12-02-2022A

12-02-2022R

Buddy Copelin, age 90, of Peculiar, MO, passed away Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield, TX.

He was born October 12, 1932 in Talihina, Oklahoma, the son of Elias and Etta Copelin.  He graduated from Rogers High School in Arkansas with the class of 1952.

Shortly after graduating, Buddy entered the US Army and served in Salzburg, Austria.  He married his bride, JoAnn, in May 1953 and had 69 wonderful years together.

He owned and operated Goodyear Tire stores for the majority of his life and after retirement, he worked another 20 years for O’Reilly’s Auto Parts.  Buddy enjoyed fishing, camping, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.  He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Peculiar for almost 50 years.

Buddy will be lovingly missed by his wife, JoAnn, his daughter, Debbie Taylor, and husband Steve, his grandsons, Nathan Taylor, Nick Copelin, and wife Jennie, and Zack Copelin, three great-grandchildren, Presley, Foster and Judah Copelin and many nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters-in-law and friends.

Preceded in death by his parents, four brothers; Paten, EJ, JT, Billie, 3 sisters; Nadine, Alene and Maxine and his son, Randy.

Pastor Tim Reeding, will conduct funeral services, at 11:00 A.M. Friday, October 28, 2022 at the First Baptist Church in Peculiar, Missouri.

Burial will follow on Monday, at 11:00 A.M. October 31, 2022, at the U. S. National Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the First Baptist Church in Peculiar, Missouri, 216 E. Broadway, Peculiar, Missouri, 64078.

Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer’s Disease Research and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 666701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com

10-24-2022A

10-24-2022R

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Underage and No Headlights

I like to drive and I get that honest from my Dad (whose life was as colorful as a big box of crayons.) More than once, Dad told me about his childhood experience of driving in California in the 1930s. Just a kid, he would sneak (push) his parents’ car out of the garage and go for joy rides by himself. He was so little, he had to sit on a pillow to drive. The cops were getting used to seeing him drive around; once in awhile they’d pull him over and talk to him, but they’d just let him go (times were different back then). One time he stayed out longer than he planned and it was dark when he got back home.  So a little distance from the house, he killed the engine and turned off the lights so he could coast the car into the garage. Well, he couldn’t see and he ran into the side of the garage door with a big bang! The only option was to start it up, turn on the lights, back up, and then properly park it in the garage. Feeling terrible, he walked into the house and handed the keys over to his father. Neither one said a word. And that was the end of the joy rides.

The fact Dad couldn’t see in the dark is what abruptly concluded his driving excursions. It‘s not that he was a bad driver, he just needed to use his headlights. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 NKJV). I’ve memorized this  scripture and it comes out of my mouth almost daily. Actually, I was stumped as to why believers would need a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. I began to think of driving instead of walking. The lamp could be compared to headlights on a vehicle and the light could be compared to street lights. Living in a world of chaos and darkness, we need all the help we can get. The headlights are great, but when streetlights are added, it’s even better.

God has equipped believers with everything we need to live victoriously in a dark world surrounded by silliness and sin. God’s Word lights our path and we have access to this Light, but we have to make the effort to use this power. If your only Bible has an on/off switch, then that’s just sad. And if your Bible sits on the coffee table with dust on it, that’s sad too. It’s like starving to death with a pantry full of food because we’re too busy to eat it.

“God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the Light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the Light; he was simply a witness to tell about the Light. The One who is the true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. …But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:6-10,12 NLT).

When Jesus began his ministry, He fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined” (Matthew 4:16 NLT). When I sleep in the dark, my physical body is restored and rejuvenated. But I don’t want to live in the dark. I want Jesus to light my world, to guide me and teach me. “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life’” (John 8:12 NLT).

The Key: As a child of God, you have the right to turn on all the light switches.