Unashamed to Be a Christian
2
Springb oro Sun, Thurs day , July 9, 2009 3 Quality Shredded Topsoil & Mulch • Processed or unprocessed topsoil • Mulch M. J. COATES CONSTRUCTION 433-1581 or 477-4007 Delivery Available 1167255 Considering Bankruptcy? Work with lawyers, not paralegals We have over 25 years experience advocating on behalf of clients in legal matters such as bankruptcy, criminal law, and personal injury. We focus on practical solutions to our clients’ problems without undue expense and delay. Contact us t oday at (937) 750-8810 for f or a free consultation. Merge W r ight Unashamed to be a Christian T he text messa ge read”Mom I love you.” He then hit send on his cell phone, emptied several contain- rs of pills 200 or more, swallowed them ith a glass of water and laid back in ed to quietly end his life. A life he elieved had no purpose or meaning. He origi- nally came out of Cleveland, Tn., world headquarters of the Churc h of God. A church that he and his family attended when he was youngster. He was successful in several usine sses and at the time was the gen- ral manager of a Tequila Bar in Palm each, Fl. From all outward appearances he was otally together. He ran with the rich and amous, had an elegant ocean front ondo, was surrounded by beautiful omen but there was a thorn. He was nhappy, his life seemed totally con- rived. Alcohol, cocaine and designer rugs were in abundance producing hort empty feelings of euphoria. And hen that question: “Is this all there is”? A couple weeks before, dad had visited alm Beach and the two met for break- ast. A request for his girlfriend’s cell hone was provided when dad asked for back up number in case he couldn’t each him. When his mother received the text essage she immediately expected omething was wrong. She called and here was no answer. His father received phone call with a garbled message and hen nothing. He called back and there as no answer. Dad called the girlfriend. he would run next door with her dad nd check, he was probably just in the hower. It took a while to gain entry. inding empty pill bottles and unable to aken him they called 911 immediately. Paramedics arrived within minutes nd transported him to the medical cen- er. When he woke up later that night he ound his body covered with needles and ubes. The prognosis wasn’t good. His iver had been severely attacked. It ould be several days before they’d be ble to tell if he’d get a second chance at ife. Dad flew in from Springboro and sat y his side praying his son would survive his horrible mistake and with out long erm disability . God was with him as he fully recov- red and was given a clean bill of health. ad asked if he’d be open to getting elp. He was extremely strong willed and any demand or suggestion could have been met with an empha tic no. He said he’d think about it. His Uncle Paul offered up Turning Point in Alabama. His uncle a musician had attended the facility and had great praise for what it did for his life. The 12- step program would last 90 days at a peaceful farm facility located in a serene valley. He thought it over thinking his prob- lem really wasn’t the drugs and alcohol it was his belief that nothing mattered in life, that all the phony people he met in church growing up were just like all the phony peopl e he met in Palm Beach. Where was the love, the care and con- cern for each other that God had prom- ised when he was a young lad. Childhood trauma in his formative years and his parents divorce were never understood. Why me God was still chur ning in his heart. He was carrying a lot of luggage and it’s weight had nearly destroyed him. After much consideration he agreed to attend Turning Point. Hopefully it would somehow help but he wasn’t 100 percent sold that he was going to find the answer Several weeks into the program he and a fellow patient went to the chapel one night. They talked and prayed for three hours. He finally opened his heart and soul and let it all go to be reborn in the spirit of the Lord. It was like a milli on, maybe a billi on pages that he’d been writing for two decades were instantly deleted. He for- gave all, blessed those that had remained true along the way and walked in a peace he hadn’t known since child- hood. Unashamed he would be from that day forward. Unashamed to stand up for his Lord and Savior, unashamed to say he is a Christian, unashamed to help the fall- en, unashamed to proclaim how God had saved him and gave him an understand- ing that day that he had been seeking for so many years. Today you can find Paul Steele at the Garage 1919. He’s the director there and on every Tuesday night he presents “Unashamed” to the youth of our com- munity. The program starts at 7:30. I attended last week to interview Paul and highly recommend his ministry. The Gara ge 1919 is funded by a handf ul of business owners, community leaders and several churches in Springboro and the south Dayton community. There are no agendas from any of the donors. It’s purely a ministry to help teenagers and young adults walk in God’s light as they enter a life of adult hood, marriage, chil- dren, careers and being a good citizen of their community. Don Wright Columnist Springboro Sun Contributed photo PFC Michelle Witzel and PFC. C. All en Wit zel will deploy in Jul y. PFC Aaron O’Bryant wil head to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for training. Mic helle and Allen Wit zel heading to Afghanistan Aaron O’Bryant continues family tradition by joining service after graduating SHS PFC. C. Allen Witzel (O’Bryant) and his wife PFC. Michelle Witzel are preparing to deploy in July. The two are currently serving as communication technicians. Allen and Michelle recently married during their training in February and are sta tio ned in Ft Hood Te xas . Cur rently home in Spri ngboro on leave befor e they ship out. The two will be part of the large deploy- ment President Obama promised to send to Afghanistan. They both enlisted during the Iraq/Af ghanistan confl ict to serve their country. They both knew the proba- bil ity of being sent to the confl ict , but were prepared to serve. PFC. Aaron O’Bryant joined the Army Natio nal Guard and compl eted his basi c training last summer . He graduated this year from Spr ing bor o High School and wi ll ship out to Ft Leo na rd Wood, Missouri this August to finish his training as a Combat Engineer. Aaron was a cadet with the Springboro AFJr ROTC for the past three years and enlisted during his Junior year. The brothers share a mutua l respe ct and pride for the armed ser vice sin ce their father Sgt. Mike O’Bryant served in the US Army . Mik e a res ident of Ohi o served during 1986-92. Three arrested in anhydrous ammonia theft Thr ee Clermo nt County res iden ts wer e arr este d in connection with the Burglary of the South west Landmark fertilizer facility in Pleas ant Plai n in sou thwest Wa rren County. At around 12:45 a.m. July 1, Warren County Deputies and Hamilt on Tow nship Police re sp onde d to a re po rt of a burglar alarm at the facility. After observing a large cut in the securit y fence, two men wer e fou nd wit hin the fen ced area of thefacil ity .A pro pan e tan k fil led with Anh ydr ous Ammon ia was found nearb y. The female suspect was fou nd in a nea rby veh icl e. All three were arrested. Mat thew Payt es, 38, of Lov ela nd, is cha rge d wit h break ing and enter ing, theft , and pos ses sio n of cri mina l tools. Adam Wil li ams, 28 , of Go shen, is charged wi th break ing and enter ing, theft , and pos session of cri minal tools. Kathleen May Johnson, 41, of Mil for d, is cha rge d wit h compli cit y to bre aki ng and enter ing, complicity to theft , and sio of cri mina l ‘Children of Eden’ on sta ge at Epiphany Lutheran Church To the Editor: If you stand outsi de my hous e tonigh t ou will hear the sounds of fireworks all round you. I spe nt a year lis tening to that and it was not fireworks. Every pop nd boom left you wondering eternity. Now tonight as I celebrate my freedom ’ve earned (rightfully mine for the serv- ce and sac ri fi ce I h av e made for my ountry) one of my neighbors who proba- ly doesn’t even know the meaning of suf- fering calls the cops. Why did they call the cops? Because my ireworks were disturbin g their peace. Their peace oh you mean the safety and peace they enjoy because I earned it for them? Well you’re welcome. I am glad you are having peace because I spent a year away from my family, because I got shot at instead of you, because I slept outside for months, and was dehydrated because we could only have three liters of water a day while outside exposed to 120+ degr ee weather. You’re welcome. Major Ron Weneck, Springboro Letters to the Editor Sorry to disturb your peace
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The Epiphany PlayersDrama Ministry is present-ing its 10th anniversaryproduction of Children of Eden, through July 19, atEpiphany LutheranChurch, 6430 Far Hills
venue in Centerville.Based on the first nine
hapters of the Book of Genesis, the show features
dam and Eve, Cain andbel and Noah and his
amily. More than 70 localperformers, including 30area children, will helpbring to life these stories
f the first families.“This show is good for
the whole family becauseit illustrates the humanstruggles that every family
oes through from the firstamily through genera-
tions to Noah and for allfamilies to come. It speaksabout love and that thehardest part of love is theletting go,” Director KayFrances Wean said.
To help other families
around the world, thisyear a portion of the adver-tising and ticket proceedswill support LutheranWorld Relief. LWR workswith partners in 35 coun-tries to help families growfood, improve their health,strengthen communities,end conflict, build liveli-hoods, and recover fromdisasters.
“The final song tells ust hat each s tep i s onceagain our first. ‘We holdthe promise of the earth inour hands. Our hands canchoose to drop the knife,our hearts can choose to
stop the hating, for everymoment in our life is thebeginning. There is no
journey gone so far, so farwe cannot stop and changedirection, no doom is writ-ten in the stars, it’s in ourhand.” Wean said
Showings are at 7:30 p.m.on July 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18.Matinees at 2:30 p.m. arescheduled for July 12 and19. Ti cket s are $15 f oradults, $10 for seniors 60and over and $10 for chil-dren 12 and under. Groupdiscounts are available. Toorder tickets, call 433-1449ext. 101.
Springboro Sun, Thursday, July 9, 2009 3
1 1 6 6 8 5 4
Quality Shredded Topsoil
& Mulch• Processed or unprocessed topsoil
• Mulch
M. J. COATES CONSTRUCTION
433-1581 or 477-4007
Delivery Available
1167255
Attorneys and Counselors at Law
ConsideringBankruptcy?Work with lawyers, not paralegals
We have over 25 years experience advocating on
behalf of clients in legal matters such as bankruptcy,
criminal law, and personal injury. We focus on
practical solutions to our clients’ problems without
undue expense and delay. Contact us today at(937) 750-8810 for for a free consultation.
20 South Main StreetSpringboro, Ohio 45066
(937)750-8810
www.horwitzlawsite.com1166770
Merge Wright Unashamed to be a Christian
The text message read”Mom I loveyou.” He then hit send on his cellphone, emptied several contain-
rs of pills 200 or more, swallowed them
ith a glass of water and laid back ined to quietly end his life. A life heelieved had no purpose or meaning.
He origi-nally cameout of Cleveland,Tn., worldheadquartersof the Churchof God. Achurch thathe and hisfamilyattendedwhen he was
youngster. He was successful in severalusinesses and at the time was the gen-ral manager of a Tequila Bar in Palmeach, Fl.
From all outward appearances he wasotally together. He ran with the rich andamous, had an elegant ocean frontondo, was surrounded by beautifulomen but there was a thorn. He wasnhappy, his life seemed totally con-
rived. Alcohol, cocaine and designerrugs were in abundance producinghort empty feelings of euphoria. Andhen that question: “Is this all there is”?
A couple weeks before, dad had visitedalm Beach and the two met for break-
ast. A request for his girlfriend’s cellhone was provided when dad asked forback up number in case he couldn’t
each him.When his mother received the textessage she immediately expected
omething was wrong. She called andhere was no answer. His father received
phone call with a garbled message andhen nothing. He called back and there
as no answer. Dad called the girlfriend.he would run next door with her dadnd check, he was probably just in thehower. It took a while to gain entry.inding empty pill bottles and unable toaken him they called 911 immediately.Paramedics arrived within minutes
nd transported him to the medical cen-er. When he woke up later that night heound his body covered with needles andubes. The prognosis wasn’t good. Hisiver had been severely attacked. It
ould be several days before they’d beble to tell if he’d get a second chance at
ife. Dad flew in from Springboro and saty his side praying his son would survive
his horrible mistake and with out longerm disability.
God was with him as he fully recov-red and was given a clean bill of health.ad asked if he’d be open to gettingelp. He was extremely strong willed
and any demand or suggestion couldhave been met with an emphatic no. Hesaid he’d think about it.
His Uncle Paul offered up Turning
Point in Alabama. His uncle a musicianhad attended the facility and had greatpraise for what it did for his life. The 12-step program would last 90 days at apeaceful farm facility located in aserene valley.
He thought it over thinking his prob-lem really wasn’t the drugs and alcoholit was his belief that nothing mattered inlife, that all the phony people he met inchurch growing up were just like all thephony people he met in Palm Beach.
Where was the love, the care and con-cern for each other that God had prom-ised when he was a young lad. Childhoodtrauma in his formative years and hisparents divorce were never understood.Why me God was still churning in hisheart. He was carrying a lot of luggageand it’s weight had nearly destroyed
him.After much consideration he agreed to
attend Turning Point. Hopefully it wouldsomehow help but he wasn’t 100 percentsold that he was going to find the answer
Several weeks into the program he anda fellow patient went to the chapel onenight. They talked and prayed for threehours. He finally opened his heart andsoul and let it all go to be reborn in thespirit of the Lord.
It was like a million, maybe a billionpages that he’d been writing for twodecades were instantly deleted. He for-gave all, blessed those that hadremained true along the way and walkedin a peace he hadn’t known since child-hood.
Unashamed he would be from that dayforward. Unashamed to stand up for his
Lord and Savior, unashamed to say he isa Christian, unashamed to help the fall-en, unashamed to proclaim how God hadsaved him and gave him an understand-ing that day that he had been seeking forso many years.
Today you can find Paul Steele at theGarage 1919. He’s the director there andon every Tuesday night he presents“Unashamed” to the youth of our com-munity. The program starts at 7:30.
I attended last week to interview Pauland highly recommend his ministry. TheGarage 1919 is funded by a handful of business owners, community leaders andseveral churches in Springboro and thesouth Dayton community. There are noagendas from any of the donors. It’spurely a ministry to help teenagers and
young adults walk in God’s light as theyenter a life of adult hood, marriage, chil-dren, careers and being a good citizen of their community.
DonWright
ColumnistSpringboro
Sun
Contributed photo
PFC Michelle Witzel and PFC. C. Allen Witzel will deploy in July. PFC AaronO’Bryant wil head to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for training.
Michelle and Allen Witzel
heading to AfghanistanAaron O’Bryant continuesfamily tradition by joining
service after graduating SHSPFC. C. Allen Witzel (O’Bryant) and his
wife PFC. Michelle Witzel are preparingto deploy in July. The two are currentlyserving as communication technicians.
Allen and Michelle recently marriedduring their training in February and arestationed in Ft Hood Texas. Currentlyhome in Springboro on leave before theyship out.
The two will be part of the large deploy-ment President Obama promised to sendto Afghanistan. They both enlisted during
the Iraq/Afghanistan conflict to servetheir country. They both knew the proba-bility of being sent to the conflict, butwere prepared to serve.
PFC. Aaron O’Bryant joined the ArmyNational Guard and completed his basic
training last summer. He graduated thisyear from Springboro High School andw il l s hi p out t o F t L eonard WoodMissouri this August to finish his trainingas a Combat Engineer.
Aaron was a cadet with the SpringboroAFJrROTC for the past three years andenlisted during his Junior year.
The brothers share a mutual respectand pride for the armed service sincetheir father Sgt. Mike O’Bryant served inthe US Army. Mike a resident of Ohioserved during 1986-92.
Three arrested
in anhydrous
ammonia theftThree Clermont County
residents were arrested inconnection with the Burglaryof the Southwest Landmarkfertilizer facility in PleasantPlain in southwest WarrenCounty.
At around 12:45 a.m. July 1,Warren County Deputies andHamilton Township Policeresponded to a report of aburglar alarm at the facility.After observing a large cut inthe security fence, two menwere found within the fencedarea of thefacility. A propanetank filled with AnhydrousAmmonia was found nearby.The female suspect wasfound in a nearby vehicle. All
three were arrested.Matthew Paytes, 38, of Loveland, is charged withbreaking and entering, theft,and possession of criminaltools.
Adam Williams, 28, of Goshen, is charged withbreaking and entering, theft,and possession of criminaltools.
Kathleen May Johnson, 41,of Milford, is charged withcomplicity to breaking andentering, complicity to theft,and possession of criminaltools.
All three are being held atthe Warren County Jail.
Anhydrous Ammonia isusedin farming asa source of nitrogen fertilizer. It is fre-quently stolen for use in theillegal manufacture of methamphetamine.
‘Children of Eden’ on stage
at Epiphany Lutheran Church
To the Editor:If you stand outside my house tonight
ou will hear the sounds of fireworks allround you. I spent a year listening to
that and it was not fireworks. Every popnd boom left you wondering eternity.
Now tonight as I celebrate my freedom
’ve earned (rightfully mine for the serv-ce and sacrifice I have made for myountry) one of my neighbors who proba-ly doesn’t even know the meaning of suf-
fering calls the cops.Why did they call the cops? Because my
ireworks were disturbing their peace.
Their peace oh you mean the safety andpeace they enjoy because I earned it forthem? Well you’re welcome. I am glad youare having peace because I spent a yearaway from my family, because I got shot atinstead of you, because I slept outside formonths, and was dehydrated because we
could only have three liters of water a daywhile outside exposed to 120+ degreeweather.
You’re welcome.
Major Ron Weneck,Springboro
Letters to the Editor
Sorry to disturb your peace
THE
SPRINGBOROSUN
