Aio-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 26, 1992 The Christmas Story And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be tax ed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was gover nor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great ■ with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, io, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them. Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tid ings of great joy. which shall be to all people. For unto you is bom this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host prais ing God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the child. All they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlast ing Father, The Prince of Peace. Farm Calendar Tuesday. December 29 .Wednesday, December 30 Thursday, December 31 I'Vidin. ,I.mu.ir\ I Huppx V-xx Year! Sundax. lamiarx 3 Mondax. .lamiarx 4 Water Rights, Water Law, and Irri gation Management meeting, Lancaster Farm and Home Cen ten&SOamj-Mjjm^^^^ Northwestern Pa. Forage Schools, Log Cabin Restaurant, Water ford^hn^an^j^^^^^^ Farm/Municipal Composting Field Days, Preston- Boop’s Briar Patch Farm, Mifflinburg, 10 a.m.-2;30 p.m. Dairy MAP-Managing For Suc cess, Family Time Restaurant, York, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., repeats Jan. 20. OPINION Franklin County Dairy Day, Kauffman’s Community Cen ter. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Regional tomato growers meeting, Thompson’s Dairy Bar, Lacka wanna County, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Farm Financial Management Workshop, Mahantongo Fire Company Hall, Pitman, 7 Northumberland County Winter Conference, Ottcrbein United Methodist Church, Sunbury. 10 Pa. State. Farm Show. Harrisburg, thru January 14. Leader’s Conference, Linganore United Methodist Church, 10 lui , sda\. .liinuarv 12 New Jersey annual vegetable meeting, Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, thru Jan. 14. Evergreen Plant Identification, Lehigh Co. Ag Center, Allen town, repeats Jan. 13, 19. 20. Pa. Flying Farmers. Farm Show Complex, Room D, 9 a.m.-3 (Turn to Pago A3l) -nr— ' To Study Why Businesses Fail Recently, Donald R. Keough, president of Coca Cola Company, shared his 10 commandments for successful losing the reasons why businesses may fail. They are: 1. Quit taking risks. Let some one else take the chance. Sit on your laurels. 2. Be content with the status quo. You cannot really control the future, so let it take you where it may. 3. Before you make any move, always ask yourself, “What would the founder have done?” 4. Be inflexible. If you want to lose, rule out flexibility. Do not confuse unwavering principles with unwavering prejudices. 5. Rely totally on research and experts to make decisions for you. 6. Concentrate on your competi tor instead of your customer. 7. Put yourself first. 8. Make sure that administrative concerns take precedence over all others. 9. Look to someone else to do the thinking for you. 10. T-G-E-= That*s Good Enough! That is a losing formula. You should never have an upper limit on quality. T-G-E subscribers also have a related credo: T-N-M- J: That’s not my job! As you begin planning for 1993, how many of these losing com mandments do you have? Now would be a good time to change them into winning commandments. To Keep Cows In Good Flesh Does your cow herd need to gain weight? There is increasing evi dence that proves when cows lose body condition during mid gestation, their ability to cycle is lower during the next breeding season. Researchers at the University of Missouri found when cows lost weight, prior to calving and con tinued to lose weight after calving, the number of females cycling 60 days after calving was only 23 per cent The number of cows in good condition at calving was 90 percent Trying to increase the body con dition of thin cows after calving resulted in 46 percent, cycling within 60 days. ' The time to improve their condi tion is now. Waiting until the last 100 days of pregnancy to put on the gain may be much more expen sive than putting the gain on at a slower rate. To move a thin cow to moderate condition (260 pounds gain —lOO pounds for fetal growth and 160 pounds for cow weight gain) would require a daily gain of 1.3 pounds if the cow was 70 days pre gnant (260 pounds/200 days) or a daily gain of 2.6 pounds if the cow was 170 days pregnant (260 pounds/100 days). To maintain a 12.5 month calv ing interval, cows have to conceive by about 100 days after calving. Estimates are that it costs about $3 for each day a cow is open beyond her desired date of conception. By keeping cows in proper condition, you will improve your chances of achieving your 12. S month calving interval. To Continue Good Horse Management Keeping horses healthy and properly fed during the winter months is an important factor in good horse management Horse owners need to remember management practices for the “off season” when their use of horses are at a minimum. Some practices to remember are: BY lAWRtNCt W Al IHOUSE 'muißim MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS December 27,1992 Background Scripture: Matthew 3:1 through 4:11. Devotional Reading; John 1:19-34. Have you ever noticed that just about every mount of inspiration is likely to be followed by a valley of doubt? Inspiration often seems to open us to doubts of which we were previously unaware. A Roman Catholic priest is said to have confided that “Thre’s nothing more boring than hearing the confessions of a group of nuns”. The implication, of course, is that being so spiritually advanced, nuns.have so little to confess. But it isn’t necessarily so! Very often the more we advance in the spiritual life, the more we discover that we would not have recog nized on a lower level. Some of the saintliest people I have known—and there have been a few—were those who were more aware of their imperfection than those of us still battling with the more obvious sins. If you are a drunk, an adulterer, a murderer, a cheat, your sins are very obvious. But some sins—deceit, pride, bit terness, lust, envy, and'others are easily hidden within ourselves. THE TEMPTER CAME So, the higher we climb spirtu ally, the more aware we become of how far we have to go. Jesus was not spared this experience. Three of the gospel writers tell us that, following his wonderful experience of baptism at the River Jordan by John the Baptist, he “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him...” (4; 1,2,3). It is well to note that it was the Spirit of God that led Jesus out into the wilderness and it was Jesus himself, who by fasting for 40 days and nights, put himself in the position wherein he could be tempted. What this means is, not that God wants to see us tempted, but that with every opportunity to choose a higher course, there is also the possibility of choosing a lower one. God could remove the > Study the condition of each horse and make plans for proper nutrition or special care needs. • Check feed supplies, making sure you have a supply of clean, high quality hay and grain to build a balanced ration. • Make sure horses have access to clean and fresh feed and water. • Clean and inspect horse stalls and sheds and repair damaged materials and remove hazards. • Plan for an adequate exercise program during the winter months. • Proper hoof care is a must, especially for young growing horses. • Separate pregnant mares and provide them special attention and proper nutrition. • Clean, inspect, and properly store tack that will not be in use during the winter. Feather Profs Footnote: “Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them." temptation only by giving us no choice at all. But when we are confronted with a higher and low- er way, the tempter is always pre -1 sent to persuade us to take the lower way, just as the Spirit is always present to encourage us to take the higher way. When Jesus recognized at the River Jordan that God was saying to him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” the valley of temptation was assured if he took this message seriously. The temp tation is part of the offer. There would be no good, if there were not the possibility of evil. Note, how the devil tempts him: “If you are the Son of G0d...”. TRUST IN THINGS sn It is interesting that Jesus was faced with the same temptations that sometimes confront us. Not that you and I are ever tempted to turn stones into bread, but, we are tempted to forget that there is more to life than material things. We too are tempted to trust in things, but Jesus answered rightly when he said, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (4:4). I’m not sure about the second temptation, to test God, but the third one is known to all of us, the temptation to use ignoble means for the sake of achieving noble ends. How often has the tempter said to each of us, “All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me”? AH of us need to remember as Jesus did: “Begone, Satan! for it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” (4:10). Note that the tempter often appeals to reason. In fact, that which makes temptation so com pelling is its shear reasonableness. If Jesus were the Son of God, then, of course, he could do these things! If you and I want to see the Kington of God on earth, then why not do this or that to make its coming more sure? At last the devil leaves, although Luke says, only “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Unfortunately, he will be back. But let us remember that if the devil returns to the valley of temp tation, there will also be more mounts of inspiration. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A SMnman Entmpfk* Robert C. Campbell General Manager EvarMt R. Namwangar Managing Editor Copyright IW2 by Lancaalar Farming
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