After 18 years working devotedly as a housekeeper for Holiday Inn Express, Lucy Bell of Natchitoches retired May 1.
She joined the hotel after working 15 years in the hospitality industry. She was the foundation of the housekeeping department and was instrumental in recruiting multiple family members to join the team, whom have also since retired.
“I will miss everybody but look forward to spending time with my family and doing a lot of fishing,” Bell said.
Natchitoches Hope For Paws is teaming up with Sean’s Snowflakes Autism Awareness Group to hold “Paws for Autism” Saturday, June 18 at 8 a.m. at the corner of Williams and St. Clair Avenues. The 1-mile dog walk/fun run designed to not only raise funds for both of these organizations, but will help raise awareness about the benefits that dogs can have for families living with autism. People are welcome to walk with or without a dog. The course will be a repeated loop around the lot. Registration is $25 per person. The event will also include dog games, prizes and local organization booths. There will be a raffle for a cypress rocking chair, custom grill or $100 gift card. Raffle tickets are $10 and can be purchased for Hope for Paws Volunteers or at https://www.raffleriver.com/?r=4143.
Register for the walk/fun run online at www.runsignup.com/pawsforautism. The is no cost for dogs but it is requested to let them know if a dog is coming so they can have some goodies waiting for them.
By Corey Poole
Natchitoches Genealogical and Historical Association President Elvin Shields welcomed visitors to the NGHA’s Open House program June 4. After a recent move from the third floor to the first floor of the old Natchitoches Parish Courthouse on Second Street for asbestos abatement, Rev. Garland Smith blessed the association’s new space.
Mayor Lee Posey presented a proclamation declaring June 4 as Genealogical Day in the City.
The NGHA was organized in 1973 at the conclusion of the first class offered by Northwestern State University titled Library Science 406-Applied Genealogy Research. The association collects, preserves and provides genealogical and historical materials to the public to promote interest in research in these fields among visitors tracing their genealogies.
Shields will present honorary NGHA membership certificates to five inmates at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center for their hard work moving the NGHA to its new home.
Light refreshments were provided and the Reasonable Facsimilie Band played music. Band members are Max Turner, Wayne Barber, Marcy Frantom and Ed Huey.
Unique to the Open House was the attendance of two NGHA volunteers. Sister Lacie Nelson and Sister Collette Barclay are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints in Utah.
The two missionaries arrived as part of a group of 180 church members on a Louisiana-Baton Rouge mission trip. While they’ve been in Louisiana serving in different communities for around 18 months now, they’ve been in Natchitoches for a few weeks.
NGHA First Vice President Marilyn Wood and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints in Natchitoches said the missionaries have changed during the course of their mission trip. There are also two Elders that volunteer at the NGHA on Wednesdays.
The missionaries organize books, help piece together family histories and do their own genealogy research.
“We do this important service work as a part of our mission because we enjoy helping others and the gratification that comes with it,” said Sis. Neilson.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been involved with genealogical research for over 100 years.
FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services each year to learn more about their family history.
To get started on your own research go online to familysearch.org or http://www.discoverfreedmen.org.
By Dora Ann Hatch
School is out! So, what can we do as a family this summer? Berry picking has always been one of my favorite summertime activities. Everyone in the family can pick and everyone can enjoy this delicious healthy fruit.
No matter your age or size, berry picking is for everyone. I have such wonderful memories of picking berries with family and friends. We picked a few, ate a few and threw a few; all in good fun.
To locate a u-pick-em, check the newspapers and community boards for u-pick-ems in your area. Many local u-pick-ems are listed online. Do a google search for MarketMaker, Local Harvest or Pick Your Own; these websites are free to producers and many producers list their farms on the site.
Certified agritourism businesses in the State of Louisiana complete a plan of operation listing the hazards on their farms and how they will mitigate those hazards; only farms whose plans have been approved by the Louisiana Department of Ag and Forestry are listed as a certified agritourism business.
Below are a few tips:
For more information contact Dora Ann Hatch, Agritourism Coordinator, at the LSU AgCenter Extension Office (318) 927-9654 x 229 or e-mail her at dhatch@agcenter.lsu.eduYou can also visit us on the web at www.lsuagcenter.com
By Corey Poole
From left are Margaret Vienne (2009), Marti Williamson Vienne (1979), Marilyn Keyser Williams (1930), Mary Williams White (1964), Rosie Prudhomme Finical (1966), Elaine Bacon and Liz Vienne (2006). Bacon sent all her children to St. Mary’s and her home is built out of refurbished bricks from the old St. Mary’s Elementary location, which was torn down.
Around 200 guests dined at St. Mary’s fundraiser Saturday evening, June 4, while raising money for the memorial garden project around the school’s existing grotto.
Chef Henry Chandler, a graduate of the class of 1977, came home from Georgia to cook a Cajun and Creole inspired meal, which included: roasted Louisiana alligator sausage with red potatoes, onions and a blackberry sriracha sauce; a St. Maurice salad; flash fried shrimp and crawfish in a tasso, spinach and garlic cream sauce over linguini; and bread pudding with a warm caramel sauce. Dinner was accompanied by a table of hams from Grayson’s Barbeque in Clarence.
A silent and live auction featured a variety of items for alum and friends of St. Mary’s to bid on. Memorabilia was on display in the school’s library and posters of former classes decorated the hallways.
By Corey Poole
The master plans for the Rue Beauport Riverfront Project were unveiled at a press conference June 6 at the Events Center held by the City and the Cane River Waterway Commission.
“This is going to be a game changer for the downtown riverbank,” said Mayor Lee Posey.
The City will begin work to relocate a sewer line that runs down the middle of the riverbank July 4-11. This line needs to be moved anyway as the City looks ahead to the future downtown bridge construction project.
Bidding for the Rue Beauport Project will begin Oct. 1 and construction will start Jan. 1. It is scheduled as a 10-month project. At $3 million, the CRWC is funding the majority of the project. Chairman Jim Rhodes said the Waterway Commission feels this project will change the dynamics of the whole riverbank as it will become more used.
“We just want to make sure the Cane River is everything it can be,” he said. “We knew we needed to be a part of this.”
Other aspects of the project include:
Motorists will still be able to drive through and park along the riverbank. Temporary bollards will be used to section off the reinforced grass area from the traffic for special events.
There are still details that need to be worked out, which includes railings over the promenade section that surrounds the stage. The rest of the promenade will feature a safety curb so the view of Cane River remains unobstructed.
“It’s all about the water,” said Carbo.
Another small detail that has yet to be determined is the relocation of some of the transformer boxes on the hillside along the riverbank. The stage will offer visitors a pavilion area with the possibility of movable furniture so they can rest and feel like they’re on the water. The stage will also facilitate a sound booth setup for concerts with permanent lighting and a metal truss system for additional lighting that can be moved up or down.
The biggest concern seemed to be what the vast amount of events that use the riverbank will do while the construction is underway. Carbo said they are working on an accelerated schedule and his gut tells him its optimistic that they’ll finish on schedule. He anticipates the construction will be implemented in a staggered way to retain access to the riverbank for residents and visitors. At some point the whole riverbank will need to be closed, but it won’t be for the entire duration of the project.
Jeffrey Carbo of CARBO Landscape Architecture said the vision for this project began over 20 years ago when the City first commissioned his firm for a master plan envisioning what the riverbank could be.
“I want to commend the City and the Cane River Waterway Commission for three words that most people don’t think about: Quality of Life,” he said.
By Natalie Covher
HHR Contractor Rental Service has added some new machines and doubled up on existing equipment. Some of their most popular and new equipment includes:
“I’ve opened several companies in the past but I’ve never had people thank me for opening one before,” said Owner David “Zach” Zachary. “Even thought it might be difficult to find us the first time, people like the fact that we are local and that they can pick up equipment after hours.”
Featuring 24-hour pick-up and drop-off HHR is able to accommodate weekend pick-ups if they are scheduled ahead of time. New or one time renters only need to give a call before heading out to 240 Bayou Pierre Cutoff Road, across from John Chute Road, on Hwy. 1. HHR also offers local equipment delivery. With prices at or below several other rental competitors HHR has no problem sending an equipment list and rent sheet straight to your phone. For more information, call 318-238-RENT (7368).
The City of Natchitoches and the Cane River Waterway Commission will hold a press conference Monday, June 6 at 11 a.m. at the Events Center to unveil plans for the Riverfront Improvement Project.
The Riverfront Improvement Project, designed by Jeffery Carbo Landscape Architects, will revitalize the downtown riverbank area into a multi-million dollar event and gathering space accessible for all. Construction on the project is expected to begin in January 2017 and will take approximately 10 months to complete.
By Natalie Covher
Jaycees and the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Winners
The downtown riverbank was packed with grill masters this weekend for the annual Cookin’ on the Cane BBQ Festival Saturday, June 5 hosted by the Natchitoches Area Jaycees.Even though parts of the festival had to be changed because of the weather forecast it didn’t slow down the cooks. Teams started arriving Friday evening and began preparing their meats.
“They laughed at me when I called to ask if they were still coming to cook in the rain,” said event coordinator Jason Stelly. “These guys are having a good time and expressing interest in coming back next year.”
The official BBQ competition is governed by the International Barbeque Cookers Association(IBCA) and is a State Championship with points counting towards the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbeque. A total of 28 teams competed for $5,500 in cash prizes and awards.Each entry was given a number and the judges did not know what BBQ entry belong to what team. The blind taste test for the four different categories(kid’s Q competition, chicken, pork spare ribs and brisket) took over three hours to complete.
“I look forward to this event every year,” said head IBCA Judge Brad Caraway. “I used to cook in it and was even reserve grand champion one year. IBCA is very happy with how things are run at this event. We love it. It’s a great venue in a beautiful city.”
After a lot of tasting the results were in and awards were given to the top 10 in each category as well as overall winners including Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion.
Over All Winners:
1st Chris Griffith Grand Champion
2nd Brady BoudinReserve Grand Champion
3rd Chris Sharry
4th Danny Titus
5th Barry Smith
6th Matt Redd
7th Gray Cartwright
8th Rhonda Titus
9th Dennis May
10th Brian Lipps
By Lane Luckie
Shayne Creppel, an alumnus of the Beta Omicron chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at Northwestern State University was named among the national fraternity’s ‘Thirty Under 30,’ which recognizes young alumni for their achievement after their undergraduate careers end.
As director of Greek Life at NSU, Creppel advises 15 fraternity and sorority chapters, in addition to coordinating the activities of the NSU Interfraternity Council, College Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Order of Omega. He also develops and implements educational programming on risk management, sexual assault prevention, anti-hazing, and alcohol safety, and oversees recruitment and intake activities for the Office of Greek Life.
A key figure in the Department of Student Life, Creppel advises the Student Government Association (SGA), aids student body elections and serves as Budget Unit Head for the organization, the SGA Speaker Fee, Organizational Relief Fund and Student Trust Fund.
Shayne earned a Master of Arts degree in Student Personnel Service from NSU in 2013 and a Bachelor or Science degree in Hospitality Management & Tourism in 2010. He is pursuing a doctorate in higher education administration.
As an alumnus, Shayne has assisted in the leadership development of Pi Kappa Phi members by serving as a past Ritual Advisor and New Member Education Advisor. He is also a past board member of the Beta Omicron Alumni Chapter and currently serves as a national volunteer with the Ladder of Risk program.
Creppel is involved in the Natchitoches community. As the youngest member of the Natchitoches Historic Foundation board of directors, he served as Christmas Tour of Homes Chairman in 2014-2015 and was honored as Board Member of the Year in 2015.
“The brothers of the Beta Omicron Chapter have been some of the most incredible individuals I have ever had the honor know in this life,” said Creppel. “I have also had some amazing alumni to look up to like David Morgan, Robert Crew, Shawn Daily, and Joe Sampite just to name a few.”
Alumni of 27 different chapters are represented in the group of 30, painting a broad view of Pi Kappa Phi as a national organization. Fellow Beta Omicron chapter alumni Manny Augello, Lane Luckie and Wil Adams were previous recipients of the ‘Thirty Under 30’ honor.
By Corey Poole
Click this link to see more pictures from the Kids Fishing Derby: Poole Photography
Over 300 people cast their lines at the Kid’s Fishing Derby at the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery June 4. Youth ages 3-15 fished for catfish in two of the Hatchery’s stocked ponds. Other activities included a Flip, Pitch and Cast contest, an inflatable jumper, face painting, a train ride and more. The Natchitoches Regional Medical Center cooked up a burger lunch for all the participants. The Natchitoches Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association gave a tackle box to every child that registered to fish, along with a free CCA membership.
By Corey Poole
Photos: Randy Stelly shared two pictures with the Natchitoches Parish Journal. One shows him meeting Muhammad Ali and the other shows him meeting George Foreman. These two boxers faced off in a historic boxing event in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire called “The Rumble in the Jungle.” With a crowd of around 60,000, Ali won when he knocked out Foreman in the eighth round.
Whatever the mind can conceive, a person can achieve. Natchitoches resident Randy Stelly availed himself to the opportunity to meet Muhammad Ali, a legendary boxer who called himself, “The Greatest.”
“We’re only six degrees removed from everyone on Earth,” said Stelly.
Ali, 74, passed away today, June 4 at a Phoenix area hospital where he was being treated for respiratory complications.
Stelly interviewed Ali in 1980 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston during a breakfast in one of the most exclusive restaurants at the time.
His friend Congressman George “Mickey” Leland, an anti-poverty activist, asked Stelly to do the interview to find out what Ali’s positions were on the 1980 summer boycott of the Moscow Olympics. The state department was considering making Ali a special envoy for the event. The boycott was a way for the U.S. to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Stelly gained an invitation to the breakfast through his friend Lenora Carter, publisher of the Forward Times, an African American publication in Houston.
While most people asked Ali questions about his accomplishments and athleticism, Stelly asked for his thoughts on the Iranian hostage crisis. Stelly said Ali was impressed by his political question and told Stelly to meet with him after the breakfast.
The crisis involved 52 American diplomats and citizens held hostage for 444 days after supporters of the Iranian Revolution took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
According to Stelly, Ali was against the seizure of the embassy, but supported the revolution itself.
Looking back on his audience with “The Greatest,” Stelly said he feels blessed for the opportunity to meet with him. However, Ali’s passing has made him realize there’s a price for earning all that glory. Ali paid a price for the fame and fortune he received and the punishments he took in the ring cost him later in life.
At 70 years old, Stelly exercises every morning with 11 laps and 200 pushups. Close in age with Ali, Stelly said, “No matter how great the body, I still think I’m blessed to be as active as I am today.”
U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBC), announced Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant of Natchitoches as Small Business of the Week June 3, and will be submitting it into the official Congressional Record.
“Louisianians are known far and wide for our unique culture and cuisine, and that couldn’t be more true than of Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant in Natchitoches,” said Vitter. “For nearly 50 years, James Lasyone and his team have shared Louisiana Cajun and Creole cuisine with their community and folks across the world—including their handmade meat pies for which Natchitoches is so well known. Congratulations to the Lasyone family and Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant for being selected as Small Business of the Week, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.”
In 1967, James Lasyone founded Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant in Natchitoches with the goal of sharing his delicious meat pie creations with the community around him. Today, Lasyone’s offers many other popular food items including crawfish pie, red beans and sausage, dirty rice, southern fried catfish, bread pudding with rum sauce and chicken and dumplings. Lasyone’s has garnered national success, receiving recognitions in a variety of publications including Southern Living, Cooking with Paula Deen, The New Yorker, Glamour Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, and The New York Times. The restaurant has also been featured on Good Morning America and in publications and television shows in France, Italy and Spain.
By Corey Poole
The Northwestern Louisiana Cancer Center celebrated National Cancer Survivors Day June 1.
A patient at the Center, Michael Callahan, blessed the food that was provided at the event. He is the pastor at the First Baptist Church on Amulet.
Kaye Dalton, of Campti, spoke to the crowd on her battle with breast cancer. Her diagnosis shocked her as no one else in her family ever had cancer.
“I wasn’t expecting what I got,” she said. “I’d never been sick and I’d never taken medication. It was quite a blow to me.”
However, Dalton said one blessing she received through her experience was coming into contact with the people the disease brought her to. When she was originally looking for a doctor, she researched ones in the Shreveport area, but didn’t want to make the trip over and over again. Wanting to stay local, she started seeing Dr. William Ball Jr., an affiliate of the Center.
“I’m glad I chose to stay in Natchitoches,” she said. “I’m not just a number here. I’m a person. I’m so blessed to have such a beautiful facility here with such dedicated people.”
Mable Roberson moved to Natchitoches from Texas during her battle with breast cancer.
While she didn’t want to make the move, she feels Natchitoches is where God placed her. It was at the Center that she met staff member Kayla Dowden.
“Kayla was such a blessing to me,” said Roberson. “There were many days we laughed, cried and smiled together. She gave me the encouragement I needed to get me through.”
Six years and six months as of June 1, Roberson is a survivor who wants others battling cancer to know that God would never put anything on someone that they couldn’t bear.
“God gives us these challenges so we can then become an encouragement to the next person we come into contact with,” she said.
To that end, 10-year colon cancer survivor Craig Moran will lead support groups at the Center for survivors and people in the midst of their battle, so they can talk and listen to their stories. He plans to bring speakers to the group at future meetings.
The first meeting will be held Monday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m. The second meeting is set for Monday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. Meetings will then be held on the first Monday of each quarter at 5:30 p.m.
For more information contact the Center at 238-3322 or Moran at 471-2027 or kc5krp@etigers.net.
NPSO Patrol Division deputies were patrolling Hwy.504 in the Oak Grove community June 1 at 10:46 p.m. when they stopped a 2003 Mitsubishi passenger car for a traffic violation in the parking lot of a business.
The driver was identified as Tasley Glen Lindsey, 38, of Marthaville. Lindsey’s license was suspended and he was wanted by the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office for criminal neglect of family.
After placing Lindsey under arrest on the outstanding warrant, deputies say he told them he had four bags of fake dope on his person that was Epson Salt.
Deputies discovered two pieces of rolled up paper and two small cellophane bags with 2.3 grams of suspected methamphetamine valued at $300. A field test revealed the presence of suspected methamphetamine.
Deputies also seized a digital weighing scale and drug paraphernalia.The seized narcotics will be submitted to the crime lab for narcotics analysis and positive identification.
Lindseywas booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center and charged with possession of CDS schedule II Methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal neglect of family (Sabine Warrant).
Lindsey is awaiting bond.Lindsey allegedly confessed he was going to sell the illegal narcotics to make money.
By Kevin Shannahan
Natchitoches’ First United Methodist Church hosted a group of 30 bicycle riders Thursday night, June 2, as they made their way from Jacksonville, Fla. to Monterrey, Cali. The bicyclists are members of Bike & Build, a volunteer organization that raises money for, and awareness of, affordable housing. Bike & Build, in operation since 2003, has a simple premise: Young people biking from coast to coast stopping for “build days” in which they help Habitat for Humanity, We Build Together and other housing organizations.
The group averages 70 miles a day and spends their evenings in community centers, churches and camping. While at FUMC, they introduced themselves to church members and gave a presentation on their mission and the problem of the lack of affordable housing. The team members were then treated to a dinner of fettuccine alfredo and salad. They spent the night in the church gym before leaving early Friday morning for their next stop in Grand Cane in DeSoto Parish. Local physician and Boy Scout leader Dr. Stephen Wheat left the evening’s Scout meeting to hold an impromptu clinic for several of the riders, making it a truly busy night at FUMC.
In addition to their labor at building sites, each rider has to raise funds for his or her journey as well as for the affordable housing cause. There are 10 trips each summer, eight cross country and two shorter coastal rides, giving 300 young people, ages 18-26, the experience of a lifetime. The impressive commitment of the 3,000 plus riders over the years has raised $5.8 million donated to housing charities, 200,000 build site hours and covered 9.5 million miles. It has also brought awareness of housing issues to countless people along the way. The NPJ wishes trip leader Robert Dunn and his team a safe and productive journey. Godspeed ladies and gentlemen!
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s deputies, State Police, Natchitoches Parish Fire District 1 and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS Paramedics arrived on the scene of an eighteen wheeler crash on La. Hwy 490 at Chopin June 3 at 12:09 p.m.
The operator of the eighteen wheeler complained of minor back pain.
Troopers assigned to LSP-E Alexandria are investigating the crash.
The Natchitoches Parish Office of Community Services (OCS) began moving to its new location in the Council on Aging building on Keyser Avenue June 2. The process should take about a week and the OCS office will be closed during this time, according to OCS/HS Executive Director Sharon Harris. Notice of its reopening will be announced once the move is complete. Appointments scheduled on or after June 2 are considered cancelled until further notice. For more information call 357-2220.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has scheduled a drawdown for vegetation control in Saline Lake in Natchitoches and Winn Parishes, which is scheduled to begin June 14. The control structure will be closed for refill no later than the first week of October.
The lake level will be lowered 8-feet below pool stage. This level is required to achieve sufficient drying for vegetation control.
The action is a necessary component of LDWF’s integrated management plan for control of aquatic vegetation in Saline Lake. Herbicide applications will be conducted during the drawdown in areas accessible with spray equipment.
Although the lake will not be closed to fishing, caution is advised of boaters during the low water period, as boat lanes will not provide normal clearance for underwater obstructions.
For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Villis Dowden, LDWF Biologist, at vdowden@wlf.la.gov or 357-3214.
Natchitoches Parish Fire District 7 and the Louisiana State Fire Marshals Office arrived on the scene of a structure fire on Texas Street in Robeline late Thursday night, June 2.
Parish President Rick Nowlin has announced his intention to make appointments to the Natchitoches Parish Fire District #1 Board. Any resident of the District interested in serving on the Board may submit their name and contact information by mailing it to the Office of the President, P. O. Box 799, 200 Church Street, Natchitoches 71458-0779, or by calling Mrs. Lynda Vance, Executive Assistant to the President at (318) 352-2714, or by sending an email to admin@npgov.org to receive the application instructions.
Rick Nowlin
Parish President
Doug De Graffenried – First United Methodist Church, Natchitoches, Louisiana
When I moved to Natchitoches a resident told me that when the wind blows the power goes out. There were a couple of times that aphorism seemed true. In recent years, Natchitoches Electric has wonderful service most of the time. The outages are widely scattered and resolved quickly.
You may admit that last week’s power outages, once the air conditioning returned, were amusing to ponder particularly in combination. First there was the snake. I am not a fan of snakes; I don’t have any particular fear of them, but having spent some time in West Texas I have learned to listen for the rattle before approaching the snake. I surmise the Bubba snake saw an opportunity to show off for the rest of the snakes and said, “Hey guys, watch this!” The snake was turned into a crispy critter and while most of us slept the electricity was off. The only inconvenience suffered was the need to reset all the clocks in the kitchen.
The outage at the end of the week was caused by a tree. Actually it was caused by multiple trees. It is one of the few times the nice siren man who warns us of bad weather that never seems to happen was correct. We did need to take shelter for a couple of minutes. Folks are still cutting trees and cleaning up limbs.
Trees and a snake combined to remind us of how helpless we really are given the power and curiosity of nature. The trees and the snake combined to make our world powerless and dark.
This was too obvious to pass up. There was another tree in a garden long ago. God said, “Hey you guys you can eat anything in this garden you wish, but that tree in the middle. Don’t eat the fruit on that tree. Y’all have a great time. Multiply and enjoy the creation I have given you. Remember there is only one rule, stay away from that tree in the middle of the garden.”
The majority of the time, what happens when you tell a child not to do something? That’s right, that is the first thing they do.
One day Adam and Eve were hanging out in the garden and the snake whispered to Eve. I have the snake whispering to Eve from the very tree she was to avoid. Snake could have been someplace else, but it is more hermeneutically convenient to have the snake in that tree. I know the Hebrew word is serpent, but snake works better for this article. That is called homiletical license. If you get homiletical license and convenient hermeneutics combined that is called, “chasing a rabbit.”
“Eve, check this out. This is some Grade A, USDA prime fruit. Why don’t you take a bite?”
“God told us not to.”
“Well, God is not around is He? His tree cam is not online at the moment. This is good fruit. It will make you divine. You will be the only woman on the face of the earth and you will be divine. Eve, eat this fruit and you can be the first Diva!”
After some other conversation, Eve ate. Immediately she gave the fruit to Adam and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened. For the first time, they knew they were buck nakkid. Since Moses was also a preacher the detail was added, “and they were ashamed.”
One commentator has said the sin in the Garden of Eden happened because “a chick didn’t know a line when she heard one and a dude couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
Trees and snakes have caused powerlessness and darkness from the start. Natchitoches Electric can take care of the loss of electricity. Jesus can handle the loss of innocence. Take care to call upon the right resource to solve the problem.