The other day I was thinking about those carnivals that would come to town when we were growing up. I wasn’t one to ride on the things that went too fast or sling you everywhere. There was always the merry-go-round, the single and double Ferris wheel and you guessed it, the roller coaster, with its high speed, ups and downs and sharp curves. You know sometimes life begins to feel like a roller coaster. One minute you’re up and the next you’re down and about the time you get settled down along comes a sharp curve that we didn’t see coming and it throws us for a loop. When this happens, the Bible reminds us that the best plan is to place our trust in God. It’s during this time that we can trust him to bring us through these difficult times. In John 14:27, the scriptures tell us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” If your life is lacking peace, let the Holy Spirit fill God’s peace that you can only experience through Him. He will give us the peace if we are willing to except it from Him.

Christian love and sympathy is extended to the family of Kenneth Taylor. Kenneth and his wife, Brenda have been members of the New Center Community for years.

So hard to believe that it’s time for school to start again. It is our responsibility to pray for our teachers and students as they begin this new school term.

Birthday wishes are extended to: Callen Bloodworth and Jonathan Dove on Aug. 10; Rodney Alexander, Kailey Carpenter, Autumn Lewis, Justin Davis, Gerald Dugger and Anna McClendon on Aug. 11; Zachery Smith, Trent Sutton, Michael Townsend and Doug Keel on Aug. 12; Katie Sharp and Anna Patterson on Aug. 13; Chelsea Montgomery, Allie Petzoldmast, Jason Lopez and Hannah McNutt on Aug. 14; Zoie Collins, Bobby Parker and Vallery Smith on Aug. 15 and Scott Johnson on Aug. 16.

Celebrating anniversaries are: David and Ramona Dean on Aug. 10; Jonathan and Telia McKelvy on Aug. 11; Mike and Pam Anderson on Aug. 11; Dan and Denise Ratje on Aug. 12; Mark and Marsha Barton on Aug. 14 and David and Ashley Cain on Aug. 14.