A farmer was driving along with a load of manure when he passed by a little boy playing in a yard.

 

“Something stinks,” the little boy called out. “What do you have in your truck?”

 

“Fertilizer,” the farmer replied. “I’m going to put it on my strawberries.”

 

“You ought to live here with us,” the boy said. “We put sugar and cream on ours.”

 

That farmer might have known the best way to grow strawberries, but that little boy knew the best way to eat them. I’m not sure there’s anything better than strawberries with sugar and cream, unless it’s blackberries cooked into a pot of dumplings, which was a midsummer delight in the community where I grew up. God really did create a world of wonders for us in the tasty foods we enjoy, in the beauty of the countryside where we live, in the kindnesses of our families and friends.

 

As we grow older, we become more mindful that we should take time to enjoy the good things that God has put in our lives, whether it be a peach so luscious that juice drips off our elbows, the smell of fresh air after a summer rain, the view from a high mountain lookout, morning dew on bare feet, leaning on a gate watching cows graze, gazing skyward as a V of honking geese pass overhead, walking with our families along a country lane, celebrating that first fish caught by one of our little ones.

 

That’s because, as we grow older, we realize that our time on this earth really is short, as the Bible declares: “Your life is like the morning fog; it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14). We need to enjoy the good days for bad ones are certain to come.

 

Some wise person once said that growing old is not for sissies. It’s a tough, painful process. We deal with all kinds of hurts along the way. Thankfully, we have Jesus who will be right there with us when life gets tough.  My friend and neighbor, Damon Rains, always assures everyone of the Lord’s faithfulness. He’s 95, a World War II vet, and as solid a Southern Baptist as you’ll ever meet.

 

To Damon, it seems like just yesterday that he, as a rambunctious kid, hopped a coal train to see what was beyond the tiny East Tennessee community where he was born. Damon remains an active and adventurous sort. He actually played softball in a church league a couple years ago, earning a frontpage headline in the newspaper: “Still swinging for the fences.”

 

I saw Damon sitting on his porch swing the other day, and I couldn’t resist stopping in to visit. He told me he’d had a heart attack a few weeks ago, that he’d spent several days in the hospital and many more days recovering at home. But, he cheerfully announced, that he’s doing a lot better now.

 

I love listening to Damon reminisce about his life, whether about growing up in a coal town in the Appalachians or fighting the Nazis a world away as a young machine gunner in the Army. Those chapters of Damon’s life may seem long, long ago to a younger generation, but he’d chuckle and tell you the years have flown by.

 

If you’re fortunate, you’ll make 95 one day. And when you do, I hope you’re able to think back over a life of porch swings, and strawberries, and happy times, and that you’ll ponder the years and see, like Damon, that Jesus was right there with you all the time.

 

Roger Alford offers words of encouragement to residents of America’s heartland. Reach him at rogeralford1@gmail.com.

Get More Fresh

 Produce in Your Diet

Shopping at farmers markets is one way to get delicious and fresh produce you can enjoy at home.

“Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables helps families live healthier lives and reduces the likelihood of chronic disease,” said Elaine Auld, CEO of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE).  “Lack of nutritious foods puts people at high risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.”

Not everyone may be familiar with shopping at farmers markets. Auld offered the following tips to help people make the most of bringing the best of the farm to their family.

Know the season. Knowing what you may find at the market, before you go, can help you shop efficiently and cost-effectively. Specific fruits and vegetables available in your community will vary based on the seasons and weather.

Plan your meals but leave room for spontaneous purchases. Plan your meals in advance but, leave some room to improvise or adapt recipes. Farmers markets can expose you to new hybrids of traditional vegetables, such as broccolini, which is a combination of broccoli and kale.  Talk to the vendors and ask them how to prepare something that you may have never tried before.

Shop to save. To save money, buy in bulk or late in the day. Vendors may be more willing to make you a deal. Sometimes bulk purchases are discounted.  Some vegetables can be frozen for later use. Many farmers markets also accept electronic benefit transfer (EBT) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases.

Bring your own bags. Nylon or cloth bags can help ensure your purchase makes it home safely. A backpack can help if you have a long distance to travel.

Get used to handling fresh produce. Always wash all fruits and vegetables before eating. It may take time to learn how to handle freshly harvested produce, but the superior flavors are worth it. Ask how to best store your purchases to maximize freshness and flavor.

To help promote healthy eating, SOPHE partnered in a three-year national project, Partnering4Health.  There are Partnering4Health projects in 97 communities across the country assisting people and communities to live healthier.

A third of the projects are supported through the National WIC Association (NWA). The American Heart Association, the American Planning Association and the Directors of Health Promotion & Education, are also involved.

USDA provides federal grants to states for WIC.  These programs provide breastfeeding support, supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk. Here are a few examples of WIC programs that are working in their communities to help women and families access nutritious food.

The area WIC program in Durango, Colorado, was able to work with community partners to offer a free farmers stand in low-income communities offering fruits and vegetables. They’ve served 500 people and given away an estimated 3,000 pounds of food.

Getting fresh fruits and vegetables is a challenge in Angelina County in East Texas. Organizers with WIC set up a network to distribute fresh produce to three area food banks serving 16,000 people.

In Marion, Virginia, WIC organizers working with the H.A.N.D.S. Healthy Corner Store initiative increased availability of fresh produce and healthy snack options in rural convenience stores.  They also worked with farmers market managers to increase awareness of fresh, locally grown produce.

Learn more about #Partnering4Health:www.partnering4health.org and #Gr8rwithWIC: http://www.greaterwithwic.org 

As Jodi walked to class that day the freshman noticed a large circle of booths spread out across the main courtyard of campus.

Scattered among the booths was one giving away free t-shirts with the school’s mascot on it. All Jodi had to do to get the free swag was fill out a form. As a bonus she would receive this little plastic card that was practically free money.

Or so she thought. Four years later she was stuck with a $5,000 t-shirt thanks to the debt she rang up.

Children who learn the importance of saving money at a young age are much better prepared to manage their money independently once they are grown,” says Eric Hutchinson (http://erichutchinsonfinancial.com), certified financial planner and author of the book “The Financial Briefing.”

Jodi’s parents never talked to her about debt. Or how she could have bought a similar t-shirt with cash, stashed away a matching amount in an emergency fund and been in the clear financially by the time she graduated. Instead she has joined the average college graduate in America who leaves school with more than $5,600 in credit card debt alone.

Hutchinson recommends that children begin to build an emergency fund as soon as they can so they can have some money saved up and understand the principals of savings and creating an emergency account by the time they become young adults.

Here are seven ways to help your child develop a lifetime emergency fund:

•Encourage kids to save something. Whether it be a 10-year-old stashing away a dollar or teenagers opening a savings or checking account, get kids in the habit of saving no matter how small the amount.

•Help kids balance treats and sacrifices. Help your kids by setting, and meeting goals. Once those goals are met allow them a little withdrawal to buy something for themselves.

•Loose change goes to the emergency fund. Loose change can add up, so don’t let kids discard those pennies or leave them lying in the parking lot – no matter if they are heads or tails up.

•Set an example. Children don’t miss much, and if they don’t see you saving, they might wonder why they need to save.

•Keep kids away from credit as long as possible. Credit card companies have large marketing budgets and much of those funds are spent on marketing to older teenagers. Make sure he or she understands what credit pitfalls could lie ahead.

•Schedule money meetings. Meet with your child at regular intervals so that you can discuss their emergency account, answer questions and discuss money issues he or she might encounter.

•Help kids set up a real budget. The earlier kids learn to manage a budget, the easier things will be down the line. Younger kids can start learning by jotting their plusses and minuses down on a piece of paper, while older kids can be introduced to budgeting on software and apps.

“Circumstances are always changing as people grow older,” Hutchinson says. “I would recommend going over each year’s changing needs with your kids. The emergency fund has to adapt and be ready for whatever circumstances might pop up.”

By Melinda Myers

Enjoy herbs all year round. Harvest herbs now for garden-fresh meals and preserve a few for the winter ahead.

Snip a few leaves or leaf-covered stems as needed. For the same intensity of flavor, you generally need two to three times more fresh herbs than dried except for Rosemary which has an equally strong flavor fresh or dried. Continue harvesting herbs as needed throughout the growing season. And don’t worry about harming the plant because regular harvesting encourages new growth which means more for you to harvest. Just be sure to leave enough foliage to maintain plant growth.

You can remove as much as fifty percent of the foliage from annual herb plants. This is about when the plants near their final height.  You can remove up to one third from established perennial plants that have been in the garden for several months or more. Harvest when the plant has formed buds, but before they open into flowers for the greatest concentration of flavor. This is the perfect time to harvest herbs you plan to preserve.

Use a pair of garden scissors or pruners for faster and easier harvesting. Make your cuts above a set of healthy leaves to keep the plants looking good. Then preserve the flavor and zest of herbs with proper storage and preservation.

Store thin leafy herbs like parsley and cilantro for up to a week in the refrigerator. Place in a jar of water, like a flower arrangement, and loosely cover with a plastic bag. Keep basil out of the fridge to avoid discoloration and others on the counter for quick and frequent use.

Wrap dry thicker-leafed herbs like sage and thyme in a paper towel, set inside a plastic bag and place in a warmer section of the refrigerator.

Freeze sprigs, whole leaves or chopped clean herbs on a cookie sheet. Or pack clean diced herbs in ice cube trays and fill the empty spaces with water. These are great for use in soups and stews. Store the frozen herbs and ice cubes in an airtight container or baggie in the freezer.

Or bundle several stems together, secure with a rubber band and use a spring type clothespin to hang them in a warm dry place to dry. Make your own drying rack from an old embroidery hoop, string and S hooks. Visit Bonnie Plants do-it-yourself Herb Drying Rack project (bonnieplants.com) for detailed instructions.

Get creative and use some of your herbs to make a fragrant edible wreath. Use fresh herbs that are flexible and easier to shape into a wreath. They will dry in place and can be harvested as needed.

Speed up the drying process in the microwave. Place herbs on a paper towel-covered paper plate. Start with one to two minutes on high. Repeat for 30 seconds as needed until the herbs are brittle.

Store dried herbs in an airtight plastic or glass jar.

Keep enjoying these fresh-from-the-garden flavors throughout the remainder of the season. And consider preserving a few for you, your family and friends to enjoy throughout the winter.

FRANKFORT — As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, it is important that we take some time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives for this great nation. The brave men and women who took the fall for our freedom are owed far more than we could ever be repaid.

While we use this holiday for many purposes, including visiting with family, grilling out in the backyard, or maybe just a day off work or school, we must not cease to remember that this special day carries far greater value. Over a million heroes have lost their lives over this nation’s history for a higher purpose: to protect the cause of freedom.

 

The courageous Americans who rushed the beaches of Normandy, occupied the trenches in Vietnam, and reported for duty after the 9/11 attacks all felt a noble calling: service to the country they love. Even further, they served a country that provides fundamental rights to all people, and was founded on the premise that these basic freedoms are non-negotiable.

 

We owe a promise to our fallen heroes that is fundamentally American at its core: that we shall never forget those who have died for our rights. We shall never forget their contributions to the furthering of American society, as their actions made this nation a beacon of light across the globe. Their valiance made America a nation for others to model, thanks to our thriving democracy, free way of life, and status as a nation which is the freest, most prosperous in the history of civilization.

 

We always have, and certainly will continue to face difficulties and challenges, as all great countries do. But thanks to the sacrifice of those we stand to honor this week, America will always stand on a pedestal. Our great nation will continue to chart a path forward for the noble causes of freedom, honor, and democracy, thanks to the sacrifices of so many

I always keep the sacrifices of our troops in mind, not just on Memorial Day, but throughout the year. When working in my capacity as a State Representative, I am constantly reminded that the privilege of serving as the people’s elected representative would not be possible without our military. This is something for all of us to keep in mind, as our freedoms as a people to speak out when necessary, and to participate in democracy are solely because of the resolve of our armed forces, including the many who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

It is a great honor to serve as your voice in Frankfort. As always, I welcome your comments and concerns on any issues impacting our Commonwealth, even while we are not in session.  I can be reached through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181, or you can contact me via e-mail at David.Hale@lrc.ky.gov. You can keep track of committee meetings and potential legislation through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.ky.gov.

PAM 

YOUNG

Guest Columnist

What’s up with us women and our appearance? Do we want to look younger or just not look older? When we were children we wanted to be older, that’s why we’d answer, “I’m seven and a half.” But we didn’t think about wanting to look older. I remember being carded in my twenties because I looked younger than 21, but I didn’t have a desire to be or look older, because drinking wasn’t my thing and age really didn’t concern me.

However, at about 35, I started seeing the first signs of looking older, as daring, stray, gray hairs began sprouting at my temples. I paid the kids a penny a hair to pull them. By the time I was 55 my offspring had moved on to better paying jobs, and besides, if they’d still been willing to work for me, I’d be two-thirds bald.

At 60, I dyed my hair for the first time, but after about four years I let my real color grow out and the gray take over. I also got tired of hearing a wolf whistle, turning around and shocking the life out of some young guy who thought he was going to get the attention of a young chickie only to find an old lady glaring at him. I actually prefer being a “Q-Tip” (that’s an appropriate name to describe a person with white hair) because the wolf whistles have stopped and I am officially invisible to the opposite sex. It’s a good thing.

Did you happen to watch the Academy Awards about four years ago when Barbra Streisand sang a tribute to her close friend Marvin Hamlisch who had just passed away? She sang The Way We Were but she wasn’t the way she used to be. That’s because she was trying to look the way she used to so she had a facelift and bless her heart, she looked wonderful, but when she sang, her face never moved, just her lips did, a little!

She’s a genius as a singer, actor and producer, so why did she put herself through that procedure? We’re the same age and she definitely looks younger than I do, but at least my lips move when I talk!

I think one big reason why we women are more aware of looking older is because we wear make-up and as we get older, we end up having to use a magnifying mirror to see what we’re doing. I bought the one I have today at a garage sale and I swear it enlarges my face so much I can watch my cells divide. The thing even has lights, and I asked the woman who was in her 70s why she was selling it. “It’s just too damn scary!” she replied.

Men don’t need a magnifying mirror to shave and I think if they had to look into one of those mirrors every day, they’d be considering facelifts the same way women do.

A couple of years ago, I was at a local Chamber of Commerce event and my neighbor had a little table of beauty products she was selling. I went up to her to say hello and she asked, “Would you like to try this wonderful hand scrub?” Before I could ask what a hand scrub was she took my hands and poured water over them and smeared about a teaspoon of gritty substance in my palm. “Rub your hands together real good,” she instructed. As I moved the sandy grit around as if I were rolling my hands in glee, she said, “Now hold your hands over this bowl and I’ll rinse them off.” Once they were rinsed, to my utter amazement, they felt as smooth as a dolphin’s tummy! I was impressed as I dried on a paper towel. “Come over to my house some time and I’ll give you a free facial!” she invited. That’s when I really looked at her and realized she looked amazingly young and she had to be somewhere around my age!

The next day I went for my free facial and walked out of her house with $497 in beauty care products for my face. I went from washing my face in the shower when I shampoo my hair, to preforming a ten minute, six-step beauty regime every night. Spending that kind of money compelled me to use the products, but six months later when it was time to fork out another wad of cash, I gazed into my magnifying mirror of horror, and had to admit, I looked no different than I had before I’d scrubbed my hands at the Chamber of Commerce.

One of the gifts of aging is we have more time to think about things. I’ve come to the conclusion that since my face is 74 years old and my husband’s face is 74 and most of our friend’s faces are in the mid-70s range, I’m just going to enjoy the faces in my life just as they are, including my own.

The bottom line is that those who love us know how old we are and if you want to look younger to those who don’t know how old we are, we can just tell them we’re 10 years younger than we are and they’ll be impressed. Isn’t that what all this “looking younger nonsense” is all about?

For more from Pam Young go to www.cluborganized.com. You’ll find many musings, videos of Pam in the kitchen preparing delicious meals, videos on how to get organized, lose weight and get your finances in order, all from a reformed SLOB’s point of view. Pam’s books are also available on Amazon.

Geoff Roberts, conservation educator at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Salato Wildlife Education Center, holds a largemouth bass caught early Monday morning from Barren River Lake. Barren River Lake State Resort Park, along with Lake Barkley State Resort Park, offer excellent accommodations for a weekend of largemouth bass fishing on two of the best lakes for the species in Kentucky.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The months of May and June make for two of the best for catching largemouth bass. The weather is warm, but not too hot, and the largemouth bass feed heavily as warmer water temperatures increase their desire to eat.

Largemouth bass are one of the most popular sport fish in Kentucky. Two of Kentucky’s excellent state resort parks, Barren River Lake State Resort and Lake Barkley State Resort Park, lie on two of the best largemouth bass lakes in our state.

A buddy weekend of largemouth bass fishing while staying at one of these top class state resort parks could be the trip of the year.

Barren River Lake State Resort Park:

The 2017 Fishing Forecast produced by the Fisheries Division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources rated the largemouth bass fishery in Barren River Lake as good/excellent, noting the lake is chock full of 2- to 4-pound fish.

“You are launching at a good spot at the Barren River State Resort Park ramp,” said Geoff Roberts, conservation educator at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Salato Wildlife Education Center. “You are within a very short run to the biggest tributaries on the lake: Skaggs Creek and Peter Creek. Barren River State Resort is also near deep main lake spots that are productive for largemouth bass in summer.”

Roberts knows Barren River Lake like the back of his hand and has landed myriad largemouth bass in the 3- to 5-pound range from the lake over the years with some larger bass mixed in with these. In early summer, he likes a jig in hues of green pumpkin, brown, orange with a touch of chartreuse or a medium running shad-colored crankbait to catch largemouths.

“The bass move to main lake points after they spawn,” Roberts said. “Focus on ones that are near deep water. They need deep water nearby in summer.”

A river or major creek channel swinging close to one of those points supplies the needed deep water sanctuary.

“As you fish those points, work the drop that falls off into the river or creek channel,” Roberts said. A jig fished in a slow pull and drop retrieve works great in these spots as does the crankbait worked shallow to deep.

“The state resort park is also close to main lake bluffs that are productive for largemouth and Kentucky spotted bass in hot weather,” Roberts said. A crankbait worked parallel to the bluff walls picks off bass suspended in the water column near the bluff, waiting for a school of shad to amble by.

“I also like to throw topwater baits in the early morning during summer,” Roberts said.

Lake Barkley State Resort Park:

Lake Barkley is not only one of the best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky, but also one of the best in the nation. It consistently rates high in Bassmaster Magazine’s Best 100 Bass Lakes in the country.

Lake Barkley State Resort Park is in the Little River arm of the lake. A bass angler could have an excellent weekend of early summer largemouth bass fishing without ever leaving the Little River arm.

A shallow lake by Kentucky standards, fishing near the submerged creek channels is key to catching early summer largemouths on Lake Barkley. Anglers who pound shallow cover near the bank will pick off the occasional small largemouth, but anglers who want quality must fish near the channel.

In the early morning, largemouth bass move onto the flats near the channel to feed on shad or small bluegill. Those flats with some brush or other cover on them are best. A medium-running shad-colored crankbait fished on the flat allows an angler to cover water and catch bass. A white buzzbait fished in the same area draws vicious hits from bass in the low light of dawn.

As the sun rises in the sky, an old school 3/16-ounce Texas rigged curly tailed worm in the plum glitter or junebug colors fished along the channel drops draws strikes. A 6-inch green pumpkin lizard fished on a 1/2-ounce Carolina rig also works well in summer, especially if the water has some color to it. Cast the Carolina rig onto the flat and work it back into the channel.

When the truly hot weather sets in, bass anglers move to the main lake and the mouths of major creek arms and fish humps and channel drops near deep water. Locals call these spots “ledges.” A 10-inch plum glitter or red shad-colored curly tailed worm fished on 5/8-ounce Shakey heads draws strikes. A 3/4-ounce black and blue jig and trailer combination also works well on the ledges for largemouth bass.

Slowly crawl these lures on the bottom along the ledge. Fishing the ledges may present the best chance of the year to catch a largemouth bass larger than 6 pounds.

Head to Barren River Lake or Lake Barkley State Resort Parks for a fun weekend of bass fishing and boating this summer.

Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. For more information on the department, visit our website at fw.ky.gov.

Most of us believe we know his story because we learned the song long long ago as children.

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.”

Often, however, thinking we know a story well can prove to be the enemy of hearing it.

This might be called the paradox of familiarity. It afflicts all of us sometime.

Someone stands to read the scripture in church. We think we are listening to it. But, really, what we are hearing, along with the voice of the reader, is a pre-recorded message already in our heads, bearing memories of songs, hymns, sermons on the text, a whole interpretive matrix that mostly just drowns out the passage being read. Because we carry so much of this stuff with us into every hearing of a biblical text, it is very difficult for us to hear it this time, right now; it is very difficult for us to listen to it with our bare attention.

Every once in a while, however, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we may listen, and perhaps be provoked, comforted, challenged, and surprised by words breaking through as the Word of God – strange words, words we don’t remember seeing in this text before, as if we were hearing the text for the very first time. We may indeed be hearing it, the text itself, for the very first time, because we are hearing it relatively free of the assumptions and the accumulated interpretive detritus that has kept us from hearing it before.

So it was, recently, as someone read Luke 19:1-10, I heard the text. And I was stunned to discover what it meant for Zacchaeus to experience salvation.

My early upbringing was in a very southern Southern Baptist Church in deep East Texas. Salvation was about going to heaven when you die. If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you’ll be saved, you’ll belong to Jesus; when you die, you’ll go to heaven, not to hell. I don’t recall hearing a sermon growing up that didn’t include that formula or a variation of it or that wasn’t followed by an altar call. I often wonder how there could still be anyone left to be saved in that small church. We had all walked the aisle at least once, some of us had been saved two or three times just to be sure.

Whether or not this theology of salvation is sufficient isn’t my point today. My point is that this formula provided an interpretive structure, a set of assumptions, through which we heard the Bible. Therefore, growing up, when I heard the text about Zacchaeus meeting Jesus, ending with the passage, “Today salvation has come to this house … ,” I assumed I had heard a fancy way of saying that Zacchaeus now believed in Jesus, was saved and would go to heaven.

Again, this way of thinking about salvation formed an interpretive structure which caused us to hear the Bible through its assumptions. In some sense, we poured whatever biblical text we came across into that structure, not really encountering the text on its own terms. Jesus Christ was made to fit into our system of salvation. He was the key component in that system, it wouldn’t work without him, but it was the system of salvation that ruled the day, and shaped our encounter with the biblical text. A particularly vivid example of this approach to the Bible was articulated by the great nineteenth-century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, who said that his homiletical method consisted in taking a text anywhere in the Bible and making a beeline straight to the cross. The problem, of course, is that this means violating the integrity of the biblical text itself. Most biblical texts are not about the cross of Jesus.

Apparently, even though I no longer shared and as a theologian have critiqued the doctrine of salvation on which this particular interpretive structure is based, unconsciously the vestiges of it still affected my hearing of this and other texts like it. But, sitting in worship in Caldwell Chapel, listening to the reading of Luke 19:1-10, the cobwebs that had been spun for more than half a century around this passage suddenly blew away, as though someone had opened a window and a gust of wind had sent them flying. In that moment I heard what the text said: “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendent of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

This text actually says something far more interesting than that Zacchaeus became a Christian – which he didn’t. And there’s no hint here that Zacchaeus or Jesus was even remotely thinking about life after death. In other words, what is said in this passage was striking to me, first, because of what is not said. What is in fact said in the text is even more striking.

Whatever salvation happened that day, happened right there and then. The character of that salvation was indelibly linked to the identity of Zacchaeus and the nature of his estrangement from his community. If there’s a parable that corresponds to the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, it is the parable of the prodigal son (found a few chapters earlier in Luke 15:11-32), because salvation for both the lost tax collector and the lost son consisted in coming to themselves and being welcomed home.

A prodigal child had gone into the far country and became a wastrel before coming to himself while standing up to his ankles in pig muck. His salvation was waiting for him in the arms of his father. A man who had gone into the far country of becoming a tool of the Roman occupation, a defrauder of his people, the blood-sucker-in-chief came to himself while up to his neck in ill-gotten gain. He came to himself when Jesus invited himself to dinner; he was found when he found he still belonged, that his self-imposed alienation could not break the bonds of God’s love.

The usual crowd grumbled about Jesus eating with sinners, of course, but the fact that Jesus did not recognize the boundary between clean and unclean, insider and outsider, opened the door for Zacchaeus to come to himself, to experience the grace of belonging. Immediately he promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and to recompense anyone he had defrauded by giving them four times in return whatever he had extorted. This was a costly decision, no doubt, because tax collectors made their livings by extortion.

And Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man also is a descendant of Abraham.” What Zacchaeus did in response to what Jesus did was his salvation. When grace appeared he didn’t say he didn’t need it. Jesus awakened in him the consciousness of who he was in relation to God and in relation to his people. Jesus called him to be who he was created by God to be. And he responded with everything he had. This is the salvation of Zacchaeus.

As though to place an exclamation point on my new hearing of the story of Zacchaeus, I recently came across a passage in the new critical translation of Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Christian Faith (published by our own Westminster John Knox Press). I have long been sentimentally attached to the previous English translation of Scheiermacher’s classic because it was translated early in the twentieth century by H.R. MacIntosh and James S. Stewart, two legendary ministers and theologians who were the first two ministers of the Beechgrove Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, where I served while studying for my Ph.D. The new translation does what great translations ought to do and has earned pride of place; the new translation not only improves our reading of the original text, it also evokes from a familiar text new subtleties, new turns of meaning in the English.

As I was reading volume two of the new translation, it felt like Schleiermacher had been standing in the crowd taking notes on the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus, and I wondered why I had never noticed this before. In his development of “The Work of Christ,”  Schleiermacher writes: “The Redeemer takes up persons into the strength of his God-consciousness, and this is his redeeming activity.” The “strength” into which we are taken up by Christ is, as the footnote explains, “when transmitted to others … an active enablement.” A few pages later, Schleiermacher elaborates: “Christ’s activity of taking us up into community with him is thus a creative engendering of the desire-to-take-him-up-into-oneself.”*

Why hadn’t I made this connection before? Simple. Because I thought I already knew what Luke was saying. Clearly Schleiermacher was a more attentive listener than I.

Christ’s redeeming activity is identical with his taking us up into his own consciousness, into his own awareness of God, into his own life as Son of God, sharing with us his own trust and dependence and confidence in God. This is the fullness of Christ’s redemption of us. This is our salvation. This is eternal life now. And, in story form, this may simply be what Luke’s gospel is telling us (although the story tells us even more than this).

Someone once said that every three years or so we ought to forget everything we knew about the Bible and start over again. That’s not really possible, of course, and it might not be desirable. But it would be good if we could be attentive to the Bible so as to hear it afresh, read it anew. If we can do this, imagine the surprises that await us in the book we think we already know.

Megan Parker

Colunmist

I always knew this day would come, but I never really had a plan as to how I would handle the hard part – saying goodbye.

As you’ve gathered, I will be leaving The Clay City Times. In fact, by the time you read this article, my last day as Editor will have already come and gone.

Working for this newspaper has allowed me to become a part of your community, and whether many of you know it or not, I have been a working part of this newspaper for the past ten years.

I started out simply designing ads for local businesses. From there, I’ve handled your subscriptions, classifieds, billing, answered many a phone call and many a question. And for the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to follow in the foot steps of some of the best Editors in this newspapers long held history.

Some weeks it was rough going; I won’t sugar coat it. It’s a tough job for someone who doesn’t enjoy confrontation or hurting someone’s feelings. There’s been many times I’ve hung up the phone after being talked down to and cried. Cried because telling the truth was my job, cried along with someone who had recently lost a loved one, or cried with laughter.

But saying goodbye has to be the hardest thing so far. This community will always hold a special place in my heart.

This newspaper has become a part of me, and in turn I’ve given a part of myself back. I want only the best for the CCT, and I hope in the end it outlasts them all and will always stay true to its purpose, to “serve the people of Powell County”.

Thank you to everyone who helped me out and encouraged me these past ten years. I will always be thankful for each of you.

I only ask one thing of you, and that is to embrace whoever fills my position as you have embraced me. They will need your help from time to time, and if I’ve learned anything from working within your community, each of you are always willing to give a helping hand.

God bless you all, and I’ll see you down the road.

You can always keep up with my crazy life at: 

thejoyofmysimplelife.blogspot.com

Josie Watson

CCT staffwriter

Books are some of our most invaluable resources. They not only help us learn anything we want to know, but they also are able to transport us to new worlds.

My love for reading is definitely a family trait. I grew up with a grandma, mom, and aunts who constantly had a book in their hands. By the time I was three, I was hooked as well. Most times I would buy books instead of toys with money I had saved.

The library quickly became my favorite place. My eyes marveled at the aisles and aisles of books inside, all of which could be borrowed for free. That concept blew my tiny mind. A place with free books? It doesn’t get any better than that!

Much to the dismay of my incredibly athletic family, I was horrible at sports, but I had my own sport; reading. The Summer Reading Program was like my March Madness. I would read books like my life depended on it. I can’t even begin to imagine how many I ended up reading over the course of the program.

I’d like to leave you with a few of my favorite books from my childhood and the synopsis (Synopsis are from each books website):

– A Little Princess

“In Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic tale, Sara Crewe learns that deep down, being a real princess is an attitude of the heart. She is a gifted and well-mannered child, and Captain Crewe, her father, is an extraordinary wealthy man. Miss Minchin, headmistress of Sara’s new boarding school in London, is please to treat Sara as her star pupil—a pampered little princess. But one day, Sara’s father dies, and her world suddenly collapses around her. However, Sara does not break, and with the help of a monkey, an Indian lascar, and the strange, ailing gentleman next door, she not only survives her sufferings but helps those around her.”

– All About Alfie 

“Alfie is an ordinary little boy. He has a mum and a dad and a little sister called Annie Rose. He has no magical powers, and he does not go on fantastic journeys into space or anything like that. But some very exciting and interesting things happen to him all the same.”                                                                                                      -Duck for President                                                                                                                       “When Duck gets tired of working for Farmer Brown, his political ambition eventually leads to his being elected President.”