Heroes

I read a lot of biographies when I was in grade school. Two of my "heroes" were former slaves, who through hard work and education became great men.
Booker T. Washington was an educator, administrator, orator, and author. After college he was hired to head a new school, Tuskegee Institute (later University), leading it for the rest of his life.
George Washington Carver was a scientist, inventor, botanist, educator, and Christian. He discovered new uses and new products for crops grown in the South.
Today these men probably are not considered politically correct because they cooperated with supportive whites to help improve the lives of Blacks rather than be civil rights activists.
The reason I thought of these two men recently was because I ran across a quote from Carver in a farm magazine.

I believe that the great Creator has put ores and oil on this earth to give us a breathing spell. As we exhaust them, we must be prepared to fall back on our farms, which is God's true storehouse and can never be exhausted. We can learn to synthesize material for every human need from things that grow.

George Washington Carver

This seems to be coming true especially in energy production, with ethanol from corn, bio-diesel from soybeans, methane gas collected from manure, and windmills being built across the countryside. The future will indeed be interesting down on the farm!

And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

Isaiah 14:3

Yet Another . . .

. . . book! Normally this time of year we are harvesting with no time to read. But as we wait for the crops to mature, I've had some time in the evenings to read.



I just finished Jim Daly's autobiography, Finding Home. This isn't your typical "rags to riches" story, nor even a "lost sinner finds salvation" story. It's a boy from a very disfunctional family that had a nomadic lifestyle and no religious influence that grows up to be the President and CEO of Focus On The Family! And what an incredible journey!



It makes me very thankful for my loving parents, stable family and home environment, and the spiritual heritage that was handed down to me. And I am grateful that in spite of myself, and by God's Grace, we have had the opportunity to pass these gifts on to another generation.



Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Malachi 4:4-6

Good News!

Son #2 has humbled himself and in faith turned to Christ and his atoning blood for his salvation!

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Luke 15:10

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
3 John 1:4

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 107:1

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Another Book

I read another good book over the weekend. Gone in a Heartbeat is the story of a family whose two teenage Christian girls (written by their parents) were murdered leaving church one Sunday by a gunman on a violent rampage. It is a sad, but heartwarming story of dealing with tragedy, the grief process, Christian forgiveness, and the support of a church family. It is a real testimony of faith.
I feel very blessed in that I have seen similar faith, forgiveness, and support within my church and denomination. But I hope and pray that no one would have to go though these types of fiery trials.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far

and Grace will lead me home.

Bluegrass

The old farmer had not been to Lincoln's New Salem State Park since he was in grade school. It is the restored log cabin village on the banks of the Sangamon River where Abe Lincoln spent most of the years from teenager thru his twenties. This is where he co-owned a store, studied law (self-taught), and first entered politics. This weekend, the park had their annual Bluegrass Festival. We spent Saturday afternoon on the grounds enjoying a beautiful day in the park. There were dozens of bluegrass and traditional instrument musicians scattered around the park in clusters on lawn chairs or bales of straw. As you strolled around, you could stop and listen to the various groups jamming together. All the traditional instruments were represented, including; guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, jaw harp, double bass, washtub bass, autoharp(zither), dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, fiddle, dobro, and lute. We thought maybe we would see a lot of musicians we knew (Deer Fry International, Brush Arbor, The Bluegrass Boys, etc.), but we did see a few. DFI was there in the amplitheatre on Friday night, which we missed.
It was a good time.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Psalm 150:3,4

New Toys

We purchased a couple of new toys here on the farm this summer. When my boys were growing up I chose not to buy an ATV for them (we had a go-cart). I have a first cousin and a friend who both lost sons in ATV accidents. I always wanted one to use for various jobs around the farm (small spraying jobs, crop scouting, etc.). We recently had the opportunity to purchase a very good used 350 Honda for a reasonable price. The color is even right - Illini orange. We are looking forward to a lot of fun, er, getting a lot of work done using our new toy.


We also decided to purchase our first semi tractor-trailer rig to haul grain with. It is an older, high mileage unit, but it should meet our needs. Believe it or not, we bought it from an Amish truck salesman in Grabill, IN! Harvest is going to be late, but as of now, it looks like the yields will be high. We hope this new rig will haul a lot of grain for us. Now all we need is a truck driver to help us all fall.



Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Genesis27:28