There is a lot happening now in our lives. There was a lot happening then in this County. Why use different adverbial phrases between the first two sentences? Now don’t get excited, this is not a sneaky lesson in grammar but it is about defining some of the different types of history.

The present is history happening now. That happens in our lives because for it to be now we need to be alive and alert. However, a little later it becomes history. The fact is, for history to exist we have to remember what happened some time back.

The further back it happens, the less likely we are to remember it as part of our lives. We record history by keeping records. Sometimes those records are orally recorded or stories, many of them become known differently than what actually happened.

Now, most of us know about Paul Revere’s ride back about 237 years ago. The most of us remember the version in Longfellow’s poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” Actually three men were riding that night. A gentleman named Dawes and a doctor named Prescott, as well as Paul. The British caught and arrested all three. Dawes escaped and rode off, but he got lost in the dark. They didn’t have night lights then. Dr. Prescott escaped and actually made it to Concord. Paul was finally released, but his horse was gone, so he walked back to Lexington.

Obviously Longfellow couldn’t say, “Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Dr. Prescott.” It wouldn’t have been much of a poem. This is not to belittle Paul. He organized the ride; for that he deserves credit. However, he was unlucky so: Longfellow wrote the Poem and he became famous. That is why it is so important to preserve and protect history.

Again, that is why we are organizing “Remembering Indianola- Queen City of the West.” We hope to keep some of the history, like the immigrant struggles and successes, in our memories. We hope to bring to light some of the glories of that era.

That event is one of the things happening now in our lives. It is about one of the things that happened in our area. It takes little research to find things that have happened in this County. We know a little about the KaranKawa Indians, there is a large collection of that memorabilia at the museum; we are continuing to learn about LaSalle and his first foreign colony. (See the display in the museum.) This event focuses on Remembering Indianola. We are working on Civil war events, and other elements of our history as we march from then till now.

The Friends of the Museum have the beginnings of a long and difficult track to building a new, beautiful and larger museum because we have more to remember. Those are some of the things happening now in our lives relating to things that happened then in our county You can make it part of your lives by attending events, joining in activities and enjoying our rich heritage.

The Church experienced an extra blessing this past Sunday morning as our guest Pastor Bro. George Yarbrough baptized two young brothers. The two brothers, Mitchel and Marshall Arlitt, accepted Jesus as their Savior and were baptized together, with their parents Ron and Donna Arlitt witnessing the event.

The morning worship service was well attended and Bro. Yarbrough delivered an inspirational sermon. The choir, directed by Bro. Raymond Grant, sang the beautiful Gospel song “We’ll Soon Be Done With Trouble And Trials”. The evening worship service was filled with joyous singing and a message by Bro. George.

The Church Pastor Search Committee is busy reviewing resumes of prospective pastors and will soon be interviewing several. The men of the Church are meeting at 7:30 a.m. every Tuesday morning for coffee and prayer. They specifically are praying for the Church, the Pastor Church Committee, our Nation and our men and women in the service of our country.

God continues to bless the Church and is rewarding the Church through answered prayer.

Several of our senior adult members are preparing for the upcoming “Senior Adult Retreat” at Camp Zephyr. This retreat begins on Monday, September 26 and completes on Thursday, September 29.

Want to receive a special blessing? Attend church this Sunday!

What a great time we had recently at our Friday Night Youth Rally! We had three teams competing for basketball champs – and the winner was the Seadrift team.

Our regular Friday Night Youth events begin August 12 with a time of safe fellowship, Godly fun, and delicious food! Bring a friend and come on any Friday except the first Friday of each month. Yes, even when there are football games at CHS, we will host Friday Night Youth!

Captain Robert announced that another successful Sea Academy Class was hosted by the Chapel on July 29 through August 5. As usual, all those who took the class passed the requirements and will soon receive their Captain’s Licenses from the United States Coast Guard via the mail. The next Sea Academy class is scheduled to begin on September 30. For further information, please call Captain Robert at 361/816-3010 or the Sea Academy at 361/758-6184.

Personally we have been blessed in several ways – we have not only seen people find Jesus as their personal Savior, but have assisted them in following Jesus’ example in water baptism. We have rejoiced as people have allowed us to help them celebrate personal birthdays with them. We were recently honored to be a part of a wedding renewal. We hosted a Houston Ministry, who came to Port O’Connor to pass out school supplies for our school children. We have witnessed growth in our attendance at all of our services and had the honor of meeting new friends who wish to grow with us at the Chapel. It is such an honor to be a part of what the Lord is doing in our community in many different ways. Recently a Houston couple donated a commercial gas range for our Retreat Center. A family got new furniture, and we were able to help a young family get better living room furnishings. We had a local family donate a freezer, which we have passed on to Strong Tower Ministry. We have almost put the finishing touches on a new storage area that we need to store items that we will need, but need to store until the Retreat Center is more complete. After Poco Bueno, we had a boat captain donate another “sea catch” to the Chapel, which we will be passing on to needy folks. Does all this sound like we have been busy? – Yes, but we are honored to be a part of it all!

This past weekend, Joane and I were gone ministering in Columbus and LaGrange. In our absence, Hermano Jessie Alderete ministered in both the Sunday School hour and morning worship time. The evening service was filled with the preaching of Patrick Overton. We are blessed to have such good ministers in our congregation to help us.

Coming to the Chapel on August 21 are Missionaries Matt and Stacy Leighty. They will be sharing their burden for the military personnel serving in Germany. We will be having an All Church Fellowship that evening to honor this worthy couple and a special offering will be received for their ministry. The activities will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to make life’s journey from her to Heaven an easier pathway to follow. “Come, grow with us!”

It’s really quite a bit of fun to follow one author via his/her many books, and David Baldacci, along with several others, is an author I’ve enjoyed. It’s been quite interesting to contrast an early book against one written later. And even more so is to see the author completely change in his/her story line.

Baldacci’s latest book, One Summer is one that relates a different story from those in the past. Beginning during a snowy December in Ohio, one meets the central character, Jack Armstrong who is suffering from a disease that is always fatal. He convinces himself that he must hang on until Christmas to celebrate that day with his wife and three children. He makes it, but suddenly, his wife is killed in an automobile accident. His life becomes thoroughly devastated when his in-laws send him to a hospice to die and the three children are then divided among relatives across the country. But Jack does not die, to the amazement and disbelief of his doctors.

Recovering fully, Jack decides he wants his family together and then takes the family to a small beach town in the Low Country of South Carolina. During this summer Jack, along with his children, are finally able to achieve the closeness that had been missing in their lives.

Baldacci has that unique talent of drawing characters whom you are certain you know or think you’ve made their acquaintance sometime or somewhere in the past. This is a truly delightful book to read this summer. I’ve always hated to reach the ending of a book I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, as that meant I must close the cover on the characters. Now I just pick it up again and start reading as I’ve probably missed something earlier.

New on the shelves of the Library is a thriller entitled Keys To The Kingdom as written by Bob Graham, the former Governor of Florida and a U.S. Senator, where he spent over ten years on the Senate Committee on Intelligence. The book has been highly publicized as the story of intelligence gathering, primarily involving the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, the author also lays partial blame for the attack of September 11, 2001 at the door of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.

I found the plot to be somewhat disjointed, but marveled at the coincidences of a main character and the author. Both were Senators, both Governors of the State of Florida, both had daughters: the author, 4 and his character, 5; and the names of the daughters were the same. And both had served on the Senate Committee on Intelligence.

Unfortunately, I could not finish the book though I tried.

We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale; at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
Karin Gillespie

98 Host Families Still Needed by August 31

Ninety-eight host families, with or without children at home, are still needed to host international exchange students for the 2011/2012 academic year. The students must be chosen by a host family by August 31st or they will not be able to participate in the program. They will stay with their host family for one semester or until the end of the school year. Students speak English, are covered by medical insurance, and have spending money for their personal expenses.

For more information, please call Yvette at SHARE!:

800-941-3738.