| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Rev. Joey N. Welsh. reprint from Oct. 22, 2006: Persistence ANOTHER ANGLE: the occasional musings of a Kentucky pastor By the Rev. Joey N. Welsh E-Mail: joey_n_welsh@hotmail.com A CENTENARY CELEBRATION OF PERSISTENCE In the Bible the concept of persistence is a double-edged blade; it can slice either toward the very positive or the very negative aspects of faith and behavior. In his farewell speech Samuel, Old Testament prophet and leader, imparted advice to all of Israel (I Samuel 12:24-25), But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away." (NIV) In 2 Kings 17:34 we read that in spite of pleas to worship the Lord the peoples who had been relocated to Samaria by the Assyrians continued to revere their pagan gods, "To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel." (NIV) These continuing wayward practices of the Samaritans powered the presumption by devout Jews in Jesus day that the Samaritans were "untouchable." Because they were set in this milieu, the parable of the Good Samaritan and the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well were scandalous to the religious leaders back in Jerusalem. Chapter 1 of Isaiah is replete with words of judgment against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. In verses 4-5 the prophet says, Ah, sinful nationDespite all of these - and other - Old Testament passages that clearly refer to persistence in the context of stubborn, determined and resolute evildoing, Luke 18 uses the parable of the persistent widow as a positive example. The widows persistence here is used to illustrate the concept of unceasing prayer. In verses 7-8, Jesus says, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (NIV) I recently heard a guest preacher describe the message of this parable in an acronym: PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens). The more positive connotation of persistence comes to mind when I think of tomorrow, the centenary of the birth of Gertrude Ederle (October 23, 1906 - November 30, 2003). Daughter of a German immigrant who ran a New York delicatessen, she had been ill as a child. Although a case of the measles had damaged her hearing, she excelled as a swimmer. In the 1924 Olympics she won a gold medal as part of the U. S. 400-meter freestyle relay team, as well as two bronze medals, for 100 and 400-meter individual freestyle races. Her real love, though, was for long-distance events, and she persisted in this interest despite the fact that endurance swims were seen as the domain of male athletes. In 1925 Ederle swam the 21 miles across New York Bay from Manhattan to Sandy Hook, NJ. Her larger ambition was to swim the English Channel; a few men had swum the Channel, and the best crossing time had been a little over 16.5 hours.Her first attempt at the Channel, later in 1925, failed because she was disqualified when her trainer (in the escort boat) grabbed her when she swallowed some water and began to cough. Gertrude Ederle persisted in her preparations for her goal. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." Emersons insight became true for Ederle. She began a new swim across the English Channel early on the morning of August 6, 1926. Swimming from France, she walked onto the shores of England at Kingsdown 14 and one-half hours later, a bit more than two hours quicker than any man who had accomplished the feat. The first Englishman to greet her was an immigration officer who asked for her passport. Gertrude Ederle became a world celebrity that day, and she was not yet 20 years old. She persisted in life, staying active, though becoming totally deaf before the age of 40. She died less than three years ago, having seen the beginning of the new millennium. Tobias Wolff, in his memoir of Viet Nam entitled In Pharaohs Army, wrote, "We are made to persist. Thats how we find out who we are." By her persistence, diligence and dogged determination, Gertrude Ederle not only confirmed who she was to herself, she also revealed who she was to the whole world. The years should not dim the admiration she earned and deserves still, even a century after her birth. To read other articles by Rev. Joey N. Welsh, use the search box and type in "Rev. Joey N. Welsh." This story was posted on 2009-10-25 04:54:07
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Commentary:
Mark Hale: A comment on man and the environment Spend a Nickel: Ralph Waggener's personal opinion on school tax Time to act, for everyone to pay fair share for good schools Rev. Joey N. Welsh annual reprint: Autumn, transitions Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Being first, at least for awhile Being a volunteer doesn't mean joining, but that helps Volunteer service most enjoyable time of life Barbara Armitage: Improving Adair County by the numbers Rev. Joey N. Welsh. Reprint, Aug. 20, 2006. Still learning Shamarie Claiborne picture reminder of clues in nature View even more articles in topic Commentary |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
