God's First Commandment: Work

I’ve been butchering chickens lately, enjoying the fellowship of like-minded Christian women sitting around a table in my backyard as we worked together.  One of my friends commented recently, “You know, this is what is missing in the Church today!  Christians working together.  As I sit here and work with you, I don’t even find butchering to be a chore but I actually in enjoy it.”

I have certainly found that to be true myself as I do not enjoy working alone but never mind work when I am doing so with others in community.  Work is always easier with others’ companionship and assistance.

Have you even thought about God’s original conception of man’s work and how it came about?  Have you ever related it to the original sin and original punishment in the Garden?

Assuming you are a parent, have you ever punished your child and he yet doesn’t follow the punishment?  

“Jacob.  Because you were late in getting to school this morning, you need to go to bed ½ hour earlier tonight?” 

What if Jacob didn’t go to bed earlier as you instructed him?  Wouldn’t that be frustrating?  Wouldn’t you feel he was being disrespectful?  Don’t we want our children to follow our instructions and even our punishments to the letter?

Assuming you are a child, have you ever been punished but ignored the punishment?  Did you see the outrage in your parent’s eye?

Have you ever considered the Adam and Eve story in that light?  Remember, Adam and Eve were in the Garden with God and everything was perfect.  They had no worries and lived in perfect peace. They walked with God and ran around naked with no shame as sin and shame had no place in the original setting. 

Work was part of the original setting, though, a fact we often ignore:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.             Genesis 2:15, NIV

I find that particular scripture incredibly instructive and note that it’s certainly a nugget that I have often missed in the past.  I even have held the misconception that in the original Garden man could eat whatever he wanted and he didn’t have to work.   I’ve wrongly imagined that Adam just roamed around the Garden with God, laughing and joking, floating along in a state of permanent vacation, eating from whatever tree he felt like whenever he felt like it, skipping and dancing, playing all the time. 

Isn’t it amazing how we can deceive ourselves and create fantasies that appeal to our inherent natures? 

Work.  Don’t we think of it as a four-letter word?

This whole concept amuses me.  I know that I am inherently lazy and that I would prefer a world in which God would just provide everything for me on a silver platter and that I can be on a permanent vacation.  But that’s just not the way it is. 

God created man and immediately set him down in the Garden to work it so that he could feed himself.  Personal responsibility was part of God’s plan from the very beginning.  To think otherwise is pure foolishness and folly.

Work must be an essential part of our lives.  Work clearly was God-ordained from the beginning.  Work is not an option.  In addition, the specific work that God gave man back in Genesis was to take care of the earth and to feed ourselves from our labors.

Now, let’s go on with the original sin and punishment story.

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.”              Genesis 2:16-17, NIV

Later, you’ll remember, God made Eve, the serpent tempted Eve, she convinced Adam to eat from the forbidden tree, God found out and they all were punished.

Now in terms of the punishment, the serpent was cursed (Genesis 3:14-15) and Eve was given pains in childbirth and in her relationship to Adam (Genesis 3:16).  But what happened to Adam?  Let’s  focus specifically on Adam’s curse since it relates back to our Lord’s original charge for man to work.

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you:  through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”     Genesis 3:17-19, NIV

So in Genesis 2:15 God put man in the Garden to work.  That was not punishment.  God merely expected Adam to work the Garden and to feed himself and his family as that was His plan. 

In terms of Adam’s punishment, though, from Genesis 3:17-19 we know that not only was Adam to work but he was going to have to work harder than before for his food as the ground was cursed. 

How does this relate to you or me?  Or to our world today?   What does this say about God’s intentions with respect to man’s work?

I know my nature is inherently lazy.  I would much rather loaf around than work.  But is that God’s plan for me?    Wouldn’t you say that the culture of our world today emphasizes ease and luxury?   Don’t we dream of vacations?  Aren’t our kids excited to have Summer Break, lazy days and no work?    But is that God’s intention for us? 

God’s been clear since Genesis that we are to work for our food and that actually we should raise it ourselves.  We are personally responsible for feeding ourselves.  Now, certainly rest is part of the equation as the Sabbath was later ordained as a day of rest.  But, working in the Garden to feed himself was the first thing that God set Adam on Earth to do.

And because of Adam’s sin, isn’t it God’s punishment that not only should we work, but that we should work harder?  Absolutely.

What if we don’t?  What if we prefer to get our food from the world’s food providers?  (McDonalds, Walmart, factory produced meats and dairy, old produce, canned soups, Pizza Hut.)  Are we in the least bit surprised that our health suffers?  Don’t you expect God to be frustrated?  Won’t he feel like we are being disrespectful?  Doesn’t He want His children to follow His instructions and even His punishments to the letter?

When I punish Jacob, I do so in hopes of correcting his actions,  to make him more obedient and to make him better off.  Don’t you think that God does the same for us? 

God cursed the earth and made it harder for Adam to feed his family as a lesson for him.  But, we are so far removed from the Garden today that we aren’t receiving that lesson.  In today’s world, our work often is far removed from the Earth, on computers and in offices.  Yet the fact of the matter remains that God instructed us to grow our own food.  We may choose not to do so but is that wise?

What is the lesson?   Ultimately that God loves us more than we can ever imagine or conceive and that he instructs us and guides us for our best interests.  Remember the original instruction to Adam, the instruction that was given before he told him not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was to work to feed himself and his family.

However, when we grow our own food in our own Garden despite the fact that it is hard, very hard, and requires tremendous sweat on our brow, are we in the least bit surprised when we feel wonderful? Why are we shocked when experts tell us that we should eat 5 fresh fruits and vegetables for optimal health and well being?  Why are we surprised to learn that grass fed meats are better for our health than factory-confined, industrially produced meats?  Didn’t we hear the original instruction, “Work to feed youself and your family from the Earth.”  Don't we know that He gives all of his instructions for our best interests?  Always?

How do you think Adam felt?  I know that he was ashamed at his sin and knew that he wanted to follow Yahweh’s directions more closely and intimately after his lapse in the Garden.  He knew he had to work harder to feed himself but he gladly did so.  He knew that he needed to fulfill his punishment and to feed himself from his labors and the sweat on his brow.  I am sure that he felt blessed by his obedience and didn’t mind having to work harder.  His additional efforts were the first sacrifice offered, a necessary labor given to get the food and blessing that he so desperately needed for a life right with God.

Are we fulfilling that original punishment today?   Don’t you think that he still expects us to follow His original command today?  I was instructed along with Adam back in Genesis to raise my own food from the Earth --- that while it will be difficult and require more effort that was originally required --- this plan for me to feed myself relates to his wish to make me better off.

How does it relate to you?

God's Top 10 Uses of the Number 40

Kevin Watkins, I agree with you that it’s odd that it took 40 years for the splinters to work their way out.

I have continued to think about the number 40 since I wrote my previous blog.  It is quite odd to me that it took 40 years for the splinters to come out of my back-side.  But, if my life experiences have taught me anything, I have learned that I really need to pay attention to anything that I can’t stop thinking about.  It’s how God speaks to me.

God has also always used numbers to get my attention.   He used the number 3 all throughout in my 30s (a time of depression and renewal), the number 9 in my wedding (a time of joy) , and now the number 40 in my butt (a time of reflection and I hope revival).   When he’s working on me, He also couples these “number games” with food allegories that arise at the same time (grapes and bread.)

So, since I know He’s working on me, I decided to do a bit of research on the biblical significance of the number 40.  I know it’s an important number (the 40 day flood, 40 days in the wilderness, 40 days in the desert, 40 years in my butt) but I also know that my memory is fleeting and that compiling a list of all the biblical 40 year or 40 day instances would be a good exercise for me.

Funny to me is the fact that I came up with 10 instances of the number 40.  You may not find it all that funny, but it’s funny to me because in our current culture we often write up lists of the “Top 10" Reasons for something or other.  So, here’s “God’s Top 10 Uses of the Number 40.”   

I hope that this is as much of an encouragement to you as it is to me.  For me, it’s further confirmation of God’s mysterious ways but also that he has his hand in all of our lives, if we would only take the time to pay attention. 

May God touch you in His own special way today and always.

God’s Top 10 Uses of the Number 40

1)        It rained for 40 days and 40 nights for the Lord to cleanse the earth with water in the great Flood (Gen 7:12) and then Noah even waited another 40 days before he opened a window. (Gen 8:6)

2)       The  Egyptian embalming custom was to embalm for 40 days as it was their belief that it took that long to be ready to go into the afterlife.  (Gen 50:3)

3)      Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights, once for the covenant,  (Ex 24:18), and a second time for the 10 commandments (Ex 34:28-29).  Moses’ face shone after the 40 days on the mountain. (Ex 34:29).

4)      The Lord told Moses to send some men to explore Canaan, to see what the land was like.  It took the Israelite spies 40 days to explore Canaan and to bring back a single cluster of grapes. (Num  13:23-25)  (Note that the cluster of grapes was so large that 2 men carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.  Amazing!  And amazing it is what good things the Lord provides to those who love him and follow his instructions.)

5)      The Israelites then spent 40 years wandering the wilderness.  (Ex 16:35)  The Lord said, “Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.  For forty years, one year for each of the forty days you explored the land, you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” (Num 14:33-34)

6)      Goliath strutted and taunted the Israelites for forty days before being killed by David.  (1 Sam 17:16)

7)      Strengthened by one angelic meal,  Elijah traveled for 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  After spending the night in a cave, the Lord passed by and he heard His voice.  (1 Ki 19:8-18)

8)      Jonah warned the City of Nineveh they had 40 days until God would overthrow the city. The people repented in those 40 days and God spared the city.  (Jonah 3:4 and 10 KJV) 

9)      Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, he was tempted by Satan, then Satan left and he was attended by angels.  (Mat 4:1-11)

10)    Jesus was seen in the earth 40 days after His crucifixion.  (Acts 1:3)

A Pain in the Butt

I had surgery recently, in fact, last week.  Due to the pain and inconvenience of the matter, I’ve given it a quite a bit of thought.  It’s a relatively private matter, though, and Theo (my husband) said, “Marcie, that’s not the kind of thing you ought to tell anybody.”  But, the more I thought about the matter, the more I think he’s wrong.  True it’s a private matter but there is a moral here that keeps coming to my mind, and so I share it.

My surgery was butt surgery.  Yes, butt surgery.   Posterior surgery.  Surgery on the back side. 

The background to the story is that I developed what I thought was a “cyst” on my posterior earlier this summer.  It wasn’t too troublesome.  It hurt on occasion when I sat down on it.  Other than that, though, it wasn’t a big deal.

Regardless, after we finished our summer pilgrimage to Panama City, I ventured into my dermatologist, Dr. Cronin, and explained the problem.   Unfortunately, the “cyst” was so large that he said it wasn’t anything that he could deal with in an office visit so he had to schedule surgery for the “cyst” removal.  We scheduled that for about 6 weeks down the road.  (It was bigger than a marble but not as big as 2 marbles.)

Dr. Cronin finally got to do the surgery last Monday.  As I lay down on the operating table, he applied some local anesthetic to the matter.  In time, he cut in and said, “Wow!  What’s this?”

The nurse chimed in, “Wow!  Interesting.  I wonder.”

“A blood clot?” asked Cronin.  “Don’t you remember bumping up against something, Mrs. Adkins?”

“What do you mean?” I replied.

“Well, what we see in here is no cyst.  It’s not a blood clot either.  All I see is water and blood.  But down in the bottom of a hole was this big splinter.”, and Dr. Cronin showed me a ½ inch piece of wood, a long splinter. 

“And this one, too.  Two big splinters.  Didn’t you feel those splinters go in?  They’re huge!”

“Well, Doc,” I said.  “I haven’t splintered myself lately, but I do know that when I was a kid in the 1960s, we went down to Key West.  I sat on a dock at the resort we stayed at, dangling my legs over the edge, washing all the moray eels and other sea creatures under my feet.  Unfortunately, I remember quite well that when I went to get up, I slid back, pushing myself back off the edge of the dock, ramming big huge wood chunks in my little 10 year old backside.”

“My parents took me to a local doctor or hospital or whatever you did for medical care back in the 60s.  I don’t remember.  I do definitely remember the dock in my butt and I remember laying in this same position and the doctor pulled out lots of dock out of my butt.  It was all over the place and some of the big chunks of dock were quarter-sized.”

“So,” Dr. Cronin joked, “the 1960s doc took the dock out of your butt but left some, so now 40 years later, this doc has to complete the dock removal job, huh?”

“Yes,” I smiled to my sweet laughing doctor and thanked him.  Dr. Cronin then went on telling his nurse how I was the “case of the day” and that it was amazing that it took 40 years for the left-over splinters to make their way up to the surface, as he sewed my 2 inch posterior incision up, both internally and externally.

So, from Dr. Cronin’s, we went down the road to Browning’s where I bought a “donut” and have been gingerly sitting around for the past week.  It’s been a “pain in the ass” and I haven’t been able to go to the gym or my normal activities, so I have had a lot of time to think.

As I have thought about it, I’ve reflected upon the universal fact that we can’t put anything bad into our bodies and not expect adverse consequences.  And, no matter how we hide the offending matter, it’s got to come out. 

Certainly, we know this to be true in physical sense from my 40 year old splinters in the butt story.  Frankly, it’s amazing how long those wood chunks stayed in there without bothering me.  I suppose they were just left in deep, perhaps were broken off pieces from the other chunks that came out.  And being left in there deep, they were hidden and really didn’t cause a problem.

But no foreign body is to remain in our bodies so the splinters worked their way up over the years until they were ready to come out.  The “cyst” was instead some sort of internal blister, water that my body put around the splinters.  Dr. Cronin said that had I not had the surgery, the encapsulation would have eventually popped one day as I sat down and I would have ended up with one heck of an infection.  But, regardless, the splinters would have come out.

Interestingly, Dr. Cronin said that years ago before antibiotics, these types of stories would have been called “blood poisoning” and would have led to death.  How fortunate we are to be in a day and age where doctors can help us cut out such offending particles easily and give us antibiotics to keep us well, away from death’s door.

How nice it was that I could have someone, Dr. Cronin, help me to remove the splinters.  How appreciative I am that I don’t have to go through the additional problem of a bad infection.  But, regardless my 40 year old splinters were destined to come out of my butt because no foreign bodies should be in our bodies.

But this story translates to the other dimensions of our lives, both mental and spiritual, as well.  Any foreign bodies (bitterness, hatred, pride, deceit) have no place in our lives and are poisonous to us.  These foreign bodies must come out as well or will result in bad infections (depression and death).

Getting the splinters  out of our lives is essential.  And hopefully, as Theo laughed, as we left the doctor’s office, “I can only hope that you’ll be easier to live with now that you’ve gotten the stick out of your butt.” 

He was joking, but it's true.    We all need the sticks out of our butts and I personally need the more important sticks out of my butt  (anger, bitterness, unforgiveness).

May it be so. 

Lord, please help me to get all the sticks out of my butt and my soul and be the wife, mother, daughter and friend that you want me to be. 

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord,

and he examines all his paths.

The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;

the cords of his sin hold him fast.

He will die for lack of discipline,

led astray by his own great folly.

Proverbs 5:21-23

There are 6 things the Lord hates,

7 that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-19

Antioxidants Anyone?

Ever thought about free radicals?  Why they do what they do?  How to prevent the damage?

Essentially free radicals are chemically active charged atoms that need to either gain (or lose) electrons to fill their outer electron shells.   They are chemically unstable without a complete outer electron shell.  This instability gives them a strong “chemical urge” as free radicals feel that they “must” have their electrons.   As such, they become scavengers, robbers and thieves.  They will rob, cheat and steal --- do whatever it takes  ---  to obtain the necessary extra electrons to complete themselves. 

This free radical damage is also known as oxidation.  As their name implies, antioxidants are our answer to this damaging (but normal) effects of the physiological process of oxidation in our bodies.   Many vitamins, minerals and enzymes can act as antioxidants but the two key ones that we commonly think of are Vitamin E and Vitamin C.  

We all know that fruits and vegetables provide you with Vitamin C, but what about Vitamin E?  Have you ever thought about what food stuffs hold the richest source of Vitamin E? 

The answer is simple and clear:  freshly milled whole grains.  Sadly, our society commonly uses nuts, seeds and vegetable oils as sources for our Vitamin E.  (Even worse we take it in pill form.)  But, if we would only mill our own wheat, we would find the cheapest, most wonderful source of Vitamin E. 

As you can see, while there are 20.3 mg of Vitamin E in 1 tablespoon of wheat germ oil, the next richest source, sunflower seeds, the next richest source, contains about 1/3 of that amount.  No other food stuff comes close to the Vitamin E concentration in whole grains.

Table 1

Selected Food Sources of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)

Source:  U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Food	Milligrams (mg)/serving	% DV
1 tbsp wheat germ oil	20.3	100%
Sunflower seeds, 1 oz	7.4	37
Almonds, 1 oz	6.8	34
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp	1.5	8
Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup	1.2	6
Tomato, raw, 1 medium	0.7	4
Spinach raw, 1 cup	0.6	3

Do note the kicker in my previous sentence, however.  The richest source of Vitamin E is in freshly milled whole grains.    The kicker and the key is the fresh milled part due to the fact that Vitamin E in the wheat germ oil is oxidized by exposure to our ambient air.  About 75% of the Vitamin E is oxidized within the first 24 hours after milling and it is all oxidized (rendered useless as a viable antioxidant for use in our bodies) after   4 days.  Maybe that’s why nutritionists do not advocate grains as a good source of Vitamin E. 

But why don’t we simply mill our own wheat?  I suppose it’s lack of knowledge since mills are easily available and it’s certainly faster to mill your own wheat than to dry to the grocery store.  Oh, yes.  Did I mention cheap?  You need a few cups of grains for a loaf of bread and 50 pounds of grains would average you $30.  Pennies per loaf.

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Hosea 4:6

Milling your own wheat is not only healthy for you, it also makes the best loaf of bread (muffins, cakes, cookies, anything you bake) that you’ll ever eat.  Consider learning more about it.  Talk to me.  Ask me for some wheat and a recipe.  I would be glad to get you started.

The Charge Against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,

because the Lord has a charge to bring

against you who live in the land.

There is no faithfulness, no love,

no acknowledgment of God in the land.

There is only cursing, lying and murder,

stealing and adultery;

they break all bounds,

and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns,

and all who live in it waste away;

the beasts of the field and the birds of the air

and the fish of the sea are dying.

But let no man bring a chanrge,

let no man accuse another,

for your people are like those

who bring charges against a priest.

You stumble day and night,

And the prophets stumble with you.

So I will destroy your mother ---

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also reject you as my priests;

Because you have ignored the law of your God,

I will also ignore your children.

The more the priests increased,

The more they sinned against me;

they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful.

they feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.

And it will be:  like people, like priests.

I will punish both of them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

They will eat but not have enough;

they will engage in prostitution but not increase,

because they have deserted the Lord

to give themselves to prostitution,

to old wine and new,

which take away the understanding of my people.

Hosea 4:1-12

Gathering Grapes

Ever thought about how our ancestors gathered food?  It is really quite a challenge and trying to do so yourself helps you understand why our society is so fat and overindulged.

We are at our home in Panama City this weekend, spending time with my 99-year-old father-in-law while my sister-in-law (my FIL’S primary caregiver) is out of town relaxing with her husband, two daughters and their spouses.

Our Panama City house is our “hunting house”, a modest brick home located at the edge of a 5100 acre hunting lease known as the “Downtown Hunt Club”.  We don’t own the 5100 acres ourselves, of course, just a small 20 acre piece of it.  For hunting, the small 20 acre piece is all we need for our shooting range and hunting houses.  But for wild food gathering, that’s another story entirely and you need lots of land, 100s of acres.  And, of course, I consider all the 5100 acres my own.

So early this morning, I was walking alone in “my woods” and came upon lots of wild grapes!  It was an exciting but an unexpected delight as I thought all the grapes ripened in August.  So, back to the house I went and grabbed a plastic storage box with which to collect my grapes.  

Two hours later, I walked home with about 3 and one-half cups of grapes.  Thinking I was so smart and industrious, I then went on the internet to research making wine or jelly from my lovely grapes.  “Grape jelly, here I come!”

Various blogs on the internet taught me that three and one-half cups won’t get you much!!!  It takes about six 5 gallon buckets of wild grapes to make 15 bottles of wine.  And to make jelly, it requires 4 cups of undiluted grape juice to 1 package of Sure-Jell and some sugar. 

Sounds like it’s back to the woods for me.  Hopefully, these grapes will last in the refrigerator until I can get more!  I am guessing it’s going to take me a few more walks to gather enough for some jelly. 

Time to get my walking shoes on …

The Media in Panama City

Reading the Panama City paper during these past few days since the shooting has left my brow scrunched up and puzzled. What a culture here!

(If you are reading this and don't know what shooting I am referring to, there was a gunman at the Bay County school board meeting last week. He tried to kill 7 men who sat at the dais in point blank range, shooting 12 or 18 times, yet he missed.)

Can you imagine the front page story of your newspaper covering a praise and worship meeting? Well, yesterday's News Herald did just that. The front page story covered a praise and worship service that was attended by hundreds at the Civic Center.

Can you imagine EVERY one of your school board members attending this praise and worship meeting at the civic center and giving all the glory to the Lord?

Can you imagine the editor of the paper publishing his editorial of the week with the title, "Heroic Actions Come from Person's Faith"? Can you imagine the content of that editorial was that in such a scary and ultimately miraculous event, God has become the focus of all and is constantly being praised by those involved and in turn by the community.

Wow. How refreshing! As a Christian, I am more often than not disturbed by the media, typically reading text that belittles my beliefs as fairy tales. How lovely to see a newspaper that declares the truth, "JESUS SAVES!"

May my Lord, Jesus Christ, bless and SAVE you, today, all this Christmas season, and every day of you life.

Do You Know Why I Farm?

Today I have okra stew dribbling down my chin and I smile.  I smile because I am so proud that so much of what is on my chin came from my own farm.

Did you know that farming is hard?  Believe me, it is.  I have been trying to raise our own food for about 10 years or so now and I am not self-sustaining by a long shot.  Don’t think I ever will be.  But when you can make okra stew and the okra, hot peppers, sweet peppers, corn and pork sausage all came from your own land, you have a great feeling of satisfaction and pride.

Do you know why I farm?  Those of you who haven’t seen me since college or even high school probably think it’s odd that I farm.  A girl who grew up beach side, laying in the sun and going to the beach doesn’t evoke thoughts of farming.  A college kid that only drank beer, thought about politics and scraped her way through school doesn’t make you think of a farming lady.  But, my life changed before I knew it and now I farm.

I suppose I started when Theo and I got together.  Our house sits on about 4.5 acres so it was natural to stock the ponds with fish and to keep some chickens at first.  Then came the cows, pigs and goats.  And now I garden, butcher my own chickens and turkeys, and even try to spin wool.  But, what really happened along the way was that God hit me upside the head really, really hard.

You see, while I might have said I was a Christian early in life, I wasn’t really.  But 12 years ago I took my first really serious bible study class.  In it we read the bible pretty much from beginning to end ---- and I was hooked!  Amazed!  Surprised and certainly enlightened. 

Before that class, I really thought that the Bible was a bunch of fairy tales and/or myths.  It couldn’t possibly be true, could it?  And the fact that I believed that there was a guy named Jesus back in history was just safe and convenient.  You see, if you say you believe in Jesus, then you go to heaven, so if he doesn’t exist, no real loss there --- you just said something that wasn’t true.  No big deal.  But, if you don’t believe and it is true, big mistake!!!  Down to the eternal fires.   So I said I “believed”, but in fact I really doubted and didn’t give much thought to the Christian life.

But, when I started REALLY studying the Bible, that is, getting down and dirty, comparing story after story and comparing book after book, something funny happened.  I could see that it was impossible for it not to be true!  I could see that the “big book” was a bunch of individual books that had been written by dozens of authors at different times in our history, yet it all fit together like a glove.  A beautiful tapestry!  Amazing!

So, now I farm.  What’s the connection?  Well, it would take a lot to explain all the details but I just think I am supposed to do it.  I feel like raising my own food is part of God’s plan for me.  I farm because I see God’s hand in my life.  He put me here in a place where I can farm.   And he’s given me a curious mind that asks, “What does he mean about all those farming analogies in the Bible?  Daily bread?  Goats versus sheep?  Vineyards?  So why not?  ” 

So even though in today’s modern world it’s easier and cheaper to buy food from the store, I farm just so I can have a better understanding of what God says about it.

Let me give you an example: Why did he say for us not to eat pigs in those Old Testament rules?  I don’t know.  But, after raising them myself I have a whole new understanding of “unclean” animals.  Pigs’ poop STINKS!!!!  Wow!  It’s the very, very worst!  And when you have free range pigs that love you very much and in their “wanting to be close to you” they decide to plop their poop only outside the back door, you really have an “unclean” situation.  In stark contrast, none of your ruminants’ poop smells at all (goats, sheep, cows, deer) and God said you could eat them because they were “clean”.   So while we do eat pork (and all kinds of meat) in our family, we do think we have a better understanding why the old law said not to. 

Another example:  Why did God say back in Genesis that we’d have to work hard for our food (by the sweat of our brow)?  Because gardening is hard!    It’s a real bummer to find worms eating your cucumbers and squash, raccoons digging up the garlic and squirrels taking one bite out of huge, green tomatoes and throwing them on the ground!  Weeds are prolific and pulling them is sweaty businesses.  And I could go on and on.  Gardening is hard work!  But, when you are able to eat the fruits of your labor, it’s very satisfying and sweet.  And since I garden organically, I am able to feed my family and myself food that I couldn’t afford to buy in the store  ---- and in fact couldn’t buy since I pick it and eat it immediately.  Real local farming!

So, as the okra stew drips down my chin, I smile and thank God for the bounty of my garden and his blessed word.  Thank you, Lord, for helping me to know you better.  Thank you for opening my eyes to the bible and giving me the chance to really study it.  Thank for you for letting me get so excited about your story that I garden and farm. 

And thank you, Jesus, as the okra stew drips down my chin and I smile in delight.