“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited upon, it is a thing to be achieved.”

William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)

One of the biggest mistakes I made while in college was choosing Golf and Bowling as one of my P.E. classes (we were required to take three). It was a mistake for two reasons. First, there were a lot of P.E. classes offered that were easy “A’s” but Golf and Bowling wasn’t one of them. Second, it involved, for half of the semester, bowling and I may well be the worst bowler in the world.

I talked to the instructor before I registered for the class and he assured me that the grade for bowling was based on how much progress you made during the course, not just your scoring average. I’ve always wanted to be better at bowling than I was so I signed up in hopes of getting some instruction and practice. Well, the instruction involved little more than telling us what time to go to the bowling alley and the practice was simply bowling a game or two a week. I got an “A” in Golf and a “C” in bowling resulting in a “B” for the course.

I was thrilled with some of the “B’s” I got but this was not one of them. I was never really an all “A” student but I hated seeing my grade point average brought down, even a little bit, by a P.E. class.

My friends were really supportive afterwards with kind sentiments like, “Look, stupid, we told you not to take that P.E. class.” I was truly left with no one to blame but myself. I had made an unwise choice simply because it was what I wanted to do. I had let a whim overrule what I knew was best for my academic career.

When we look back at the bad decisions we’ve made over the course of our lives, the ones that really bother us are the ones when we knew what the correct choice was, but chose not to make it. There are so many things in the world and within ourselves which can lead us away from making wise choices and towards something which is less beneficial. Hopefully experience teaches us that neglecting a wise course of action in favor of something less prudent but more desirable leaves us doubly frustrated with the negative results and the gnawing feeling that we knew better.

When we look back in this type of frustration, we are effectively telling ourselves, “I told you so.” However, the remorse we feel will not do any good unless we began to act upon the wisdom or knowledge that we have. Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone makes the same mistakes over and over again. Still, many people’s lives are little more than cyclical patterns and to escape the pattern and the repetition of the same mistakes, it is incumbent upon those people to make real change in their lives.

Christianity is as much about change as it is anything else. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that to enter the kingdom of God, Nicodemus must be born again, Jesus is saying that Nicodemus must make the biggest change in his life. Paul tells us that when we put on Christ we are “new creatures.” We aren’t the same people that made all of the mistakes of our pasts. We are living anew in Christ. As Christians, we must exercise self-control while giving ultimate control of our lives over to the one who gave His life for us.

July 30th Everyone is invited to a cookout at

Friends' Landing. More details will

be forthcoming.

Deana Brumfield 8th

Shirley Cook is recovering from minor surgery.

Those with recent losses—Family and friends of Joel Farinas

Tracee & Matt Health for Tracee and employment for Matt.

Bonita Hutchins sister of Betty Brumfield,

Doran Hougham, Bone Cancer

Albert Lee Wolford, Dale Loofburrow, Judy Lundgren’s mother, Tina Vest and her husband for his diabetes. Jennifer Walden, Don Micheauy, Ruth Colgrove, Ford Vest, farther-in-law of Tina Vest,

Tina Vest, Frank Hermsen health and spiritual strength and guidance.

Steve Hogan, Bridgette's father, Joshua Richards, Bromerick Richards, Teresa Petta, Desri Crawford health.

Please remember all of the young people with ties to this congregation serving in our nation’s armed forces.