Newspaper Page Text
4A ®jje 1) eralb <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, September 28,2021
Ruffin's Renderings: Eureka
The story, we are told,
is probably a legend.
But lots of great stories
belong to that genre,
and this is a really great
story.
The story goes that
the mathematician Ar
chimedes, who lived in
the third century BC, was
challenged by his king to
solve a problem. It seems
that an artisan who had
made golden wreaths for
the gods was suspected
of diluting the gold with
silver, but no one could
confirm the suspicions.
Archimedes was com
missioned to figure out
a way to determine the
truth.
While struggling with
the problem, Archime
des decided to visit the
public baths. He noticed
that more water was dis
placed as he went deeper
in the tub. He realized
that the amount of water
he displaced was equal
to the volume of his
body. It occurred to him
that, since gold weighs
more than silver, it would
take more silver to give
the wreath its desired
bulk. So, he could solve
the problem by compar
ing the displacement of a
known pure gold wreath
with one suspected of
having been adulterated
with silver.
Archimedes leapt out
of the bath and went run
ning home naked shout
ing, “1 found it! 1 found
it”—which in Greek is
“Eureka! Eureka!”
To this day people talk
about having a “eureka
moment” when we find
something vital or realize
something important.
Jesus told two stories
about people having a
eureka moment. The sto
ries are parables, which
are stories told to make
a point, often by compar
ing two things that at
first glance don’t seem
alike.
In these two parables
Jesus talks about people
finding a trea
sure. The first
person is likely
a peasant who
while plowing
someone else’s
field finds a
treasure-per-
haps a jar of
coins buried
there by a
previous owner
unbeknownst
to the present
owner-and
goes and sells everything
he has to in order to buy
the field. The second
person is likely a mer
chant who would know
the value of pearls and
would have some means
and who, when he finds a
pearl of great value, goes
and sells all he has to
purchase the one pearl.
Jesus says that the
kingdom of heaven is like
that.
But what is the king
dom of heaven? Simply
put, the kingdom of
heaven is the kingdom
of God and the
kingdom of God
is the reign of
God;so the
kingdom of God
is where God
rules. That no
doubt means
many things,
but it surely
means that the
kingdom of God
is where God’s
grace, mercy,
and love are
the driving forces and
the guiding principles.
Still, these two parables
as well as other parables
and teachings of Jesus
make the points that in
some way the kingdom
of heaven is hidden from
view and that there are
few that find it.
How then do you
come upon the kingdom?
There’s no one way. After
all, in the first parable
the man came upon
the treasure acciden
tally, probably just in the
course of minding his
own business; the trea
sure he found was some
thing he didn’t expect
and probably something
for which he wasn’t even
looking.
On the other hand, the
merchant in the second
parable was looking
for fine pearls when he
found the finest pearl
of all. One person was
looking while one was
not—but they both found
the treasure.
In the film Pretty
Woman, Richard Gere’s
character takes Julia
Roberts’s character to
the opera. He is a man
of the world—educated,
privileged, and refined—
who frequents, under
stands, and appreciates
opera. She is a woman
of the world—but in a
very different sense; she
is not educated, privi
leged, or refined, and she
has never even seen an
opera. By the end of the
performance, though,
she is mesmerized and
moved to tears. She liked
it even more than “The
Pirates of Penzance”!
He enjoyed the opera
because he knew what
he was looking for; she
enjoyed it because she
stumbled upon some
thing unexpected and
beautiful.
The kingdom of
heaven is like that.
So you might find the
kingdom if you’re not
looking for it and you
might find it if you are.
It is, either way, a gift of
God.
Whenever you find
it, wherever you find it,
and however you find it,
shout “Eureka!” It is, after
all, the greatest discov
ery you will ever make.
It is available to every
one.
And there are few who
find it.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives and works in Macon. His
new book, Praying with Matthew,
is available at helwys.com and at
Amazon.
Kudzu & Clay:
The tell-tale lamps
Estate sales,
yard sales, ga
rage sales, and
the like are a
special type of
torture for me.
I have never
liked them.
Thrift stores.
Just the smell
of these places
can cause my
stomach to
churn. I can’t
help to think
of how much of
the junk in these places
belonged to someone
that’s no longer with us.
Maybe it’s my overly
active imagination or art
ist’s brain. When I look at
an old suit or shirt I can’t
help but picture some
old codger slipping away,
all that stuff still in their
closet. Then a tired and
overwhelmed loved one
grabbing everything in
there and putting it in a
trash bag to give away.
We had all this ‘fam
ily’ furniture, including a
table that had been my
great-great-grandmoth
er’s. Every Sunday we
would sit around it for a
meal and every Sunday
my dad would get a glaze
over his eyes and start
talking about how many
different generations had
eaten at that table. All I
could do is look at my
mashed potatoes and
imagine ghosts sitting
around me. When we
would eat with my great-
great-grandmother’s
old silverware, I would
think of all the ghosts
that used that same fork,
some of which I saw
in toothless, pre-ghost
form, and I’d shudder
and think how I’d rather
whittle my own utensil
out of a tree branch.
I am not an overly
spiritual or superstitious
person but given the
experiences I’ve had,
I am not going to rule
anything out. Perhaps it
is because I’m a waste
ful American, but I tend
to prefer new items. I
do not want the bag
gage that comes with
antiques. Unfortunately,
I am married to someone
who does not feel this
way.
Recently, my wife
wanted to pick up a pair
of antique lamps from
an estate sale she found
online. Being the good
Samaritan I am, I agreed
to join her because you
never really know about
these places. When we
got to the sale, it was ap
parent to me that who
ever lived in the house
was not of the living
anymore. The lamps she
liked were nice but when
we plugged
them in, one
didn’t work.
The nice fellow
administering
the sale gave
them to us for
free, but then
my wife found
another set of
lamps that she
also wanted.
I shook my
head because
I knew there
was no way to
prevent these lamps
from coming home. They
were immediately creepy
to me. They looked like
they came out of some
haunted, midcentury
Bavarian hotel. They
were wooden, carved,
and painted over with
little birds and symbols,
orange and green. From
the base to the top of
the lampshade I would
say they probably stood
three and a half feet
tall. The lampshade was
made out of burlap and
looked like it would give
you a rash just rubbing
up against it. When they
were turned on there
was barely enough dim
light to read by. But hey,
who am I to say what’s
good or not? If I were left
to decorate we’d have
nothing more than some
camping chairs and a
television.
Everything was fine
and dandy until we
brought these things
home and she decided
to put them in the
bedroom. I tried to fall
asleep but all I could
think about were the
stories these lamps
could tell. Had they seen
murders? Were they
cursed? Were they part
of some pagan ritual in
the old country? Who’s
to say. All I know is
that every night those
lamps were in our room
I didn’t sleep. Every time
I opened my eyes, the
lamps were staring back
at my soul.
The lamps have been
sold now. The entire time
they were here I felt an
overwhelming urge to
destroy them. Their eerie
glow, calling to me, beg
ging me to break them
into a million pieces.
I am grateful they are
gone but I have a feeling
I’ll see them again. If not
at another creepy estate
sale, perhaps a tragic
news story or paranor
mal investigation series.
Chris Walter is a writer, artist,
and Barnesville native. He has just
published his first book, “Southern
Glitter”. You can find more informa
tion about his art and writings at
kudzuandclay.com.
New Master's Degree opportunity
for UGA Griffin undergraduates
Doublcpawgs
The University of Georgia Advantage / ^ J
The University of Geor
gia Griffin Campus has
added another Double
Dawg opportunity for
students: a joint Bachelor
of Arts (AB) and non-the
sis Master of Arts (MA)
program. The AB degree
is the Franklin College of
Arts & Science’s Interdis
ciplinary Studies (Griffin
Campus) program that al
lows students to choose
a concentration in either
Psychology or Sociology,
and the MA is the School
of Social Work’s program
in Nonprofit Management
and Leadership (NML).
This Double Dawg pro
gram will allow students
enrolled in the Griffin
Campus’ AB in Interdis
ciplinary Studies (IDS)
program to accelerate
their progress toward a
master’s degree by taking
graduate-level course-
work as part of their
undergraduate studies.
The IDS/NML Double
Dawg is ideal for stu
dents seeking careers in
nonprofit management or
those wanting to create
a non-profit organiza
tion. The coursework is
designed to train highly
motivated students in
the skills, knowledge,
and values needed for
successful careers in
nonprofit management,
administration, and lead
ership. A strong empha
sis is placed on helping
students acquire and use
the skills and techniques
needed for understand
ing human behavior,
for conducting sound
research, and for leading
nonprofit organizations
that serve diverse com
munities.
“Essentially, students
are earning two degrees
in a compressed time
frame,” noted Melissa
Gordon, Assistant Direc
tor of Academic Affairs
for UGA Griffin. “When
students would usu
ally spend two years at
UGA Griffin to get their
bachelor’s degree and
another two years to get
their master’s degree,
with the Double Dawg
program, they can earn
both their bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in just
three years, thereby sav
ing themselves both time
and money. 11
The idea for this
Double Dawg came from
a conversation with a
prospective student who
was looking into the IDS
- Sociology Concentra
tion. His ultimate career
goal is to start his own
non-profit; however, re
locating from the Griffin
area is not an option. The
student needs a program
that will allow him to
stay close to home, but
still be able to follow his
dreams. Gordon, along
with Faye Chatman, Pro
gram Director for UGA’s
Franklin College of Arts &
Sciences, put their heads
together and began work
ing on a way to make that
happen in collaboration
with Dr. Anthony Mallon,
Director of the Institute
for Nonprofit Organiza
tions and the MA in Non
profit Management and
Leadership Program.
Chatman pointed out
that the addition of this
Double Dawg program is
a great asset for not only
UGA Griffin, but also the
community.
“We are excited to
have this program added
to the UGA Griffin Cam
pus. It’s a win not just for
UGA, but also the com
munity. It affords more
opportunities for area
citizens because it means
they can stay close to
home and still have the
chance to earn two UGA
degrees in record time.
It also opens up more
options for IDS students
interested in working
with nonprofits,” said
Chatman.
The IDS/NML Double
Dawg was approved
this summer and is now
available for students
to enroll in. Students
who wish to pursue this
Double Dawg must first
be admitted to UGA Grif
fin’s IDS program. Admis
sion to the IDS program
requires completion of
at least 60 transferable
semester hours with a
transfer GPA of at least
2.80 and courses specific
to the IDS program of
study. Once admitted to
the IDS program, stu
dents interested in the
MA in Nonprofit Manage
ment and Leadership
must apply for admission
to the graduate program.
Among the requirements
for admission to the NML
program are a 3.2 overall
undergraduate GPA and
an ACT or SAT score
placing the student at or
above the 70th percen
tile.
UGA Griffin also offers
another Double Dawg, a
joint Bachelor of Sci
ence in Environmental
Science with a major in
Environmental Resource
Science and a Master of
Plant Protection and Pest
Management.
For more informa
tion on these programs
and on how to become
a student at UGA Griffin,
contact Melissa Gordon
at melissa.gordon@uga.
edu or 770412-4400. For
information on the MA
in NML program, contact
Dr. Anthony Mallon at
ajmallon@uga.edu or 706-
542-5467.
Sept. 26-0ct. 2
10 years ago
It was homecoming
week at LC. The home
coming court consisted
of seniors Sarah Willis,
Cynthia Duran, Jesse
McDaniel, Abby Turner
and Quanecia Worthy.
Underclassmen on the
court included fresh
man Kelsey Lawson,
sophomore Maggie Stro-
bel and junior McKay
Hickman.
25 years ago
Animal control was
a serious issue here.
Through the end of July,
the city shelter had
handled 644 animals,
302 from the city and
342 from the county.
There was much discus
sion about the need for
a new animal shelter in
the community.
50 years ago
The News-Gazette
acquired modern
Compugraphic equip
ment to ease rigors of
the composition of the
newspaper. Two staff
members, Martha Cass
of Forsyth and Margo
Gerwal of Barnesville,
had experience using
the equipment which
was film-based.
100 years ago
The Lamar County
Fair was upcoming.
Governor Hardwick and
Hon. John N. Holder
were to speak. The
highlight of the week
end was to be a football
game between Gordon
and LaGrange High
School. W. M. Warren
was fair president and
W. W. Steed was secre
tary.
Zi)t Heraltr #a^tte
barnesville.com
770.358.NEWS
P.0. Box 220
Publishers
Staff
SUBSCRIBE
DEADLINES
509 Greenwood Street
Walter Geiger
Nolan George
$30 per year in Lamar and sur-
The deadline for public notices
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
Laura Geiger
Rachel McDaniel
rounding counties; $40 outside
is noon Thursdays; news and
770-358-NEWS
Tasha Webster
the local area.
advertising before noon Fridays.
barnesville.com
General Manager
Includes 24/7 access to
Early submission is appreciated.
E-mail: news@barnesville.com
Missy Ware
barnesville.com