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HELMS: How will you respond to the Lord's invitation?

Written by archive on March 25, 2015. Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

When I got married, there was a lot of financial pressure placed on my wife and me.

After we renewed our walk with our Heavenly Father, those pressures were still there.

I found out what a gem of a wife I had when I came home one day and she met me at the door with my rod and reel in hand. No tackle box, no lures, just a rod and reel.

Taking the hint, I eased out of the driveway and went to a place I truly loved to go to just be alone.

However, sitting back, taking a deep breath, closing my eyes, I knew that I was not alone. For the next hour or so, I was able to just spend time with my Savior as the tears sweetly rolled down my cheek.

No trumpets blaring, not even the radio was on. Yet Jesus came and sat beside me and began to gently touch my very innermost being.

I left that place that day completely renewed from His presence. My lovely wife would later tell me that she had been praying for me, and she felt that I had been given an invitation to come be with Jesus.

Through the trials and troubles of my life, there has always been a time when God would gently whisper to me that it was time to break away from the cares of this life, and come join Him in fellowship.

From reading His Word, I know that Jesus made it a habit to get away with just His Father on a regular basis. Oh, what a joy to just be in the King's presence! For Him to wrap His arms around you and whisper His sweet words into your very heart, there is no better time spent here on earth. His Word and message is for us to come to Him, and He will give us rest.

My friend, my experiences with the Father are a result of having to learn to trust and walk with Him. Listening to His voice, reading His Word, and putting it to practice in my life. The invitation for an audience with Jesus is open to any and all that will call upon His name.

In the midst of our being busy, He wants us to take a moment to stop and let Him show just how much He cares about each and every one of us.

Your invitation to attend a one-on-one meeting with the King has been sent.

How will you respond?

Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Missions, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: How will you respond to the Lord's invitation?

HUBBUB: How about roundabouts? Readers weigh in!

Written by archive on March 25, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

How about roundabouts?

Here's what our Facebook fans had to say when we asked whether roundabouts are an effective means to control Crestview's traffic.

They're great, but…

Roundabouts are great. The problem is people who don't know how to use them. Megan Glancy Riggs

Here's why they're safer

I have driven in roundabouts overseas, where the drivers are crazy compared to us. They are safer because speeds are slower, and you are going the same direction, preventing any head-on collision.

Pierce Cogburn

Look at Hurlburt Field's roundabout

There's a roundabout on Hurlburt (Field), and people are clueless. Seen cars going the opposite way — or just sit there because they don't know what yield means.

Mandy Gonzalez

It's about courtesy

I can't say go over the speed limit, but you shouldn't be out for a cruise 10 mph under when there is rush-hour traffic.

And, when lights turn, your main objective should be getting your butt in gear to be courteous to the hundreds of drivers behind you trying to get their kids to practice or pick them up from daycare or just trying to make it home to spend time with their families.

Really, it comes down to people being courteous of others.

Justin Curtis

Time for a bypass

It's time for the bypass. Sorry, downtown business owners, we have outgrown our roadways. We need to get to work safely, even if it means not driving past your businesses. There is no other solution.

Matt Lynch

Time to upgrade 85

Stop beating around the proverbial bush and fund the six-lane upgrade to Highway 85 from Shoal River to Old Bethel. We no longer wanna hear and see (these) stalling tactics. Get the funding going today, not 25 years from now.

Robert Damon Bradley

Here's a thought

Redstone and Brookmeade would be a great place for a roundabout.

Leila DiPolo

Just no

I had experienced this change in my old hometown. The roundabout was put in about four of five years ago, and residents are still confused over it. It's much easier and quicker to use a three-way or four-way stop sign, especially when making left turns.

Some people will be going in circles out of confusion, and I can see teen drivers going in circles non-stop for just the fun of it … and possibly put others in danger. Just no.

Brandi Lynn Parton

If you can't figure it out…

I think it is a great idea. They are simple to use. If you can't figure it out, you probably shouldn't be driving.

Amanda Coffman

England does it

I lived in England a few years and never understand why America didn't do this. Billions of dollars saved by a circle in the road. Why the wait?

AW Ratliff

Test lighter roads

I say do some temporary testing in parts of town. Do some trial runs where traffic is not so heavy. Also, you would no doubt have to run a seminar explaining the proper use of a roundabout.

Steven Horn

Join the conversation on our Facebook page>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: How about roundabouts? Readers weigh in!

FROM THE PULPIT: Let's end the practice of possessing Jesus

Written by archive on March 25, 2015. Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

For a moment, let’s play with semantics.

Many people refer to Jesus as “my” Lord and “my” Savior, as if he is someone we possess. “My” connotes ownership, as if a person owns Jesus, as if he is theirs alone.

It may be easier to say “Jesus is my Savior” or “Jesus is my Lord.” But when we try to evangelize, it is like we are offering a person a piece of something we own. It is like we are giving a person a gift instead of them receiving the gift from God.

“My” can imply a selfishness that may sound like a person is not willing to share Jesus with others. It may even suggest a type of arrogance, or a false pride that a prized possession is held close and lorded over those who do not have the same.

And as you know, when someone possesses something, others may feel jealous, or put down, or want to take it away, or downplay its importance.

I wonder the impact of expressing belief in Jesus in different terms. What would be the impact if Christians professed Jesus as “the” Lord and “the” Savior instead of “my” Lord and “my” Savior?

“We already do that,” you might say. But when sharing your testimony, is that truly what you say? Do not most say, “Jesus is my Savior?"

“Jesus is the Lord” has a very different meaning than “Jesus is my Lord,” and carries a lot more weight. "Jesus is the Savior” has a very different meaning than “Jesus is my Savior,” and presents a statement of faith that is to be true for all persons. Words that imply the possession of Jesus narrow the impact he has on life.

Making statements sounding of possession allows for the possibility there are other methods of salvation, other lords in life.

Whereas this may be true in a worldly sort of way, those other lords and saviors do not lead to the forgiveness of sin and the attainment of salvation promised by Jesus Christ.

Yes, it is a matter of semantics. And this may seem to be a silly little argument. But words make all the difference in the world, and in the world to come.

Jesus is not “my” Savior nor “my” Lord to own or possess or keep to myself. He is “the” Savior of all. He is “the” Lord of all.

We belong to him. He does not belong to us.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview's pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Let's end the practice of possessing Jesus

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: The best day of my life

Written by archive on March 23, 2015. Posted in columns, Sports.

If I had to pick the best day of my life, it would be a warm Saturday in March of 2002.

My dad; nephew, Stuart Maddox; and I spent it in Viera at a spring training baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins.

Stuart was 9, a few months away from his 10th birthday. Dad was a healthy 69, still preaching full time with his 70th birthday seven months away.

That warm Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed all things baseball, from hotdogs and popcorn to the flow of a good game.

Like many boys that age, Stuart wanted to get some of the big league players' autographs. I told him the best way to do it, and then stood back and watched as he went about collecting names of players he knew nothing about.

I thought about that long-ago day March 14, on what might just be the best day of Stuart’s life.

Stuart is now 22 — soon to be 23 — and is finishing his education at the University of North Florida. The little boy at the spring training game now stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs right at 235 pounds. And believe me, it’s the lean 235 pounds of a champion athlete.

Although he tried his hand at my favorite sports, baseball and football, Stuart decided to take his own athletic path in wrestling.

Stuart was an all-state wrestler for DeLand High School. He spent a year wrestling at a Division III program in Iowa before making his way closer to home and enrolling at North Florida.

Stuart continued to wrestle at North Florida in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. March 14 was the day he won a national championship, completing the journey that started his freshman year of high school.

It’s hard to believe the little towheaded boy I used to “fly” around the family room as if he were Superman now has the strength of the man of steel.

Stuart will graduate with a degree in criminal justice on May 1, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Stuart’s name was Dad’s middle name only with a slightly different spelling. Stuart and I share the middle name of Randle, that we got from my maternal grandfather.

Dad passed away July 30, 2013, so he wasn’t around to hear about Stuart’s championship, and he won’t be present for his graduation.

The passage found in Hebrews 12:1 of the Bible tells us that we are “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”

I believe Dad is one of those witnesses that had a front-row seat to Stuart’s championship Saturday. Dad will be there with Stuart, cheering him on at graduation as well.

For Stuart and, I would like to think, for me, there are still plenty of best days left to celebrate.

EmailNews Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: The best day of my life

Commentary: Expanding naloxone access will save thousands of lives

Written by archive on March 20, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

My son, now in his early 20s, has battled addiction since he was 13. His struggle began when he started using a less risky substance, but the addiction progressed over time.

At one point, he depended on stronger, more dangerous drugs. When his addiction was at its worst, he was shooting heroin.

Today, he is 10 months sober and a graduate of an intensive halfway house program. We are grateful that he surmounted this affliction and regained a bright future. More importantly, we are happy to have him back in our lives, and see him be happy once again.

My son's story is a fortunate and, sadly, uncommon one. A pattern of addiction, especially one that starts at such an early age, often translates into social isolation that turns into shame, a cycle of relapse and recovery and, too often, death from a drug overdose.

We need to recognize addiction for what it is — a relentless brain disease capable of taking the lives of our sons and daughters, parents, relatives and closest friends.

I join drug recovery advocates, affected individuals of addiction and their families who support expanded access to naloxone, a life-saving drug overdose reversal medication that can be administered at the scene of an overdose.

Right now in Florida, emergency responders, including law enforcement officers, still can’t administer this medicine without fear of civil or criminal liability. Neither can your pharmacist — even though naloxone is an FDA-approved, non-addictive medication proven to save over 10,000 lives in the U.S.

This medication provides overdose victims a second chance at life that they wouldn’t have otherwise. I know that had my son overdosed when he was using, receiving this medication in time would have been the only reason he survived.

I’ve been spending my time advocating for Florida law to expand access to naloxone use as broadly as possible, which will save thousands of more lives.

Wendy Scuderi is the ambassador of Shatterproof: Stronger Than Addiction

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Commentary: Expanding naloxone access will save thousands of lives

HUBBUB: Mileage tax would hurt Florida's poor

Written by archive on March 19, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

Editor's Note: Featured comments are the most thoughtful or eloquently stated comments from our Facebook page and crestviewbulletin.com and do not necessarily reflect the newspaper management's views.

TOP COMMENT: MILEAGE TAX WOULD HURT THE POOR

By Jonah Irvington

This tax disproportionately affects the poor, as most of them have older cars with poor gas mileage, so they are already paying more to commute.

Add to that a mileage tax, and the fact that all the cheap housing is at least 30 miles away from the only jobs in the area that they are qualified for.

You think crime is bad now? Just wait until folks can't even afford to work and are now having to resort to less than ethical means to survive.

—

Oppress the working class

This is ridiculous. Here, install a device into your car that lets the government know where you are at all times — or pay a huge once-a-year, lump-sum inflated tax. Let's oppress and rape the working class.

Mike Dunn

Toll booth, yes; tracking device, no

Just put up a toll booth and be done with it. No one will want a tracking device on their vehicle. Period.

How do we know when they'll stop watching? Are we supposed to take their word for it? I think not!

Carol Zukosky-Clemons

State can't help with roads

In other words, this meeting was to tell Crestview, "We can't help you with your road problem … but hey, we have a great way for you to raise revenue in the mean time."

Mike Sayers

Retail marijuana could help

The tax made off retail marijuana alone would repair all roads and infrastructure in Florida, and put dealers out of business.

But let's not talk facts. Let's speculate with glasses from yester-century.

Robert Damon Bradley

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Mileage tax would hurt Florida's poor

EDITOR’S DESK: Board games bring a welcome, personal distraction

Written by archive on March 19, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

Growing up, I loved board games. My brother and I played Monopoly as often as we could — my go-to mover was the brass boot — and I loved the narrative of Clue and the buzzer with Taboo.

But somewhere along the line, that passion for face-to-face strategy phased out. (Looking back, it was probably around the time Thomas' Library — my bedroom book collection, carefully curated from Book Fair finds — also closed without ceremony.)

That would have been in sixth grade, when birthday presents included a Macintosh Performa 6116CD. The system came loaded with games (that was back when a lot of premium software came bundled with the computer).

The Nintendo — which I'd long neglected — had nothing on the computer, which was the only thing that successfully supplanted board games and books as pastimes. (I mean, I was a Pizza Hut Book It! kid.)

But living in the country, seeing children my age — or anyone other than family and my dog, Teddy Bear — much, much less than my classmates, made the computer a popular attraction, especially when my brother got busier with high school.

I must have played parlor games since those childhood days, but just don't recall it.

However, Friday night, while with friends in Niceville, the host pulled out Telestrations, a drawing version of the popular Telephone game. (You know, you whisper something to someone, they whisper it to someone else, and when you reach the end of the line, the resulting, distorted message is humorous.)

After someone drew something, another person had to guess it, and the dry-erase tablet was passed from one person to the next. After everyone finished drawing and guessing, and each player received his or her tablet back, I laughed so hard it hurt when everyone individually paged through the results.

So when I read through reporter Brian Hughes' feature on North Okaloosa's board gamers, I just thought, "I get it."

There's nothing wrong with video games or the internet, which can expose people to different cultures and viewpoints.

But when you spend most of your life in front of a computer, tablet or smart phone screen with work, it's nice to see people face to face.

Just like the good old days.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Board games bring a welcome, personal distraction

HAPPENINGS: Spring's arrival offers Lenten reflection

Written by archive on March 19, 2015. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

Spring is here, and new life abounds. Calves, lambs and chicks are all being born. Every day, I hear baby birds cheeping and their parents singing and chirping. It is a glorious time.

The grass is growing by leaps and bounds, buds are on the trees, flowering pears are blooming and my hibiscus is in bloom. It is so gorgeous right now in our fair town.

Take a few minutes to enjoy God's beauty all around you. (My collies are certainly enjoying themselves with the warmer weather and soft grass!)

This is also the time of year when we get spring break visitors. I run into them at Cracker Barrel, Wal-Mart and other businesses about town. We need to show true Southern hospitality and kindness to these guests. Why not invite them to attend church with you? You may make a new friend, as many of them return yearly.

Have you done anything special for the Lenten season? As a family, we are looking forward to Holy Week and Easter Sunday, and dwelling upon what Easter means: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As spring progresses, all around is newness of life that reminds us we have new life in Christ because of His resurrection from the dead.

Janice Lynn Crose lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her brother, Robb; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Spring's arrival offers Lenten reflection

HUBBUB: A shout-out to Crestview Publix; a bypass is the only option

Written by archive on March 17, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

•••

TOP COMMENT:

Publix serves the community

Just wanted to give a shout-out to our Publix and the store manager Tim Bryant.

I read about a family who requested they order a buggy made specifically for special needs children called Caroline's Cart. Well, of course our amazing Publix came through and called the family to be the first to use it when it came in.

It warms my heart that some companies still truly care about their customers and, if it's possible, I love Crestview Publix even more now! The credit for this story goes to Renee Christopher.

Luke M Sheplockâ€Ž

•••

Resolution now acknowledges traffic?

It only took the Crestview Chamber how many years to figure this out? The public has been saying this since the early 1990s!

Michael Smith

•••

'Abysmal' traffic chokes area's life

Here's a little tip: the northbound traffic is just going to get a lot worse when the current flyover construction is completed at the intersection of FL 85 and FL 123 next year!

The abysmal traffic — seven days a week, not just Monday through Friday — just chokes the life out of the communities in North Okaloosa.

Al Aplin

•••

This will never change

When you live in the largest city in the county and less than 2,000 people cast a ballot that could change the way the city is run, this will never change.

Allie Lyman-Fries

•••

Bypass is the only option

Bottom line: There's no way to widen Highway 85 coming through town. Businesses sit too close to the road, and more are added all the time.

There seems to be no forethought in regards to easement for future widening of the road.

The only viable, logical and practical option is a bypass.

Angel Gonzalez

•••

Limit trips to Crestview

The new businesses are built too close to the road and are impossible to safely enter and exit.

I limit my trips to Crestview to once or twice a month, and I live in Holt — that's how much I despise the traffic and value my life and safety of my family!

Kim Farris

•••

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: A shout-out to Crestview Publix; a bypass is the only option

HELMS: Fight, prevail on your knees

Written by archive on March 17, 2015. Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

Valor and bravery are words we use to describe an individual who goes beyond their personal fears to make a safer area for all of humanity.

While that officer is writing up a ticket, be thankful that he or she cares enough to assist you in a real time of need. The firefighter down the road may one day risk their life to save another's child from a burning dwelling. A nurse, doctor, or just a good neighbor would be glad to come to your aid, especially in this area of the country.

Allow me to take a look at a very special group of men and women we see daily: our military personnel.

Pass by a wreck, or even someone broken down on the highway, and you will invariably find some brave person stopping to lend a hand.

Pick a real need after a storm passes through and, as soon as they are able, they will be out and about, seemingly tireless in their endeavors to assist their neighbor.

A call to lay down their life for you and I? They will not hesitate to do so.

We are constantly reminded of our brave young people. You can barely travel in or out of the area and not be reminded that they are right near us. They are our neighbors and, when they hurt, we too should hurt.

From our region's many military bases comes forth a great cloud of daily witnesses of those who serve this great country.

As a neighbor, I hurt from our area's recent loss of life. We are even now praying for you, as well as the families of those who perished. Their lives will be honored and remembered, as they should be.

My hope is that someone else will pick up the banner, step in and be as brave as they. Someone who can love as deeply, care so selflessly, and serve so valiantly.

We as Christians should live with valor and bravery as well. We, too, have a great cloud of witnesses that have paved the way for us.

David has his men of honor recognized for all eternity in the Bible as he explained their exploits. These were the physical soldiers. In Hebrews 11, we also find a listing of some of those that by faith are recognized for all eternity.

To our guardians: Stand tall and be strong. Our faith warriors will continue to lift you up in prayer and intercession.

To make mention of an old quote, no one stands taller, fights stronger, and prevails more readily than when one stands on their knees.

Think about it.

Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Fight, prevail on your knees

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