The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill."
Here we have it now, the first week in April. Some fellers are getting into the field and some have already applied anhydrous ammonia. With warmer weather this week I spect there will be several more gett'n with it in their fields. The rain last Sunday didn't amount ta much, but it was quite a strong wind we had this past weekend. We've all been pick'n up lots of limbs and sticks in the yard gett'n ready to mow. As fer one feller, he told his ma, "Why did'nt ya call me. Yer grass is a gett-n so tall it almost tickled my butt."
The boys got a chuckle out of that one but said it did seem to just shoot up overnight with the last few good down pours and then with some warmer temperatures.
The followin' I shared with you before but it bares repeat'n:
JOHN SMITH
There's a lot of talk these days about trade'n with other countries. It oft reminds me of John Smith: John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m. While his coffee pot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG)
He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA) designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).
After cooking his breakfast in his new skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how he could spend today.
After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) filled it with GAS (from SAUDI ARABIA) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.
At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his computer (MADE IN MALAYSIA), John decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL), poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA.
Poor ole John, it seems after all, he's a look'in fer a job in the wrong place.
With Easter just past, it might be a good time ta review the (Scientific) Death of Jesus.
The (Scientific) Death of Jesus
At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time crucifixion was the "worst' death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.
The nails were driven into His wrist, not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.
The Roman guards knew that when the nails were beinghammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breathe.
Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain. He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage...
Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours!
Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from His wounds.
From common images, we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side...but do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.
But before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from his face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture...
He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds. The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.
Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of His blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.
All these without mentioning the humiliation. He passed after carrying His own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where His hands were nailed).
Jesus had to endure this experience, so that we can have free access to God.
So that our sins could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!
JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR US!
From time ta time Quill reader's send this column information they request ta be passed along.
This was passed on ta me by someone who stated the case of passing on jobs and other information to our friends, but when it comes ta God, sometimes we feel ashamed to forward to others because we are worried of what they may think about us.
I express gratitude to the person fer share'n this information ta be passed along and am not embarrassed in review'n the matter. It certainly gives pause for reflection and prayer.
With that in mind, the Mrs. sez her friends have attended some good movies at the theater. Miracles From Heaven, God Is Not Dead 2, The Young Messiah, and Risin'. If ya missed "em, be sure to rent them or buy the DVD when out.
Well, there ya has it then. I hope ya didn't get fooled on April 1st, too bad, or maybe it was you catch'n someone in a joke.
With the clocks turned and the calendar turned, we can begin gett'n into one of my favorite times of year - Spring plant'n. Hope'n you plant some good seeds somewhere and ta see ya in church this week.
Remember, wherever ya is, whatever ya be a do'n, "BE A GOOD ONE!"
Keep on Smile'n,
Catch ya later,
BARNYARD BRUKE