A Dangerous Reality

I guess that last week, the smallest horse on record was born. It was of the line of miniatures, of course, but stood at maybe fourteen inches and weighed only 6 pounds when born. Many people commented on the article I read saying things like,"Oh, he's so cute!" or "Can you housebreak him?" or "So great for children! Now they don't have to have a horse that they're afraid of."

Do you see how dangerous this attitude can be? This horse, though small, is still very much a horse with all the natural bent toward biting, kicking, bucking, rearing, etc. that needs to be trained out of a horse. People are often adamant about training large horses because of the danger they pose to you. Nobody wants to be kicked by a 1200 pound animal with hard hooves! But would you really want little Johnny to get kicked by something that was even maybe 120 lbs? Come on! Little Johnny might escape his childhood with nary an incident with his little pony, but what if it gave him a false sense of security that he would be safe around horses?

This might seem outlandish to you, but I'm a parent with this strong on my heart. I've removed all toys from my kids that emulate something dangerous in the adult world. My son wants to shoot a gun, so his toy guns are gone. He needs to learn how dangerous they are and how to safely handle one. If he were to walk around with that false security from only playing with toy guns, he'd have no idea how to properly handle a real gun. I'd rather him respect firearms in general. For example, my kids had a toy kitchen set complete with flimsy plastic knives. One day, I came into the kitchen to find my kids playing with real butcher knives and slicing each other's hands!!! They had no idea how dangerous real knives were. Toy knives are gone because they need to respect sharp things.

I might sound like a hypocrite because my children have a miniature horse, but I'm not. This miniature is still a full four hundred pounds and is a feisty mare. She's broke and gentle, but she will not tolerate being treated like a toy. My son took to beating her butt with a stick to make her go forward, and she responding by tossing him. He's learning how to respect her. After getting a kick from her by running at her and yelling, he's now very careful about running and yelling at all around the full size horses and has a healthy respect of their large and swift legs! She's more dangerous than a plastic knife or toy gun and is a fantastic training tool to my kids!

When I think about how people handle dangerous things flippantly, I think about the tongue. Speaking something is like taking the mediation of our heart and putting feet on it and sending it off to run the fields and multiply. I was about to quote some verses here about the tongue, but that's a waste of time. Just read the book of James. It's short, but very packed with verses about it. However, I'll share with you something that is almost like a mantra to me throughout every day of my life. It's from the Psalmist, David: "O Lord, set a guard over the door of my mouth and let no iniquity into my heart."

What's that in your mouth? It's not a foam sword, or plastic knife, or toy gun. It's not a my little pony or plastic jewelry. In your mouth is the real deal: It's a sharpened steel sword; it's a jagged knife; it's a powerful firearm; it's a muscular beast and it's a king's booty.

Great Faith

"Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them....enable your servants to speak with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." -Acts 4:24&30

It takes great faith for me to write about what I'm writing today. I'm going to write about healing. This can sometimes be a touchy topic with followers of Christ because some people believe that healing was more for the time of the Apostles, and some people believe it is completely relevant for today. I tend to favor the opinion that it's for today as well, because Jesus never mentioned a timeline for how long the gift of healing was relevant. I am as much a follower of Christ as any one of his disciples ever were; therefore, I believe whatever He imparted to them, can be mine as well.

This is hard for me to talk about sometimes, though, because often healing is not immediate. If you cut yourself, you likely have faith that in time your wound will close itself and you will have 'new skin' as long as you do your part to keep your wound clean. If your skin does not close back up, you will begin to wonder what is wrong. Adversely, when you cut yourself, you probably don't freak out and run to the ER unless you think you're dying. Why don't we have that faith about diseases? Or indescribable pains?

I do. It's hard, but I do. For example, I threw out my back about a year and a half ago and it took 3 days before I could walk on my own at all. It was bad. For the next 8 months, I hobbled about and favored my back and visited the chiropractor regularly. Then one night, when my back was especially hurting, I cried out to God and took hold of the hem of His garment. I said,"Lord, heal my back. I will use my strong back to serve you more." Immediately, a warm sensation went into the spot of the worst pain and it just *disappeared*. No more pain. That was almost a year ago.

However, for a month or so now I've had a terrible pain in the left side of my face. It starts in my inner ear and goes down into the hinge of my jaw and the upper and lower teeth of the left side including the left side of my tongue and underneath by my chin. It has indeed kept me awake at night and made it hard to speak or listen. I have pleaded with God to remove my pain and even had many lay hands on me and pray for my healing. I have popped numerous pain pills and guzzled whiskey for relief. Some things help sometimes and nothing works all the time. I need healing. I know God's hand is on me and I know this healing is working itself out. However, it is taking faith. Great faith. There is no physical outworking of my healing (same as when you first cut yourself) but I know it's coming (same as when you remove the band aid after two days).

I speak of healing because I know it's real. My last posting was about a lamb that was hypoglycemic and almost dead. One of the ways I've devoted my farm to God is that when an animal is sick, I lay hands on them and pray for their healing. I've devoted them to God and call them His and thank Him for making me their steward. I prayed for this lamb and fed her goat milk by stomach tube for three days. I gave her vitamins and kept her warm. She is healed. For the past two or three days, she's been romping and playing outside in the grass. She sucks down her own bottles with no assistance and picks fights with the dogs. Healing is real and it's not in my power, but God's. This is only one of the many, many, many examples of prayer-led farming bringing about healings.

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." -Acts 4:31

Painful Submission

Am I alright with the decisions that God makes even if it's not what I would have wanted?

Have you ever pondered the meaning behind pain, death, and suffering? Most people begin to, but because answers cause them to question things that they don't want to question, they tend to back off out of fear of offending their own religion. I don't think God is offended when we ask Him big questions that are impossible for us to answer for ourselves. There is a whole book of the Bible (Job) in which a man questions his God and his God answers. However, this isn't like a high school pop quiz with tidy bullet points and multiple choice, nor is it like a job interview; God doesn't answer with 'answers' per se, but with more questions. Those who try to explain mysteries are arrogant unless they submit their ponderings to God the way Job did. However, painful things continue to happen....

"Death itself is not a nothing. It is not a mere lack of life. It is life's enemy and as a SOMETHING, takes life's place. Death hates life." - Walter Wangerin, jr.

We are not floating in a celestial sphere that prevents pain. We have a real enemy, and our enemy hungers for our destruction. However, our real enemy (as we must) submits to God, so nothing that happens is out of the order of God's universe. How do we oppose our enemy if he answers to God as well? Is there anything we can do?

"Jesus' first coming did not solve the problems of planet earth, rather it presented a vision of God's kingdom to help break the earthly spell of delusion." -Philip Yancey

"In this world you will have trouble..." -John 16:33a

Christ was not spared trouble, loss, or sorrow, and a servant is not greater than his master. What was accomplished by his suffering? Life. What is accomplished by our suffering? Life. How could the answer be anything different. Here is a paradox of our mysterious Lord: death yields life. As our enemy must bow before God, so death bows before life, and anytime it is given authority to take something, it must give ten times more at least because our God is a God of Life. He is holy and just. John 16:33 goes on to say," But take heart! I have overcome the world." Why? Because it needed some overcoming! And as a servant is not greater than his master, so a good master as the one we serve, will not forget his servants and will indeed share the victory.

Why do I share all of this when I normally blog about farming? Because death, loss, suffering and pain are normal parts of farming. But all these things must submit to God who orders the world. I had a lamb born a few days ago on a very cold day in April. Because of the cold, she became hypoglycemic. The previous day or two were 80 degrees outside and if she had been born on those days, she would not have had this trouble. However, God ordained her birth day and it is what it is. I am nursing her as I have been for the past 24 hours and it all seems the same. No deterioration and no improvement. This limbo is in submission to God, though. This lamb is in submission to God. The weather is in submission to God.

.....Am I in submission to God?

Because of Kevin

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." -Romans 12:1

On March 20th of 2009, I had an alpine goat give birth to twins. One of the twins was a little buckling named Kevin. Kevin grew up and that autumn, he bred two of my does and then I sold him. I sold him to a dear friend who used him to breed all of her does and she even let her neighbor bring her does over to breed with him as well. By the end of winter, Kevin was tired.

With the money from selling Kevin, I purchased materials necessary for raising a dairy calf that I was planning on buying for my son for his birthday. These materials aided in feeding that calf which is now a healthy weight.

One of Kevin's babies which was already born, has also been sold to a woman who had always wanted a little alpine/lamancha goat. Others of his babies are being reared for meat and milk across the Ashtabula/Geauga County areas.

When Kevin was done breeding, he was turned into a delicious batch of sausage that brought pleasure to the family who bought him. This sausage refreshed them with the nutrition they needed to work and grow and learn.

Because of Kevin, many things have happened to benefit this local area. Most important, he bred many does so that the families who owned them could once again milk them.

One little goat. One little seed planted. He was only a goat. You are a child of the Most High. What can you do?

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - John 12:24

The Apostle Poo...I Mean Paul...

I've been reading Acts chapter 18 and it's actually not all that interesting on the surface. However, in reflection, there are profound things that can be gleaned from it. As in much of the book of Acts, in this chapter Paul is traveling about different regions and preaching. He speaks in the synagogue and when he says he needs to go, it breaks people's hearts because they love having him there. The most impressive part is in verse 23 where it says,"(he) strengthened all the disciples".

We all know that Paul wrote letters to believers throughout many regions and communicated efficiently exactly what they needed to hear. However, as he moved among his people, he 'strengthened them'. I know from personal experience that a timely letter from a believing friend can 'touch my heart' and 'encourage me'...but only intimate fellowship can 'strengthen me'. There is an intense difference.

What in the world does this have to do with farming? Brace yourself, because it does. Most people know what probiotics are, right? It's the good bacteria that strengthens your immune system. When you're raising livestock, you can get probiotics to your animals in two different ways: 1) you can purchase a plastic tube or packet of powder with the bacteria in it and have your animal take it orally. 2) you can graze different species of animals side by side. How does letting them graze side by side give them probiotics? I'll tell you: when a critter eats, a critter poops. Most animals have droppings that are LOADED with good bacteria that cause the droppings to quickly break down into good compost. This fertilizes your pasture and exposes your other animals to the 'strengths' left behind by the previous animal's droppings. Often, I find myself gazing out over the pasture, watching my animals lift their tails and relieve themselves and keep munching without pause. In and out...in and out...(you get the picture). I reflect that they're leaving something behind for the other animals to benefit from.

I liken the store bought probiotics to the letters that Paul sent to believers. They were more 'packaged' and 'shipped' if you know what I mean. I liken his movement among disciples in person as the 'grazing side by side' approach. As a follower of Christ who longs to fellowship with others, I send off my packaged and shipped 'strengtheners' in the form of emails that put a smile on other people's faces. However, when people are able to interact with me, we are able to strengthen each other in a more profound way as iron sharpens iron. No one would argue that when you deal with people, you start to realize that everybody has their...um....strength that they leave behind.....and it's not always in a pretty package....(don't make me have to describe this more graphically; I know you know what I'm saying).

So let us forbear with one another and bear one another up. Let us freely deposit that which was sown into us to strengthen our fellow 'grazers'. Indeed, let us also ship our 'strengths' across the seas for when we cannot be close to one another. Remember also, that if you hold it in, you'll make yourself sick. 'Nuff said.

Faith Like Mammaries

"Give, and you will receive gifts--the full measure, compacted, shaken together and overflowing, will be put right in your lap. For the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure back to you!" -Luke 6:38

I think of this passage when I'm milking. I'm sure some of you are familiar with the principle of milking and the physiology with how an udder works. For those of you who don't, I'll break it down:

A mom goat/cow/whatever mammal makes milk for her baby. Baby drinks the milk and then the udder is empty. At the sensation of an empty udder, the mom's body begins to produce more milk to feed baby again because we all know that no matter how many times you fill a belly, it's going to get empty again! Anyway, if the baby doesn't nurse for whatever reason, the full udder will get tight and uncomfortable. This sends a signal to the mom's brain to stop producing because the udder can't take any more. This is why it's important to stay on a strict schedule when you milk, because if the udder gets too tight, and that signal is given to her, you won't get so much milk. It's an excellent example of the supply and demand principle.

Now that you're all filled in, I'll let you know how this is a very spiritual principle. A friend prophesied to me recently when I sold a bunch of animals that it meant that there was now room in my barn for more and I would increase. I didn't think how very biblical that was at the time, but I see it now. An empty barn is much like an empty udder...it fills. When we make room for more, more is given.

When we live life with an open hand, much passes through it. If we allow what we currently have to be passed along, more will come into our hand from the hand of God. If our fist is tightly closed, God cannot give us more.

For an example, as a fulfillment to that prophesy: I sold a bunch of baby goats not too long ago when my friend prophesied, and I was happy for the barn space. Two weeks ago, I got a completely random phone call from the man I buy hay from asking me to just 'take' his five alpine goats! His wife had just had twins and the last thing they wanted was to tend their goats. Three are adult pregnant mamas and two were castrated males that needed some butchering. We received milk and meat without even asking when we honestly didn't even need it all that much! This in turn, allows me to keep my prices low, so I can pass along the blessing. My goats udders and my barn indeed, are all tight and bursting with blessings! Riches pour out from them and my blessings become other's blessings.

Pass it on!