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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017 of experience as an educator, writer and performer, she brings her talents to the UU Fellowship. The UU Fellowship, 87738 Highway 101 at Heceta Beach Road, is wheelchair accessi- ble. Each service concludes with refreshments and a dia- logue circle to explore the questions that come up during each service. 541-999-5083 Let Paul show you a new car or truck. Stop by today! 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 It’s amazing how many things people can be afraid of. There’s the fear of sickness, job loss, failure, commitment and public speaking. Some people are afraid of things like taking tests, swimming, ani- mals, insects, heights or even what the future holds — and the list goes on. Whatever the fear may be, it’s important to know that it does not come from God. In fact, fear is one of the primary weapons Satan uses to keep people from fulfilling God’s destiny for their lives. So I ask you: What are you afraid of today? Is there a situ- ation or circumstance that threatens to overwhelm you? Is something stealing your peace and causing you to worry? If so, I want to encourage you to know that God sees you, He loves you, and He wants you to trust Him to help you. First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (com- plete, full-grown) love drives out fear…” (AMP). Understanding how much God loves us and desires to help us is the antidote for fear. When I think of my own children — especially when they were younger — there’s almost nothing I wouldn’t do to help them if they were in trouble. Or if someone tried to harm them, they better watch out... because no one gets between a mom and her kids. If we feel this way about our children, then how do you think God feels about us? And unlike us, He has no limita- tions. Nothing is impossible with Him — He can help us in every situation, on every occa- sion. Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT) says: “...For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’” God wants you to know that He’s always going to take care of you as you place Your trust in Him — always. You don’t have to know His exact timing or how He will do it, but you can be assured that He will always meet your needs. “Do It Afraid!” We need to understand that when the Lord tells us to “fear not,” He’s not saying we will never feel fear. We will all feel afraid at various times in our lives. However, He is telling us not to allow fear to control us and prevent us from mov- ing forward. True courage is moving for- ward in the face of fear. You still feel fear, but you are determined — with God’s help — to move forward anyway. When we feel fear, we have a choice — we can do it afraid. I will never forget an expe- rience I had in the early days of my ministry when I was invited to speak at a confer- ence. One of the speakers had canceled, and I was their replacement. Now, I wasn’t one of the primary speakers — they asked me to conduct one of the smaller workshops on the side. When the day came, all of the workshop speakers had to get up on stage and share what they would talk about the next day. I remember the other speakers having impressive titles like “pastor,” “reverend,” and so forth. But I was just Joyce, from Fenton, Missouri — a nobody from nowhere. When it was my turn to talk, I was absolutely petrified. The 900 people in the audi- ence looked like nine million to me. I was so scared that when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t get my voice to work; nothing came out but a squeak. Right then, I wanted to run off the stage. I could hear the enemy’s thoughts running through my mind: What do you think you’re doing here? You need to go back to Fenton! But somehow, I managed to begin talking and shared what my workshop was about. The next day, to my surprise, a lot of people came to hear me speak. I thank God I didn’t run from fear that day, because I would have forfeited the bless- ings He had in store for me. You see, Satan wants us to shrink back in fear and live tiny, useless lives. But God desires for us to live free from the effects of fear and live big, fulfilling lives. He wants us to enjoy freedom and creativity, unhampered by fear and anxi- ety. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circum- stance and give you courage and strength for every chal- lenge]” (AMP). This is both a promise and a command. Through Jesus Christ, we can enjoy supernatural peace that goes beyond anything the world can offer. But we also have a part to play. God is say- ing, “Don’t allow yourself to be paralyzed with fear. Refuse to let the enemy stop you!” Remember, whatever you’re facing today, God is bigger than your worries, your prob- lems and your fears. He knows every one of your needs before you ever have them, and He delights in taking care of you. So you can confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper — I will not fear!” Spirituali-Tea to discuss spiritual past of Zoroaster On Monday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m., everyone is invited to join a group from varied spiritual paths to discuss Zoroaster. Moses and Zoroaster are universally regarded as the fathers of (universal) monothe- ism. Zoroaster (the Greek name for Zarathuctra), was probably the younger contemporary of Moses. Scholarship has reached a near consensus in rejecting the traditional date of Zoroaster in favour of a date between 1200 and 1000 BCE. Zoroaster, the ancient Persian prophet, was by profession a priest, and by call- ing a prophet, who taught monotheism alongside ethical dualism. While Moses proclaimed the uniqueness and transcendence of the one, true God, Zoroaster, in the few authentic hymns of his that have survived, vivified the attributes of God by per- sonifying them. Bring any information or thoughts about Zoroaster. The gathering will end at 8 p.m. with prayers for the requests left in the Prayer Pole in the garden of the Florence Playhouse and those shared by the group. For more information, call 541-590-0779. Shoreline Christian School to host open house Shoreline Christian School of Florence will host an open house for the community to learn more about its programs on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 5:30 p.m. It will be a student-centered evening with games, snacks and an opportunity to meet teachers and see the facility. Enrollment is open for next term for grades 1-8. Transfers are easy. Shoreline Christian is also accepting applications for next school year for kinder- garten through 8th grade. Shoreline Christian is fully accredited and is open to peo- ple of all faiths. Students are also welcome to sign up for a free day of classes so they can experience the multi-grade environment for themselves. Shoreline Christian School offers individualized instruc- tion, strong academics, mean- ingful community service, interactive partnerships with other children in the communi- ty, relevant Bible lessons and educational field trips that inte- grate elements of science, his- tory, English composition and art. For more information on the school and its programs, or to register for the open house, call principal Karen Nelson at 541- 997-5909. The school is at 4445 Highway 101 in Florence, at the Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church, across from Napa Auto Parts. Siuslaw News Photo Gallery NOW SHOWING THESE GALLERIES AND MORE SOS March Against Domestic Violence Florence Festival of Books • Oktoberfest • Rods ‘N’ Rhodies Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshops • Relay for Life View at www.thesiuslawnews.com Photos available for purchase* 5x7 – $5 00 • 8x11 – $7 00 Purchase at 148 Maple St. 541-997-3441 *Photos online are reduced quality – Actual photos purchased are high resolution, high quality. 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 . CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK You can be free from fear Rabbi Podis to speak at UU service Sunday On Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Florence Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FUUF), from 10 to 11 a.m., Rabbi Batya Podos will deliv- er a worship service titled: “I Am a Stranger in a Strange Land.” Rabbi Podos is an ordained maggid, a storyteller, preacher and teacher in the Jewish tradi- tion. With more than 30 years 9 A
