Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, June 29,2022
The University of Georgia • Cooperative Extension Service
This crape myrtle is loaded with blooms. The
fact that they can thrive and bloom under
drought conditions is testimony to their
drought resistance.
Crape Myrtles
Crape myrtles are very
easy to grow and are
very attractive in the
landscape. That is why
you see so many in land
scapes in the South.
Crape myrtles come
in colors ranging from
white to red, with pinks
and watermelon in
between. The mature
height of crape myrtles
varies tremendously
among varieties. Some
will only grow eighteen
or so inches tall. Oth
er varieties will reach
heights of forty or more
feet.
Although they are
deciduous, they have
fairly attractive trunks
that exfoliate bark and
look good throughout the
winter. Crape myrtles
will generally bloom
throughout the summer.
They are considered
shrubs or small trees.
They are generally
multi-stemmed. Efforts
to turn them into sin
gle-stemmed trees are
generally unsuccessful.
Crape myrtles are very
drought tolerant. These
are tough plants that can
continue to survive even
gross neglect.
Crape myrtles are sub
ject to some problems.
Many varieties are sub
ject to powdery mildew.
Some of the varieties
with Indian names, such
as “Apalachee”, “Biloxi”,
and “Catawba”, are mil
dew resistant. Another
problem that is common
is sooty mold on leaves
caused by aphids. The
variety “Natchez” is
resistant to aphids.
Crape myrtles produce
a lot of trash, in addition
to dead leaves in the fall.
The petals fall as the
blooms deteriorate. More
of a nuisance than the
petals are the seed pods
that fall after the seeds
mature.
“Deadheading”, or
removing the spent flow
ers, will keep the plant
blooming throughout
the season rather than
diverting resources to
seed production.
I usually write a col
umn on pruning crape
myrtles during late
winter, so I won’t go
into pruning here. I will
mention that I haven’t
pruned my crape myrtles
in a number of years and
I enjoy excellent shade
from them on my house.
I have the white-flow
ered “Natchez” variety.
This is a very common
variety. One expert even
claims that it has been
over-used. Even though
it is resistant to aphids,
when I walk under them
during the summer, I
sometimes feel droplets
of moisture, almost like
it is sprinkling rain.
This is the excretion of
a sugary liquid by the
aphids as they feed. This
is known as honeydew.
This is the substance that
sooty mold grows on
that causes the leaves of
crape myrtles (and some
other plants) to turn
black.
If you want to know
what varieties have a
certain flower color,
or you want to know
the characteristics of a
certain variety, give me
a call. I have information
on several varieties.
For more information,
call the Lee County
Extension Office at
759-6025, or email me at
collinsd@uga.edu
The Lee County Ledger
Established August 24,1978
lcledger@bellsouth.net
P.O. Box 715 (126 4th Street) (229) 759-2413
Leesburg, Georgia 31763 USPS 470-310
Official Organ of Lee County
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Elsewhere $25.00 year
Publisher Derryl Quinn
Editor Jim Quinn
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(USPS 470-310), is published weekly for $20.00
per year in Lee and surrounding counties, and
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Office Building, 124 - 4th Street, Leesburg, Georgia
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MEMBER OF GEORGIA
PRESS ASSOCIATION
Sharing the Word
By Harry R. Martinez,
Ph. D
Contrasting Returns
It is often necessary in
medical procedures to
utilize imaging with con
trast. This enhances that
which is being exam
ined. God’s Word uses
contrast to present major
doctrines in Scripture.
For example, the first
return of Christ, theolog
ically called the Rapture,
differs from the Second
Coming.
The Apostle Paul
speaks of the Rapture
as a time of
great joy and
reunion ...
“Listen, I tell
you a mystery
[secret]: We
will not all
sleep, but we
will all be
changed—in
a flash, in the
twinkling
of an eye,
at the last
trumpet. For
the trumpet will sound,
the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we
will be changed. For the
perishable must clothe
itself with the imper
ishable, and the mortal
with immortality” (1 Cor
15:51-53 NIV). “Broth
ers, we do not want you
to be ignorant [unin
formed] about those who
fall asleep, or to grieve
like the rest of men, who
have no hope. We believe
that Jesus died and rose
again and so we believe
that God will bring with
Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in him.
According to the
Lord’s own word, we tell
you that we who are still
alive, who are left till the
coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede
those who have fallen
asleep. For the Lord
himself will come down
from heaven, with a
loud command, with the
voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call
of God, and the dead in
Christ will rise first. Af
ter that, we who are still
alive and are left will be
caught up together with
them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with
the Lord forever.
Therefore encourage
each other with these
words” (IThess 4:13-
18 NIV). Thus, the
first return removes the
Church from the earth
and ushers in the re
maining seven years of
the age of Israel, known
as the Tribulation. That
seven-year period con
cludes with the Second
Coming of Christ. Most
notable is the contrast
between that return and
the Rapture. There is no
hint in Scripture of His
Second Coming being
a joyous event. “I saw
heaven standing open
and there before me was
a white horse, whose
rider is called Faithful
and True. With justice he
judges and makes war.
His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head
are many crowns. He
has a name written on
him that no one knows
but he himself. He is
dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and his name
is the Word of God. The
armies of heaven were
following him, riding on
white horses and dressed
in fine linen, white and
clean. Out of his mouth
comes a sharp sword
with which
to strike
down the
nations.
“He will
rule them
with
an iron
scepter.”
He treads
the wine
press of
the fury of
the wrath
of God
Almighty. On his robe
and on his thigh he has
this name written: KING
OF KINGS AND LORD
OF LORDS. And I
saw an angel standing
in the sun, who cried in
a loud voice to all the
birds flying in midair,
“Come, gather together
for the great supper of
God, so that you may
eat the flesh of kings,
generals, and mighty
men, of horses and their
riders, and the flesh of
all people, free and slave,
small and great.” Then
I saw the beast and the
kings of the earth and
their armies gathered
together to make war
against the rider on the
horse and his army. But
the beast was captured,
and with him the false
prophet who had per
formed the miraculous
signs on his behalf.
With these signs he had
deluded those who had
received the mark of the
beast and worshiped his
image. The two of them
were thrown alive into
the fiery lake of burning
sulfur.
The rest of them were
killed with the sword
that came out of the
mouth of the rider on the
horse, and all the birds
gorged themselves on
their flesh” (Rev 19:11-21
NIV). The first return
is one of blessing; the
second that of judgment.
“There is therefore now
no condemnation for
those who are in Christ
Jesus” (Rom 8:1 NASB).
Choose blessing - faith
in Christ!
Editor’s note: Dr.
Martinez is an ordained
minister and was a
professor and head of
the music department at
Florida State University
School from 1975 to
2003. He is the father of
five adult children and
resides in Lee County
with his wife, Sara.
Harry R. Martinez
Reese made the President’s
List at Georgia College
Special to the Ledger
Kyli Reese of Lees
burg, GA, made the
President’s List at Geor
gia College.
Georgia College recog
nizes its students from
the John H. Lounsbury
College of Education
for their outstanding
work for the 2022 spring
semester.
Congratulations on
making the President’s
List!
Georgia College, the
state’s designated public
liberal arts university,
combines the education
al experience expected
at esteemed private
liberal arts colleges with
the affordability of pub
lic higher education.
Soul Food
from the Hood
by Keith Hood
5 Year Anniversary of
Calling Pastor Aaron
McCulley
Five years ago, Phile-
ma Road Baptist Church
called Rev.
Aaron McCulley
as Pastor. The
following is a
time capsule of
the event. The
Rev. Pete Shar-
ber has gone on
to be with the
Lord since then.
Pastor Aaron and
Candace have
a daughter, Kendall,
who has joined them
with Colton, their son.
Candace even has her
own parking spot with a
“Pastor’s Wife” sign in
case you missed it. The
church is full on Sun
day mornings realizing
the slogan of Rev. Pete
Sharber, “The best is yet
to be!” To God be the
glory! Here’s that time
capsule below:
“Unless the Lord
builds the house, those
who build it labor in
vain. Unless the Lord
watches over the city,
the watchman stays
awake in vain.”(Psalm
127:1) After a two year
process of searching for
a Pastor, the members of
the Philema Road Bap
tist Church have made a
unanimous decision to
affirm the call God has
for Rev. Aaron McCul
ley as the Pastor.
One thing that the
people of Philema Road
Baptist have learned
through this process is
that the Church is more
than the Pastor and his
supporting cast. The
Church is the Body of
Christ and Jesus is the
Head. “Now you (the
Church) are the Body
of Christ. And each one
of you is a part of it.”
(I Corinthians 12:27)
Many members of the
church have learned
how to stand up and lead
during the time of being
without a pastor. But we
know who the real Head
of the Body is: “And He
is the Head of the Body:
who is the beginning;
the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things
He might have the pre
eminence.” (Colossians
1:18)
The Church needs to
work together as a team
as we grow
into all that
God wants us
to be. “And He
Himself gave
some to be
apostles, some
prophets, some
evangelists,
some pastors
and teachers,
for the equip
ping of the saints for the
work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the Body
of Christ.” (Ephesians
4:11-12)
The vote was held
this past Sunday. It was
only fitting that Pastor
Pete Sharber was the
speaker of the day. He
had served as Interim
Pastor for over a year
at the church while we
searched for a new pas
tor. My wife and I agree
that he is one of our
favorites of all time and
in any denomination.
One of his themes which
he equipped we saints
with was “The best is
yet to be!”
Just a little bit more
about our new Pastor.
He will assume the
leadership on August
6. He is a third-gener
ation pastor. His father
and his grandfather are
both still in the minis
try today. He is only 23
years old. He is much
more seasoned having
been raised under the
tutelage of a spiritual
heritage. I know that a
lot of his ministry style
was caught as much as
it was taught. “I thought
age should speak and
increased years should
teach wisdom. But it is a
spirit in a man. And the
breath of the Almighty
gives them.” (Job 32:7-8)
We are very excited to
have Candace as Pas
tor’s wife and their son,
Colton. I don’t think he
can walk yet. We will
get to see him learn to
walk. We’ll all learn to
walk together. The best
is yet to be!
(June 26, 2017)
Hood
Community Calendar
• Leesburg City Council will meet Tuesday,
July 5 at 6:00 p.m. at the Leesburg City
Hall.
• Lee County - Leesburg - Smithville Plan
ning Commission will meet Thursday, July
7 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at
the T. Page Tharp Governmental Building.
Opal Cannon Auditorium, 102 Starksville
Avenue North, Leesburg.
• Lee County Board of Education will meet
Monday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. The meet
ing will be held at the board of education
office, 126 Starksville Ave., N, Leesburg.
• Lee County Commissioners will meet
Tuesday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting
will be held at the T. Page Tharp Govern
mental Building, Opal Cannon Auditorium,
102 Starksville Avenue North, Leesburg.
• Summer Food Distribution 10:00 a.m. on
Thursday, July 7 & July 21 at Lee County
Parks & Recreation Office 141 Park Street.
• Community Back to School Bash Sunday,
July 31 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. between Leesburg
United Methodist Church & First Baptist
Church for school age children & families.
• Veterans join the camaraderie of fellow
veterans at the Leesburg American Legion
Post 182. Leesburg American Legion Post
182 meets the first Monday of each month
at 7:00 p.m