"My sheep listen to my voice." (Biblical Series #4)

In Jesus' time shepherds had to tend their sheep through many different and sometimes difficult situations. Weather can change from dry to stormy at a moments notice. Predators can come at any time to steal away weaker animals. Often times they had to navigate difficult terrain in order to reach water or lush grazing. Shepherds had to maintain their vigilance.

Sheep have natural instincts that help them to stay safe and survive these situations. One of these is "flocking instinct", an inclination for the flock to stay close together, thus insuring safety in numbers. Another is the natural hardiness that they exhibit even in the worst of circumstances. However, the most important of these is the familiarity that they have with their shepherd. Sheep learn to recognize their shepherd. While they may recognize him by sight, sound is far more important. When darkness falls or storms rage they may not be able to see him but they know to go towards his voice. His call signifies safety. He can call them towards nourishing forage or water even hidden behind trees or hills. Sheep that do not learn to hear the call of their shepherd will not survive.

We used to have a small flock of sheep. They were part of my brothers' and my FFA project. Each day we would turn them out on lush wheat pasture to graze and each night we would pen them up by the barn. Once they were penned up they were safer from coyotes and easier to check on. When it was time to round them up for the night, I had to simply walk out in the field towards them. Once I got close enough to call them they would immediately run for the safety of the pen. They recognized me and my voice and knew what they were supposed to do.

One thing that I have learned about working with any livestock, including sheep is that a gentle voice works the best. Animals become agitated and jumpy around loud noises. They are much calmer to work with if a soft tone is used. 

"My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows his flock. Of course His flock is those that believe that He is the way to eternal life. As a shepherd leads his flock to choice grazing and much need water, Jesus leads believers to all of the things that they need for survival. His voice also indicates safety from "predators" and "storms". That is why it is important to learn to recognize His voice and obey it. Jesus voice is gentle but easily heard and recognized by those that listen. We must learn to hear and obey it.

"Sheep among wolves" - Biblical Series #5

"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves."Matthew 10:16

Wolves...fierce predators that hunt in packs, devouring their prey, they are the villains in children's stories and the stuff of nightmares. 

When we had sheep on our farm, wolves were not a threat to them but their cousin the coyote was. Like wolves, coyotes are predators. While often choosing to hunt solo, they will take on the pack mentality of wolves to attack larger prey. Sheep, especially small lambs are an easy target for them. Once a coyote gets a taste of lamb the only way to keep them away is to shoot them.

Wolves are much larger and more fierce than their cousin the coyote. They hunt in large packs and are capable of taking down very large prey. They can take out not only a small lamb put potentially devastate an entire flock. Sheep are defenseless against them.

When Jesus sent the disciples out as "sheep among wolves" there is an obvious note of danger there. He is telling them that what they will face will in no way be safe and in fact will be quite dangerous. Like predators, those that Jesus was sending them to had the ability to devour and destroy. He was not painting a pretty picture for them.

Many today within the Christian faith paint a picture of the Christian life as "blessed". The idea is that those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior will have a trouble free and safe life. The truth is that Jesus painted a much different picture. The message that he gave to the twelve disciples was also intended for us. The first part of this message is that we are sent, we are to go, but the part of the message that is overlooked and even ignored is that there is nothing safe about being a Christian. If we do what he is asking it will be dangerous. We are defenseless creatures, totally reliant on our "shepherd" to protect us.

Achieving a "plentiful harvest" (Biblical Series #3)

Harvest time is the most critical time of the year for the wheat farmer. Hail, fire or other calamity can come at any time and destroy the crop. The importance of a timely harvest cannot be understated. Farmers do everything they can to start harvesting the grain as early in the season as possible. They will perform what is called "test-cutting". When the wheat appears to be ripe they will cut a small patch and test it to see if it is ready. If the moisture content is low enough then the grain is ready to be harvested. Often farmers will test cut at noon and if it is not ready but they will try again at 5 PM and because of the heat and sunlight it will be. They immediately go to work bringing in the harvest.

When harvest starts, for those farmers that do not hire someone else to harvest their grain, everyone in the family goes to work. Husbands, wives and any children old enough to operate equipment are called to the field to operate tractors, combines and trucks. Anyone not in the field helps prepare meals for the workers, wash clothes, run errands, or do anything else that needs to be done. Sometimes several generations will be working at the same time. Even the neighbors can be called in to help.

Matthew 9:37, "Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

When Jesus spoke these words, farmers of the time faced similar situations. Wheat is the crop that the nation of Israel would be most familiar with as it originated in the fertile crescent, which is located just north of Israel. It was grown throughout the land. Calamity was a much a threat to their crop as it is in modern times. The Jewish people would have understood Jesus' implied sense of urgency. He is saying that there is no time to waste. The crop is ready now. 

He is also saying that everyone must contribute if the harvest is to be a success. Every man, woman and child that was able must be involved. If the harvest is to be a success many laborers are needed to perform the various tasks necessary to harvest, thrash and prepare the grain as well as perform the other tasks in support of these laborers.

Of course the harvest that Jesus was implying here is a spiritual one. He is saying that the spiritual harvest field can have a great yield, and that it is ready now, at this moment. Calamity (Satan) can come in at any time and destroy the crop. If we seek to have the maximum harvest we have to busy working. All of us as believers have to be diligent and work together to bring in the spiritual and eternal harvest. It is the only way to have a plentiful harvest.

"Without water all things die." (Biblical Series #2)

While on my mission trip to the Navajo Reservation we stayed at a Nazarene Church there. Several trees grew in the yard surrounding it. There was an elaborate irrigation system to keep them watered. One of the hoses that delivered water to the some of the trees sprang a leak and it wasn't supplying water to the trees. Pastor Bill who was our host while there remarked that it had to be fixed soon because he said that "without water all things die." Truer words have not been spoken, without water plants cannot grow, animals would die, life cannot survive.

The need for water has been truly evident this past year. Lingering drought in Oklahoma and Texas has taken its toll on farms and ranches of all types. Crops have failed, non-irrigated crops have been damaged or even completely destroyed. Grassland has withered, ranchers have had to choose between feeding their cows increasingly expensive hay or selling them. Ponds have dried up, leaving little water for thirsty cows. The land is parched and bare.

Recent rains have helped restore the land but so little rain has fallen over past year that even the several inches that fell have not completely erased the damage. Some areas have developed 15 inches or more of moisture deficit. It may take a year or more of more normal rainfall patterns to completely soak the subsoil and fill the ponds. The effects of drought linger long after the it is over.

John 4:13,14 "Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"

When Jesus said these words to a woman at a well the imagery would have been obvious to her. Much of the area in which they lived was desert. Water was precious. To have it, the people of the time would have had to go through the tedious process of hauling water up a bucket at a time from deeply dug wells. Drought and thirst were something that this woman would have experienced first hand. To her the thought of not having to draw more water would have been very intriguing.

Of course the water that Jesus was talking about was not physical water but spiritual. The point that he was making was that without "living water" all things die. Just as a farmer's crop withers without water so our lives wither without the water that Jesus gives. The water that he offering is capable of meeting a far greater thirst than that of physical water. The importance of drinking from the well cannot be overstated. "Without water all things die."

The Parable of the Seed (Biblical Series #1)

Matthew 13: 3-8 says, "Then [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: 'A farmer went out to sow his seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on the rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Anyone that has ever farmed, can relate to the images used in this parable. The times have changed. Methods of farming have changed, but the principles are the same as they were in Jesus' time.

Modern farming has a "path" of sorts. At the entrance to every field is a place where truck and tractors park and pass between the field and the road. The weight of the equipment compacts the soil. Planting equipment has a difficult time penetrating the tight soil and often the seed is left on or near the surface leaving it vulnerable birds, insects and weather. The crop rarely grows well on this "path".

Many fields also have "rocky places". When I was a kid we farmed a farm that was on a hillside. The soil had washed from the hill leaving rocky, rough soil. The soil took the seed but rarely yielded much of harvest as there wasn't much soil for it to grow in.

The third area that this parable mentions is the seed among the thorns. Every farmer has to battle weedy, thorny areas. Other plants in the field compete with the grain for moisture, fertilizer and sun. If these "thorny" areas are not tended to then the crop suffers.

The goal of every farmer is put the seed where it will be the most productive. If planted in "good soil" crops are able to find deep soil, where they can sink roots free from competition. The result is a bountiful crop.

Jesus explains this parable to his disciples in Matthew 13: 18-23. "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Jesus, when he gave this parable was actually talking about a spiritual harvest not a physical one.  The society of the time was highly agrarian. Many people were farmers and almost all would have understood how the seed would have reacted to its environment. Today's society has changed, few people actually farm, but the concepts are the same. As with physical seed, spiritual seed needs "good soil" in order to produce a harvest.

 

Old Dirt Road

We spent the weekend on the farm with the family. Each time we approach my parents house we travel down that "old dirt road". Coming down the road the red dust billows up around the car as we approach the house. The smell of fresh-cut hay mingles with smell of an approaching rain storm to provide a refreshing and soothing aroma. The tractors in the field work like ants in their ongoing task of tilling the soil adding to the visual experience. It reminds me of growing up along one of these roads.

We did so many activities on the "old dirt road" when I was a kid. We road ATVs up-and-down them doing "fish-tales" and throwing dust. Sometimes we played in the gravel with our shovels and rakes. We also peddled our bicycles furiously to power through the soft sand. We even took the long walk to the neighbor's pond to go fishing. There was no limit to the fun that we had.

When we get to the farm we remind Zachary to stay out of the road to avoid passing cars and farm equipment but few things are more relaxing than taking a stroll down the road as a family. We enjoy the wildflowers growing in the bar-ditch and sometime Zachary stops to pick one. We notice tracks that deer and birds have left in the red dirt. Sometimes Zachary stops to pick up sand and let it trail down through his fingers. It reminds me of similar walks that I took with my parents. I love that "old dirt road."

Cleaning up Joplin

The piles got higher and higher, as we moved load after load of debris. Like an army of ants, numerous volunteers cleared away fallen limbs, broken shingles, and trash. The sounds of chain saws and heavy equipment filled the air. For hours on end we labored to cleanup people's yards. At the end of the day we had cleared four lots but had barely made a dent in the incredible amount of debris deposited by the tornado. 

As we continued to move debris, the piles along the road where we placed it for pickup got higher and higher. We piled lumber, tree branches and pieces of peoples homes in huge piles, taller than a man. Skid Loaders worked to push the pile even higher. Jessica's cousin Heather made the comment that people's "lives" were all there ready to be hauled off and dumped. There seemed to be no end to the debris.

The damage that was done to Joplin when the tornado hit nearly a month ago was awesome and terrible. A strip over a half-a-mile wide was completely obliterated. Many homes were completely destroyed and the ones that were not often did not have a roof and/or were missing one or more walls. Trees were stripped bare and debris was scattered everywhere. One of our team members remarked that it looked like something out of a "Terminator" movie. It was easy to see why so many lost their lives.

This was just the first time (last week) that we went to Joplin to cleanup. Today we went back to Joplin and found ourselves on a farm 20 miles from the city. The elderly couple that lived there had the roof ripped off of their home and several small outbuildings knocked down or destroyed. We sifted through the debris, sorting out the wood to be burned, the metal to be reclaimed and the valuables to be saved. One of the buildings collapsed right on top of the valuable tools and farm equipment that it was built to protect. We dismantled it so that everything underneath could be salvaged. After working all day in the heat we had not completed the project. A new double-wide trailer had been moved in for them to move in to but they will spend weeks or maybe even months sorting through and fixing their possessions.

The temperatures were hot and the work was hard. Dust and smoke choked the lungs. Nails, broken glass and hazards were everywhere but the work was rewarding. We barely made a scratch in the work necessary but we were very aware that many more teams around the city were laboring as well. Joplin will never be the same but hopefully the work that we did will be a blessing to the people there.