I recently reviewed statistics indicating the average American salary. The graph showed the people in America who are considered wealthy, middle-income, poverty, and below the poverty line. I wonder if God has lines; not for wealth, of course, but for Christians.
There are many of us who live below the God-line. We do not want to stand up for what we know is right by God. We compromise to oblige society. We don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers. Society teaches us political correctness, and in order to comply, we substitute the teachings of God to ‘get along’ or ‘prevent conflict.’
I want to be well-above the God-line; but, it comes with interferences. Jonah is the best example to me in the Bible of one who wanted to love God, wanted to do God’s work, wanted to be a prophet, but he wanted to do it his way and not His way. I wish I could talk with Jonah. His excuses would probably sound a lot like the excuses I hear today. ‘Times have changed.’ ‘Everyone’s doing it!’ “We have to say the right words because Christianity isn’t really in right now.’
Do you have an excuse? Some of you may know the story of Jonah. He literally ran from the opportunity God was giving him because he saw it as an interference in his life; an inconvenience; a thorn in his side. Jonah ended up in the belly of a fish. Where are you right now?
What opportunity is God presenting to you that you are believing to be an interference? What excuses are you making to remain below the God-line? What voice do you use to speak to others — yours or God’s?
Today, ask God to show you how to take the interferences of your life and make them opportunities for Him. Ask Him to give you the courage and the heart to step above that line and start living His word. The choice is yours.
(FILES)Evangelist Billy Graham delivers his message at the Billy Graham Crusade at Flushing Meadows Park in this June 24, 2005 file photo in Flushing Meadows, New York. US Reverend Billy Graham was hospitalized November 30, 2011 for possible pneumonia, the facility treating the 93-year-old internationally renowned evangelist said. "He was admitted this afternoon," a spokeswoman for Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina told AFP. The hospital said in a statement that he was admitted "for evaluation and treatment of his lungs," and that he was in stable condition and was "alert, smiling and waving at hospital staff." AFP PHOTO Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
(Cleveland)- Another top 10 rating for White County Schools. White County Schools was recently named the “6th Best Place to Teach” in the state of Georgia by the Niche Research Group. The research group looked at the best school districts to teach based on teacher salary, experience, and attendance, as well as the district’s academic, safety, and resources grade. A high ranking indicates that the district contains great schools with exceptional teachers who are offered excellent support and compensation.
From the report White County Teacher average salary was $56,325. White County Teachers received an A rating for overall experience grade and Health and Safety grade. White County’s student to teacher ratio was rated at 14 to 1.
For the latest White County news tune in to WRWH Radio 1350AM Cleveland and visit wrwh.com.
The depth og Cornelia Reservoir has risen in recent days, making dredging necessary at the moment.
City officials in Cornelia have announced that the planned emergency dredging of Cornelia Reservoir has been placed on hold. Heavy rains during the last two weeks have increased the water elevation by at least half-a-foot. On Wednesday of this week the reservoir’s water depth indicator stood at 2 1/2 feet. The recent rains have created enough reservoir surface water that dredging in front of the dam is not necessary for the immediate future.
The depth of Cornelia Reservoir was 2.6 ft. on Wednesday afternoon of this week.
In a typical year, Habersham County receives 59 inches of rain per year (the US average is 36 inches). Twelve inches of rain in Habersham County occur September-November. Ironically, this three month period also includes the most number of sunny days in any three month period – 36 days.
If autumn rainfalls in Habersham are typical, Cornelia residents can expect sufficient water for the remainder of the year.
It’s looking a little better at Cornelia Reservoir
Normal traffic flow has returned to Main Street in Cornelia. The primary work on sewer and water line replacement along Main Street in Cornelia has been finished. Only a small construction spot remains (off the street) to conclude the infrastructure improvements.
According to a spokesperson at Cornelia City Hall, the new surfacing of Main Street will begin in the very near future, completing the project.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has the Cornelia repaving project on their schedule and are simply waiting to hear from city officials on when to begin the last phase of the work. No exact date has been set, but asphalt paving generally has to be completed during warm weather. City officials say, “Soon!”
(Cleveland)- White County Public Safety officials will hold a Law Enforcement/Public Safety Job Fair next month. The job fair will be held in the White County Administration Building off the Helen Highway, on Thursday, September 3rd.
To accommodate people who are currently employed, the event will be broken into two segments, a morning fair from 9 AM until 11 AM and then an evening segment from 5 PM until 7 PM.
White County Sheriff Neal Walden says his department is seeing a challenge filling positions in the detention center and he hopes this job fair will attract several qualified applicants. “ We feel we will be able to pull in some good qualified people through the job fair, give them an explanation what we do, what we are and what they can expect if they come to White County Sheriff’s Office or White County in General,” said Walden.
Participants in the job fair will include, Sheriff’s Office, Detention Center, 9-1-1 Communications, Fire Department, where there are paid full time and volunteer opportunities as well as county Animal Control.
Public Safety Director David Murphy said, this fair will give people an opportunity to see what’s available and what they would be required to do.
Stay on top of the latest White County news by tuning into WRWH Radio 1350AM Cleveland and visiting wrwh.com.
I’m learning. Learning to wait…to stop…to think…to listen before I respond. I think the first time I realized the importance of a guarded tongue came on the day my cocker spaniel named Lawrence had been hit by a car. My family lived on a busy road and he had squeezed through the gate. As I carried him from the road, I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he’d been bad, to remind him if he had stayed in the backyard, he wouldn’t be in pain right now. As I placed him on the blanket my brother ran to get from the house, Lawrence lifted his head to whimper at me. I told him how much I loved him and what a really good dog he was. He licked my hand and less than a minute later, died.
Although I was only 14 when it happened, I knew how important my words were to him. I am sure, I would have regretted for the rest of my life if I had yelled at him in the last moments of his life. Instead, he heard my words of love.
We all have those moments when we can say something helpful or say something damaging – it is simply up to us. My husband carefully considers his words. At times it can be irritating because I’m waiting for some form of response; at other times, it is one of the characteristics I love the most about him.
Words have the ability to up-lift or tear-down. Words can bring truth or feed lies. Words can destroy a heart or fill it with love.
What are your words saying to those around you? Are they encouraging or discouraging to others?
Today, consider carefully how you speak to your children, your spouse, your co-workers, your parents, and your friends. Be a force for good. Choose to bring joy into the lives of those you encounter.
When Tyler Harris was a child, he was – to use his own words – “always the skinny kid.”
As he grew older, though, things changed considerably for him.
Today, he isn’t skinny any more – and he has the trophies to prove it.
Competitive bodybuilding caught Tyler’s eye when he was 12 years old, when his father brought home a video showing the eight-time winner of “Mr. Olympia,” the now-retired Ronnie Coleman. Tyler watched the video more than once, and by the age of 14, he had begun doing workouts in a gym. At 16, he entered his first bodybuilding competition. There were seven competitors – and he finished seventh.
“That was a big letdown,” he says, “but I used that as fuel on the fire.” He continued his workouts, coupled with a focus on winning, and the next year, in the same competition, he placed third. The year after that, he placed second. The next year was 2015.
Tyler Harris strikes a side chest pose used in bodybuilding competitions. This photo was taken a few days before the 2015 Teen Nationals.
This year, at age 19, at the National Physique Committee’s (NPC’s) bodybuilding competition in Chattanooga called the “Battle at the River” Tyler won First Place in the Teen Division. Then in July, he won again – in Tuscaloosa this time – at the NPC “Clash at the Capstone,” earning First Place in the Teen Division, and Second Place in the Men’s Open Welterweight Division.
When he went to Pittsburgh in July, in the NPC’s “Teen Nationals” competition, Tyler won fourth place in the Middleweight Division of the Teen Nationals.
In the midst of competing, though – with the intense workouts required to prepare for a competition, the strict diet restrictions, the determined attitude required for a win – he maintains a Tim Tebow-like earnestness about His faith in God. It “definitely plays a big role” in his life.
“I give Him thanks for what I’ve done so far,” he said. About his future in bodybuilding competition he said, “I know I can’t do it without Him, and I want to remember to give Him thanks for all the success.”
Tyler’s life is constantly moving in several directions. He lives in Banks County, and works out six days a week. He also is a full-time student at Gainesville’s University of North Georgia, where “I’m working toward a degree in Business Administration,” he said. The degree in business will help him to expand the business he already has: Ripped to Shreds Pro Training, LLC. Through that business he gives personal training sessions for those of all ages who want to improve their physiques. His clients may be bodybuilders, students, or retirees.
Tyler Harris in 2008.
“I like to try to help people be as healthy as they can” he says.
When he isn’t directing personal training sessions, going to school, or working out himself, he works in yet another job – as part of management at Lord & Hope Gym in Cornelia. He has worked at Lord & Hope Gym for the last year and a half. If you ask Tyler how he can be involved in so much, he might just invite you to the church he attends, Full Gospel Mission Church in Homer. For him, being able to attend church is important. “Like everything else, you make time,” he says.
Among the important things is an appreciation for his parents, Davy and Heather Harris, and the rest of his family members in Homer who continue to support him wholeheartedly. He also thanks his personal coach, Lloyd Herford, whose knowledge
he says directed him through the wins this summer. Tyler has a plan, too, for what he will NOT do.
“I do not plan on ever being in the Welterweight or Middleweight divisions again,” he said.
Tyler Harris in 2015 after his bodybuilding transformation.
Not “the skinny kid” any more, he hopes to compete next time “in the Lightheavy or Heavyweight division” instead.
With a win at the national level, he can qualify for a “Pro Card,” after which his options will expand broadly in professional bodybuilding.
And when can he win at the national level?
“God willing,” he says, “that will take place in the next two or three years.”
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Personal Trainer Tyler Harris may be contacted at 706-768-7573, or [email protected].
