Published: March 30, 2008 12:47 am            

VASICEK: At this rate, we’ll be goin’ to town

Because Easter is such an important day, our elders’ board arrived at this determination: We should get a really special speaker for our Easter service. Why don’t we call the best preacher in the state and ask him to speak?

They followed through and called him, but he said no.

Then they rebounded and said, Well, if we can’t have the best speaker, at least we can get the smartest one.

So they located the minister they believed was smartest and phoned him with their request. He said no.

And then the board reasoned, well, if we can’t get the best or the smartest, we can at least get the best-looking!

So they located and asked him. He likewise said no.

Finally one elder spoke up: “Well, we can always ask our pastor to speak.” And so they did.

And what could I say? I’d already told them no three times.

OK, this joke was actually funny. You know I didn’t create it! Thank you, Ken Kersten!

After using this funny to introduce my Easter sermon, one of my friends came to me afterward and said, “Ed, have you looked in the mirror lately?” Why should I? I have a good – if somewhat inaccurate -- memory!

Somehow I was going to tie this joke into the subjects of alternate energy sources, energy conservation, and a prediction about America’s cities. How was I going to do that? Oh, yes, now I remember. Farmland.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks do not think farmland is a very attractive possession. But it could become the most handsome investment in the state!

For years, farmers have been selling off frontage property. Country-loving Americans have been moving away from cities into the sticks. I expect to see a reversal of this trend. Let me share a few reasons for my opinion.

First, farmland should become more valuable. Since soybean and corn crops are now marketed for fuel (with government subsidies), the supply of consumer food crops will decline and therefore rise in value (and profit to the farmer). Additionally, wind and solar farms will gobble up more land. Take a recent Kokomo Tribune article penned by John Dempsey:

“A group of landowners in eastern Howard County is ready to tap into the renewable energy market — one that doesn’t involve growing corn or soybeans for fuel ... If plans and studies proceed with the needed results, 10,000 to 15,000 acres of land east of Greentown would be used for a wind farm that could produce 150 to 200 megawatts of electricity ... A 200-megawatt field could provide electricity to nearly 66,000 homes, according to Laura Sheets, Duke Energy’s business relations manager in Kokomo.”

As America moves from dependency upon petroleum energy to dependency upon electricity, we can expect wind and solar farms to sprout up like soybeans (and perhaps share fields with the same!).

In the interim, as fuel prices swell, more Americans will find living in urban areas to be the practical choice. Shorter trips to work, the supermarket, or the mall mean savings at the gas pumps. Cities with public transportation might mean two car families can downsize to one car – thus saving thousands of dollars per year in car expenses (including license plates and auto insurance). Or three car families might scale down to two. You catch my drift.

The time crunch is surrounding many Americans like walls closing in upon a captured super spy. Living in town means saving travel time (as well as gas), and smaller lawns free up months of time over the decades.

No, these changes will not take place overnight, they are not for everyone, and many will choose to sacrifice time, money and energy for country living. If current trends continue, I think living “in town” will be viewed as the more practical choice by greater numbers of people.

Ed Vasicek is pastor of Highland Park Church and a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune.

        

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