the road to the crown Part One
January 20, 2009
Join NorthEscambia.com today through Saturday for a five part series “the road to the crown”, brought to you by Tammie’s Cuttin’ Loose and Kay Brown Photography.
We will follow 32 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss Northview High School” for 2009. We’ll introduce you to each girl and go behind the scenes for a look at a Northview High School pageant like you have never seen before.
A new installment of “the road to the crown” will be posted each morning beginning today and continuing until Saturday. Then, on Sunday morning, we’ll introduce you to the new Miss Northview High School.
The annual Miss Northview High School Pageant will be held on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 in the school auditorium.
The pageant is sponsored by the Northview High Varsity Cheerleaders. Tickets for the pageant are sold out.
Today, we begin with a group photo of all the young ladies participating. Scroll down below the photo for their names. Click the photograph to enlarge.
“the road to the crown” is brought to you by Kay Brown Photography and Senior Portraits and Tammie’s Cuttin’ Loose Salon in Atmore.
Front row (L-R): Allie Bryan, Haley Knapp, Magen Weekley, Amber McMillan, Miss Northview High School 2008 Chelsea Sims, Kayla Hall, Deniece Jordan, Ande Gideons, and Sarah Killam. Second row: Patricia Boughner, Courtney Merritt, Lauren Cloud, Charleigh McPherson, Ashley McGhee, Ashley Snow and Courtney Cooper. Third row: Samantha Macks, Brooke Tullis, Kristina Nellums, Oliva Bryan, Amanda Sellars, Ashley White and Felicia Settle. Back row: Tabitha Steege, Heather Ward, Kolbi Cobb, Lauren Wilson, Katie Mann, Amber Holland, Summer Sanders and Caitlin Roley. Not pictured: Allison Spence and Mallory Bell. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century Parade Honors King
January 20, 2009
The annual Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King Jr. Parade rolled through Century Monday morning.
The parade, honoring the late Dr. King, included about a dozen vehicles and wound through the streets of the town.
The parade ended at the Century Community Center on Highway 4 where a community service in honor of Dr. King was held.
In nearby Atmore, the Concerned Citizens of Atmore held their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning. Dozens of units were decorated to honor the slain civil rights leader.
A parade was also held in Flomaton to honor Dr. King on the national holiday in his honor.
Pictured above and below: Photos from the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning as it traveled through Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Switch To Digital TV Less Than A Month Away; 3,152 DTV Coupons Went To North Escambia
January 18, 2009
The upcoming switch to digital television is less than a month away. In North Escambia, 3,152 free $40 coupons for converter boxes to prepare for the February 17 switch have been ordered.
If you do not have a digital ready television and have not installed a digital converter box, your TV will stop working on February 17 if you do not have cable or satellite. The government was handing out $40 coupons to anyone that asks to help purchase the converter box, but they are gone for now. The best you can do now is get on a waiting list for a coupon.
In Century’s 32535 zip code, 1,146 coupons had been requested as of last week. That’s up from 974 total coupons requested by the second week of December.
In the McDavid/Walnut Hill 32568 zip, 966 coupons had been requested as of last week. That up from 862 coupons that had been requested by the second week of December.
A total of 1,040 coupons had been requested in the Molino 32577 zip by the end of last week. There had been 899 requested by the second week of December.
While those watching satellite or cable television, or those with digital tuner TV will not be required to connect a converter box in order to continue watching their favorite broadcast stations, a converter box would be required in order to watch TV when the satellite or cable system was not working.If you do have cable or satellite television, having a DTV converter box may open up programs that you are unable to watch on local stations. WKRG channel 5 is currently running classic television programs . Channel 15, WPMI, is running a weather station “WeatherPlus” on station 15-2. If you like public television, a converter box will get you not only the normal public TV stations 23 and 42, but also five additional public TV stations on the subchannels for WSRE and WEIQ. (Each digital station may have more than one channel. For instance, WSRE 23 on a normal analog TV become three stations…23-1, 23-2 and 23-3… with different programming on a digital box).
In order to get on the waiting list for a $40 converter box coupon from the government, visit dtv2009.org or call 1-888-DTV-2009. The boxes sell at retail from about $40 to $70.
Here is more information from the dtv2009 web site:
On February 17, 2009, all full-powered television stations will begin broadcasting only in digital, as required by law. To assist U.S. households with this historic transition, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program to help Americans continue receiving over-the-air television after February 17, 2009.
Why is television going from analog broadcasting to digital?
The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 requires broadcasters to broadcast only in digital after February 17, 2009. Digital television promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up some of the nation’s airwaves for use by emergency responders.
What is the significance of the February 17, 2009 digital TV transition date?
If households receive television programs over-the-air using “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna, they must take action to continue using their analog TVs after February 17, 2009. Consumers have three options, which include 1) buying a converter box that will plug into their current analog TV, 2) buying a TV with a digital tuner or 3) connecting their analog TV to cable, satellite or other pay service.
How can the public obtain a $40 coupon toward purchasing an eligible converter box?
From now through March 31, 2009, all U.S. households are able to request, on a first-come, first-served basis, up to two, $40 coupons to help pay for the cost of a certified converter box. Converter boxes are expected to cost between $40 and $70, however, it is a one-time cost with no monthly service charges. Coupons will expire 90 days after they are mailed and cannot be replaced.
For more information about the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, or to apply for coupons, visit www.DTV2009.gov or call toll free 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-DTV-2009). The hearing impaired may call the TTY number 1-877-530-2634 for information in English, and for information in Spanish, consumers can call TTY number 1-866-495-1161. Consumers can also request and submit a coupon application by mailing PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208 or by faxing 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632).
Where can the public buy a coupon-eligible converter?
Coupon-eligible converter boxes are only available at certified stores and online retailers where televisions and other consumer electronics are sold, as well as by mail-order. When the coupon is mailed to you, it will include an insert with a list of nearby, participating retailers. You can also go online at www.DTV2009.gov, enter your zip code, and locate participating retailers on a map.
What can the public do to plan for the transition?
Now is the time to identify whether any TV in your home is analog and receives over-the-air programming through “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna. Television viewers with these sets that are not connected to a pay TV service will need to take action before February 17, 2009, to ensure their TV sets continue to work. It is important to know your options and make sure your family, friends and neighbors are aware of whether they need to take action before the transition date. The important thing is that no one is left in the dark on February 17, 2009.
MLK: The Drum Major Instinct
January 18, 2009
Across North Escambia and our nation, Americans will celebrate and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tomorrow.
King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.
Another lesser known but powerful speech entitled “The Drum Major Instinct” was delivered by Dr. King on February 4, 1968, as sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In “The Drum Major Instinct,” King said everyone can be great because everyone can serve. King clearly understood the joy of service to others, and his words have never been truer or more important than they are today.
It was King’s last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist, and the audio was replayed at his funeral.
“The Drum Major Instinct” is reprinted below in its entirety.
This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: “The Drum Major Instinct.” “The Drum Major Instinct.” And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’” And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, “But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.”
The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, “Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne.”
Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It’s a kind of drum major instinct-a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.
And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the drum major impulse or the drum major instinct.
Now in adult life, we still have it, and we really never get by it. We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it. Now if you don’t believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised or when our name is in print is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don’t deserve it and even if they don’t believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. (That’s right) But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.
Now the presence of the drum major instinct is why so many people are “joiners.” You know, there are some people who just join everything. And it’s really a quest for attention and recognition and importance. And they get names that give them that impression. So you get your groups, and they become the “Grand Patron,” and the little fellow who is henpecked at home needs a chance to be the “Most Worthy of the Most Worthy” of something. It is the drum major impulse and longing that runs the gamut of human life. And so we see it everywhere, this quest for recognition. And we join things, overjoin really, that we think that we will find that recognition in.
Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain) In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you’re just buying that stuff. (Yes) That’s the way the advertisers do it.
I got a letter the other day, and it was a new magazine coming out. And it opened up, “Dear Dr. King: As you know, you are on many mailing lists. And you are categorized as highly intelligent, progressive, a lover of the arts and the sciences, and I know you will want to read what I have to say.” Of course I did. After you said all of that and explained me so exactly, of course I wanted to read it. [laughter]
But very seriously, it goes through life; the drum major instinct is real. (Yes) And you know what else it causes to happen? It often causes us to live above our means. (Make it plain) It’s nothing but the drum major instinct. Do you ever see people buy cars that they can’t even begin to buy in terms of their income? (Amen) [laughter] You’ve seen people riding around in Cadillacs and Chryslers who don’t earn enough to have a good T-Model Ford. (Make it plain) But it feeds a repressed ego.
You know, economists tell us that your automobile should not cost more than half of your annual income. So if you make an income of five thousand dollars, your car shouldn’t cost more than about twenty-five hundred. That’s just good economics. And if it’s a family of two, and both members of the family make ten thousand dollars, they would have to make out with one car. That would be good economics, although it’s often inconvenient. But so often, haven’t you seen people making five thousand dollars a year and driving a car that costs six thousand? And they wonder why their ends never meet. [laughter] That’s a fact.
Now the economists also say that your house shouldn’t cost-if you’re buying a house, it shouldn’t cost more than twice your income. That’s based on the economy and how you would make ends meet. So, if you have an income of five thousand dollars, it’s kind of difficult in this society. But say it’s a family with an income of ten thousand dollars, the house shouldn’t cost much more than twenty thousand. Well, I’ve seen folk making ten thousand dollars, living in a forty- and fifty-thousand-dollar house. And you know they just barely make it. They get a check every month somewhere, and they owe all of that out before it comes in. Never have anything to put away for rainy days.
But now the problem is, it is the drum major instinct. And you know, you see people over and over again with the drum major instinct taking them over. And they just live their lives trying to outdo the Joneses. (Amen) They got to get this coat because this particular coat is a little better and a little better-looking than Mary’s coat. And I got to drive this car because it’s something about this car that makes my car a little better than my neighbor’s car. (Amen) I know a man who used to live in a thirty-five-thousand-dollar house. And other people started building thirty-five-thousand-dollar houses, so he built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house. And then somebody else built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house, and he built a hundred-thousand-dollar house. And I don’t know where he’s going to end up if he’s going to live his life trying to keep up with the Joneses.
There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. (Make it plain) And that’s where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one’s personality to become distorted. I guess that’s the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn’t harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that-you know, and I’m sure you’ve met them-that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. (Amen) And they just boast and boast and boast, and that’s the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.
And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. (Yeah, Make it plain) And if you’re not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don’t really know. (Amen) They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.
And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don’t feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. (Yeah) And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.
And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, (Glory to God) he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. (Amen) And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. (Make it plain) And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.
Now the other problem is, when you don’t harness the drum major instinct-this uncontrolled aspect of it-is that it leads to snobbish exclusivism. It leads to snobbish exclusivism. (Make it plain) And you know, this is the danger of social clubs and fraternities-I’m in a fraternity; I’m in two or three-for sororities and all of these, I’m not talking against them. I’m saying it’s the danger. The danger is that they can become forces of classism and exclusivism where somehow you get a degree of satisfaction because you are in something exclusive. And that’s fulfilling something, you know-that I’m in this fraternity, and it’s the best fraternity in the world, and everybody can’t get in this fraternity. So it ends up, you know, a very exclusive kind of thing.
And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) I’ve been to churches, you know, and they say, “We have so many doctors, and so many school teachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church.” And that’s fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers-they ought to be in church. But they say that-even the preacher sometimes will go all through that-they say that as if the other people don’t count. (Amen)
And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he’s a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he’s a Ph.D. (Yes) The church is the one place that the school teacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he’s a lawyer. And any church that violates the “whosoever will, let him come” doctrine is a dead, cold church, (Yes) and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.
When the church is true to its nature, (Whoo) it says, “Whosoever will, let him come.” (Yes) And it does not supposed to satisfy the perverted uses of the drum major instinct. It’s the one place where everybody should be the same, standing before a common master and savior. (Yes, sir) And a recognition grows out of this-that all men are brothers because they are children (Yes) of a common father.
The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one’s thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he’s a little better than that person who doesn’t have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he’s a little better than that person who doesn’t have it. And that’s the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.
Now the other thing is, that it leads to tragic-and we’ve seen it happen so often-tragic race prejudice. Many who have written about this problem-Lillian Smith used to say it beautifully in some of her books. And she would say it to the point of getting men and women to see the source of the problem. Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior. A need that some people have to feel that they are first, and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first. (Make it plain, today, ‘cause I’m against it, so help me God) And they have said over and over again in ways that we see with our own eyes. In fact, not too long ago, a man down in Mississippi said that God was a charter member of the White Citizens Council. And so God being the charter member means that everybody who’s in that has a kind of divinity, a kind of superiority. And think of what has happened in history as a result of this perverted use of the drum major instinct. It has led to the most tragic prejudice, the most tragic expressions of man’s inhumanity to man.
The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I’m in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking-calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point-that was the second or third day-to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning. And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, “Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You’re just as poor as Negroes.” And I said, “You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you’re so poor you can’t send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march.”
Now that’s a fact. That the poor white has been put into this position, where through blindness and prejudice, (Make it plain) he is forced to support his oppressors. And the only thing he has going for him is the false feeling that he’s superior because his skin is white-and can’t hardly eat and make his ends meet week in and week out. (Amen)
And not only does this thing go into the racial struggle, it goes into the struggle between nations. And I would submit to you this morning that what is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy. And if something doesn’t happen to stop this trend, I’m sorely afraid that we won’t be here to talk about Jesus Christ and about God and about brotherhood too many more years. (Yeah) If somebody doesn’t bring an end to this suicidal thrust that we see in the world today, none of us are going to be around, because somebody’s going to make the mistake through our senseless blunderings of dropping a nuclear bomb somewhere. And then another one is going to drop. And don’t let anybody fool you, this can happen within a matter of seconds. (Amen) They have twenty-megaton bombs in Russia right now that can destroy a city as big as New York in three seconds, with everybody wiped away, and every building. And we can do the same thing to Russia and China.
But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. “I must be first.” “I must be supreme.” “Our nation must rule the world.” (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I’m going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.
God didn’t call America to do what she’s doing in the world now. (Preach it, preach it) God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I’m going to continue to say it. And we won’t stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. (Amen) The God that I worship has a way of saying, “Don’t play with me.” (Yes) He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, “Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. (Yes) Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.” (Yes) And that can happen to America. (Yes) Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It’s very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, “You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?”
But that isn’t what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, “Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you’re going to be my disciple, you must be.” But he reordered priorities. And he said, “Yes, don’t give up this instinct. It’s a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It’s a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do.”
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, “Now brethren, I can’t give you greatness. And really, I can’t make you first.” This is what Jesus said to James and John. “You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared.” (Amen)
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important-wonderful. If you want to be recognized-wonderful. If you want to be great-wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.
I know a man-and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I’m talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn’t have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, “He’s King of Kings.” (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, “He’s Lord of Lords.” Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, “In Christ there is no East nor West.” (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, “In Him there’s no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world.” He didn’t have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.
This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It’s the only way in.
Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life’s final common denominator-that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don’t think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, “What is it that I would want said?” And I leave the word to you this morning.
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize-that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards-that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)
I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that’s all I want to say.
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.
Carver/Century Students Discover Dance With Ballet Pensacola
January 17, 2009
Ballet Pensacola presented their outreach program “Discover Dance” Friday morning at Carver/Century K-8 School. From “choreography” to “point shoes”, students learned words and phrases while getting a taste of modern and traditional ballet. Friday’s Ballet Pensacola presentation at Carver/Century was made possible through the support of Escambia County Bank, Jay Hospital and Century Pharmacy. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Judge’s Order: No Prayer During School Events, No Religion In Schools
January 13, 2009
In connection with a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, a federal judge has issued preliminary injunction against any policy or practice that promotes prayer or religion in the Santa Rosa County School District. The ACLU has also requested documents concerning prayer from Escambia County Schools.
In August, the ACLU filed the lawsuit in federal court against the school district. The suit alleged that Santa Rosa County Schools “persistently and persuasively promote their personal religious beliefs in the public schools and at school events”. Events specifically mentioned in the lawsuit, which was brought on behalf of two students at Pace High, included baccalaureate services, prayers at graduations and other school events. The suit specifically sought an end to baccalaureate services.
“The School District ultimately did the right thing in admitting and accepting responsibility for its violations of students’ constitutional rights,” said Benjamin James Stevenson, principal litigator and staff attorney with the ACLU of Florida’s Northwest Regional office. “We are pleased with Friday’s decision, and we look forward to working with the defendants and the court to permanently bring the school district in line with the First Amendment.”
The ACLU says that for 90 days, the temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers prevents the school district from promoting or sponsoring prayers during school-sponsored events, including graduation; planning or financing religious baccalaureate services; holding school-sponsored events at religious venues when alternative locations are reasonably available; and prohibits school officials from promoting their personal religious beliefs in class or during school-sponsored events and activities. The order is effective January 19.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Pensacola, names specific events at several Santa Rosa schools, including Jay. The suit states that Jay High School held an invocation and benediction prayer each year from 2004-2008 led by students from groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The ACLU also complains in the suit that Jay High School has held baccalaureate services that were religious in nature.
The ACLU has also requested documents from the Escambia County School District that might relate to religion or prayer. Specifically, the ACLA requested records from Escambia Schools about graduations and baccalaureate services. The ACLU public records requests also asked for the notes of all speakers at the event as well as any audio or video recordings of the events. The ACLU request extends to all schools in Escambia County, including Northview High School.
“The ACLU may be successful at ending the freedom students currently possess to lead Christian prayers at school-sponsored events. The truth is that no man nor power, on the earth, under the earth or above the earth can stop true Christian parents and their children from praying and worshiping Jesus Christ in their homes,” Pastor Gary Wieborg of the First Baptist Church of Bratt told NorthEscambia.com after the lawsuit was filed. Wieborg was the speaker for Northview’s baccalaureate service last May.
Click here to read the ACLU’s lawsuit against Santa Rosa County (pdf).
Click here to read the ACLU’s public records request in Escambia County (pdf).
Pictured top: The Class of 2008 Baccalaureate Service at Northview High School. Pictured middle: A sign outside of the New Hope Assembly of God church on Chumuckla Highway just south of Jay. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Photo Gallery: Getting Ready For 2009 Miss Northview High Pageant
January 13, 2009
Tickets are now on sale for the 2009 Miss Northview High School Pageant. You better hurry; tickets will go fast and will not be available at the door.
The pageant will be held Saturday night, January 24 at 7:00. Tickets are on sale now for $5 each in the front office at Northview. Tickets will not be available at the door.
Last week, NorthEscambia.com stopped by a pageant practice where over 30 girls are getting ready for the competition to see who will be crown the 2009 Miss Northview High School.
Click here for a photo gallery from that pageant practice.
Pictured above: Practices are underway for the Miss Northview High School Pageant to be held January 24. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Panhandle Equine Rescue Names New 2009 Officers
January 12, 2009
Panhandle Equine Rescue has named officers for 2009, including several people that are new to the PER board.
Diane Lowery was named as PER’s returning president.
Jolee Josephs has been named as the group’s new vice president, Lindley Barden as the new secretary, and Michelle McKee as treasurer.
Rose Marie Winchester has returned to the PER board of directors. New board members include Mimi McClelland, Michelle Phillips, April Violette, and Vickie Bell.
New Vice President Josephs has excellent credentials and is very qualified for the job. She is a new PER member, has been known to the group since 2005 when she adopted their second rescue, Sky.
She is currently foster coordinator for PER, handles the sponsorship program, serves webmaster, created all the videos on the website and is currently training to become an investigator. Josephs is also taking on the Education Program when schools request someone to come in and talk with the students.
She has done site inspections and has transported horses for PER and is also currently fostering one of the horse rescues. She has been involved with Habitat For Horses; a huge rescue in Texas and she has adopted three horses from them. She is in the process of building a boarding facility off of Quintette Road that is named after the horse she adopted from PER, Forever Sky Ranch.
“She has the passion and heart for the horses and for horse rescue,” said Lowery.
Barden, the new secretary, has adopted two horses from PER. She was interested in adopting those horses that “nobody else wanted”. She also rescues greyhounds and provides a forever retirement home for many of those special dogs. Her and her husband, John, have been members of PER for the past two years.
“The other board members have been very active in helping the organization and we feel that they all will be a huge asset to PER,” Lowery added.
Panhandle Equine Rescue is non-profit organization with the mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected, and abandoned equines. PER is authorized by the by the court system in Escambia County to investigate equines in trouble.
Pictured are new PER officers and directors (L-R) April Violette, Diane Lowery, Mimi McClelland, Michelle Phillips, Rose Marie Winchester, Jolee Josephs, Michelle McKee, Vickie Bell and Lindley Barden. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Northview Freshman Recovering Well From Brain Surgery, Headed Back To Class This Week
January 11, 2009
Northview High School freshman Nathan Therrell is continuing to improve following brain surgery back in November, and if all goes as planned, he will be back in class Monday morning.
On November 19, Nathan underwent brain surgery at the Miami Children’s Hospital to remove something the size of a grain of rice that has caused years of problems for him. It’s called a hypothalamic hamartoma, also called an “HH”. The HH is not a tumor, nor is it a cancer; it is a tissue growth.
Nathan’s aunt, Kelly Sims, said Nathan has done well since the surgery. Best of all, he has been seizure-free since the surgery. He was back in school for one day when it resumed Tuesday after Christmas break, but he missed the rest of the week to once again travel to Miami. This time, the trip to Miami was for a checkup, and Nathan received an “all clear” from his doctor.
“Nathan has recovered from the surgery far better than expected. He seems like a total different kid,” Sims said of her nephew. “God does answer prayers and Nathan’s family would like to thank everyone that helped during the time of fund raisers and for any donations that were given.”
“The family is very thankful for everything including the prayers that were sent out for Nate,” she added.
If all goes as plans, Nathan will return to Northview as a fulltime student beginning Monday.
A typical HH like the one removed from Nathan’s brain causes seizures, a problem Nathan has had for four years. They were originally controlled by medication, but the medicines failed to work, his mother Tina Therrell said. They’ve tried radiation and laser treatments. None have worked. That led the family to decide to have the surgery to remove the HH from the middle of his brain.
Pictured above: Nathan Therrell watches a Northview football game last season. He served as the team’s waterboy. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Classes In Molino
January 11, 2009
Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University is coming to Molino.
The 13 lesson program at Victory Assembly of God will change the way you think about personal finance, according to Ramsey’s web site. The program teaches about how to save money, live on a budget, communicate about money, eliminate debt, find bargains, and experience the joy of giving. Over 650,000 families have taken the course, which features a one hour video sesson each week from Ramsey.
The course also includes a lifetime membership in the Financial Peace University along with class materials. The lifetime membership allows holder to attend a class anytime, anywhere at no additional charge.
Classes being on January 20 at 6:30 an continue for 13 weeks every Tuesday evening. For more information, contact the church at 587-2295 or visit victorycan.org.
Ramsey is also a popular radio talk show host, dealing out his own personal credit-cards-are-bad style of Christian financial advice. The show can be heard locally weekdays on WNSI 105.9 FM. It is also available on XM satellite radio channel 165 from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays, and on Sirius satellite radio from 8 to 11 pm on channel 161.