FLOYD INGRAM: Are you ready for Good News?

This will be the first Easter in more than 30 years that I have not been in church on Sunday.

I’ve said before in this space that I started going to church nine-months before I was born. Yes, there was a rebellious stage in my early 20s, but “raise up a child in the way he should go” . . . well, you know the rest.

Now, I didn’t say I wouldn’t have church.

I’ve Zoomed three meetings this week and Sunday services will not be that big a deal. Mother and brothers from West Point, my boys from San Antonio, College Station and Temple, Texas will be piped in on the computer Sunday morning.

We’ll pray, sing a song and have something closer to a Sunday School lesson than a sermon. About the only break from Baptist tradition is we won’t pass an offering plate. But I will urge them in this time of great need to give to the charity of their choice.

Tomato time

I planted 16 tomato plants, six squash, six cucumbers and an old envelope of daisy seeds Saturday.

My grandmother once told me you need to plant tomatoes the weekend of Palm Sunday. Seems it is something about the moon and tomatoes being vines.

I remember she had some pretty fancy gardens. I’ve found her advice to always be correct. I should be eating BLT’s by the first week in June.

I found planting that garden at the Ingram Plantation to be very therapeutic.

Putting something in the ground and knowing it will grow into something good is all about focusing on the future and faithfully holding onto a promise with a positive attitude. In these days of uncertainty, it was good to do something that I know with a little care and patience will bring a reward in 60 to 80 days.

I also spent $47 with a local seed and supply store for plants, fertilizer and a big sack of good potting soil Saturday.

They lady who sold me those supplies wore a mask, but I could see her eyes smile as she thanked me for my purchase.

And I want you to look at the “House Ad” on Page 14 in your Clarksdale Press Register. Yes, the one that shows a mother and child holding what looks like a tomato plant.

Life is tough right now on a lot of people. I’m thankful for those who are working hard and making plans for a better day in Clarksdale.

A couple of notes

A lot of neat stuff comes across my desk every morning.

The following facts and figures come from a group called WalletHub that gathers smart folks in a room, ask a few timely questions and turn them loose to find answers.

Here’s the latest:

• Worshippers don’t want to stay home: 56-percent of Americans who went to church on Easter Sunday last year say they will go to church for Easter this year, if it is open.

• Republicans are more likely to attend services: Republicans are almost three times more likely than Democrats to attend church on Easter this year, if it is open. But the question I want to ask is will they give up that money to help others like a Democrat?

• Today we appreciate family and health more: Americans are more grateful for their family (40%), followed by health (29%) and then freedom (13%), than they were just a few short months ago.

• Traditional Easter spending is down: Almost half of Easter-celebrating Americans are skipping out on candy, new outfits and Easter foods this year, in contrast with prior years.

Season of Hope

I say no other holiday promotes the concept of hope like Easter.

Jesus came into this world, not to condemn it but to save it. But that salvation came because a price had to be paid for my injustice. In a day and age when so much is out of sync, I’m thankful for that atonement that focuses my world correctly.

You may read this and call it foolishness. That is your God-given right.

But if that is your view, please read one book in the Bible, the Gospel of John, this Easter Sunday and consider the claims of the Bible and Christ before you decide for all eternity.

It’s called the gospel. It’s called good news!

Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. Call me 24/7 at 662-542-3770 and let’s talk about the Good News.