One Good Leader

"If you reprove a scoffer, he will hate you; if you reprove a wise man, he will love you. The fear of Adonai is the beginning of all wisdom, and knowledge of holy ones is understanding. If you are wise, your wisdom helps you; but if you scoff, you bear your consequences alone." (Proverbs 9:8&10&12)

Recently, I was at a church function for youth. Out of maybe 40 adolescents, 5 looked as if they had come to genuinely worship the Lord while the others were in various stages of being horribly distracting. The groups of girls were segregated into little cliques that were chatting together. The boys were wandering about doing various things. Some were slouched in chairs, some were standing on the furniture, and still some others were tossing a football around--all during the time that the worship team was playing. After about 10 minutes of this chaos, one irate girl got up on stage and rebuked the whole crowd. "For ONCE," she said, "Can we please just WORSHIP?!" After that, the caddywumpus died down and it began to be a normal (yet still very noisy) time of worship for the youth.

As a farmer, when I saw that girl get on stage to rebuke the crowd, I saw a common episode I encounter with my sheep. The way it often goes with my sheep, is that when they break into a run, it's pure chaos. They run-- directionless--and into each other and fences and even sides of barns. Usually this furry mosh pit continues until one sheep decides to make sense and actually think while running. As soon as this one sheep straightens itself out and seems to know what it's doing, the rest of the sheep follow it. In the end, people are no different. As soon as we find one person that is willing to rise above the crowd and direct it, we are inspired and follow that one person who seems to know what they're doing. All it takes is one good leader.

It's no accident that the Bible compares people to sheep. One of the most common passages quoted is Isaiah 53:6 which says, "We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way." Obviously, we probably remind God of sheep. Jesus said to Peter that if he loved him, he would feed his sheep (John 21). As sheep so prone to wandering, we need a good shepherd. Alas, God knew this, so he provided one and his name is Jesus. One good leader, stepping into the chaos, restoring order to the flock. At the risk of sounding condescending, I will say that the smart sheep will follow the one who knows the way.

"Yes, indeed! I tell you, the person who doesn't enter the sheep-pen through the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the one who goes in through the gate is the sheep's own shepherd. This is the one the gate-keeper admits, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep, each one by name, and leads them out. After taking out all that are his own, he goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because stranger's voices are unfamiliar to them... I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:1-5&11)

Ye Be Warned!

Once upon a time, there was a lovely sheep. She was faithful to make beautiful new lambs every year and pleased her master. As she got older, though, her body needed a rest. Her udder stopped producing enough milk to support life for her new lambs. One year, her lambs actually died of starvation because she made almost no milk for them. At this time, the farmers decided that the sheep's retirement was imminent. She was butchered.

After she was butchered, the farmers sawed off her legs at the knee. There is no meat below the knee, so these were tossed to the dogs--fur, hoof and all. One dog took each of these legs and buried them in the four corners of the back pasture. "Ye be warned, sheep," said the dog, "That if ye not be producing good fruit, the master be takin' yer hide!" Now, each time the sheep go out to graze in the back pasture, they think upon that old sheep and remember the wise warning from their friend, the dog. "I best keep producing good fruits," they say -- and they do.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." -Galations 6:7-10
Aside from the talking animals, this is a true enough story. Those who are not redeemed are much like a sheep's body. They will one day wear out and be useless. However, those who are living their life in the Spirit of the Living God will inevitably be producing great fruit--even in their death. Those who have gone before me are living proverbs. Some people gave their all to something eternal and labored for the Kingdom. These are the people I want to be like. There are others, though, who worked for something carnal, produced only things carnal, and the only eternal good they did was show more wary people what not to do. They are like the four legs of the sheep buried in the four corners of the pasture--warning those who are more saavy to take heed lest they end up as chew toys.

Live for more than the next lamb you can pop out to please your master. These things, too, shall pass and then what??? Be fruitful for your Lord. Your value is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10). Sow in the Spirit, reap in the Spirit, live in the Spirit! There is no way to live a carnal life, horizontally performed for the pleasure of other people and be serving God at the same time. Choose wisely!

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life!" -Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Culture

It's no secret that I am a raw milk advocate. In my circle of goat-hugging, whole food consuming, homesteading womenfolk, some buzz words center around the fermentation of our milk. To incubate by electric device or not? To chill before culturing or not? All of this is to attain the coveted perfect glass of kefir, tub of yogurt, jar of buttermilk, or wheel of cheese. Health, wealth, and the pursuit of probiotics keep us in the kitchen, swapping recipes while our goats contentedly and ignorantly much their hay in the barn, completely unaware that their milk means so much to these crazy, hairless beings that pamper them.

Most of our American products such as yogurt and cheese are prepared in highly controlled environments. Because of government regulations concerning the proper preparation of food, few things can go wrong without serious repurcussions, and corporations are desperate to avoid this. However, in Suzie Homemaker's kitchen, many things can go wrong while trying to ferment our milk. Basically, almost all of the problems we encounter can be boiled down to one thing: contamination.

Contamination can occur as early as the milk pail itself. If not every material used was sanitized, then your milk will be contaminated. It may or may not be a dangerous contamination; but either way, your product will not turn out right. Your cheese may be spongey, your yogurt may dissolve into the whey, your kefir may taste like a foot, or various other things may happen. Only in a controlled environment can your product have the desired results.

It's actually rather difficult to keep a controlled environment. I encountered a problem once in which my soft cheese kept turning into a solid, plastic-like mass that was unable to be sliced. I inquired from many sources, and found that my problem was not in my cleanliness, but in airborne contaminants. I found myself in a constant battle with invisible forces that were warring against my precious product.

In all my efforts to shelter my children so that the appropriate culture can flourish in them, I feel as if I'm constantly battling outside invaders. Contaminants are looking for a warm, cozy place (like a child's heart) to plant their own little spores and grow their own little brood of disgusting creatures at the expense of my little one's health. I can bust my butt trying to sterilize their little worlds, but in the end, I need to trust that the culture I'm putting into them is stronger than the culture that's seeking to overtake them.

"You, children, are from God and have overcome the false prophets, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore, they speak from teh world's viewpoint; and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God doesn't listen to us. This is how we distinguish the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of error." -1 John 4:4-6

By all means, I must put forth my greatest effort to keep my culturing environment a clean one. It's my responsibility to be careful of what culturing they receive. However, I am relieved that the burden does not rest solely on me and my power to make sure that my little cultures will thrive. Indeed, they are not mine, but God's. What He has put into us and our hearts cannot be overpowered by the evil one unless we will it to be so. Anything that seeks to overtake me and fester in my heart must first pass through the invincible Lord Almighty. He is my rock and my shield. His Word is powerful.

"See, the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper than any double-edged sword--it cuts right through to where soul meets spirit and joints meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12

Like the cultures I put into my milk, the Word of God is alive. Nurture and protect it, my friend, so that you may be a source of uncontaminated nourishment to someone who needs it.

The Misery of Hording

"Bend my heart toward your instructions and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; with your ways, give me life." (Psalm 119:36-37)

When we butcher, it's hard work for us and a glorious libation of goodies for the dogs. What we do not eat (bones, sinew, fat, organs, etc) is fed to the dogs. In years past, we've had dogs that amiably share the windfall by dividing the spoils amongst themselves. However, we have one dog that is displaying the worst kind of selfishness and ruining the fun for all of them. Selah, the great pyrenees, has adopted the habit of collecting all the bloody blessings into one pile and fiercely guarding it. The other dogs circle her treasure trove, looking for an opportunity to snatch a bite. She spends all of her energy guarding her stock, so she never even gets the opportunity to enjoy what she's fought for. Absolutely nobody gets to enjoy the treats, so the pile eventually rots and must be tossed into the fire to be burned.

Seeing Selah laying down in front of her pile, staring with unblinking eyes at the other dogs (who stare at her with unblinking eyes as well), I cannot help but see a picture of the misery of selfishness. Instead of everyone having a little bit of joy, nobody gets any. That's the way that Selah would have it. She'd rather have the pleasure of knowing the pile is all hers than to part with some of it and eat the rest as her portion.

What we have has been given to us is not exclusively for our benefit. What we've been given is for sharing. Luke 12:48 says, "From him who has been given much, much will be demanded--from someone to whom people entrust much, they ask more." Paradoxically, forfeiting what we have is oftentimes a benefit to ourselves. When we make room for God to bless us, He is faithful to do so. When we stuff our lives full of our own pleasures, He cannot fit His awesome blessings into our life.

"A man approached Jesus and said, 'Rabbi, what good thing should I do in order to have eternal life?'...Jesus said to him, 'If you are serious about reaching the goal, go and sell your possessions, give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me!' But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was wealthy." (Matthew 19:16&21-22)

The way to eternal life isn't giving everything away to people less fortunate. However, the man in this parable loved his riches more than he loved Jesus-- and Jesus knew it. This is why Jesus poked this man's sore spot--to give him an opportunity to forfeit what was really killing him to receive what he was dying for. We all, like the rich young ruler, have things that are hard to relinquish in order to follow hard after Christ. What's wrong with us? Don't we trust Him when He says that better things come to those who give up everything to follow Him?

"For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? What could a person give in exchange for his life?" (Mark 8:35-37)

A Contentious Hen

"Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." (Proverbs 25:24)

My husband's co-worker approached him minutes before the end of the workday and begged him to take a horrible rooster off of his hands. "This rooster," the man said, "Mounts my wife's head as if it were a hen. It's a menace and I need you to kill it." Nonchalantly acknowledging our infamy of being the 'bad rooster disposal service', my husband acquired the rooster and brought it home.

En route from his co-worker's house, my husband calls me on the phone: "Hey, honey," my husband says to me, "This rooster is a silkie. Haven't you always wanted a silkie?" For those of you who don't know what a silkie is, it's a small version of a chicken that has very fluffy feathers and barely resembles a chicken at all. As a matter of fact, it's more closely related to a koosh ball or perhaps a mop head. It's like a tiny, clucking cloud and is ridiculously endearing. So, we agreed that unless this rooster was going to mistake my head for a mate, we would keep him.

The next day, we kept a close eye on the rooster to see if he displayed any tendencies toward violence or molestation toward humans. He was docile, and much to our surprise, was being mercilessly harassed by our hens. They chased him through impossible obstacle courses through the barn and pulled out a number of his feathers. The icing on the top of this cake was when the poor little guy perched at the edge of our 30 gallon water tub for a drink and a hen pushed him right in. The rooster nearly drowned and we had to pull him out.

When the hilarity of the situation subsided, the Lord sobered me by pointing out to me that this is what many wives do to their husbands. Many wives act like the home is their domain and make it hard for their husband to relax in it. On top of that, they often pick a time of their husband's most vulnerable, weak times to humiliate him. Even if 'blowing some steam' is their goal as opposed to 'making their man suffer', the end product is the same--a bruised ego for one and a cock-like hen for the other.

"To the woman (God) said, '...Your desire will be toward your husband, but he will rule over you.' -Genesis 3:16

"Therefore, whoever resists the authorities is resisting what God has instituted; and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves." -Romans 13:2

To the ladies, I say this: Honor men. Honor all men in authority over you. Fathers, husbands, grandfathers, bosses, pastors, etc...they all deserve your respect. When you do anything to humiliate them, you are humiliating yourself. Never slander your husband or speak ill of him. If you are one with him, you are defaming yourself right alongside him. Even if he has wronged you tremendously, we must bless those who curse us and do good to those who spitefully use us.

To the men, I say this: I'm sorry. My ugly, rebellious head has surfaced many times in my life. May my future be patterned by the beauty of submission and honor. May my tongue speak only life and not death. May my actions be for the glory of others and not to prefer myself.


"Who can find a capable wife? Her value is far beyond that of pearls. Her husband trusts her from his heart, and she will prove a great asset to him. She works to bring him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:8-9)