"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.

Wheat Harvest 2011

In Enid the wheat harvest is wrapping up for 2011. Though yields were a little higher than expected they were still well below normal. The good news is that the price of wheat is at record levels so it still should be a decent year.

Harvest was especially fun this year. Zachary is now getting old enough to experience it first hand. He enjoyed his first combine ride and got to watch the tractor and wheat trucks that our custom harvesters brought. He also walked around in the unharvested wheat. He seemed to have a ball. Zachary represents the 6th generation of Miller to participate in a harvest on our farm land near Enid. 

It took just over a week for the harvesters to complete the job. We were only able to go over for one day but as always harvest was memorable. The wheat harvest of 2011 is over but the process of preparing for the next harvest begins.

Zachary's first baseball game.

With a new child there are many "firsts". The first step and the first word are but a couple of examples. As a parent it is a joy to get to share these "firsts" with your child. This past weekend I got to enjoy a "first" that I have waited a long time to experience. We took Zachary to his first baseball game. Jessica and I took him to Stillwater to see an OSU play. His Grandma, Granddad and uncle joined us for the game as well.

During the game, Zachary watched the crowd, ran up and down the benches, played with his toys and generally did everything but watch the game. He danced whenever music was played over the loud speakers, entertained the crowd and cheered whenever he heard someone else cheering, including fans of the other team. He rarely sat still but the experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.

Over the years I intend to take Zachary to many baseball games and other sporting events but there will only be one "first" I didn't get to watch all of the game as I was busy helping entertain him but I don't care. I had an incredible time. He won't likely remember the game but I soon won't forget it.

Not every harvest is bountiful.

I have been visiting with dad about the upcoming wheat harvest. It is but a few weeks away and it doesn't look very good. The lingering drought in parts of Oklahoma has taken its toll. The area around Enid has received little moisture for the past six months. All of the wheat crop has suffered, some of it has been virtually destroyed. Dad expects yields to be well below normal. If there isn't decent rain in the next couple of weeks the entire crop could be lost.

As bad as it is near Enid, the conditions further south are much worse. In Southern Oklahoma and much of Texas they have received virtually no rain in the last eight or nine months. In these parts the wheat crop has already been ruled a total loss.

Nothing will teach patience and endurance like farming. Drought, hail, wind and calamity can happen at any time. You can do everything right and the crop still may not come in. It is a reality that every farmer faces.

No matter how bad the harvest is this year it won't be the end of the farm. It will be difficult, but the farm will continue. This isn't the first storm that the Millers have had to weather. This in no way detours my desire to return to the farm. If anything it hardens my resolve to return and continue the family legacy...feast or famine.

Mother's Day

For first time parents the term "expecting" doesn't make much sense as you really don't know what to expect. On Mother's Day two years ago we didn't know what to expect. Jessica was pregnant but we had not yet met our son Zachary. We didn't know what he would look like or what his personality would be. What color would his hair or his eyes be?  As he got older would he be shy, precocious, independent, head-strong or something else entirely?

Also we didn't know what kind of parents that we would be. Would we be patient, demanding, compassionate, difficult or all of the above? Would we instantly love this little life or would it take time to fall in love with him? How would it affect our lives? Would it be stressful, fulfilling, and/or rewarding? A myriad of thoughts filled our heads as we approached the due date.

I remember's my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

Abraham Lincoln 

Mother's Day two years later, Zachary is now over a year and half old. Many of those questions have been answered. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He is head-strong but very loving. He is independent, very curious, and full of life. We are discovering his budding personality. Each day is a new experience.

As for our parenting, well I just do my best but Jessica has more than risen to the challenge. Nights with little sleep are the norm. There is a never ending supply of dirty diapers to change. Food flying across the kitchen floor at dinner time tries anyones patience but she takes it all in stride. Zachary has taken an early start on the "terrible twos" but she continues to love and adore him. She rocks him to sleep each night and encourages him to eat when he refuses. As Mother's Day approaches again Jessica may not be a "perfect" mother but she gives it her all. As far as I am concerned she is close enough to perfect for me and I think Zachary agrees!

Spiritual Harvest

2009 Dominican Republic Mission Trip 

When I chose the name "Bringing in the Harvest" for my blog I was not only talking about my impending return to the farm but of a spiritual harvest, one of an eternal nature. God has given me a passion for missions and reaching the lost for Christ. He has blessed me with two opportunities to participate in missions trips and they were very unique and challenging trips.

In 2009, I along with four men from my church traveled to the Dominican Republic. While there we helped to construct and paint an addition to the Neuva Luz (New Light) Church of the Nazarene. This church is a partner with Concern International and they provide food, education, and spiritual training for local children. The assistance that we provided helped them more than double their capacity. It was an incredible experience and I pray that the children that they help will be fed physically and spiritually, yielding a great harvest.

I also had a second chance to serve in missions. During the summer of 2010 a group of seven adults and six youth from our church made the long drive to Arizona where we served on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations. We did a project with Encounter Missions International an organization that assists the Navajo and Hopi peoples. We completed several projects on and around the facility that serves at the mission base and the attached church and we spent one day in a Hopi village working on a woman's home. On the way home we took a detour to the Grand Canyon and enjoyed the wonderful scenery that God created. It to was a wonderful trip and I know that the youth that went along grew tremendously.

Paul is quoted in the Bible saying, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do no give up" (Galatians 6:9).  I have thoroughly enjoyed my trips and it is my hope and prayer that God will open more doors for me to participate in missions and ultimately in "bringing in a spiritual harvest."

2010 Youth Mission Trip to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona

Returning to the farm

Every year when I was a kid before the wheat harvest my dad would start to get antsy. He would wonder if the custom harvesters that we hire to cut our wheat would arrive on time or if a massive hail storm was going to destroy the crop. There was always an uncertainty about the quality of the wheat and how the harvest would go that would keep him set on edge. He would remain "amped up" until after the harvest was brought in.

I also remember riding in the combine. The combine had a large window in front. The combine driver had placed a small chair on the floor in front of it. I would set there for hours with wonder in my eyes watching all of the action as the combines harvested the wheat. From my vantage point I could see not only everything that was going on in the combine I was in but the other combines, tractors and trucks that were busily working as well. It was a magical experience.

One might wonder why I want to return to the farm and spend the rest of my life farming. The hours are long, the work is hard and the pay isn't that good. The answer is simple. I want to continue the legacy that my father, his father and many generations before that created. I want to feel those bugs in my stomach when the harvest approaches and want to look up in the cab of a combine and see that same starry eyed look in Zachary that I once had. I want to feel the pure joy of "bringing in the harvest."