rrA-Twr vs ■jecim*>#a ,veim»fc3 iwukkuu AlfrLwcMter Farming, Saturday, December 20, 1997 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 taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was gov ernor 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 Nazjfreth, 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 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, 10, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were spre afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings 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 praising 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, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Thursday, December 25 Merry Christmas! Farm Business Transfer and Struc ture meeting, Fogelsville Holi dav Inn. Thursda\, lanuai'. I Happ\ New \ nir! Lancaster Ft Editor: Lest than 2 percent of the U.S. population is involved with grow ing and raising the food that cven taully ends up on America’s din ner table. It’s no wonder the level of knowledge about agriculture— and about those of us in the beef •K) yean aae. OPINION ❖ Farm Calendars Retirement Reception for William A. Reagan, Franklin County Senior Extension Agent, St. John’s United Church of Christ, ChambersbuTß. 2 n.m.-4 o.m. Monday. January 5 Crop Pest Update, Blairsville Grange Hall, 10:20 a.m.-2 p.m. Crop Pest Update, Worthington Fire Hall. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. If the beef industry is to be suc cessful in the future it must com municate with teachers, healthcare professionals, restaurant owners and operators, scientists and everyday cooks in kitchens around the world. Through the $l.OO per head beef checkoff, that’s exactly what we’re dotM, Bcing inm% in tlie dairy Holy Bible (Turn to Page A«0) To Prepare for 1998 Corn Crop According to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent, top notch com growers do not spend the winter doing nothing. Winter gives the fanner time to consider manage ment decisions that will increase yields and to make adjustments in the cropping program. Possibly the three most impor tant things for farmers to do in the winter season are 1. attend profes sional meetings to make sure they are aware of the most up to date research and its impact on crop production, 2. make the necessary equipment repairs, adjustments and purchases to ensure the best possible planting job is accom plished and 3. purchase the best possible raw materials to ensure an excellent crop (seed, fertilizer, pest control products, etc.). Good growers are busy now preparing for next spring's plant ing. This preparation should in clude quality time for yourself and family. No one can produce at a high level all the time. Time is needed for relaxation and reflec tion. To Increase Corn Profits Information is more important than ever to the profitable crop producer, according to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Ex tension Agronomy Agent. At tending extension meetings, agri culture industry meetings and read ing trade publications are a few ways to make decisions based on the most recent research. Network ing with other good farmers is an other way to get valuable informa tion. The better the information you have to base your decision, the better your decision should be. Do not skimp on inputs like seed, fertilizer and pest control of pests above the economic thresh old. Not all seeds offer the same genetic potential to produce. Find out which varieties are doing the best and use them. Properly plant enough seeds. Corn, like other crops, the more plants there are, usually the higher the yield is. If fertilizer is needed, apply it. However, if fer tilizer is not needed, save the money by not applying any. business. I realize any decrease in consumer confidence in ground beef sales affects the price of cull cows. In the recent Hudson Foods ground beef recall, the checkoff staff sent response letters to News week, US. News &. World Report and NBC Nightly News. Staff talked to the media daily to calm consumer and media frenzy. Isn’t it strange, then, that so of ten Christianity has been per ceived primarily as a system of belief and doctrine. Christianity has been divided and the gospel mlijgpttliy Christians* who have rum to Pi To Look At Bt Corn For the first time in 1997 com growers could purchase com that had the ability to produce its own toxin, Bt, to kill the European Com Borer (ECB). To evaluate the benefits of the Bt corn, an experimental plot was planted at the Penn State South east Research Farm, Landisville PA. Two com varieties were planted. The varieties were the same with the exception one had the ability to produce Bt toxin. Both varieties were planted on April 29 and May 30 and at 26,500 and 31,000 plants per acre. At the end of the season, the corn without Bt there was lodging BY LAWRENCE W All HOUSE ‘issißiys Sff/ the true faith December 21, 1997 Background Scripture: Matthew 1.18-25, 1 John 4 Devotional Reading: Isatah 9.2-7 We all want to have ‘the true faith,’ don't we? That means that we want to be certain that what we believe is more true than any other faith. Many religious char latans today aie able to atliact adherents because they have per suaded them because of their cha risma that they have the true an swers to the biggest questions of life. Do you remember what 1 said last week about the heresy of Gnosticism? These early heretics based their interpretation of Christianity on having ‘the truth’ revealed to them. Salvation was a matter of finding and under standing the ‘nght beliefs.’ Un fortunately, many of those with the ‘right beliefs’ led ‘wrong lives.’ The writer of 1 John said, in ef fect, God is light. Light, the Gnostics understood as ‘illumina tion,’ as knowing the nght stuff, as i e might put it today Hut the writer of John says, yes, God is light, but light is more than illu mination And he leads the reader to see that ‘light’ is essentially ‘love ’ God is light, yes, and God is love. You cannot understand God if you do not know he is love. MY SECRET! The Gnostics reveled in ideas, doctrines.and mysteries. It led many of them to boast, “I know the secrets of God and you do not!” Our author, however, tells us that the basis of knowing God is not in ideas, but in the experi ence of giving and receiving love. “Beloved,” he writes, “let us love one another for love is of God, and he who loves is bom of God and knows God.” With the mind, God is unknowable. With the heart, however, we know God at the deepest level of which we arc capable. “No man has ever seen God, if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is per fected in us.” while Bt corn had almost no plants falling over. The lodging difference was less dramatic for the non Bt com planted April 29 (10.7 per cent) compared to non Bt com planted May 30 (20.1 per cent). Bt com out yielded the non Bt com by 13 bushels planted on April 29 and by 39 bushels planted on May 30. While Bt com may cost a little more money, it would appear it is worth it for com planted after the middle of May. Feather Prof, 's Footnote; "You become successful the mo ment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal." fought over what they believed to be ‘the true faith.’ People have been abused, persecuted, tortured and put to death because they were judged to be deficient in ‘the true faith ’ The Inic I .mil that the writer ol 1 Joint lilts up lor us is something tol.illy different “God is love and he who abides in lose abides in God, and God abides in him " II we want to know ‘the truth,' we can only know it through love— the love ol God that is mediated into our lives and the love we give to olheis LOVEAND FEAR Before I enter a period of prayer, I quiet myself with deep breath ing, thinking to myself as I inhale, “Breath in love,” and as 1 exhale, “breathe out fear." Explaining this to a group I was leaching, I was asked why I used love and fear instead of love and hate? “Isn't hate the opposite of fear?” I was asked. I replied that indeed hate is the opposite of love, but fear is the ground out of which all hate grows. We hate other people— particularly races and religions — because we feel threatened by them. I truly believe that, if to morrow we were able to eradicate all fear in the world, we would find we had destroyed all hate as well Thus I lake comfort in the words of 1 John. “There is no fear in love, bin perfect love casts out leai ” II we tear anything or any one, it is because we do not to tally trust the love of God The message of Christmas is a peren nial reminder to the whole human race that love is the only truth in this world that can heal our fears and hatred. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his 50n...” That is the essence of the Christmas message to the world. The message of Christmas in a nutshell: “And this command ment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.” If you understand nothing else of (he gospel but (hat and live by it, it is enough. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building IE. Miirt St Ephrata, PA 17522 -by- Lancaster Fanning, Inc. A Stelnman Enterprise Robert a Campbell damn! Manager Evens RllwwMpfMißi|lng MW
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers