LAURINBURG — Each spring, Scotland Regional Hospice holds its annual golf tournament, a two-day charity golf event that raises funds used to provide care to the terminally ill and their families in the community. Since its inception 36 years ago, the hospice organization’s premier fundraiser has been sponsored each year by Eaton Golf Pride with Scotch Meadows Country Club playing host and has raised over $4.3 million for patient care.

Now we all will agree that the Day time of the 24 hour period is the best time of that period. It is when all the activities of the day are going on. Anything as it relates to outdoor activities, we try to get it done in the daytime. When our eyes open in the morning, especially during this time of the year there’s something about sunlight or sunrise that resonates with all of us and we feel good inside; we open the blinds, the doors to let the sunshine in. We mow the lawn, work in the yard, plant gardens and crops in the daytime. We move around, pay our bills, visit relatives and friends; we go to theme parks, recreation centers, social gatherings, some beach somewhere and other recreational spots; we have weddings and family reunions; we do work around the house and on the house; and if there is something that needs to be done outside, we try to get it done before night comes; daylight brings light; Daylight also brings hope; that today will be a better day; but night brings closure. Because we do know that the worst of the worse comes out at night. Night creatures and things of the night comes out; Headaches, toothaches, stomach aches, back aches, knee aches, arthritis aches and heartaches all occur at night. Day represents life, opportunity, and time; and TIME is mighty precious; and as far as time is concerned, I want to let us know that we all are stewards of time; every last one of us; we are stewards of God’s time, because it belongs to him; the question is “what are we doing with it?” God has entrusted TIME to all of us; and he wants us to make the best use of our time; time is not to be wasted; Community, to waste time is saying to God “I don’t value the TIME that I have here on earth; To waste TIME means “to thumb up our nose to God”…it is to tread lightly on something that is so important; my friends this morning, let’s don’t throw our time around; let’s don’t take it lightly; for we are only here for a short period of TIME; It grieves me and I know it grieves God to see people, especially his children wasting TIME; to see his children dragging along when it comes to the things we need to be doing for him and his kingdom; and that’s called slothful; the bible speaks about being slothful in Romans 12:11 when it says “Not to be slothful in business”…and we are to be about our Father’s business; that means to get in a hurry; some people are never on time! They are late for everything… except for their jobs! And my thing is this; if I’m not late for man’s job, then I will not be late when it comes to God’s job and the work, I do for him; kingdom work requires being conscious of TIME; community, we waste time when we don’t start anything on time! we didn’t buy time; and we don’t own time, it’s loaned to us. The 24 hours of day is TIME; what are we doing with the time that God has given us? I am reminded of this every time I attend a funeral or homegoing service; I am reminded of this every time I see people walking around mad and angry with other people and family; holding things in their hearts against other people, especially family; not speaking to one another; estranged from family for years; that’s a waste of time; community, we only have each other one time; once we are gone we are gone; and when they’re gone they’re gone; and not only that but it bothers me to see folk who profess to be saved acting un-Christlike, crazy, unforgiven, living afar off from God and fellow church members, indulging in sinful activities wasting time; community, wasted time is not time that we can get back; once it’s gone it’s gone forever; look at the ant crawling around on the ground; ants are constantly on the move all the time; they will not be deterred; ants are not slothful, lazy or complacent; and you don’t see the ants wasting time. And you can’t keep the ants down; you can’t discourage them; tear down their ant hill and immediately they’ll build another one; mow over it with your lawn mower and the very next week there will be another one right there; pour ant killer on them and they’ll just move somewhere else; They are a pest, but the ants have it going on! We can learn from them; Solomon the wise man referenced the ants when he said in Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, O sluggard (a lazy sluggard person, a habitually lazy person); consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” What if we were like the ant? What is, if we were as conscious of time as the ants are? They work while it is day as if their lives depend on it; all of us only have a short amount of time in this life; even if we live to see 100 years old it is just a vapor which appears for little while but it soon vanishes away (James 4:14); Jesus said “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night comes, when no man can work (John 9:4).”

PEMBROKE – The Office for Regional Initiatives at UNC Pembroke is launching a new 3D printing program this summer.

LAURINBURG — Scotland Regional Hospice recently honored Joyce Howell with the Emma McInnis Award for Exceptional Volunteer Service. Howell, a 22-year hospice volunteer received the award as part of the Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament closing ceremony.

HAMLET — Bridget Norton of Laurinburg received her second college degree from Richmond Community College on Friday. She now has an Associate in Science degree and Associate in Arts degree, which she earned last year. She earned both degrees for free thanks to the RichmondCC Guarantee program.