6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2016
Set your differences aside for the holidays
You’ve probably noticed that
every person is not the same.
Each of us has a unique person-
ality with various likes and dis-
likes. And while we are often
drawn to people who are differ-
ent than we are, it’s these differ-
ences that can lead to strife in
our relationships.
Sometimes we try to con-
vince our spouses, coworkers
and kids to be more like us, but
that’s not what the Bible teaches
us to do. We’re all created for
freedom and liberty, and if we
want to win with people, we
need to give them a right to be
who they are.
I can’t tell you how many
years I tried to get my husband,
Dave, to stop watching sports.
But it seemed the more I tried,
the worse it got. One Saturday
afternoon, I walked into the
family room to find him shining
his golf clubs while he watched
one game on TV and listened to
another game using his head-
phones.
I thought, Joyce, your plan is
just not working!
The truth is I wanted Dave to
do what I wanted to do — I
wanted him to be more like me.
But trying to change him was
not accomplishing anything,
and it left me frustrated and
upset.
I love what Romans 12:16
(AMPC) says: “Live in harmo-
ny with one another; do not be
haughty (snobbish, high-mind-
ed, exclusive), but readily adjust
yourself to [people, things]...”
It’s impossible to be selfish
and have healthy relationships.
If we truly want to live in peace
and harmony, it’s going to
N IGHTINGALE
After several years away
from the Florence entertain-
ment scene, the Florence
Nightingales, a women's bar-
bershop quartet, are back!
The reenergized group
includes three of the original
members — Christine May,
Lori Robertson, and Trina
Smith — and a new lead
singer, Vonnie DePuente.
The Nightingales will be
on stage today at 7 p.m. and
Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. for
the Community Chorus
Christmas concerts. Both
concerts will be at the
Presbyterian Church on
Highway 101 in Florence.
The quartet is available to
sing at other venues and
plans to visit assisted living
facilities this holiday season.
For more information, call
541 997-3469.
require some give and take. At
times, we’ll have to adjust our
lives to accommodate someone
else’s needs or desires.
Sometimes this simply means
being patient and understanding
with those who don’t share your
own strengths.
For instance, have you ever
noticed yourself getting irritated
with someone who takes more
time to make decisions than you
do? Or maybe they don’t catch
on to things as quickly as you
would like.
If we allow ourselves to get
into prideful thinking, we can
hurt people by acting out of our
own self-importance and selfish
interests.
The Lord doesn’t want us to
have a lowly opinion of our-
selves, but He certainly doesn’t
want us to think we’re better
than anyone else!
First Corinthians chapter 12
provides the perfect illustration.
It says we are all part of one
body, each with our own distinct
and important role to play. Verse
25 (AMPC) tells us “there
should be no division or discord
... but the members all alike
should have a mutual interest in
and care for one another.”
The truth is we all need each
other, and when we learn to rec-
ognize and celebrate each
other’s gifts, it develops a
respect that can heal our rela-
tionships.
For Best Results, Try This:
When I’m having a hard time
agreeing with others, there are a
few things I try to do to maintain
the right attitude. I encourage
you to try them yourself.
• When you need to confront
someone about a problem or
discuss a negative issue, choose
your timing wisely. Pray about
what to say and ask God to lead
you in each conversation.
• Be respectful, even if the
other person doesn’t agree with
your opinion.
• Listen with an open mind.
Be willing to pray about what
they say.
• Keep looking for things to
agree about, instead of focusing
on your differences.
• Use positive body language
and voice tones, and choose
every word with care.
There will be times when you
won’t find a thing to agree on,
and in those circumstances, the
best thing you can do is trust
God, let it go, and become an
expert at forgiveness.
Yes, some things are very
important and you need to stand
your ground, but there are so
many things in life that just
don’t make a difference.
I don’t agree with Dave about
all his opinions or 100 percent
of everything he does, but I do
agree with Dave. He’s a good
man, and I love him and agree
with his character and princi-
ples. Over the years, we’ve
learned how to “disagree agree-
ably.”
You won’t always agree with
your spouse, family or friends,
but you can still respect and
appreciate them. And as you do
your part to “keep the peace,”
God will not only honor your
commitment, He will also bless
your life in greater ways than
you can imagine.
I encourage you to trust God
with the people in your life. Ask
the Holy Spirit to help you see
the positive in your relationships
and the things you have in com-
mon.
Nobody’s perfect, but with
God’s help, we can begin to set
aside our differences — and
love people for who they are.
FUUF invites community to service
QUARTET TO PERFORM
Sunday, Dec.11, from 10 to
11 a.m., the Rev. Ruth Miller
will be speaking at the
Florence Unitarian Universal-
ist Church. Her subject will be
The Perennial Philosophy.
Miller says, “Our Unit-
arian-Universalist principles
call for us to honor and draw
from the world’s religious tra-
ditions. Why? What do they
have in common?”
She will draw on her train-
ing as an historian of world
religions and Aldous Huxley’s
essay to help people see the
core ideas common to reli-
gions around the world.
The UU Fellowship is locat-
ed at 87738 Highway 101 at
Heceta Beach Road and is
wheelchair accessible.
Each service concludes with
refreshments and dialogue cir-
cle to explore the questions
that come up during each serv-
ice.
For more information, visit
florenceuuf.org or call 541-
997-2840 with any questions.
NEW 2017 INVENTORY ARRIVING DAILY!
COURTESY PHOTO
The Florence Nightingales return for holiday shows
Bell Choir performs with chorus this weekend
The Bell Choir will play
every Sunday during Advent
at the Presbyterian Church of
the Siuslaw.
It will also play with the
Community Chorus at their
performances today at 7 p.m.
and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2
p.m. at the Presbyterian
Church.
Anyone interested in par-
ticipating in the bell choir,
directed by Jennifer Weier,
can attend rehearsals on
Mondays at 4:15 p.m. at the
church, located at 3996
Highway 101.
Contact the church office
at 541-997-7136 for more
information.
541-902-3513 • 2520 Hwy. 101
New and Used Boats and Engines
Ductwork•North River•Rouge•Seaswirl•Sea Ray
Smoker Craft•Weldcraft•Evinrude•Mercury•Yamaha
COURTESY PHOTO
Members of the Bell Choir rehearse for their perform-
ances Dec.10 and 11 at the Presbyterian Church.
Meet Santa at FEC tomorrow
All families are invited to
come and enjoy Christmas
treats and a visit with Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus on Sunday,
Dec. 11, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Admission is free and there
will be door prizes.
Bring your own cameras or
can choose to have a photo
taken by the on-site photogra-
pher, who can develop photos
Heavy
Clearance
of Select
2016 Mode
ls
H AVE AN EVENT ? L ET US KNOW !
D EADLINE FOR P RESS R ELEASES I S E VERY M ONDAY AND T HURSDAY
BY N OON . E MAIL P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
Siuslaw News
immediately and place them in
a Christmas photo folder for
$5. Santa welcomes adults as
well as children to have their
photos taken.
Original prints, greeting
cards and art will also be avail-
able to purchase if desired.
The Santa reception will
take place at the Florence
Events Center in Gallery One.
CURTIS
SALGADO
Hank Shreve
Photo of the Week:
By Cajun Olson
with Special Guest
Tickets available through the
Florenoe Events Center
SUBMIT PHOTOS (JPEGS) BY EMAIL TO E DITOR @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
Est. 1936
December 31st 9 pm
Siltcoos Lake
BY
NOON
ON
T HURSDAYS
Breakfast •Lunch • Dinner
“Growlers Filled Here”
GIFT
CARDS
Full Service Lottery • Full Bar • 20 Beers on Tap
Open 7 days a week
beachcomberpub.com
541-997-6357
1355 Bay St. • Old Town