AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 2, 1993
OPINION
A Look To The New
We come to the end of a year again. The “old” year, 1992, is past
and the “new” year is before us.
As we reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future, we
must make some personal adjustments. The key to these adjustments
comes from our willingness to say good-by to some things we cannot
keep. Farming is such a roller coaster. The markets go up and down.
The children get sick. The excellent cow dies. Or the bam bums.
The key question: when everything else fails, what holds you up?
Do we have an inner resolve that carries us through?
A lot in life is not fair. Many occurrences are out of our control. But
we must let some things go with the old year, the income you should
have had or the cow that should have settled, or the children who left
home-we need to say good-by to the things we cannot keep.
The unkind word someone said to you or about you or the angry
exchange you gave to someone else, these must go, too.
If we can’t say good-by, we will not have energy to spend on new
and exciting possibilities that come to us with each new page of the
1993 calendar.
So, when we ring the new year next Tuesday night, let’s forget the
things of the past we cannot change and cannot keep and move on tc
creative ways to do better in the new year.
This will insure that our wish for you will come true-our wish for a
“Happy New Year To AH!”
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Farm Calendar
Saturday. January 2
Sunday. .laim.in 2
Mmula\, .1.11111,11' 4
Water Rights, Water Law, and Irri
gation Management meeting,
Lancaster Farm and Home Cen
ter, 8:30 a.m.-l p.m.
To Will Or Not To Will, Tulpe
hocken Young Farmers, High
Northwestern Pa. Forage Schools,
Log Cabin Restaurant, Water
_ ford, thru Jan. 6.
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.
Franklin County Dairy Day,
Kauffman’s Community Cen-
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
p.m.
Northumberland County Winter
Conference, Otterbein United
Methodist Church, Sunbury, 10
a.m.-3:IS p.m.
Raleigh DHIA Records Work
shop, Bart Fire Hall, George-
Pa, State Farm Show, Harrisburg,
thru January 14.
Leader’s Conference, Linganore
United Methodist Church,
Unionville, Md., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Baby Lamb Survival Conference,
Dept of Ag, Rt 92, Tunkhan--
Year
Raleigh DHIA Records Work
shop, White Horse Fite Hall,
White Horse, 12:30 p.m.-2?30
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
p.m.
Dairy Cow Nutrition Short
Course, Cecil County Exten
sion, Elkton, Md., 10 a.m.-2
tjjmjjepeat^an^g^^^^
Vet. Assoc, annual dairy meeting,
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Farm Forum
Editor:
The front page article of the
Dec. 19, 1992 issue of Lancaster
Farming “Curator Says Pre
sent Agriculture To Become Obso
lete” could shock the bejeepers
out of a farmer who lias seen the
price of com drop from more than
$3.50 per bushel 10 years ago, to
less that $2.50 this year.
However, don’t sell the farm
yet!
It is obvious that Mr. (Dr. G.
Terry) Sharrer (curator of agricul
ture at the Smithsonian Institute) is
a theorist and definitely not a
pragmatist.
That is the entire problem with
our world today we are follow
ing the theorists rather than the
pragmatists, and look where we
are headed.
Sixty years ago, we followed
theorists who said we could bor
row and spend the world into pros
perity. What happened?
Follow the news. We have bor
rowed ourselves into slavery to
lenders.
Several decades ago, they spoke
To Make Plans
For 1993
Farm Show
Next Saturday marks the open
ing of the 1993 Pennsylvania Farm
Show.
Some of this year’s highlights
include a life-size butter sculpture
depicting an old-time ice cream
vendor, baby animal learning cen
ter, cooking demonstrations by
student chefs, ice sculptures, and a
“ton of change” fundraiser for 4-H.
Special events include Scooper
bowl Saturday where a $3 charit
able contribution entitles you to all
the ice cream you can eat, rodeo on
Saturday, sheep to shawl contest
Monday, Folk Dance Festival on
Monday night, horse and pony
pulling on Tuesday and Wednes
day nights, and Dairy Fun Night on
Tuesday evening.
Governor’s Day on Sunday
starts with a nondenomination ser
vice, the Governor’s Review, and
entertainment by the Hegeman
String Band, the draft horse
hitched competition, and the
Junior Tamburitzans of South
Hills. The show also features many
commercial exhibits, animals,
Pennsylvania commodities, and
the Food Court.
Admission is free and there is a
$2 per vehicle parking fee. The
Farm Show runs from January 9 to
the 14.
To Name
A Guardian
Alan Strode, extension farm
management agent, reminds us itis
very important to choose a guar
dian to manage our affairs when
of a sexual revolution. We certain
ly had one. And it resulted in an
AIDS revolt
What we so readily forget is that
we are mere mortals, too frequent
ly given to tunnel vision and there
fore unable to see the entire
spectrum.
What Mr. Sharrer, did not con
sider when he suggested tf e possi
bility of growing com at 3-inch
spacings in 3-inch rows, is that the
com plant transpires an enormous
amount of moisture which it draws
from the soil.
Unless we irrigated constantly,
there would be insufficient mois
ture to grow com planted that
closely.
If wc would irrigate, from where
would the water come?
Also, could the soil hold enough
nutrients for that density of plants?
I doubt it!
Perhaps Mr. Sharrer should
have suggested fixing a cactus
gene onto the com plant chromo
some. It’s as valid.
As I travel, I see field upon field
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we are no longer capable of doing
them ourselves.
Sometimes those who are still
alive but incapable of managing
their affairs seem reluctant to name
someone to take care of matters. A
legal guardianship assigns respon
sibilities of one person to another,
enabling the guardian to have
access to bank accounts and other
investments, pay bills, make
purchases, and in general take care
of the ward’s financial
transactions.
People who need a guardian
because they arc physically or
mentally unable to manage their
finances receive one either by
assigning one themselves or hav
ing the court appoint a person.
When the court appoints a guar
dian, they consider kinship and
geographical proximity. The court
may appoint someone that you
would not have chosen yourself. In
addition, a court-appointed guar
dian faces a tremendous burden of
paperwork and bureaucracy.
The solution is easy. With the
help of a lawyer, perhaps the one
who wrote your will, draw up a
BrIAWRtNeE W ALTHOUSt
082031L21
sn
ARE YOU A
CHARISMATIC
January 3,1993
Background Scripture:
Acts 2
Devotional Reading:
Acts 2:14-21
I’ve been asked that question
quite a few times over the years.
Sometimes it has been asked by
someone who wanted to know if I
was of a kindred Pentacostal spir
it. Others have wanted to be sure
that I wasn’t “one of those”. I’m
not sure how satisfying my answer
has been for either of these camps:
“Yes, I’m charismatic; all Christ
ians are”.
Charisma, of course comes
from the Greek word for “gift”
and it is particularly used in the
New Testament to denote the spir
itual gifts which God gives to his
people. Although, according to
Paul, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
are diverse (1 Cor. 12), he implies
that all true Christians experience
God’s Holy Spirit and are gifted
by him. So, to be a sincere follow
er of Jesus Christ is to be gifted by
God in one or more ways in
other words, charismatic.
GLOSSALALIA
I’m aware, however, that in our
time the word “charismatic” often
is given a much narrower defini
tion and in the minds of many
refers solely to those Christians
who seek and find those spiritual
gifts given in a state of ecstatic
fervor most often, glossalalia
or “speaking in tongues,” an
experience that Paul termed the
least of gifts and which in ancient
and contemporary times has
divided the churches. In 1 Corint
hians 14:18, 19 Paul says:
“...nevertheless, in church I
w6uld rather speak five words
with my mind, in order to instruct
others, than ten thousand words in
a tongue”.
I have no problem with those
Christians who “speak in
tongues”, but neither am I willing
to grant that their experience is
normative for charismatic Christ
ianity. The ecstatic experience is
not for all Christians and the parti
cular experience of the glossalalia
people is not broad enough to cov
simple durable power of attorney
that will assign responsibility to a
guardian of your choice.
The problem with a durable
power of attorney is that it must be
drawn up when the person is still
capable of making important legal
decisions. When you are incapaci
tated, it is too late.
To Have A
Happy 1993
We are beginning a new year
with new hopes, ideas, and chal
lenges. Now is a good time to
gather the family around and share
dreams and hopes for 1993.
Discuss things you would like to
do as a family—changes that need
to be made and accomplishments
to be achieved.
By spending time talking and
dreaming, we can make 1993 a
very happy and prosperous New
Year.
Best wishes as you work to
make your dreams come true.
Feather Profs Footnote: "If
there’s a better way to do
it. . .find it." Thomas Edison
er all of the work of the Holy
Spirit.
Actually, the Pentecost experi
ence of Acts 2 is a broadening,
rather than narrowing experience.
For one thing, the Holy Spirit
came upon all not just the more
devout or doctrinally correct
who “were all together in one
place” (2:1). We don’t know
whether those gathered together
were 12 or 120 in number, but the
writer of Acts tells us, “And they
were all filled with the Holy Spir
it” (2:4). This was an inclusive,
not an exclusive or divisive
experience.
GOOD NEWS, NOT
BABBLING
This experience is also quite
different from what Paul speaks of
in his letters to the church at Cor
inth. There, they spoke in unintel
ligible sounds, like the glossalalia
of today. But the writer of Acts
tells us that all the disciples
“began to speak in other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance”
(2:4). These were not unintelligi
ble sounds but foreign languages,
for there were lots of foreigners in
Jerusalem from “every nation
under heaven” and “each one
heard them speaking in his own
language” (2:6). This was not
incoherent babbling, but the good
news of Jesus Christ in a variety of
foreign languages the writer of
Acts suggests at least IS.
So, instead of dividing this
great throng, the gifts of the Holy
Spirit actually united these people.
As Theodore P. Ferris says, “They
were a group of people who prob
ably had nothing else in common
save this one thing: they loved
Jesus”.* When people love Jesus,
no matter how diverse they may
be or varied the means in which
they express their love of Jesus,
the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit
unites them and reaches out to
unite the world as well. In that, we
are all charismatics and
pentacostals.
* (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol.
9, Abington Cokesbury Press,
1954, p. 38).
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMmtn Enlmprim
Hobart C. Campbell General Manager
Evens R. Newnwngw Managing Editor
Cepyrlght IM2 by lancaalar Faming