Bright Hope Farms

Kingdom Building

Hope — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:26:08 +0000

I have always been enamoured with Kings, Queens, and royalty in general. As a young child, I often fancied the idea of my backyard as a kingdom. Aye, I wanted to conquer and take dominion. Indeed, deep inside, I had a desire for power and conquest. I wanted prestige, power, and a name for myself … even if it meant I was conquering a territory of dandelions taken captive by a ruthless sibling. Not much has changed from my childhood. I still have the desire to conquer. I believe it is an inborn trait in all of us. God created us to take dominion. He created us to create kingdoms.

Truthfully, all of us are creating kingdoms. The question is … which kingdom are we creating? You see, we all start out being enticed by the notion that we can get a higher education and take our position in corporate America, work 8-5, and enjoy a full benefits package. I suppose the building of this kingdom was a welcome thing when it was first presented. America, a largely agricultural country at its birth, was no stranger to disease, hardship, and drought. There is nothing so devastating as working sun up to sun down only to lose all your income because of a hail storm. Then a call came from the halls of academia, joined by a few counterparts, “Don’t ever be a poor dirt farmer. Get an education; see and experience the world. Never be hungry again.” Many embraced this call, and women were noted saying, “I promised I would never marry a farmer.” Why? It means poverty, suffering, and worse.

The call first came to the men. Leave the farm. Let machines, chemicals, and technology do what the family once did. We can do it better, faster, and more efficiently. We can genetically alter plants that you can’t douse with chemicals in order to prevent disease and disaster of most kinds. We bought it, hook line and sinker. The call next came to women. Leave the drudgery of being a stay-at-home mom. Stop having babies that tie you down and deplete your physical and emotional resources. Join the workforce; earn what your spouse earns or close to it. Let the little ones go to daycare, or afterschool programs. Don’t suffer; don’t slave over a hot stove. Let Ragu®, TV dinners, and microwave ovens take dominion of your life.

Examine with me this kingdom that promises neither pain nor suffering, and offers insurance if one does suffer. The result, dear friends, is that we have houses (instead of homes), that are laden with debt and sit empty all day. We have families scattered and broken. We have fast food and instant gratification of every variety. Don’t forget the companions of such gratification, including diabetes, heart disease, suicides, depression, and divorce. For most, the 8-5 job turned into a salaried job requiring 50 plus hours a week. The position of leadership in corporate America is ever elusive for most. Just work a few more hours, rub elbows with the right folks, and forget your family life, and you might be promotable. “But, don’t forget economic times are tough and we have to cut your wages while we increase your hours.”

Ahh … the kingdom is more of a nightmare. We all want castles, but we fail to realize this kind of castle is built on the sand. We have forsaken God in so many ways that it is hard for this author to list all the ways. First, we failed to see work by the sweat of the brow as a blessing and a gift from God. Our society developed the delineation between blue collar workers and white collar workers, the nobler being the latter. We forgot that our King, the noblest of all, gave us the noble work of being tillers of the soil and keepers of the garden. But we loathe hard work. We loathe agriculture. We loathe the disease and suffering that comes with living off the land. Second, we traded our reliance on God to endure hardships and grant prosperity for reliance on industry, corporations, benefit packages, and a variety of insurances. Third, we despised entrepreneurialism, family businesses, and fathers leading the home. Society, schools, and daycares became the parents for our children, while we work, hoping to achieve success. Our children spend more time in the educational system, yet are profoundly uneducated. Finally, we failed to see that when disease and suffering would strike, God would see us through. Suffering is for our good. Such hardships spark a resilient creativity in some, who pave the way to provide for their familes in spite of all the heartache.

While the state of affairs in this country is undeniably bleak, there is hope. God is calling many fathers home. Many all across the United States and abroad are seeing the problems for what they are. Some are embracing hard work as the true gift and blessing it is. They are returning home to lead their wives and children down a different path. Some see that the American dream is a nightmare, and a kingdom that is not worthy of building. They have returned to building a kingdom for the Lord, by taking dominion of the land. The hard economic times ahead hold great promise for a restructuring of this nation. Many will be forced to return to simple living to survive. Local economies will once again flourish. If we can but remember trials and hard times are good for us, we will find a restoration of the barren wastelands.

(Isa 58:12 NKJV) Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Hope

A Matter of Survival

Hope — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:45:21 +0000

Walking around on the farm in the early morning is a real treat. After a long night’s rest, when all is still and quiet, I enjoy hearing the farm animals stir and perk up, and watch them engage in their particular farm animal behavior. This is my cup of coffee. It is a true delight to walk toward the chicken pen and see the rooster standing on the watering bucket, claiming his rightful position as head of the flock. He looks at me and startles as I approach. How dare I interfere with the headship of his harem? He is truly cocky and his demeanor announces he is in charge and relies on no one for his God given poultry prestige. I chuckle at his proud display of pride. Why? I know he needs me. His head darts neurotically from side to side as he flees his roost on top of the water bucket. “Oh my how you tower above the rest, Mr. Rooster. Perhaps you should get a corner post. It is a wee bit higher than this measly bucket,” I jest. I love talking to the animals. Each farm animal has its own antics, so worthy of note. I take note of their complex and intricate behavior and can’t help but feel in awe of our great and glorious God.

After tending to the laying flock, I meander over to the pasture to greet the milk cow. I see her on the other side of the fence … just barely. Her ears and muzzle are barely visible as she is laying down in lush green grass. Joy washes over me as I remember the phrase of the 23rd Psalm, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” I continue to marvel at the agrarian way of life. When farming, one can grasp the fullness of God’s character in simple things like a cow resting in green grass.

As I move through the gate, the newest addition to the farm greets me from her paddock. A healthy heifer calf anxiously awaits a bottle of milk. Feeding her has become quite a feat lately. She bucks the bottle so hard I drop it. I often chide her for such naughty behavior. It is useless as God created her with this inborn behavior. If she were with her momma, she would roughly butt the udder causing yet another reflex from her mother. It is a cue for the mother to let the milk down and let if flow.

As I approach the paddock, the milk cow rises to her feet. She knows it is time to milk. My mind wanders back to a few months ago. She was a wild cow, untamed and tenderly :) referred to as Psycho Cow. I was uncertain I would be able to tame her for milking. Today she greeted me with an extended muzzle ready for me to attach the lead rope to her halter. There was no chase or wild thrashing of her head. She had settled down and followed me across the pasture to the barn. We walked through the gate and settled into the morning routine of munching on alfalfa, swishing the tail at flies and squirting milk into the stainless steel pail. The first few squirts hit the pail with a tinlike echo. After a few minutes the sound changes to a deep kerplop with each stroke. It is music to my ears. I am greatly satisfied with this simple task. It is through milking this cow that I understand the effort, struggle, and reward of taking dominion over God’s creation. I wrestled with the cow’s stubborn will a few months ago. There were times I surmised I should sell the obnoxious bovine, yet persistence swelled up within me. After a few weeks of wrestling with my own flesh in the form of aching hand muscles, we now enjoy an ample supply of wholesome milk.

Just think. Through farming I have learned about the intricate diversity of God’s creation, I learned about His almighty and bountiful provision for the animals, the inborn reflexes and responses between cow and calf; I learned how to deal with an untamed cow and subdue her to obedience. The end result: the feeling of well being and peace as I provide a common staple for our family.

Recently I heard someone say, “I don’t know why on earth anyone would get a milk cow. It only ties a person down. The only reason to have a milk cow is for survival reasons.”

As I pull down on a teat plump with milk, I smile. It is a matter of survival. I need this wholesome food. You see my spirit was fed this morning as I experienced God’s eternal power and divine nature through the cows and chickens he has made. Then, of course, there is the added bonus of fresh milk, too. Yes, it is a matter of survival to me.

Romans 1:20

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.