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Page 4 • The News-Banner • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 Today in History By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, Sept. 17, the 260th day of 2011. There are 105 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Sept. 17, 1911, Calbraith P. Rodgers set off from Sheepshead Bay, N.Y., aboard a Wright biplane in an attempt to become the first flier to travel the width of the United States. (The 49-day journey required 69 stops before Rodgers Telephone Number 260-824-0224 Red-Meat Slam Dance A full complement of Republican presidential candidates gathered for the battle royale at the Ronald Reagan Library in Seamy (Simi) Valley, Calif. And though he was only there in spirit, the Great Communicator could easily have supplied the power for the entire proceedings had the networks harnessed him spinning in his grave like a rotisserie chicken in the middle of a power surge. The eight challengers for his mantle didn’t just break the Gipper’s 11th Commandment, “Thou shall not speak ill of other Republicans,” they stomped on it with football cleats and Submit your Letters to the Editor via: • Fax: (260) 824-0700 • E-Mail: email@news-banner.com • Mail: PO Box 436, Bluffton IN 46714 • Drop-off: 125 N. Johnson St., Bluffton All letters must be signed and must include a phone number or address in case verification is desired. Letters are edited for brevity and clarity. Letters must be no more than 500 words. Please mark your correspondence as a “Letter to the Editor,” or if you wish to express an opinion to us but do not want it published, please mark as “Not for Publication.” arrived in Pasadena, Calif., on Nov. 5.) On this date: In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. In 1908, Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S. Army Signal Corps became the first person to die in the crash of a powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, at Fort Myer, Va. THE NEWS-BANNER (USPS 059-200) Evening News est. 1892 • Evening Banner est. 1899 • Consolidated 1929 George B. Witwer, Chairman of the Board Mark F. Miller, President, Publisher and Editor Dianne Witwer, Secretary/Treasurer Periodicals Postage Paid at Bluffton, IN. Published every afternoon except Sundays and Holidays at 125 N. Johnson Street, Bluffton, IN. 46714, Post Office Box 436. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Single Copy Price, 50¢ YOU CAN SAVE UP TO 33% OFF SINGLE COPY PRICES WITH HOME DELIVERY: By Foot Carrier Delivery: One Year $119.00 Six Months $64.00 Three Months $32.75 By Motor Route Delivery: One Year $128.00 Six Months $69.50 Three Months $36.75 Fax Number 260-824-0700 By Mail (In State): One Year $175.00 Six Months $94.50 Three Months $49.50 By Mail: (Out of State): One Year $205.00 Six Months $109.50 Three Months $59.00 Mail subscriptions are not accepted where carrier service is maintained and must be paid in advance. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The News-Banner, P.O. Box 436, Bluffton, IN 46714 ATTENTION NEWS-BANNER SUBSCRIBERS HOME DELIVERY You should receive your News-Banner by 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. Saturdays. Your paper should always be dry and in good shape. Please call us before 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays if you have any delivery problems or questions. AUTOMATIC PAYMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE Have your subscription paid by automatic transfer from your checking account or automatic charge to your credit card. Ask about our Eazy-Pay Plan - you’ll enjoy the lowest subscription rates available. Call 260-824-0224 to sign up. Opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily represent the views of this newspaper. Will Durst TheRaging Moderate shoved it down a sewer grate with a broken rake handle. It was a red-meat, power-tie slam dance with operatic overtones. Anticipation ran higher than Charlie Sheen on New Year’s Eve that a hockey match would break out and the bloodthirsty audience was not going to be satisfied until lecterns dripped with copious spillage. Before Rick Perry could answer Brian Williams’ question about the execution of 234 inmates on his watch, they erupted into applause like an emeritus alumni crowd at Assassins State University during homecoming. Creeping the moderator out more than pinworms in the bottom of his footie pajamas. Eyes on the prize, Newt Gingrich cautioned panel mates to keep the attacks focused on Obama, while castigating the media for trapping them in this internecine warfare. The rest of the contingent affectionately dismissed his admonition the way a group of Oakland Raider tailgaters would an elderly aunt wandering into a discussion on blitz protection. Newt Gingrich -- the soul of reason. Something has gone horribly awry. We did learn that Michele Bachmann believes in $2-a-gallon gasoline and “a strong, bold leader... who will lead,” and that she spent the last three weekends going to restaurants and thinks drilling for oil in the Everglades is a good idea. So, apparently she’s planning an electoral strategy that disincludes Florida’s mighty 27. Rick Perry hates cancer and called Social Security “a Ponzi scheme,” not once, but three times, so Florida is obviously not on his front burner either. Arch-enemy to all things science, Perry supported his “climate change, what climate change” philosophy by comparing himself to Galileo. You can’t make stuff up like this. Ron Paul has been mauled by the TSA and is not happy about it or much of anything else. Second time through, it is virtually impossible for Willard Mitt Romney to be out-smugged by anybody, even an unctuous Texan. Herman Cain likes Chile. The country, not the food. And the major difference between Elvis Presley and Rick Santorum’s candidacy is... there is none, they’re both rock-salt, shaved-dust, dead. Jon Huntsman may be running for the wrong party’s nomination. Trying to steer the group from the edge of various abysses, he and Newt shared the big-boy babysitter role, while Bachmann lost more momentum than a dark matter anvil hitting a freeway sound wall. Big winner... Sarah Palin. For being prescient enough to not to have made up her mind yet. But there’s plenty of time. This was just the premier stop for the traveling abattoir. There are dozens of chances for continued bloodletting until either Perry or Romney drops from the death of 1000 cuts, or they take each other out in a murder-suicide pact. While Team Obama roots for Perry from the sidelines the same way Jimmy Carter cheered on Bonzo’s sidekick back in ‘80. Be careful what you wish for. Emmy-nominated comedian and writer Will Durst recently published a book, “The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing.” durst@caglecartoons.com. All in the (federal) family In societies governed by persuasion, politics is mostly talk, so liberals’ impoverishment of their vocabulary matters. Having damaged liberalism’s reputation, they call themselves progressives. Having made the federal government’s pretensions absurd, they have resurrected the supposed synonym “federal family.” Having made federal spending suspect, they advocate “investments” -- for “job creation,” a euphemism for stimulus, another word they have made toxic. Barack Obama, a pitilessly rhetorical president, continues to grab the nation by its lapels, demanding its attention, and is paying the price: The nation is no longer listening. This matters because ominous portents are multiplying. Bank of America, which reported an $8.8 billion loss last quarter, plans 30,000 layoffs out of a workforce of nearly 300,000. The Postal Service hopes to shed 120,000 of its 653,000 jobs (down from almost 900,000 a decade ago). Such churning of the labor market would free people for new, more productive jobs -- except that to reduce unemployment, the economy needs an approximately 3 percent growth rate, triple today’s rate. Consumers of modest means are so strapped that Wal-Mart is reviving layaway purchases for the Christmas season. The Wall Street Journal reports that Procter & Gamble, which claims to have at least one product in 98 percent of American households, expects hard times for a long time: It is putting new emphasis on lower-priced products for low-income shoppers. Just as Obama administration policies have delayed the housing market reaching a salutary bottom, Europe’s policies designed to delay Greece’s default on its debt are probably making that inevitability worse. If the contagion reaches Italy or Spain (“Too big to fail and too big to bail”), we shall learn how hollow Europe’s banks are, and how much U.S. banks are entangled with them. During the debt-ceiling debate, The New York Times, liberalism’s bulletin board, was aghast that Republicans risked causing the nation to default on its debt. Now two Times columnists endorse slowmotion default through inflation: The Federal Reserve should have “the deliberate goal of generating higher inflation to help alleviate debt problems” (Paul Krugman) and “sometimes we need inflation, and now is such a time” (Floyd Norris). Ken Rogoff, a Harvard economist, suggests “trying to achieve some modest deleveraging through moderate inflation of, say, 4 to 6 percent for several OPINION years.” This is an antiseptic way of saying we should reduce the weight of our indebtedness by reducing the value of the dollars in which it is denominated. But does the nation need more uncertainty? And note Rogoff’s serene confidence in government’s ability to control such things -- inflation will be fine-tuned within a narrow band, switched on for just a few years, then off, like a government-approved light bulb. George It is a wonder, this faith-based (and often campus-based) conviction that the govern- Will ment that brought us the ethanol program can be trusted to precisely execute wise policies that will render the world predictable and progressive. For two years, there has been one constant: As events have refuted the Obama administration’s certitudes, it has retained its insufferable knowingness. It knew that the stimulus would hold unemployment below 8 percent. Oops. Unemployment has been at least 9 percent in 26 of the 30 months since the stimulus was passed. Michael Boskin of Stanford says that even if one charitably accepts the administration’s self-serving estimate of jobs “created or saved” by the stimulus, each job cost $280,000 -- five times America’s median pay. And research by Garett Jones and Daniel M. Rothschild of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center indicates that just 42.1 percent of workers hired by entities receiving stimulus funds were unemployed at the time. More (47.3 percent) were poached from other organizations, and 10.6 percent came directly from school or outside the labor force. Obama’s administration, which is largely innocent of business experience, knew its experts would be wizards at investing taxpayers’ dollars. Oops. After more than half a billion stimulus dollars in loan guarantees, bankrupt Solyndra has shed nearly all of its more than 1,100 workers. The economic policy the “federal family” should adopt can be expressed in five one-syllable words: Get. Out. Of. The. Way. Instead, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, whose department has become a venture capital firm for crony capitalism and costly flops at creating “green jobs,” praises the policy of essentially banishing the incandescent light bulb as “taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money.” Better to let the experts in his department and the rest of the federal family waste other people’s money. georgewill@washpost.com Racial preferences in Wisconsin The campus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison erupted this week after the release of two studies documenting the heavy use of race in deciding which students to admit to the undergraduate and law schools. The evidence of discrimination is undeniable, and the reaction by critics was undeniably dishonest and thuggish. The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO), which I founded in 1995 to expose and challenge misguided race-based public policies, conducted the studies based on an analysis of the university’s own admissions data. But the university was none too keen on releasing the data, which CEO obtained through filing Freedom of Information Act requests only after a successful legal challenge went all the way to the state supreme court. It’s no wonder the university wanted to keep the information secret. The studies show that a black or Hispanic undergraduate applicant was more than 500 times likelier to be admitted to Wisconsin-Madison than a similarly qualified white or Asian applicant. The odds ratio favoring black law school applicants over similarly qualified white applicants was 61 to 1. The median SAT scores of black undergraduates who were admitted were 150 points lower than whites or Asians, while the median Hispanic scores were roughly 100 points lower. And median high school rankings for both blacks and Hispanics were also lower than for either whites or Asians. CEO has published studies of racial double standards in admissions at scores of public colleges and universities across the country with similar findings, but none has caused such a violent reaction. Instead of addressing the findings of the study, the university’s vice provost for diversity, Damon A. Williams, dishonestly told students that “CEO has one mission and one mission only: dismantle the gains that were achieved by the civil rights movement.” In fact, CEO’s only mission is to promote color-blind equal opportunity so that, in Martin Luther King’s vision, no one will be judged by the color of his or her skin. Egged on by inflammatory comments by university officials, student groups organized a flashmob via a Facebook page that was filled with propaganda and outright lies about CEO wanting to dismantle their student groups. More than a hundred angry students stormed the press conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Madison, where CEO president Roger Clegg was releasing the study. The hotel management described what took place in a press statement afterward: “Unfortunately, when escorting meeting attendees out of the hotel through a private entrance, staff were then rushed by a mob of protestors, throwing employees to the ground. The mob became increasingly physically violent when forcing themselves into the meeting room where the press conference had already ended, filling it over fire-code capacity. Madison police arrived on the scene after the protestors had stormed the hotel.” But the outrageous behavior didn’t end there -- and it wasn’t just students but also faculty who engaged in disgraceful conduct. Later the same day of the press conference, Clegg debat- Linda Chavez ed UW law professor Larry Church on campus. The crowd booed, hissed, and shouted insults, continuously interrupting Clegg during the debate. Having used Facebook to organize the flashmob, students and some faculty extended their use of social media and tweeted the debate live. Even with Twitter’s 140-character limit, you’d think participants would be able to come up with something more substantive than the repeated use of the label “racist” to describe Clegg and his arguments against racial double standards, but hundreds of tweets exhibited little more than hysterical rants and personal attacks. Perhaps the most offensive tweet was posted by Sara Goldrick-Rab, an associate professor of educational policy studies and sociology. After announcing that she was “Getting set to live blog this debate between a racist and a scholar,” she tweeted that Clegg sounded “like the whitest white boy I’ve ever heard.” The only racism in evidence came from the defenders of the university’s race-based admissions policies, such as Professor Goldrick-Rab. You’d think that a responsible university would denounce the intimidation and lack of civility by its students and faculty. Instead, Vice Provost Williams told the student newspaper, “I’m most excited about how well the students represented themselves, the passion with which they engaged, the respectful tone in how they did it and the thoughtfulness of their questions and interactions.” It appears that not only are the university’s admissions policies deeply discriminatory, but also that university officials applaud namecalling, distortion and outright physical assault. © 2011 CREATORS.COM
CITY CHURCH PAGE ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER 1409 S. Main St. Scott & Michelle Ochsner, pastors Children’s Ministry (ages newborn-5th grade) 10 a.m. - Worship. BLUFFTON CHURCH OF GOD 327 W. Cherry St. Donald R. Marlowe Sr., pastor Jeff & Christina Reichard, youth dir. 10 a.m. - Sunday School. 11 a.m. - Worship. 6 p.m. - Service. Monday: 6 p.m. - Youth. Wednesday: p.m. - Family Training Hour. BLUFFTON WESLEYAN CHAPEL (Independent Holiness Church) 410 W. Cherry St. Rev. Chad B. Clark, pastor Rev. Tim Cole, minister of music/worship leader www.blufftonwesleyan.net pastorchad@blufftonwesleyan.net Staffed nursery available Handicap accessible from south entrance 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:30 - Worship. 6:30 p.m. - Worship. Wednesday: 7 p.m. - Adult Bible study & Prayer mtg.; Different Direction children/preteen ministry; Kid’s Club. CALVARY LUTHERAN 1532 N. Main St. Jerry O’Neal, pastor calvary@adamswells.com calvarylutheranbluffton.org Handicap accessible 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 10 a.m. - Worship w/Communion. 12-3 p.m. - Catechism cookout. 5 p.m. - Nation youth gathering 2012 mtg. 7 p.m. - Romans Bible study. Tuesday: Brats booth at Bluffton Street Fair (through Saturday). Wednesday: 10 a.m. - Altar Guild. COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 1309 W. Washington St. Wayne Ball, pastor 9-9:45 a.m. - Sunday School. 10 a.m. - Worship. Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. - Bible Study. COVENANT CHAPEL 3550 S. SR 1 (Former Poplar Grove School) Arley Higginbotham, pastor www.covenantchapel.us Nursery available for all services Transportation Available 8-9 a.m. - Worship. 9:15 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:15 - Worship. (Children’s Church for ages 6-12). Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. - Adult Bible Study; For the Youth: Rush Hour, Traffic Jam & Kids Jam! KING’S HIGHWAY TABERNACLE 1224 W. Central Ave. 10 a.m. - Sunday School. Wednesday: 7 p.m. - Bible Study; Children’s Church. THE BOWLING CENTER, INC. 1231 S. Scott Bluffton, IN 46714 824-9966 126 W. Townley Bluffton • 824-3330 Bluffton • 824-0300 Delivery Available • Fax: 824-1300 127 East Forest Dr., Bluffton, IN 824-1588 960 N. Main Bluffton • 824-4404 Bluffton • 260-824-3982 Ossian • 260-622-1000 3220 E. State Road 124 Bluffton, IN (260)824-3852 Funeral Directors: David L. Goodwin, Douglas L. Cale, Mitch Harnish 260-565-3131 A Division of Craigville Telephone Company, Inc. CHRISTIAN NEW LIGHT 1011 W. Washington St. Rev. Timothy McKnight Sr, pastor www.christiannewlightchurch.com 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:30 - Worship. 6 p.m. - Service. Wednesday: 6 p.m. - Adult Bible Study in fellowship hall; 6-7 p.m. - Youth mtg. in annex. EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST 1204 W. Cherry St. Rev. Dick Frederick, pastor Handicap accessible (Lift chair at northeast door on Walmer St.) 9:30 a.m. - Worship, Children’s Church, “Words of Life.” 10:40 - Sunday School. 11:45 - Nominations Committee mtg. Wednesday: 7 p.m. - A.A. mtg. Saturday: 9 a.m. - A.A. mtg. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 215 E. Dustman Rd. Rev. Robert E. Madsen 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:30 - Worship, “So the Last Will be First & the First Will be Last.” 11:30 - Third-5th grade lunch & bike ride. Monday: 9 a.m. & 12:30 - Pre-School (through Friday); 7 p.m. - Worship Committee. The recurrent theme of Proverbs is that the wise person is he or she who is open to receive instruction. A certain amount of wisdom is necessary to receive more wisdom. “In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the minds of fools.” So, there are rewards for wisdom and dire consequences for foolishness. While there are usually rewards for wise decisions, the New Testament teaches us that, nevertheless, the good and wise man may end up on a cross. So, we seek wisdom and righteousness, not for guaranteed rewards, but to remain faithful to God and his will. Still, that doesn’t mean we should be ignorant of the usual penalties for willful ignorance and the usual benefits of being open to wise instruction. Humble wisdom generally makes life better: “Folly is a joy to him who has no sense, but a man of understanding walks aright… The wise man’s path leads upward to life, that he may avoid Sheol beneath” (15:21-24). THE SOFT ANSWER For the sages, the key components of wisdom are kindliness of speech, courtesy in reply, the wisdom of silence, and caution in speaking. These may appear rather passive until we realize how these could enrich our lives as individuals, families and communities. Think how much more effective our government, local, state and national, would be if these guidelines molded our political discourse! Instead, we as a people who profess to be “one nation under God” have come, not only to accept, but desire and expect that our politics will be conducted without kindliness, courtesy, caution and truthfulness. The sage tells us: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly… A gentle tongue is a tree of life. But perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (15:1, 2, 4). Why then do we accept and expect that political discourse will be “down and dirty”?. Is harsh speech generally more constructive than that which is gentle? Does Jesus teach us to “Love your neighbor, except in politics!”? The trouble with harshness and distortion and sometimes FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 1515 Clark Ave. Rev. Tim Miller, sr. pastor Rev. Tim Sheets, discipleship & sr. adult pastor Rev. Martin Hodge, youth & outreach pastor www.blufftonnazarene.org (For transportation, 824-0460) 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 9-10 a.m. - Free ESL classes. 10:15 - Worship. 4:45 - Children’s quiz practice. 5 p.m. - Choir practice. 6 p.m. - Service. Monday: 7 p.m. - Men’s open basketball in gym. Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. - Youth; 7 p.m. - Family Ministries (Adult Bible study, sanctuary; Dare to Care, Room #19; Have a New Kid by Friday, Room #45; Caravan; Nursery, Lisa Eubank). GRACE BAPTIST 1621 S. 350 E., Stogdill Rd. Ext. Douglas McClure, pastor www.gbcbluffton.com 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 10 a.m. - Worship, Frank Bosler, missionary to Korea. 6 p.m. - Worship. Wednesday: 7 p.m. - The Wednesday Connection... Adult Bible study & prayer mtg. & GRACE Kids Connection! Do you despise yourself? September 18, 2011 Background Scripture: Proverbs 10:1-15:33 Devotional Reading: Proverbs 1-7 downright lying is not only that it is in violation of the way in which Jesus taught us to live, including those with whom we disagree, but that it is generally the most ineffective and disappointing tactic in the long run. The recent debacle of the two parties in Congress is illustrative. Politicians often, perhaps usually, play to our basest instincts and prejudices. The rarely overrate the integrity and intelligence of their constituents. Their appeal is usually, not to our clear thinking, but to our most base feelings. WHAT WE DESERVE? So, why do they do it? Apart from their own ethical deficiencies, they are very much aware of ours. They know what we want to hear. If you are sick and tired of the politicians, first ask yourself if we are not getting pretty much what we deserve. “The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (15:29). (See also Proverbs 8:12; 11:02; 16:18; 19; 21:04, 21.24; 29:23). The corrosive effect of human pride is one of the most prominent themes throughout the Bible. C.S. Lewis says that “it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” Proverbs do not teach pride, they teach humility. St. Augustine said: “Should you ask me: what is the first thing in religion? I should reply: the first, second and third thing therein is humility.” It is not that most of us are against humility, in fact, it is the first thing we look for — in others! We may yearn to be pious but virtually no one yearns to be humble. And there is a significant difference between being humbled and being humble. St. Bernard of Clairvaux said that “It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.” That, too, is wisdom. The sage tells us: “He who ignores instruction despises himself, but he who heeds admonition gains understanding” (15:32), Why? Because we may not be all that intelligent and may lack education, but the wisdom that exceeds both is something within our grasp. To choose ignorance over wisdom for ourselves is an act of self-hatred. 126 W. Townley Bluffton • 824-3330 FIRST REFORMED CHURCH OF BLUFFTON 301 W. Cherry St. Dr. Bryson Eugene Bell, sr. pastor Vicki Bell, director of Christian education John-Thomas Roseberry, youth pastor firstref@adamswells.com (Handicapped entrance available) 9:15 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:30 - Worship, “Instructions” by Mayor Ted Ellis. Monday: 6:30 p.m. - Christian Education. Sunday (Sept. 25): John- Thomas Roseberry speaks. FIRST UNITED METHODIST 325 W. Washington St. Greg Rittenhouse, sr. pastor Max Stuckey, music firstumc@adamswells.com www.blufftonfirstumc.org (Transportation & tapes available) 9:30 a.m. - Worship & Children’s Jr. Church, “Purpose First! What Posture Shall We Take?” 10:30 - Sip & Chat. 10:35 - Sunday School. 2 p.m. - Get-Acquainted gathering at Thompson’s. Tuesday: 11 a.m. - Paper crafters. Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. - Staff mtg. Thursday: 6 p.m. - Choral groups here. PARK UNITED BRETHREN 617 S. Bennett St. John Cole, lead pastor A 4G kind of church parkub.blogspot.com 9:30 a.m. - Worship, “National Back to Church Sunday.” 10:40 - Connection time. No weeknight activities this week, street fair. Just Thinking ... PRECIOUS MEMORIES I slowly, almost solemnly, walked into the room; its charcoal-black walls stood shocked and defeated; the smell of smoke oozed and snaked throughout the room, and the charred corpses of plastic and paper pitifully covered the floor. Regardless, though, I found the chicken, still joyfully playing his accordion. I found the birthday card, featuring the fowl merrily performing his polka ditty, while exploring my parent’s back porch, where, about 12 hours earlier, a small fire had ignited. Despite the gloom sneaking around me, though, that card, with its slightly smudged chicken, reminded me of a fire-free February evening when my brother and my two nieces hunted for a birthday present for my mom. They Back in reality, I opened and closed the card several times; in my memories, my nieces opened and closed the novelty in untainted, littlegirl delight, thrilled that they had found the perfect gift. I still thank God that I picked up that card, but I’m also thankful that I could put it down — before it dragged me down. Memories, when carved into monuments, let us celebrate the bigger gifts of God that defy tragedies. They give us visual landmarks so that we don’t forget God’s truth. However, when we weld them into anchors, we risk shackling our souls to longpast slivers of stability, like a boat at a dock, constantly looking back with a sigh, wishing that we could return. The memories folded into that card reminded me that no fire could ever destroy God’s eternal blessings, but the memories wouldn’t replace the melted furnace or whimpering walls. A tattered photo album might remind the widow that her husband still lives in Heaven, but the people in those pictures can’t live for her in this world SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 • The News-Banner • Page 5 by Chet Baumgartner HOPE MISSIONARY 429 E. Dustman Rd. Rev. Gary Aupperle, sr. pastor Rev. Matt Hartsell, associate Pastor Rob Witzig, youth Pastor Tim O’Sullivan, worship arts www.hope4thefamily.com www.hope-youth.org 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 9 a.m., 10:30 & 10:31 - Worship. Noon - Belize trip interest mtg, fellowship hall; Cantata interest mtg. 2:30 - Youth Worship Team practice, youth area. 6 p.m. - Intercessory prayer mtg., PowerHouse. Monday: 7 p.m. - Reducing the Risk Training, PowerHouse. Tuesday: FCW Walking Taco trailer at Street Fair (through Saturday). Wednesday: 7 p.m. - Hope youth scavenger hunt, Street Fair. Thursday: 7 p.m. - Worship Team practice. Saturday: 9 a.m.-noon - Upward soccer games. LIFE COMMUNITY 428 S. Oak St. (Life Center - Allen auditorium) Kent Ringger, pastor/operations Joy Cash, worship arts director Chad Ringger, pastor/speaking www.missionoflife.com life@missionoflife.com 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. - Services, nursery available; Kid Life; Wild Life. 7 p.m. - High Life. THE FOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH 2330E 250N, Bluffton (Timber Ridge Golf Course) Tim Atkins, pastor 10 a.m. - Worship w/ nursery provided; Z Street Children’s Ministries. 6 p.m. - Fountain Youth (FYI). The Apostle Peter, who I believe stayed anchored to Israel’s glory days of kings and kingdoms, couldn’t comprehend the cross at first, so he attacked the men taking Jesus there. Later, though, when he wrote to those struggling under Roman persecution, he didn’t remind them of Israel’s former sovereignty. He instead told them to use the law of love to transform the new world. When the Babylonians first conquered Israel, God commanded them through the prophet Jeremiah to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage.” God didn’t command them to forget His laws, but He didn’t want them to stop living because of where or when they lived, even though they could no longer visit the temple. Today, many politically and fiscally conservative Christians might feel like they live in exile in America when they compare today’s economy, job climate, social issues and political missiles to the undisclosed simpler times, which, honestly, probably never existed outside Andy Griffith’s front porch. Understandably, they long to return to Jerusalem (or, perhaps, Mayberry), but God’s command to the Israelites apply to them as well: Don’t just weather this reality by clinging to the “good old days.” Champion the timeless truths behind those temporal moments and that defy time. Conquer this new reality to show people that God reigns regardless of the circumstances of the day. Those who anchor into memories — no matter how pure — risk ultimately idolizing those circumstances that molded them, possibly leading to bitterness, as they subtly curse the present. They only see the scorched walls and the lost opportunities. They only see the chicken, and not the heart that purchased it. chetb@news-banner.com CHURCH OF CHRIST 735 S. Marion St. Jim Dougal, minister 9:30 a.m. - Bible Study. 10:30 - Worship. FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST 210 W. Townley Lenny Stringer, pastor info@fbc-bluffton.com 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:30 - Worship. FIRST BAPTIST 202 W. Cherry St. Bud Abrams, pastor Brandon Evans, youth pastor firstbaptist@adamswells.com (Handicap accessible) 9 a.m. - Sunday School. 10:15 - Kidz Time & L.O.L. 10:15 - Worship, “Great Faith.” Monday: 6:30 p.m. - WWBS. FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST 909 W. Spring St. Larry Sprinkle, sr. pastor Dennis Wood, Worship/Outreach Minister Kevin Mechling, student ministry director Diane Cornett, Children’s Director 8:30 a.m. - “Blended” Worship. 9:50 - “h2O” family service. 11 a.m. - “Elevate” Worship; “Energized Hour” for children. SONLIGHT WESLEYAN 2350S. SR 1 Rev. Lyle A Breeding, senior pastor Jeremiah Wondercheck, youth pastor Andrew Bush, children’s pastor www.sonlightwesleyan.com (For transportation, 824-0068) 9 & 10:30 - Sunday School & Worship. Wednesday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. - Jr. & Sr. high Powerhouse; 7 p.m. - Prayer group. ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC 1300 N. Main St. Fr. Francis C. Chukwuma, pastor stjosephchurch@adamswells.com Saturday: 7:45 a.m. - Prayer. 8 a.m. - Mass. 8:30 - Rosary. 4 p.m. or by appointment - Confessions. 5 p.m. - Mass. Sunday: 7:30 & 10 a.m. - Mass. Monday: 7:45 a.m. - Prayer; 8 a.m. - Mass; 8:30 - Rosary. Tuesday: 7:45 a.m. - Prayer; 8 a.m. - Mass; 8:30 - Rosary; Confessions (or by appointment). Wednesday: 5-7 p.m. Adoration w/Benediction (second of each month); 6:30 p.m. - Rosary; 6:45 - Prayer; 7 p.m. - Mass. Thursday-Friday: 7:45 a.m. - Prayer; 8 a.m. - Mass; 8:30 - Rosary. REIMSCHISEL FORD, INC. 970 N. Main, Bluffton 824-2300 DECK’S SUPER SERVICE 126 N. Main St. Bluffton • 824-2324 Since 1934 Specializing in Your Automotive Needs 1150 N. Main, Bluffton, IN 46714 824-5344 (260)375-2135 1-800-895-7035 222 N. Wayne Street - Warren, IN Your Pharmacist, Terry Daniels P.D. Has Over 30 Years of Pharmaceutical Experience Mon.-Fri 9-5:30; Sat. 9-12 noon 260-565-3131 A Division of Craigville Telephone Company, Inc. 632 N. Main Bluffton 824-5701 2190-3 Commerce Dr. (Next to Zestos) 824-4451 • (800)842-4496 Dependable Auction and Real Estate Service Since 1925 Bluffton, Indiana Ft. Wayne, Indiana 260-824-2426 260-747-3189 REIMSCHISEL FORD, INC. 970 N. Main, Bluffton 824-2300
Page 1 and 2: USA Weekend The Inside Local/Area O
Page 3: LOCAL/AREA Obituaries James D. Reyn
Page 7 and 8: SPORTS By RICK GANO AP Sports Write
Page 9 and 10: DIVERSIONS A mom and her two sons D
Page 11 and 12: Miscellaneous INVACARE PATRIOT LIGH

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