Newton Citizen

Religion

"Carolyn and the Cross" describes God's purpose behind tragedy

February 16, 2012

Five-year-old Jody Porter couldn't understand why his mother didn't show up to comfort him when he broke his arm and was rushed to the hospital.. He began to wake up night after night crying out for her and was becoming more dissatisfied with the answer he kept getting

A time of penitence

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season.

Southern Baptist leaders OK 'Great Commission'

Leaders of the nation's largest Protestant denomination have endorsed an optional alternative name for the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rockdale/Newton Church Activities

To submit information for our church bulletin listings, visit our website at www.rockdalecitizen.com, call 770-483-7108, ext. 252, fax the information c/o Julie Wells at 770-483-5797.

JOE LAGUARDIA: When place blame, we deny forgiveness and the grief that leads to healing and hope

A wise pastor once told me to always have someone to blame. He told me that when I become pastor, always have a secretary to blame. Little did I know he told our secretary to always have a pastor to blame.. He was joking, of course. At least I think

TONY ELDER: Don't get frustrated with your progress as a Christian, appreciate how far you've come

The repairs on our church building were completed this week following the flooding incident I wrote about a few weeks ago. We're thankful for how God has provided and worked in such a way as to make our facilities look better than they did before the water damaged the place

JASON DEES: Have you really ever trusted the Lord for something great?

In 1827 and 1828, there was a huge revival that swept across Georgia. This revival was so great that church attendance in Georgia doubled between 1825 and 1830. Perhaps the most amazing story from this revival happened right here in Newton County.. In 1827, literally every person in the town

ORRIN MORRIS: Find blue-eyed grass at Panola Mountain State Park

The warmer weather of this week instills hope in me. Spring is coming and winter's grip of last weekend is lessening.Already, the heleborous is blooming, the crocus and the periwinkle are budding, and very soon the blood root and dandelion will spread forth their leaves.. Yes, spring is coming. May

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: Obsessive gaming on the computer can be a marriage-killer

Q: I worked at the same job for 23 years, and was just recently laid off. It's been so long since I've had to market myself, I don't even know where to begin.. Jim: I'm sorry to learn about your unemployment. This is a reality facing more and more Americans

JOHN PEARRELL: Will you accept the authority of Jesus or follow what you want to believe?

Last week we began a written dialogue on the new spirituality, the idea that we can have our own designer gods. When one suggests that maybe such an approach is not right, immediately the names start to fly. He's "intolerant," "narrow-minded," "bigoted.". The problem comes when

JAMES BEHRENS: Look for the kindness in people, whether in your own backyard or far from home

I was in Louisiana a few weeks ago, in the New Orleans area. I was there for some medical tests, all of which turned out fine.I had some free time, and one day I drove across Lake Pontchartrain to a town called Madisonville, where my mom and dad lived for

JOHN PEARRELL: God takes sin just as seriously today as He did when Cain and Abel lived

"I'm into spirituality, I'm not into religion.". That is a statement I hear more and more it seems every day. This "spirituality" is an interesting thing -- it seems to be an eclectic mix of various parts of various religious views, taking what one likes from each and leaving

ORRIN MORRIS: Self-pollinating hepatica is one the earliest wildflowers to bloom in spring

In the Bible, the word family is much broader than father, mother and children. The biblical usage is what we refer to as the extended family. The family may include several hundred people from great-grandparents to the children and grandchildren of all younger brothers, nieces, nephews, and cousins.. The

Providence Quartet to share Southern gospel music in Covington

A crowd favorite at the National Quartet Convention held each year in Louisville, Ky., the Providence Quartet will appear in concert in Covington Feb. 19, offering those in attendance a taste of true Southern gospel music. The quartet, which has been nominated for the Horizon award for several years, will

JASON DEES: Success requires hard work, humility, fortitude to tackle undesirable tasks

One of the great truths of Scriptures comes from Proverbs 14:4 which says, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.". In other words, if you want to have a nice neat manger that isn't full of messy