Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 13, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 32     (32 of 46 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 32     (32 of 46 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
December 13, 2007
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Advent message: Making time for Christ By MARK SARTORI Can we abolish what Christmas has become and start over? Has filling the season chock-full made it empty, leaving us exhausted and emotion- ally spent? If we had the courage to rid Christmas of much of its busyness, commercial clutter and social obligations, would a fuller, more meaningful holy day emerge? We are driven by the pressure to shop, wrap gifts, mail gifts, write cards, get a tree, decorate our homes, go to parties, do holiday baking, en- gage in extra church activities ... Then, we must be sure not to forget anyone, give a gift of equal value to one given to us, be happy because people are supposed to be happy at Christmas ... and find a way to pay off debts over gifts we've purchased on credit cards. Even from a child's view, "when all |the] excite- ment about Christmas is focused on gifts alone, children feel terribly let down, because as I greatl as the new games and toys may be, they can't pos- sibly live up to all those weeks of breathless antici- pation ... One mother ... found her daughter cry- ing in the closet ... just after she had opened all ... she had asked for. [She explained]: 'IfI had known this was all there was to Christmas, I wouldn't have waited so long'" (Unplug the Christmas Ma- chine). My intent here is to simplify, not spoil, Christ- mas. Frankly, I like Christmas. I like bringing out our bubble lights because they remind me of my childhood. I like creative variations of old carols. I like making lefsa, a Norwegian flatbread. But how can we free ourselves of this season's trappings? What will make it more meaningful, less harried? We need a few brave people to protest overdoing the emphasis on gifts - maybe not entirely, but at least to bring sanity back into the equation. One Christmas poster has a sad Jesus asking, "Where did I say you should buy so much stuffto celebrate my birthday?" In our family, we draw a name, so each of us is responsible for only one person and one gift. Our expectations for happiness are not tied to getting lots of things. And a meaningful Christmas involves Jesus. His coming is a powerful reason to celebrate! It puzzles me why so many who are on a quest for meaning in life shut Jesus out of their lives. Have we confused boring, super-serious religion with the intimate, dynamic, joyful relationship Jesus desires to have with us? I encourage you - even dare you - to pursue meaning by committing your life to Him, allowing Him to invade your total ex- istence. Then seek to express His character and love within 10 feet of wherever you are. Bring Him into Christmas. Give food to the hungry, friendship to strangers, help to the helpless; visit forgotten people in a nursing home, volunteer at a Boys and Girls Club, find ways to spread joy. why not enjoy a relaxed Christmas time with family, time to reflect on Jesus' coming, find a few ways to express His joy? Let's pursue a simple, meaningful, "unbusy" Christmas. Mark Sartori is pastor of Mountain View Alli- ance Church. Pioneer students doing honors work Pioneer School has awarded academic honors to the following students for their work during the first trimester this year. Seventh grade: Highest honors go to Alexander Bidwell. High hon- ors go to Shelby Fratello, Angela Fullmer Albright, Colton Gott, Me- gan Hapeman, Westly Harrison, Robert Prater, Jasmine Sanders and Aaron "Thomas" Stephens Jr. Honors go to William Chambless Jr., Harrison Cook, Jacob Enslow, Kayla Fagergren, Kayla Fraser, Si- erra Pink, Autumn Golden, Chris- tina Gorman, Gunnar Harvey, Megan Helsley, Nicholas Hoidysz, whitney Howard, Colton Kealy, Port hosts workshop on records The Port of Shelton is hosting a workshop about records manage- ment on Thursday, January 17. Leslie Koziara, local govern- ment trainer with the Washington State Archives Division of the Of- fice of the Secretary of State, will present a free workshop entitled, "Records Management: Past, Pres- ent and Future." Discussions will include past practices and present strategies on how to cope with the challenges of records management today and in the future. The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon on January 17 at the Port of Shelton, 21 West Sander- son Way. To register, send an e- mail to Koziara at Ikoziara@sec- state.wa.gov, or call 586-4893. Matthew Metcalf, Teddi Mills, Owen Mortensen, Miranda Par- rish, Joshua Priest, Robert Ruiz, Danielle Smith, Robert Staley, Zacharie Taylor, Tyler Welch, Kae- leb Wright and Robert Zingleman. Eighth grade: High honors go to Kandyce Bragg, Kyle Cloyd, Erik Daniels, Mary Dechon, Kelsi Morris, Monica Sandoval, Heather Sawyer and Rachael Vercoe. Hon- ors go to Thomas Amundson, Je- sica Baier, Mathew Baker, Keenan Bevans, Zsolt Dudas, Elizabeth Honeywell, Kelsey Holloway, Alau- ra Jones, Sheri Lea, Ashli Pena, Amy Menzies, Brandon Morlock, Nicole Osberg, Wendi Reddinger, Ashley Samson, Logan Sims, Me- laine Southerland, Michael Strip- lin Jr., Layci Thompson, Aaron Tormanen, Brittany Wilcox and Brandi Zieber Call todayl This offer ends December 21, Schedule your appointment and make your holiday even better. SHELTON Miracle-Ear Center 1718 Olympic Highway N. (Across the street from A&W) Call 1-800 NEW HEAR (1-800-639-4327) Free Recorded Message and Free Report. Call Toll Free (866) 672-0404 or, visit www.miracle-ear.com 1"Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper fit and ability to adapt to amplification i i Page 32 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 13, 2007 2007 Mtr,'cle-Eot Inc 11420ROPA-Quartet You will receive v e add our best forW hapPY holiday season. s-,=-rjourna i eo,,,.ty i Post Office Box 430, Shelton, Washington g8584 i :n Yes, a one-year C.ristma00 00ub00c.ption ma,e00 to: ! Name ! Address ! I m [] $31 (Mason County address) [] $45 (Elma or Bremerton address) II [] $45 (in Washington State) [] $55 (out of state) | From: (name and address ! I m Advent message: Making time for Christ By MARK SARTORI Can we abolish what Christmas has become and start over? Has filling the season chock-full made it empty, leaving us exhausted and emotion- ally spent? If we had the courage to rid Christmas of much of its busyness, commercial clutter and social obligations, would a fuller, more meaningful holy day emerge? We are driven by the pressure to shop, wrap gifts, mail gifts, write cards, get a tree, decorate our homes, go to parties, do holiday baking, en- gage in extra church activities ... Then, we must be sure not to forget anyone, give a gift of equal value to one given to us, be happy because people are supposed to be happy at Christmas ... and find a way to pay off debts over gifts we've purchased on credit cards. Even from a child's view, "when all |the] excite- ment about Christmas is focused on gifts alone, children feel terribly let down, because as I greatl as the new games and toys may be, they can't pos- sibly live up to all those weeks of breathless antici- pation ... One mother ... found her daughter cry- ing in the closet ... just after she had opened all ... she had asked for. [She explained]: 'IfI had known this was all there was to Christmas, I wouldn't have waited so long'" (Unplug the Christmas Ma- chine). My intent here is to simplify, not spoil, Christ- mas. Frankly, I like Christmas. I like bringing out our bubble lights because they remind me of my childhood. I like creative variations of old carols. I like making lefsa, a Norwegian flatbread. But how can we free ourselves of this season's trappings? What will make it more meaningful, less harried? We need a few brave people to protest overdoing the emphasis on gifts - maybe not entirely, but at least to bring sanity back into the equation. One Christmas poster has a sad Jesus asking, "Where did I say you should buy so much stuffto celebrate my birthday?" In our family, we draw a name, so each of us is responsible for only one person and one gift. Our expectations for happiness are not tied to getting lots of things. And a meaningful Christmas involves Jesus. His coming is a powerful reason to celebrate! It puzzles me why so many who are on a quest for meaning in life shut Jesus out of their lives. Have we confused boring, super-serious religion with the intimate, dynamic, joyful relationship Jesus desires to have with us? I encourage you - even dare you - to pursue meaning by committing your life to Him, allowing Him to invade your total ex- istence. Then seek to express His character and love within 10 feet of wherever you are. Bring Him into Christmas. Give food to the hungry, friendship to strangers, help to the helpless; visit forgotten people in a nursing home, volunteer at a Boys and Girls Club, find ways to spread joy. why not enjoy a relaxed Christmas time with family, time to reflect on Jesus' coming, find a few ways to express His joy? Let's pursue a simple, meaningful, "unbusy" Christmas. Mark Sartori is pastor of Mountain View Alli- ance Church. Pioneer students doing honors work Pioneer School has awarded academic honors to the following students for their work during the first trimester this year. Seventh grade: Highest honors go to Alexander Bidwell. High hon- ors go to Shelby Fratello, Angela Fullmer Albright, Colton Gott, Me- gan Hapeman, Westly Harrison, Robert Prater, Jasmine Sanders and Aaron "Thomas" Stephens Jr. Honors go to William Chambless Jr., Harrison Cook, Jacob Enslow, Kayla Fagergren, Kayla Fraser, Si- erra Pink, Autumn Golden, Chris- tina Gorman, Gunnar Harvey, Megan Helsley, Nicholas Hoidysz, whitney Howard, Colton Kealy, Port hosts workshop on records The Port of Shelton is hosting a workshop about records manage- ment on Thursday, January 17. Leslie Koziara, local govern- ment trainer with the Washington State Archives Division of the Of- fice of the Secretary of State, will present a free workshop entitled, "Records Management: Past, Pres- ent and Future." Discussions will include past practices and present strategies on how to cope with the challenges of records management today and in the future. The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon on January 17 at the Port of Shelton, 21 West Sander- son Way. To register, send an e- mail to Koziara at Ikoziara@sec- state.wa.gov, or call 586-4893. Matthew Metcalf, Teddi Mills, Owen Mortensen, Miranda Par- rish, Joshua Priest, Robert Ruiz, Danielle Smith, Robert Staley, Zacharie Taylor, Tyler Welch, Kae- leb Wright and Robert Zingleman. Eighth grade: High honors go to Kandyce Bragg, Kyle Cloyd, Erik Daniels, Mary Dechon, Kelsi Morris, Monica Sandoval, Heather Sawyer and Rachael Vercoe. Hon- ors go to Thomas Amundson, Je- sica Baier, Mathew Baker, Keenan Bevans, Zsolt Dudas, Elizabeth Honeywell, Kelsey Holloway, Alau- ra Jones, Sheri Lea, Ashli Pena, Amy Menzies, Brandon Morlock, Nicole Osberg, Wendi Reddinger, Ashley Samson, Logan Sims, Me- laine Southerland, Michael Strip- lin Jr., Layci Thompson, Aaron Tormanen, Brittany Wilcox and Brandi Zieber Call todayl This offer ends December 21, Schedule your appointment and make your holiday even better. SHELTON Miracle-Ear Center 1718 Olympic Highway N. (Across the street from A&W) Call 1-800 NEW HEAR (1-800-639-4327) Free Recorded Message and Free Report. Call Toll Free (866) 672-0404 or, visit www.miracle-ear.com 1"Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper fit and ability to adapt to amplification i i Page 32 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 13, 2007 2007 Mtr,'cle-Eot Inc 11420ROPA-Quartet You will receive v e add our best forW hapPY holiday season. s-,=-rjourna i eo,,,.ty i Post Office Box 430, Shelton, Washington g8584 i :n Yes, a one-year C.ristma00 00ub00c.ption ma,e00 to: ! Name ! Address ! I m [] $31 (Mason County address) [] $45 (Elma or Bremerton address) II [] $45 (in Washington State) [] $55 (out of state) | From: (name and address ! I m