Stewardship

From Proverbs 24

30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.  --KJV 

It seems that scripture is rife with admonitions to tend to business, to practice industrious living.  And rightly so, I daresay.  But I find this little parabolic sermon to be quite charming.  One gazing upon the fields and vineyards of a lazy and stupid man sees the fruit of sloth, and it is not grapes.  One wonders, of course, if the proprietor in this instance may have found himself in reduced circumstances due to overindulgence in the fermented product of his vineyard. There is, at least, little doubt that such profligate behavior can lead to stupor, stupidity, slumber, and ultimately to ruin.  Or perhaps this individual inherited a thriving operation and lacked the ambition, enthusiasm, and energy requisite to maintenance of a successful business.  In short, he may be lazy and a wastrel, reminding us of the prodigal son of the New Testament.

Yet, a bit farther down the road we may see the evidence of an overachiever, a grasping, greedy, and selfish individual who lacks nothing in the way of ambition, but lacks all in concern for his fellow man.  Too much well-tended land, too many barns, too much gathered to oneself.  Yet it is possible we misinterpret or misunderstand.  This may be the fellow we described, reminding us of the character in the New Testament who said, “I will raze my barns, and build bigger.”  And yet the effort was for naught in terms of his eternal welfare.  Or it may be that this man is a good steward whose concern is not for himself alone, but for others as well, with much of his gain supporting others.

Which leads us finally to this.  Perhaps we should be less hasty in passing judgment on others. We should at least have some understanding of a set of circumstances before we draw conclusions.

Image: Old Wood Company

Taxes and the Case of No Return

Just wrote the check to pay the property taxes.  I'll cruise on over to the court house later this morning and drop it off.  Taxes not due until the second Monday in November, as always, and I used to  wait until the very last hour to pay them.  That was back in the day when the bank paid an honest rate of return for the use of my money and I tended to leave it with them so long as I could.  Now, it matters not, and the County might could* use the money to meet an imminent payroll, or please a long-suffering creditor.

So today I will pay my property taxes.

*The phrase "might could" is used deliberately and correctly.  Grammar police: pass on by.

You may note at the top of the page there is a new tab, "Short Stories."  I have placed the current series of stories I am posting on Thursdays here in one place, should you like to review any of them.  New ones will be added each Thursday.

The Great Commission

Pastor Mark's message is based on the words of the Master found in Matthew 28:16-19

Four truths from Christ's last words.

1. There is power in Jesus' command. "All power is given to me," but power is given to His followers: the Holy Spirit baptism with power from on high. The problem with many Christians today is that they are satisfied to live powerless.

2. We see people in His command. "Go ye..." He is addressing us, His followers.

3. We see a plan in His command. a) "Go" b) "Win" converts c) Baptize d) Teach, that is make disciples of them. We cannot improve the plan. We need to follow the plan. Don't try to reinvent the wheel; get the wheel moving!

4. We see a promise within the command. "I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Go, implement the plan. You do not go alone!

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. --Jesus Christ

For God So Loved

"Tell me the old, old story of Jesus and His love." -Katherine Hankey (1866)

Pastor Mark's message is based on John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

November is missions month and each Sunday a missionary is featured and the sermon is missions-oriented. Missions started in the Heart of God. God is a mission-minded God.
We serve a compassionate God.

The three fundamental truths about God's love.
1. His love is extravagant. He loves us with everlasting, unceasing love.
2. His love is exhaustive. He loves the world. Text, also II Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:4
3. His love is expressive. He gave His only begotten Son.

Missions work is hard work; requires sacrifice. Why engage in missions?
1. Compassionate act, even as God is compassionate us-ward.
2. Compelling message. Romans 1:14 - 17 The gospel is a distinct, dynamic, particular message; a powerful message.
3. We are a commissioned people. Mark 16:15 - 16. Jesus said, "Go."

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Postprandial Productivity

Pretty pal, Joann, picked pears from her property, put them in a poke and plopped them in our pantry. Preparing pears, spouse peeled and I pared and parted them into pieces, put them in a pot.

Sparing details, we processed them and packed them into jars, part of them pints, and part quarts. Lids !pinged!; we are pleased. Partaking of pears later will be a pleasure.

Picked and packed a peck of pears. Pleasing productivity.

Vanilla and BBBH: What a pear pare pair!

God is Good All the Time

Pastor Mark's sermon emphasized one attribute of God, namely His Goodness.
Reading Psalm 34
In John 10:11 we find Jesus saying, "I am the good shepherd."
Pastor asked, "What does 'God is good' mean?" His message was the answer to this question.

1. God will always meet my genuine needs. This is not to say God will meet your wants. Phillipians 5:19, Matthew 6: 25-30

2. He will always forgive me of my sins. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

3. He is always up to something good for my life. Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11

4. He will always love me personally. Jeremiah 31:3
I cannot do anything that will cause God to love me more than he already does. He loves me with perfect love. He cannot improve on His love. I cannot do anything that will cause God to love me less than he does. Grieving God does not diminish His love. God's love is everlasting. Jeremiah 31:3

5. He will give me the grace I need all the time. II Corinthians 12:9
Grace = God's riches at Christ's expense.
Why does grace show up in my life? Because God is good, all the time.
Grace abounds; in His mercy we do not get what we deserve. God is good.

Because God is good, He will lead me to repentence; I will live for Him; I will be with Him eternally.

Contentment in an Unthankful World

Thus Pastor Mark entitled his message. He prefaced his remarks with the reading of Psalm 16. Here, in outline form, is the gist of the sermon.

I. What is contentment?



It is an attitude cultivated by consistent realization of Christ's provision for our life. God meets our every need.



II. How can one conquer a spirit of discontent?

1. As believers, we must cede our desires to God.
2. We must acknowledge God's power to satisfy every need.
3. We must realize that God knows what is best for our lives.
4. We must understand that our blessings are not always material needs. If you have Christ, you have everything!


III. With what one thing should one never be content?



We should never be satisfied to live on past blessings. Be a growing Christian! If we become content spiritually, we become discontent with God's blessings. Read I Timothy 6:6-10.



One of my thoughts as I mulled this over in my mind is this. We live in an economic and social milieu in which we are bombarded by marketing techniques and advertising ploys which are specifically designed to engender dissatisfaction! The devil is good at what he does, and he will use anything available to draw you away from contentment in Christ!

Mow Yer Lawn, Sir?

This is one of those posts I really want to write, but have no idea where or how to begin. I saw this rig parked across the street. It is a mobile lawn service. I am not kidding. KW rig, two axle trailer to haul the mowers. Here I am beginning to get an inkling as to why it costs so much to get a lawn mowed. (Disclaimer: we do our own, so just saying.)

In the bottom picture you see how the neighbor's lawn was mowed when I was a kid. He paid me a quarter to mow the lawn. It was hot, sweaty work. I was thirteen.

Today's thirteen-year-old boy sits in the comfort of his AC'd house and plays his video games, or chats on the whazzis via text messaging, while Dad is out with the KW earning bucks to provide all that. I guess I could be right-- I never see any kids out and about, and certainly not with lawn mowers.

Now Dad has not only to support this idler and his lifestyle, Dad has to feed the KW, and the last I looked diesel was less than three cents under four bucks; and the KW runs while Dad works!
Trust me, you aren't going to get that lawn mowed for a quarter. (My next-door neighbor pays such a service fifty-five bucks a pop.)

Now one might conclude that the household income is sufficiently high that the master or matron of the house cannot afford to take the time to mow himself/herself. And certainly those teenage kids aren't going to do it. They have electronics to play. So money well spent. Or I was born sixty years too soon. I'm really trying to work up a rant here, but no one is going to appreciate it anyway.

I'll stop now.














No joke. I own this mower. It still cuts. Still not easy.
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Genesis 31

Today we continue Jacob's story as recounted in The Message, Genesis Chapter 31.

Jacob learned that Laban's sons were talking behind his back: "Jacob has used our father's wealth to make himself rich at our father's expense." At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn't treating him the same.
That's when God said to Jacob, "Go back home where you were born. I'll go with you."

So Jacob sent word for Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the field where his flocks were. He said, "I notice that your father has changed toward me; he doesn't treat me the same as before. But the God of my father hasn't changed; he's still with me. You know how hard I've worked for your father. Still, your father has cheated me over and over, changing my wages time and again. But God never let him really hurt me. If he said, 'Your wages will consist of speckled animals' the whole flock would start having speckled lambs and kids. And if he said, 'From now on your wages will be streaked animals' the whole flock would have streaked ones. Over and over God used your father's livestock to reward me.

"Once, while the flocks were mating, I had a dream and saw the billy goats, all of them streaked, speckled, and mottled, mounting their mates. In the dream an angel of God called out to me, 'Jacob!'

"I said, 'Yes?'

"He said, 'Watch closely. Notice that all the goats in the flock that are mating are streaked, speckled, and mottled. I know what Laban's been doing to you. I'm the God of Bethel where you consecrated a pillar and made a vow to me. Now be on your way, get out of this place, go home to your birthplace.'"

Rachel and Leah said, "Has he treated us any better? Aren't we treated worse than outsiders? All he wanted was the money he got from selling us, and he's spent all that. Any wealth that God has seen fit to return to us from our father is justly ours and our children's. Go ahead. Do what God told you."

Jacob did it. He put his children and his wives on camels and gathered all his livestock and everything he had gotten, everything acquired in Paddan Aram, to go back home to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

Laban was off shearing sheep. Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob had concealed his plans so well that Laban the Aramean had no idea what was going on—he was totally in the dark. Jacob got away with everything he had and was soon across the Euphrates headed for the hill country of Gilead.


Part 4 in a series

Jacob Sets the Wheels in Motion

In our last visit with Jacob in Haran, we found him working his second seven-year stint for his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob had acquired two wives, Leah and Rachel, each of whom had a personal handmaiden.

Now we find that he wishes to depart for "home" with the rather large family he has now engendered, for he is the father of eleven sons by the four women with whom he lives. The building of this family and the loving kindnesses exhibited between his two wives who are sisters is a story that should be studied. It is detailed in the thirtieth chapter of Genesis. Here we pick up the story following the birth of Joseph to Rachel, her first-born.

"Aw, c'mon, Jake," Laban pleads. "The LORD has blessed me in your presence and in your tending of my flocks. Stick around. I'll make it worth your while. Name your price."

"You know, Uncle, that I've served you well and you have prospered hugely. So what about my provision for my household? Make me an offer I can't refuse."

"What'll it take, Jacob? I need you here."

"Okay. Here it is. Give me nothing. That's right. Nothing. But rather let me sort through your flocks and take all the speckled and spotted cattle and all the brown sheep, and all the mottled goats. Let these be my wages."

Laban said, "Done, and done, my Boy."

And so it was that Laban removed all the brown sheep, and all the spotted and rain-straked cattle and goats and gave them to his sons; then he took off for parts unknown, leaving Jacob to care for the rest of his flocks.

The next six years draw on much too long to detail here, but suffice it to say, geneticist that Jacob was, and more importantly, the favor of GOD on his life, Jacob prospered beyond even his wildest dreams. He wound up with vast herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. He had many camels and donkeys and servants in abundance to assist him in his work. And his beasts were stronger and healthier than were Laban's.

Needless to say, Laban's sons were ticked.

Few of you, I'm sure, had as many children as did Jacob, but Happy Fathers' Day to all men who strive to raise their children in the way they should go, and to those who have already done that.

A truly great Fathers' Day post: Trey nails it here.

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The Con Artist Is Conned

We continue the saga of Jacob's courtship in Genesis 29.

Jacob has given seven years of service to Laban for the hand of Rachel, his daughter. So comes Jacob to his prospective father-in-law and says to him, Pay up! Thus Laban prepares the wedding feast and the community celebrates the coming nuptials. Laban brings forth his daughter and gives her to Jacob to wife. They repair to the conjugal bed, one gathers, to consummate the marriage. But let us keep the blinds pulled.

At any rate, when Jacob awakens in the light of day, he discovers that he has spent the night in the arms of Leah, not the Rachel he desired. He flies forth to find Laban and accuses him of treachery, deceit, and what-not

No, no, My Son, he says, it is not the custom in our country to wed the younger daughter before the marriage of her older sister. But fair is fair. So for another seven years of your fine and faithful labor in my behalf, I will give you the girl of your dreams. And. And! if you are a good sport and agree to this, the wedding shall be held in seven days.

What could the poor lad do, besotted with love of Rachel? He had already devoted seven years of his life to win the hand of his beloved. So, yes, he agreed.

But not, we suspect, without allowing his mind to begin to hatch and ferment some plan of retaliation against his dear uncle. And let us not forget that before he came to Haran Jacob had already proved his skill at deception, fraud and deceit in gaming his brother Esau out of his birthright.

Part 2 in a series

Jacob Bids for the Prize

In the twenty-ninth chapter of Genesis we read the account of Jacob's arrangement with his Uncle Laban for the hand of his daughter, Rachel. Jacob had travelled all the way to Haran at his parents' behest; and there he met Rachel at the well. Now he asks for her to wife.

And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
What will a man give for a beautiful and well-endowed wife? Jacob was willing to give seven years of his labor. He cut to the chase, giving his best offer without negotiation. I, by contrast, would have gone along these lines:

Me: Sir, I would like to have your daughter, Rachel. Would you give me her hand in marriage?
Laban: Ahem, you are a fine young man, bone of my bone, your mother my dear sister. I would be amenable to an offer.
Me: Perhaps I could work in your service for a reasonable and appropriate length of time?
Laban: Capital idea, my boy. Let's say, fourteen years would be about right, and you will at the end of that time still be a young man, virile and strong, to provide me with grandchildren.
Me: I was thinking more along the lines of six months, Uncle, so that I might be back in Shebah by spring time.
Laban: I take your point. It is desirable that at some date you might visit the 'rents again. Let's say ten years.
Me: Oh, sir. I do love Rachel so. I would be willing to go to three years.
Laban: Oh, never mind, you scalawag. I think I will betroth her to Jacob.
Me: (sobs, heartbroken; turns to go.)Laban: Fare thee well, lad. Better luck next time. And never undervalue the prize, nor yet overvalue yourself.

Part One in a series
Image: ethiopiajudaica

Life's Happy Release

On a beautiful Spring morning a flock of robins had gathered around one of their own struggling in an alley trying to extricate herself from an entanglement of fuzzy twine. Shouts of encouragement from the throats of the robin flock coud be heard for some distance. Making a careful approach to the apparent dilemma, protests in chorus made me know that my presence was unwelcome. However, their limited assistance, love and care was not enough.

With careful steps and ready with help, I gathered the entangled robin, along with the ball of twine, while assuring her that she would be released. Then with sharp knife and patient care the threads were clipped one at a time until the last thread was off. Her aides were near watching in subdued silence. Now unafraid, lying on the palm of my hand, she was making no effort to fly away. It was time to give her an upward thrust into her native element. With chirps of gratitude she found her wings and mounted skyward with her kind.

Released!

A parable of rescue of the lost in dilemma.

Found in the papers of D. W. Lacy, 1910 - 1999, over his signature.

For another bird story by Rev. Lacy, see Converting a Jay Bird.

The Cactus

The trunk is six inches in diameter, and the plant is taller than the baseline of the roof of the house next to which it grows. It is one prickly customer, and I am very careful to steer clear as I walk down the driveway. But like some ladies, notwithstanding its prickly nature, it has a beauty all her own. The buds and new growth speak of new life. This cactus is clearly a lady of mature years; yet she continues to thrive.

How important is it that, the years notwithstanding, we continue to grow and put forth new fruit?


Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.--Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:20






But wisdom is justified by her children. --Jesus Christ, Matthew 11:19























Word of the day: notwithstanding

Who Are We?

There is plenty of blame to go around. Blame? It's not my fault. Contemporaneously to the living beyond our means has grown a society in which nothing is my fault. Result: "irresponsible entitlement".

Why are we surprised? We are into the third generation who have been trained to believe that we can live beyond our means; that we can spend ourselves rich; that we are entitled to so much more than any other people have ever had; that if we want it, then we need it; that the economy will endlessly generate more riches if only we will continue to spend; that there is no tomorrow, or if there is it will be brighter than today.

Now, we find that, unlike what we've been taught, living on someone else's money is not a sustainable economic program, either in the home or for the government. So, let's put on the brakes, stop, and fix the problem. Really? Those who have suggested sound principles by which to accomplish this are already hearing the outcry of the Entitled. I am Entitled to more services and lower taxes. I am Entitled to a guarantee of endless fiscal well-being. I am Entitled. You, on the other hand, should bite the bullet and stop behaving in such a piggish manner.

Most Americans, and I include those who are "below the poverty line," live better than most kings and princes throughout history were able to live in their wildest dreams, notwithstanding their coffers of gold and emeralds, and land and subjects to serve them. (Official poverty level for a family of four is in excess of $22,000, and thus those who fall below this mark are Entitled to my assistance. I do recognize that there are those among us to whom we must provide assistance, and do so with kindness and compassion.)

And I am one of the Entitled. After all, I paid into and accepted the conditions of the "Social Security" scheme along with everyone else. And I accept my monthly stipend, to which I consider myself Entitled. Should the "government" in its efforts to pull us out of our current mess, consider a reduction in my stipend? Certainly. And they should cut salaries and programs.

Is there hope? Certainly. Is there danger of failure? I like to hope not. I can dream, can't I?

Black Friday

Dozens, yea thousands, are in the malls and other stores as this article goes up on blogger. I am not one of them. I wish no one anything but the best, but the shopping mania known as "Black Friday" has zero appeal for me. May corporate America put their books in the "black". It is sincerely to be hoped. Yet, too, to be hoped, is that you don't put yourself into the red. Yet many of you will do so. I suppose that most people have to reach a "certain age" before grasping the rudiments of balance between things and relationships. Many never reach that point, and those of us who do, I suspect, are regarded as either weird or too old to be of any use to anyone.

Well, enjoy yourselves. Enjoy your things. Enjoy the juggling of the bills and the decision-making with regard to which things will enhance what relationships. For myself, I will enjoy the comfort and warmth of my home, probably read a bit, perhaps catch a few minutes of the madness via the tube, just so that I have a visual validation of my smug attitude toward the whole thing.

Where is the Harvest Now?

Last week, we showed a view of The County now that the crops are in.
Here's where the grain went. Cars can't keep up with the intake, so it winds up on the ground. Well, now that the shrink-wrap industry has developed a "better way" the corn and beans don't have to lie exposed to the rain! Or s^*w.

This facility is on the east edge of town.

Crops are In

BBBH and I took a nice scooter ride through the surrounding countryside one gorgeous fall day last week. The farmers have completed the harvest, and many of them have laid down this preparation for next spring.

This snap shows our courthouse from about two miles away.

Sunflower State

Kansas is known as "The Sunflower State". Here in north-central Kansas is a field of commercial grade sunflowers ripe unto harvest. The combines are busy with the corn, but soon the husbandbandman's attention will turn to these beauties.

Where's Vanilla?

A few days ago we posted a persimmon story. Today we continue with the kitchen saga. BBBH has been putting up produce, witness these lovely jars of crab apple jelly. A by-product of this endeavor was a very nice bowlful of crab applesauce. It is fantabulous! How likely is it that someone who really likes persimmons will also enjoy crab applesauce? Very.

Nor have I forsaken the kitchen. I am still processing persimmons. I also took time to pickle the hot peppers which I stripped from the bushes as I pulled them. I grow serranos, a somewhat smaller version of jalapeno.



All this kitchen palaver leads me down the Road of Reminiscences. We do these things primarily for fun, though to be sure we will enjoy the fruits of our labor at a later date. But my parents did these things and on a large scale as a matter of survival. Were it not for the gardens Dad raised and the produce Mom "put up" we would have had a much less satisfactory childhood.

Dad would dig a storage pit for root vegetables, cabbages, certain fruits and other stuff. He would layer the goodies with straw between the layers. Too, the crock processed cabbage for kraut.

Meanwhile, Mom canned literally hundreds of quarts of fruits and vegetables, as well as some meat. She did this with a nine-quart (I believe) pressure cooker on a wood-fired kitchen range. She lived in constant terror-- that the thing would blow up! It never did. (A few years after Mom died, I saw that pressure canner out by the barrel for the trash hauler.)

We didn't have a lot of money or a lot of "things" and we were taught that "patches are no shame, but being dirty is." But, we always ate well!

Where's Vanilla? That would be the tallest bottle in the cabinet.