Where is civility?
Dear editor:
When God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and prophesy against their sinful lifestyle, the prophet thought he could go to another country where God would not be. But God had prepared a whale to swallow him up (Jonah 1:2;17).
My Dad loved to fly-fish. During the summer weekends, he would wake my brother and me at 5 a.m. and take us to the lake and buy a bucket of worms or minnows from the store that rented boats. Once out on the lake, Dad would give us cane poles, bait our hooks, and toss the floats and hooks into the water before he got started on his fishing.
I usually fished on the left side of the boat and my brother on the right side. We were told to watch the red-and-white float; if it went below the water it was a sure sign of a catch. My brother caught almost as many fish as Dad, but the fish ate the bait off my hook every time!
One Saturday, I asked my brother to trade places with me. I had remembered a Sunday school story about Jesus asking two fishermen brothers if they had caught anything. Then He suggested they put down their net on the right side of the ship. The net was so heavy with fish they had to call their fellow fishermen for help (John 21:5-6).
As I positioned myself on the right side of the boat, I knew I was going to catch a lot of fish. However, such was not to be; my bait was still a favorite snack below the water and my brother met his quota of fish. But something strange occurred that day. Seething in frustration, everything around me seemed to go into slow motion (like in the movies); a bass jumped from the water, locked an eye on me, and it seemed to say, "Where's your brother; we miss him!"
Years later I read Matthew 4:18 and 19 about Jesus calling his dis ciples. His first two were Peter and Andrew "casting their net into the sea." Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will teach you how to fish for men."
Those of us who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are called to be fisher-witnesses (Isaiah 43:10-12; Acts 1:8). Since we are under siege by the COVID-19, Christians have the golden opportunity to give a witness of God's love (John 3:16) and hope (John 14:6) to a troubled world. We are all in this together and skin color or religious ideology must never be the cause in the taking of lives. Despite the medical precautions, Christians can still be the witnesses God has called us to be by praying for the lost and contacting our loved ones through phone calls, cards and letters, and emails.
After Jesus had appeared to His disciples upon His resurrection, Peter told the other disciples, "I go a-fishing" (John 21:3).
What are you going to do?
Donald Cunningham
Hot Springs
Failure always an option
Dear editor:
Opening schools as we've seen in other states, and even in Hot Springs with the community college, just isn't feasible.
If one person thinks or tests positive you have to shut everything down send everyone home. Clean the entire building, quarantine all facilities, students, parents, anyone they came in contact with, and so on.
Is no one in local, state, or federal government using common sense? It will cost more across the board for everyone involved.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have parents take turns doing virtual learning with groups of kids in their child's friends group in their homes? Like carpooling?
Just a suggestion. But, by all means, keep steering the course; failure is always an option in 2020.
Ron Swanson
Hot Springs
Divisive wording
Dear editor:
And God bless Mary Robinson. All lives matter.
However, it is obvious your paper doesn't think so. This is a quote from your paper, "Biden, a 77-year-old white man, embraced the significance of naming the first Black woman."
How divisive can you get? Can't you just say he is a man and she is a woman or either capitalize or not capitalize black and white?
Judy Jones
Hot Springs Village
What facts?
Dear editor:
Regarding "letters" critical of writers' facts.
Free speech does not require facts; an obvious fact. "Letters" prints opinions; therefore, the disclaimer "does not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper." (Paraphrased)
John Clark
Hot Springs