BEATRICE SHARPTON COTTLE, 89, of Benton passed away Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, 2020 at the Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN.

She was born in Cullman County, Alabama on July 10, 1931, the daughter of Oliver Richard & Bertha (McCurdy) Sharpton.

She married James H. Cottle on June 11, 1955 in Cullman, AL.

Mrs. Cottle was a graduate of Cullman High School, and then attended Trevecca College in Nashville, TN, and attained her Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She was a Schoolteacher for many years, but her greatest and most rewarding achievement was being a faithful and supportive Pastor’s wife.

Mrs. Cottle is survived by her:

Husband: Rev. James H. Cottle of Benton, IL
Son: Jim Cottle & wife Kerri of Benton, IL
Grandson: Brad Cottle of Benton, IL
Granddaughter: Bethany Cottle of Benton, IL
3 Great-Grandchildren: Braxton Cottle, Kalib & Addie Mayberry
1 Sister: Mary Ruth Guthrie & husband Edwin of Logan, AL
3 Brothers: Edwin Sharpton of Logan, AL
Billy Sharpton of Crane Hill, AL
Harold Sharpton & wife Diane of Cullman, AL
Several Nieces & Nephews

Mrs. Cottle was preceded in death by her Parents, by a Daughter-Debbie Cottle, by a Sister-Mavis Sharpton and by a Sister-in-law-Peggy Sharpton.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, October 21st at the First Church of The Nazarene in Benton, IL

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Friday, Oct. 23rd at the Moss Funeral Home in Cullman, with a

Visitation from 12 Noon until the funeral hour at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Public Cemetery of Cullman, AL.

At the Visitation on Wednesday evening, due to local health requirements, there will be a limit of 50 people in the Church at one time, and masks are recommended to be worn by those in attendance.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

While championship sports teams making a visit to the White House has become an annual tradition, a newer one has emerged since President Donald Trump took office: athletes following up a title-winning performance by declaring that they’ll skip the trip.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

by Rick Warren1

“We can choose the sounds we want to listen to; we can choose the taste we want in food, and we should choose to follow what is right. But first of all we must define among ourselves what is good” (Job 34:3-4 TLB). Ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done—and still sleep?

To make the most of your time, you must clarify what’s most important.

Stop saying, “I can’t get it all done,” and start realizing that it’s not all worth doing. You can’t get it all done because God doesn’t expect you to get it all done.

In clarifying what’s important, you’ve got to know what matters most and what doesn’t matter at all. You’ve got to know what counts and what doesn’t count. You’ve got to know what’s going to last and what’s not going to last. Most of the ways you spend your time won’t have any impact in a year—much less in 10 years or in 50 years or for eternity. So you’ve got to know what you value most. And you have to clarify what is and isn’t important.

The greatest gift that God has given you is salvation by Jesus Christ. He came and died on the cross so your sins could be forgiven. You need to accept that gift. The second greatest gift you were given in life is the freedom to choose.

Job 34:3-4 says, “We can choose the sounds we want to listen to; we can choose the taste we want in food, and we should choose to follow what is right. But first of all we must define among ourselves what is good” (TLB). It’s amazing to me that most people have never done this. They go through their entire lives having never taken the time to define what matters most to them—to literally sit down and write out their values. They’ve never said, “This is what is good, and this is what is bad. This is what I want out of life, and this is what I don’t want.”

Why write it down? The evangelist Dawson Trotman often said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips.” In other words, when you can write it and you can say it, it becomes clearer. If you’ve never written down what’s important to you, it’s still fuzzy in your mind. You must define what is good. You must clarify what matters most.

When you haven’t clarified what you want out of life, you’re indecisive all the time, because you can’t do what’s good until you decide what’s good. You can’t do what’s important until you decide what’s important. You can’t practice what you want to do in life until you clarify what you want to do in life.PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor RickTalk It Over

• What things take up a large amount of your time even though they aren’t as important as something else that you just can’t seem to find the time to do?
• How do you decide if something has value in light of eternity?
• What is most important to you? Take some time today to sit down and write out your values and the things that matter most to you.

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

It’s known as Proposal 23 by the Illinois High School Association’s Legislative Committee.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

James Carl Marchese, 97, of Benton, IL,  passed away at 6:05 a.m., on Monday, December 3, 2018,  at Helia Healthcare of Benton, IL, after a brief illness.

He was born on July 7, 1921, to John and Marie (Miller) Marchese in Buckner, IL. He shared many years of marriage with his loving wife, Alfredia (Steinheimer) until she passed away on January 6, 2007.

James was a high school football, basketball, and baseball stand out. He then went into the United States Coast Guard, and served during World War II. Following, he worked as a plant manager for Long Airdox Corporation. James was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church.

James is survived by his one daughter, Cathy Washnock of Ipswich, Massachusetts; his one son, James K. Marchese and his wife, Jeanie, of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania; his four grandchildren, Mikkel Washnock, Lauren Washnock-Maldonado, Elizabeth Marchese, and Victoria Marchese-Sampson; his four great-grandchildren, Madelyn and David Washnock-Hanson, Isla and Tillman Washnock; and his nephew, Steve Stewart; and his niece Jayne Lau.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Alfredia Marchese,  parents, John and  Marie Marchese, one sister, Capitola Stewart, son-in-law, James A. Washnock and one niece, Iris Hampleman.

James loved watching sports, tending to his tomato and strawberry gardens, and playing cards, but most of all, he enjoyed spending precious time with family, especially his grandchildren.

Services have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.

As per families request, cremation will take place.

Services may be held at a later date.

Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.

If You’re Wise, You Won’t Disguise

By Rick Warren — December 8, 20188

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17 NIV). A mark of wise people is that they don’t try to hide their weaknesses.

The Bible says true wisdom is “impartial and sincere.” Those words in Greek both sound like “hypocrite,” and for good reason: They mean “without hypocrisy” or “straightforward.”

Greek theater often featured just a few actors in an entire play who would repeatedly change parts. They would hold masks in front of their faces for each part, and one person could have five or six different masks and parts. That person, that actor, was called a hypocrite.

If you’re wise, you’re not phony. You don’t wear masks and try to be something you’re not. You’re genuine and authentic. What others see is what they get! You don’t strive for perfection or pretend like you’ve already achieved it. You’re aware of your weaknesses, and you don’t try to hide them.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins” (GNT). It’s ridiculous to pretend that you’ve got it all together, because nobody does.

When you start telling people what your weaknesses are, they’re not going to be shocked. They’re already aware. Everybody knows your weakness. If you won’t admit your weaknesses, you’re the only one! We see each other’s weaknesses all the time, and most people are more than willing to point out the weaknesses in others. But we don’t want to point out our own.

If you’re wise, you won’t disguise your weaknesses. People appreciate honesty—when you are straightforward about where you are. It helps the people you’re sharing with to be more open, because they might be struggling, too.PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor RickTalk It Over

• What weakness have you been trying to conceal from others? Do you think that the people in your life are not already aware of it?
• How does trying to conceal your weaknesses affect your physical and emotional health?
• Why does the Bible say you won’t have success if you try to hide your sins?