The Heritage Center, 2104 W. Austin, Port Lavaca, TX. and Sterling Griffith will present The Country Opry Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011. Show starts 7:00 p.m. Admission $4.00 donation. Pork Chop dinner will be served from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. for $6.00 donation. Proceeds benefit the Calhoun County Senior Citizens. For information call (361) 552-3350.

Did you know that you can help The Harbor Children’s Alliance & Victim Center (215 W. Railroad Ave. in Port Lavaca) with the donation of your used Name Brand, Powder-Type toner cartridges.

Bunco! – The July Bunco meeting became an ice cream sundae party as hosted by Joyce Jordan and Sue Kubecka featuring icy treats on a very hot evening. And each participant had a choice of Strawberry, Hot Fudge and Caramel toppings for their delicious ice cream dishes. Play then commenced for some time with Sally Jones winning the most buncos despite her visiting daughter claiming two buncos consecutively — A Record! And the booby prize of nada was earned by Sue Kubecka, no comments please! The next Bunco Meeting will be Tuesday evening, August 2nd at 7:00 p.m. Call Shirley Gordon at the Library for further information, 983-4365. The hostesses for that evening will be Mary Ann Claiborne and Pat Ekstrom and they are always good for a great surprise!

Last weekend was Poco Bueno! And I think this was the largest Poco of all; there were 105 big boats entered and only 4 dropped out. And so, 101 boats left for their offshore spots in the evening including some local favorites. Interesting watching the line at the fuel pumps at the Fishing Center; on Wednesday the three large fuel tanks were only half full. And the tankers made a trip on Wednesday and then later in the week. Word from the Center is that those tanks hold collectively 28,000 gallons!

Driving around Caracol to see all the boats moored, that place appeared to be the perfect site for combining both boats and their docking spaces.

The latest “Hoopism”: Save Water, Drink Beer! And it rained the following morning after the sign appeared! Or what does Hoop know?

Did you notice that the shelves at Wal-Mart are now filled with back-to-school supplies? And it’s still July?

The POC Water District and Mercer Construction have been working on the water pipes on 15th Street for the last several weeks; they’re doing a really good job, but it’s a bit of a shock to come home and find no water.

The crowds of visitors for Poco started coming in Tuesday; at Speedy Stop parking spaces were hard to find, but that’s good for our economy.

Swimming classes for the youngsters started Monday, the 18th as sponsored by the Lions Club. The classes are being held in the pool at Kenneth & Grady Jean Clark’s residence. I understand that the Clarks have generously and graciously opened their pool during summers pasts for other youngsters in our community to learn to swim.

The Service Club and the POC History Book Committee are searching for a picture of the ranch house on the LaSalle Ranch preferably back in the 40’s. If anyone has a photo in their possession and will lend it to be copied, please contact either Sue Kubecka, 798-0560 or Janet Johnson, 983-4733.

Looking for that special dessert? And don’t want to heat up your kitchen by baking? If so, put Saturday, July 23rd on your calendar. The Lions Club is again holding a yummy bake sale at Speedy Stop; it will begin at 8:00 a.m., so be ready to get a treat!

suekubecka@yahoo.com 361 798-0560
If the reader wishes to add any news at any time to this column, please contact me at the above address or telephone number. And thanks in advance.

Pamplona, Spain: It’s time again for the “Running of the Bulls”! This happens each year starting with the second week in July and last one week of joyous celebration, maybe a bit of sipping of the vine and merry making in general.

Why did this tradition begin centuries ago? Well, it seems it started when a butcher shop owner negotiated the purchase a bull for slaughter. The owner of the bull thought it amusing to release the bull in front of the man’s shop which fronted on a narrow street. The butcher was outside to receive the prize meat when the bull charged. From that point the entire village was entertained for some time as the bull chased the butcher through the town.

Now days, the Celebration festival of Sanfermines in honor of San Fermin has attracted world wide attention when dozens of young men are accepted to lead the bulls to the bull ring. It begins with the firing of a rocket at 8:00AM. Minutes later another rocket is fired to notify the runners (50 yards from the bull pen gate) the bulls were released. For over 800 yards the race is on! It was the original intent to lead the bulls in this manner to the famous ring for the evening bull fights. The enticement by running ahead of these surely dangerous animals causes the bulls to become quite accommodating.

If you are wondering if this event is really popular, the answer is with the travel agents world wide. A whopping one million persons go there to attend the running of the bulls in Pamplono each year. Balcones are a prize but parts of the streets are barricaded with heavy board fences to protect the spectators. So if it is your desire to go, make reservations early and put on your party clothes as no one is a stranger there.

Furthermore, if you desire to make the run yourself, you are invited. However, there are some rules to become a ‘contestant’. The first one is you must be eighteen years of age, sober, carry nothing in the runway except a roll of newspaper to attract the bulls, you must start at the beginning and you begin by running backwards toward the bulls to attract their attention; then the race is on. You are especially required to wear proper attire as a contestant. White trousers and shirt, a red scarf to be tied around your waist and a red handkerchief.

It certainly would seem dangerous but not quite so much compared to some of our freeways. Since 1910 there have been only fifteen people killed in the event. Of these there has been only one American killed. He hailed from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Naturally, there have been numerous injuries but most due to frantic falls or slipping on the cobblestones and even at that, of those fifteen killed five have been fatally injured inside the bull ring after the finish and not on the street run. They were trying to mimic the trained and talented matadors by flashing their red scarves at the bulls.

Not to be outdone, animal rights groups have tried to upstage the running of the bulls just prior by running nude through the streets of Pamplona. They call it “Off with the old, on with the nude”. They feel this will attract attention to the cruelty considered. What it really does is attract a lot of laughs by hoards of enthusiastic party goers.

All of us have heard of this for many years. World wide television reports it as their rating demands in most countries. What is even more interesting is one of the contributing factors that called the MOST attention. It was an author of two books. The fascinating stories by a Nobel Laureate in Literature describing colossal affairs including the celebrations, historical recognition of one of the patron saints of Pamplona and the beginning of the bull fight season.

The novels responsible are on most book shelves today. One is The Sun Also Rises and “Death in the Afternoon” by Ernest Hemmingway.

-Bob Jamison is a columnist for several publications.
jbobalong@yahoo.com

Most people in our culture never take the time to practice a quiet time. Even Christians, who have been taught the value of meditation, rarely practice it. We live in such a fast-paced world that we act as if noise is imperative. When we are riding in our cars, the radio has to be blaring. When we get home, our television is flipped to our favorite channel even if we know we are not going to watch it. Even when we are in church, we get uncomfortable when the music stops if the preacher does not get going immediately. We like noise and sometimes it seems like the more noise we have, the better we like it!

Quiet time needs to be productive time. We do not need “accomplish nothing time”, but a time for daily devotional time can be the difference in growing Christians and stunted ones. Please allow me to help give you some principles that will help as we establish a quiet time each day.

Schedule it! The best time to have quiet time is different for every individual. For some it will be in the evening; some will find more quality time in the middle of the day; but for most it will be in the morning. In the mornings, we are more likely to be rested, our minds are less cluttered, and our surroundings are the quietest of the entire day. People of old rose early to meet with God. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Job, David, Daniel, and Ezekiel each took time early each morning to meet with God in a time of quietness. Even Jesus chose to begin each day with a time of prayer and meditation with His Father. Beginning every day with a time of prayer demonstrates that meeting with God is the first priority of our day’s activities. Whenever you choose to establish your time, give the best part of your day to God. Choose a time when you are alert, and schedule the same time each day. Be consistent!

Some good meaning person may have told you that you must spend at least one hour every day in devotions. The Bible does not specify the length of a quiet time. I remember, when our church was preparing for a community outreach, Pastor Bakker asked for commitments from us who would spend at least one hour in prayer. I was just 14 at the time and wanted to be a part of this effort, so I volunteered. I remember that I went to our pond and sat on its bank to fulfill my commitment. I prayed for everything I could remember and everyone I knew. I even began asking the Lord to bless people I did not know – “Lord, if there is a Dewayne that needs your help, please help him!” After this arduous task, I looked at my watch and realized I had spent a whole five minutes praying! I started over my list again and this time the minute hand only moved three places. Then I knew I was going to be a failure and allowed guilt to come in because I could not pray my hour! It was several years later that I realized that prayer is “conversations with God”. My praying had been “lecturing” God, telling Him what He needed to accomplish to make my life or the lives of my friends better! I learned that God had many more things of importance to say than I did, so I learned the best devotional time is spent with me expressing my ambitions and giving the bulk of the time to listen for His voice.

I have never read in Scripture that there is a heavenly reward allocated for the length of devotions. As we begin, the quantity of time will grow as quality time begins to be developed.

Choose a place! Jesus went to the Mount of Olives for His prayer time. It was a habit He developed. We also need a place where we can be alone without interruptions. For some, their place may be in the backyard or on the deck. For others, it may be a room at the church, or even a closet in their bedroom. Make the space comfortable and personal.

Gather resources! What will we need for our quiet time? Here’s a list of what I find comforting: my Bible, not just any Bible, but the one that I use most often – one I have underlined in and written notes in the margins. I also need a notebook because the Lord may speak to me something that is too much for my Bible margins. I even like to bring an old hymnal with me because I often find that the words of some old songs express what I feel toward God in that moment. Praise always helps me find entrance into God’s presence!

Adjust attitude! I need three attitudes that will make my quiet time effective: Reverence – I cannot rush into God’s presence because He is God! Expectancy – I know that the Lord wants to meet with me more than I possibly can desire to meet with Him! Willingness to obey – I must be ready to follow the directives He provides in my quiet time!

Follow a plan! There are no formulas that must be followed for quiet time experiences. However, we will often find our time will be more productive if we have a plan and follow it. Here is a sample 15-minute plan that can serve as an example, however it can be adjusted for each person:

Relax (1 minute) – Be still and quiet. Slow down. Prepare your heart. Wait on God. Get comfortable and forget the pressures of the day so you can focus on God.

Read (4 minutes) – Begin reading where you left off the day before. Read until you feel God emphasize something personal. Then stop and think about it. Resolve to learn something each day from God’s Word.

Reflect (4 minutes) – Seek to understand how to apply what the Scriptures have said to you. Take the thought God gives you and think on it again and again. Look at the passage you feel God is trying to teach you and do these five things: -Picture it. Visualize the scene in your mind. Imagine yourself in the historical context. What would you have done in the situation? How would you have responded? What emotions would you have experienced if you had been there? -Pronounce it. Say the verse out loud. Emphasize a different word. Each emphasis gives you a slightly different impression. -Paraphrase it. Rewrite the verse in your own words. -Personalize it. Replace the pronouns or people in the verse with your own name. -Pray it. Turn the verse into a prayer and pray it back to God.

Record (2 minutes) – Write a personal application statement that is practical, possible, and measurable. This will become a personal record of your spiritual journey.

Request (4 minutes) – Conclude your quiet time by talking to God about what He has shown you and making requests from your prayer list.

The key for quiet time is to take the time to be quiet in God’s presence. The benefits will amaze you in a very short time. You will feel closer to the Lord and more confident in your relationship with Him!