Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 28, 2005 Page: 2 of 20
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OPINION
Citizens’ Aboucate • January 28, 2005
PAGE 2
Another View
by Jean Murph
Opinion
Remember Your Yesterday and Help Today’s
Girls Discover Their World of Tomorrow
The Trembling Earth and God
December's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami, followed
by two recent 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in the same region and a quake
on an unrelated fault line, have caused me to think a lot about God lately.
Especially after reading that the 9.0 quake actually shifted the earth's angle
on it axis, which could have yet unknown repercussions. A geologist
termed the earth "a risky place to live" and certain to experience more
changes.
Believing that these events sounded familiar, I searched for Bible
passages that described the "earth trembling," "the mountains melting" and
"smoking," the "seas roaring," the "great wave," and the "divided sea."
These passages refer to the wrath of God. God might have a lot to be angry
about with us today, when, of our own free will, we hate and kill our
fellowmen and mismanage earth's resources.
But we fear an angry God and seek to explain earth's events in other
ways, under the theory that the "current" God does not have wrath and
make bad things happen. We want God to be on our side and to our liking,
a God who "preserves all who love Him," is "just in all His ways, and kind
in all His doings," and who "will preserve you from all evil."
Yet thousands of innocent people died as a result of the tsunami- many
of whom probably loved God. A survivor thanked God for answering his
prayer and saving his life, yet thousands undoubtedly prayed the same
prayer and lost their lives. Today, one man prays to God to protect him
from illness and make him well, crediting God with his cure, while another
man prays the same prayer and dies. But most of us would say we don't
blame God.
We treat God as a paradox. We want Him to be in control when we need
Him, but we are afraid to say He is in control when events don't match what
we believe should have been His will. We believe we are endowed by God
with free will, intelligence and ability to control our lives and environment,
until an event occurs and we turn back to Him.
We arrogantly believe that the earth is ours. We yearn to be in control,
yet the shaking of the earth's core reminds us we are not. Along comes a
tsunami as a harsh reminder of how little control we have. We inhabit a
small ball, spinning in space, with a shifting and volatile core; We believe
we are strong until we are reminded that we are fragile.
If we thought God has no hand in our world, perhaps we should
reconsider. Those who don't believe in praying to God perhaps should
start praying that there is a God, who could exert influence over our world.
However theologically unsound the thought, while I don't believe God
causes bad things to happen, I admit hoping that God is there to prevent
earth's destruction. Religion speaks to faith and trust, in spite of things that
we cannot comprehend.
While the Bible is full of passages about earth shaking, the following
can lead us to firm ground:
"In the shadow of thy wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of
destruction pass by."
"Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; for Thou art my refuge."
By Jorene Jameson, CEO,
Girl Scouts of Tejas Council
Remember your youth, when each
new activity opened up a whole new
world of friends, information, and won-
der? Some activities seemed exciting,
some scary, and others left you wanting
to know more. First you wanted to be a
doctor and then you woke up one day with
visions of becoming a lawyer. Girls
throughout Northeast Texas are currently
dreaming of their future, and you can help
make their dreams come true by purchas-
ing a box of Girl Scout cookies.
For 92 years, Girl Scouts of the USA
has dedicated itselfto helping girls navi-
gate the sometimes rocky, often funny,
and at times bewildering world of grow-
ing up. With family support, and under
the supervision of dedicated volunteers
and staff, through a variety of carefully-
designed activities, the Girl Scout orga-
nization cultivates values, social con-
science, and self-esteem in girls, while
teaching them critical life skills they need
to succeed as adults. In Girl Scouting,
girls discover the fun, friendship and
power of girls together.
One of the most well-known and re-
spected Girl Scout activities is the an-
nual Girl Scout Cookie Program.
Through the activity, girls learn how to
work as a team, set goals, and develop
plans for reaching those goals. As they
take orders for America’s favorite tasty
treats, girls ages 5 to 17 learn about busi-
ness ethics, advertising, marketing, and
money management. When delivery time
rolls around, they also see the importance
of fulfilling commitments.
In addition to developing and strength-
ening skills, the cookie program revenue
helps the Girl Scouts of Tejas Council sup-
ply essential services to troops, groups of
girls, and individual girls, such as provid-
ing program resources and communication
support, training adult volunteers and con-
ducting special events.
Proceeds from last year’s cookie pro-
gram enabled the Tejas Council to offer
financial assistance so that all girls can
participate in Girl Scouting; give the sup-
port of 60 staff members to 13,000 volun-
teers; underwrite camping and other pro-
grams so that troops and groups do not
have to cover the full cost of council-spon-
sored events; provide scholarships to Gold
Award recipients; and maintain and im-
prove program and camp properties, along
with many other opportunities. In addi-
tion, the proceeds helped troops complete
service projects like purchasing supplies
for family violence victims or making
crafts for nursing home residents.
For further information on our annual
Girl Scout Cookie Program, which is tak-
ing place now, or other ways you can help
girls navigate the up and down path to
adulthood, just contact the Girl Scouts of
Tejas council at 972-349-2400 or visit
www. tej asgsc.org.
A GREAT GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR!
Only $15 for a full year to the Citizens’Advocate!
To Send a Gift Subscription, Call 972-462-8192
CITY NUMBERS
EMERGENCY 911 POLICE 972-304-3600
ANIMAL CONTROL........972-304-3515 POST OFFICE .........800-275-8777
REC CENTER ........972-304-7077 TOWN HALL .........972-462-0022
CHAMBER. ........972-393-2829 WATER DEPT. .........972-304-3695
C-LINK INFO ........972-304-3542 TEXAS WASTE .........972-315-5400
FIRE ADMIN. ........972-304-3500 SENIOR ADULT .........972-462-9596
LIBRARY 972-304-3655 CITIZENS’ ADVOCATE 972-462-8192
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Citizens’ Aduncate
The Citizens’ Advocate (USPS 750-270) is published each week, by Danmara,
Inc., 446 W. Bethel, Coppell, TX 75019. Subscription rates are $15 per year.
Second-class postage paid at Coppell, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to: Citizens’ Advocate, P.O. Box 557. 446 W. Bethel Road, Coppell, TX 75019,
972-462-8192.
Martin Aldridge
Fred Conger
Rachel Euhus
Trey Hares
Publisher: Jean Murph
Associate Publisher: Lou Duggan
Manager: Kathryn Walker
Jay Westfahl John Price Daniel
Chris Helterbrand
Jane Moore
Janice Stovall
Courtney Flatt
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Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 28, 2005, newspaper, January 28, 2005; Coppell, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1687331/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Cozby Library and Community Commons.