TLC to explore family ties
“Who Do You Think You Are?” will premiere on TLC at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Celebrities will go on a journey to trace their family trees.
“Who Do You Think You Are?” will premiere on TLC cable network at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Each week a celebrity will go on a journey to trace his or her family tree.
Lisa Kudrow is an executive producer of the series, which is a partnership between Shed Media, NBC Entertainment and Ancestry .com.
The season will begin with Cynthia Ellen Nixon. Nixon, born April 9, 1966, is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1979, in the afterschool special “The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid.”
Her Broadway debut was in 1980 in the revival of “The Philadelphia Story.” Other Broadway credits include: “The Real Thing” (1983), “Hurlyburly” (1983), “Indiscretions” (1995), and “The Women” (2001). Her Tony Award winning role was in “Rabbit Hole” (2006) and “Wit” (2012).
The show will also feature Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Rachel McAdams, Lauren Graham, Valerie Bertinelli and Kelsey Grammer.
A how-to companion book to the series, “Who Do You Think You Are?” by Megan Smolenyak is available to help viewers research their own roots. For more information about Smolenyak’s book, go to www. megansmolenyak.com/books.html.
This American genealogy documentary series originated March 5, 2010 on NBC. Genealogy notes
“Sustainable Genealogy: Separating Fact from Fiction in Family Legends” by Richard Hite is a book that explains how to avoid common genealogical research traps such as:
Recognizing when identical sur- names conceal different nationalities.
Understanding when and why death certificates can be wrong.
Knowing when ancestors’ middle names are not family names.
Respecting the role of geography in establishing ancestral ties.
Remembering that 19th-century genealogies are considered “mug books” and usually contain unsourced information.
The book also provides information on how the methodology he used and the questions he asked helped solve facts from fiction when he researched his family history. For more information, go online to www. genealogical.com.
The 126-page book is available for $18.95 plus shipping from Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.
DEAR L.N.S.: You’re right on one point; we’ll never be perfect in this life. But does that mean we ought to sit back and do nothing about our bad habits, or other things we do wrong? No, of course not.
One reason we need to be concerned about what you call our “shortcomings” is because they have an impact on others. If I’m selfish and unconcerned about the needs of others, they will be hurt.
If I habitually lie and cheat, others will be hurt. If I ignore my social responsibilities or act immorally, others will be hurt. As the Bible says, “None of us lives for ourselves alone” (Romans 14:7).
But we’ll also end up hurting ourselves. Bad habits always have bad consequences — always. It may not be obvious at first; in fact, we may deceive ourselves into thinking we’re on the right road. But we aren’t. The Bible is clear: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).
We should never be content to “accept ourselves just as we are” (as you put it). But God does accept us just as we are!
He knows all about us, including our sins and our failures — and yet He still loves us and wants to come into our lives to forgive us and change us. And this can happen to you, as you turn to Jesus Christ and invite Him into your life. I urge you to make your decision for Christ today.