A Little Farming Lesson

(I wrote this back in 2008...)

Peter Gregory spoke this year for Southern's In Tents meetings that were held in September of this year. He had a sermon every night, but Friday Vespers is the one I found the notes for. He made some interesting and striking statements that got me to thinking; I want to share one with you...

He said: THE QUALITY OF YOUR ROOTS DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF YOUR FRUIT.

When I heard that I immediately started thinking about back home. Before we plant corn we have to make sure that the field is ready for planting. We have to cultivate it several times with different pieces of equipment, spread some fertilizer on the ground, and then go over the field again to get the fertilizer in the ground (not just on top where the rain can wash it away).

Once the ground is ready, we can finally plant the seed corn. But that's not the end of it. The corn plant doesn't pop up the next day. Rather, it takes lots of sunlight, rain, and mild temperatures for the seeds to germinate and start to grow underground (in the dark). The corn seed puts down roots deep into the ground so once it pops it's head out it will have something to protect it from the wind pulling it out of the ground.

If all of the above goes well and the roots are deep and the plant is healthy, the head will then pop out and the corn plant will start reaching for the sky. As it grows it continues to need food and water from the soil and sunshine spreading warmth over it's leaves and stalk.

Spiritual translation:

We are the corn plant. The seed of the Holy Spirit must be planted in order for us to grow, HOWEVER the ground (our hearts and minds) must be tilled and cultivated so that the seed will have a safe home to live.

Once the seed is planted, it needs water and food so that it can start to sprout and put down roots. Just like the corn seed, if we don't put down roots that go deep into our heart and minds we will be blown away by Satan's winds when we start to come out as Christians. The roots have to go deep, deep into Jesus.

Once we start to rise above ground, our lives must be fed by the Word of God (food) and the Holy Spirit (water) and we must bask in the Son to grow properly. As we grow we reach for the sky (Heaven) where we hope to someday be.

What I want you to take away from this agriculture lesson is that we need roots in our faith. Without roots the plant doesn't survive and neither can we. We must be deeply rooted in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, as you grow in Jesus, remember the simple little corn seed.

Were You Born In A Barn?!

As I was doing chores tonight, my mind was occupied with thoughts of the very first Christmas.

No, we don't know if it really was December 25th.

And I don't really care.

Those logistics and petty details of the story are not what matter.

The STORY is what is important...

Can you imagine a barn in your mind right now?

It wasn't as nice as the barns we have today though.

They were simple shelters for the animals to get out of the elements.

They were most likely drafty.

They had an odor to them.

Anyone who has been in a barn - any kind of barn - I'm sure has smelled something that wasn't pleasant.

It goes with the territory.

People always make the comment that THIS was where He was born.

In a BARN.

Like it's a bad place.

I'm not sure that the Inns in those days were much better...

I mean, look at the castles people lived in - drafty and cold.

I'm sure that there was a large gathering of people in Bethlehem at that time (remember, Caesar had ordered all people to return to the place of their birth to be taxed) so the inns were full of people.

People who were NOT happy about bring taxed; and having to make such a long journey to get there.

I'm sure there were many arguments going on and possible brawls.

Probably a lot of eating and drinking too.

The inn was not quiet.

And as far as odors go, I'm sure there was a stench from people who hadn't taken baths in months; and all that drinking and eating...I'll leave that to your imagination.

Would you want to give birth in such a place??

I think I would have PREFERRED the barn!

Our barn is newer than that barn of old but it's still a bit drafty - fresh air can circulate through that way.

Our barn has an odor - all barns do.

Our barn is quiet - once the animals have been fed, they settle right down.

Sure, it's not the most sanitary place.

Nevertheless, I'd say for back then, it was better than most for her to give birth.

She had clean straw or hay to lay on.

There was plenty of clean water - the animals didn't mind sharing.

If it was a chilly night, the animals would have helped as space heaters.

And as for the Baby's visitors, do you think the shepherds would have been allowed in the inn?

People may scoff at where He was born.

They may say that the innkeeper and the rest of the people were dreadful in turning the couple away.

They may say that if THEY had been around back then He would have had the best of the best; they would have seen to it.

But honestly, I cannot think of a better place for the Savior of our world to be born.

Wet Socks & Unhappy Toes

Have you ever had a hole in your boot?

If you haven't, let me tell you it is no picnic.

Sometimes the only way one finds this hole is when one's foot gets wet...INSIDE the boot.

This happened to me the other morning.

I was feeding calves when I thought I felt something weird inside my left boot.

It wasn't a definite wet feeling...my little toe just felt a little chilly.

I chalked it up to the drop in temperatures overnight and the thin socks I had grabbed that morning. I figured that my foot would warm up as my body woke-up and I moved around in the barn.

I went about dishing out the milk to the younger calves and making sure everyone had an adequate grain supply.

When I finally headed to the house for breakfast, I found the reason for my chilly toes.

I had water in my boot!

My socks were not sopping wet but they were not dry either.

I was glad that I was finished with chores and didn't have to wear the hole-y boots the rest of the day.

Have you ever ignored something?

Have you ever had something bug you, and instead of taking care of it you went about business as usual?

You might have even thought, It's not that bad...I can deal with this later...no reason to interrupt my plans just to take care of this little hassle....

No, my toes weren't cold enough to cause any damage like frost-bite.

Nevertheless, if I had gone all day with cold wet feet there might have been some sort of repercussions for it...

Can this apply to life on a spiritual level?

Is there something wrong that I know I need to take care of?

Something that might not seem very big but just isn't right?

I feel the prick of the Holy Spirit telling me that something is wrong, but I ignore Him.

I think to myself that I can wait.

I can take care of the problem later.

It's not going to make a big difference if I deal with it now or later...it's not THAT bad.

Maybe it'll even go away.

But it doesn't go away.

Instead a bigger mess can occur.

I was fortunate that I didn't have anything besides water inside my boot. If the hole was bigger or if I had had to do some cow work that morning, I could have had something else in my boot...I'll leave that up to your imagination ;)

(Cow work - sorting cows that need to go into a different pen, group, etc.)

Ignoring the problem is never the answer.

In reality it hardly ever goes away...

Reality: Fortunate for my toes, Mom keeps new boots on hand so I was able to switch them out for night chores.

Spiritually: Jesus has new "boots" on hand for me.

He wants me to take care of my problem right away; He is always standing by to help me do just that.

However, He knows that I won't always do what I'm supposed to do.

Therefore, He has made provision for "wet toes."

Hole-less boots = dry happy toes :)

Same goes for spiritual things.

Trust me.

(Photo curtesy of nathanrandall, "grandpa's boots" found on flickr.com, CC some rights reserved)