on Saturday,
Sept. 10, at Second Baptist
Church, 2504 Moody Road,
Warner Robins. Appearing
with the Cleghorns will be
New Grace from Roberta.
There is no admission
charge.
01' South singing
The annual 01’ South
Georgia - Wesley Chapel All
Day Singing Convention
will be held Saturday, Sept.
17. Class singing from vari
ous new southern gospel
songbooks will be held, with
special groups and soloists
featured. The event will
begin at 10 a.m. and last
until 3 p.m. A covered dish
luncheon will be served at
noon. Wesley Chapel is
located on Fire Road 665-R,
1/2 mile off Ga. 27 near the
Pulaski-Dooly County Line
between Hawkinsville and
Vienna.
Cabaret at
Centerville UMC
The Centerville United
Methodist Women will host
a benefit cabaret at 6 p.m.
Oct. 1, in the church fellow
ship hall. There will be a
buffet dinner and live enter
tainment with Donna
Johnson. The cost is sls per
person. Proceeds benefit
missions including
Centerville First UMC chil
dren and youth, Cherished
Children, Genesis, Vashti,
Open Doors Community
House and Wesley
Community Center. For
tickets or more information,
call Carrie Dominy at (478)
953-4048.
TjK 1 THE BANK
IP OF PERRY
Please worship at the
church of your choice
1006 Main St • Perry
987-2552
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happenings
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