“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Luke 10:38 (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

When I was in the second grade, my class read a story about Johnny Appleseed. After that, I wanted to learn all I could about Johnny Appleseed. More than that, I wanted to be Johnny Appleseed.

I must have told some of my friends about my wish, because I remember them ribbing me about it on the playground. I can still hear them as they would come up behind me and sing at the top of their lungs, “JOHNNY CASH….PLANTS POISON APPLES!” You might think this is the sort of thing people go into counseling for when they’re grown or weep about on the Montel Williams Show. But, really, I appreciated their teasing and it always made me laugh. You see, they understood my love for Johnny Appleseed. They knew it would be cool to be Johnny Appleseed, but their joke was that if I had the opportunity to become him I would just louse it up.

It surprises some people that Johnny Appleseed was a genuine historical figure. His real name was John Chapman, and he did go from place to place planting apple trees, many in places were there were no apple trees before. He wore cast-off clothing and was a Christian missionary. Most of the paintings of him depict him as carrying a Bible, having a leather bag of apple seeds slung over his shoulder, and wearing a cooking pot on his head for a hat.

Forty years have passed by since I was in the second grade, but I still have a special place in my heart for John Chapman. Here are some reasons I think we would be wise to imitate his life:

1. He lived a life of simplicity. Why have both a hat and cookware when your cooking pan will protect your head from the elements during the day, and you can take it off and use it to heat a can of Spaghetti-O’s at night? Our culture says that more is always better, but when it comes down to it, the opposite is often true. Physical clutter and emotional, spiritual baggage drain us of our vitality. Clean up, clean out, de-junk, forgive, forget, and live better. Less is more. Simplicity is elegance.

2. He took the Lord with him always. We are foolish when we think God is not acting in our best interests and when we think we’ll be happier doing things our way instead of His. It didn’t work for Adam and Eve, and it won’t work for us. God’s way is the best way.

3. He went about doing good. He planted apple trees everywhere he went. Now, that is a relatively small thing in the vast scheme of things, but what if everyone had a holy obsession? What a wonderful place this earth would become!

As you begin this new week, remember Johnny Appleseed, and follow the example of our Saviour, Jesus. “He went about doing good.”

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad” (Sing that to the title to the tune of “Secret Agent Man) He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and is beginning his third decade of being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 17) and Seth (age 14) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church, where they quite often make a pan of apple dumplings (using Tom Rockwood’s wonderful recipe). You can cheer him with a note at extramailbox@juno.com.

By Gwen Rockwood, columnist and mama of 3

At any wedding, there are at least three people who are really, really nervous – the bride (because she wants everything to go perfectly), her mother (because her daughter wants everything to go perfectly), and the parents of the ring bearer or flower girl (because their kid might be the one who creates a big, un-perfect scene).

I know this because I’m the mother of a ring bearer fresh off his debut performance, and I unconsciously held my breath for the duration of the hour-long ceremony. I don’t know why I was so nervous, seeing as how we’ve done this before when our oldest son bore the rings in a family wedding two years ago. But this wedding was different because this time the bride tapped our middle child for the honor, and my little Jack has a knack for the unexpected.

While our oldest boy is a meticulous planner and rule follower, 4-year-old Jack likes to fly by the seat of his Spiderman Underoos. He’s a passionate, headstrong kid who rarely meets an impulse he won’t follow. When he was 2, he went through an extended “naked phase,” and I’d often find a trail of his clothes leading to a little nude toddler sitting amongst a pile of Lego blocks. One time when he was 3 and potty training, he had a wetting accident while at the Chick-fil-A indoor playground. Instead of stopping to alert me about it, he simply stripped off his wet undies and kept on playing “au naturale” from the waist down. Since he turned 4 last spring, he has occasionally been frozen by shyness and hides behind my legs when it’s time to meet someone new.

Knowing all this, my husband and I did all we could do to prepare him for the big day. We talked about the tuxedo and the church full of people, and we helped him practice the official wedding walk several times each week. He was so excited about being the “ring bear” and seemed ready for it.

I knew the wedding would be fine despite any antics Jack might pull, but that didn’t stop me from having this internal dialogue in the moments before the wedding started: “Who knows what he might do? Tuxedos can get kind of hot in the middle of August. What if he drops his pants and streaks down the aisle with rings in hand? What if he asks loudly for a juice box in the middle of the vows? What if he gets scared by all the new faces and hides behind the priest’s robes?” A mother’s imagination can do a real number on her nerves.

Thankfully, none of that happened. What I watched last Saturday was a lovely ceremony, from start to finish, and during his small part of it was my boy – walking strong and steady down the aisle. He never looked to me for an encouraging nod or thumbs-up sign. He didn’t need to. With some helpful nudging from the groomsmen, he followed the cues and did his job in style. As the ceremony ended, I watched him proudly march back down the aisle with a smile of satisfaction for what he’d done.

During dinner at the wedding reception, I sat across the table from my debonair boy and marveled at how much older he seemed. Maybe it was the sharp tuxedo he was wearing or the way he held his champagne glass full of apple juice, but suddenly it hit me that he’s really growing up – whether I’m ready or not. In another year, he’ll start kindergarten and I’ll have to watch from the sidelines as he begins a 12-year march to independence. That feeling of bittersweet anxiety mixed with pride gave me a brief glimpse into how it must feel to be the parents of the bride and groom – to see the babies who are your life’s work become wonderful, kind-hearted adults ready to embrace a commitment as serious as marriage.

Perhaps in a couple of decades, it’ll be my turn to watch Jack take that all-important step. But for now, I’m glad I still have time to hold him in my lap, tickle him before bedtime and fetch his juice boxes from the fridge. Life goes by so fast, and, more than anything else, a childhood should be savored.

Two popular shops in the Bentonville/Rogers area are on the move, and here’s where they’re headed. B LaRue, known for great gifts, Razorback items and much more, is moving to the Bentonville Square at 109 N. Main. The ladies were busy packing boxes this week and said they’ll celebrate their re-opening September 5th.

All About Her, which sells bras, panties, lingerie, casual clothes and more, has left its Village on the Creeks location for a new space in The Shoppes at Pinnacle Hills. As of Aug. 29, the shop is open in the space previously occupied by 3 Monkeys.

Congratulations to Steffi Kellam of Fayetteville! She and her husband are officially headed for a Great Date! Steffi won Motherlode’s Great Date Giveaway — two tickets to the Walton Arts Center and dinner at Bordinos Italian restaurant.

“I’ll start working on finding a babysitter tonight!” said Steffi, mom to Katie, 7, Lucy, 4, and 2-year-old Sam.

Steffi and her family moved to Fayetteville from Dallas just a little over a year ago and have no family around to make date nights a common occurrence. Steffi was psyched about dinner and a show, especially with the line-up.

“We love the Walton Arts Center and we love Bordinos,” she said. “Signing up for this contest was a no-brainer. Of course I was entering for this!”

Steffi has only been to Bordinos once for her 10th wedding anniversary. “I totally look forward to a second visit,” she said.

Steffi is a stay-at-home mom who was previously an epidemiologist for the California Department of Health’s tuberculosis control branch. She found out she was pregnant the first time while she and her husband were living in Argentina and she was telecommuting. Steffi’s husband works for General Electric, a Wal-Mart supplier.

Steffi enjoys reading, walking and swimming (when she can make it to the gym). She loves that there are so many family-friendly places and events in NWA. “This environment is ideal for kids. We’re really enjoying our time here,” she said.

Steffi is originally from Bolivia. Her mother is Bolivian and Steffi’s father met his future wife while in the Peace Corps. Steffi lived there until she was 12, then moved to the U.S. So when you ask her where she’s from, her standard answer is: “From all over the place.”

The Motherlode mamas want to extend a heartfelt “sorry!” to all of you who hoped to win the giveaway. Just remember that we have many more giveaways up our sleeve (hint: a really cool one is coming up next month). And for those of you who want to check out The Second City: DeFace the Nation on Sept. 5, tickets range from $20-$32 and can be purchased by calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at 479-443-5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org. Thanks again to WAC and Bordinos for sponsoring our Great Date Giveaway!