Thawing, Chasing Cows, Psalm 23
Amy here this week.
Spring has sprung. At least that’s what we’re telling ourselves. It’s hard to believe that Friday began with 3 more inches of snow. Wren helped Will make sure all the cows had plenty of hay to get through these cold, windy days.
On Sunday afternoon, we loaded up 15 of the biggest pigs to head to the processor on Monday morning. It took all hands on deck. We truly couldn’t farm without these kids to sort through the pigs, block gates, and get them loaded. The snow and ice made it difficult to get the truck and trailer around, so Will hooked the trailer to the tractor to get them loaded and then pulled around to better ground to unhook and hook up to the truck.
Then Monday brought warmer temps. I believe this was the first day we’ve been above freezing for almost 3 weeks. Now there are only a few lingering patches of snow and ice hanging around the farm.
I made lots of chicken broth and beef broth this week. If you need to stock up to make it through cold and flu season, now’s the time. Because we make it with beef and chicken bones and simmer it for 24-48 hours, it’s full of collagen and is SO good for your immune system. We drink it, cook our rice in it, and use it as a delicious base for soups.
On Wednesday afternoon, Will needed help moving cows down the road to another field. The kids were excited to take a break from school and help. Will and the girls tolled the cows out of the field and Hasten and I were supposed to bring up the rear and follow them down the road. However, two suborn cows did not follow the herd. They took off in the other direction. Hasten jumped the fence and ran probably a half mile back and forth across that soggy field trying to send those cows towards the gate. Bless his heart, I was so thankful that I wasn’t the one chasing cows. (You can see Hasten chasing the two cows in the picture above.)
Will spent most of Thursday on the road. Not delivering meat or hauling livestock this time. The wrestling club purchased a new mat and he drove up to Ohio to bring it home in the cattle trailer (I hope he cleaned it out after hauling pigs to the processor on Monday). Thank you to everyone who participated in the beef raffle a few months back. The kids will be thrilled to have a new mat and more room to practice.
There is no farmers market this Saturday, but lots of deliveries coming up this week. Don’t forget to place your order today and fill up your freezer.
My friend Kelsey recommended a book a few weeks back called A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm by Phillip Keller. The author was a sheep farmer turned preacher, and he has a very unique look at the most well known Psalm.
I’m only about half way through and have already taken way too many notes, but I’ll share a few things that stood out to me. Each chapter breaks down a line of the Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Who better to lead us than the Creator of the universe. The omnipotent God who knit us together and knows our thoughts before we say them.
“I shall not want.” As his sheep, are we utterly content in his care and therefore not desiring more? Or are we still wanting something else… looking to the grass on the other side of the fence.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” His explanations of all the shepherd does for his sheep to provide green pastures is such a beautiful picture of what God intended in farming. Moving the herd, not over grazing. Reducing parasites in the process. The shepherd has to constantly be monitoring to herd, out there with them, to stay ahead of any dangers. As Christians, “the gracious Holy Spirit makes real in the the very presence of Christ. He brings quietness, serenity, strength and calmness in the face of frustrations and futility.”
I learned quite a bit about how the dew on the grass in the morning is one of the best water sources for sheep. Clean and abundant in the early morning as they graze the tender grass. He compares that to our starting each day drinking in God’s word and his presence. “It is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident and able to cope with life’s complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God’s word. It is in the quiet, early hours of the morning that they are led beside quiet, still waters where they imbibe the very life of Christ for the day.”
“He restoreth my soul.” — “The tenderness, the love, the patience that he used to restore Perter’s soul after the terrible tragedy of his temptation is a classic picture of the Christ coming to restore one of his own.”
“In the Christian life there is a great danger in always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline.”
Keller talks about the need to sheer the sheep when they become too heavy with wool. “There will come a day when the Master must take us in hand and apply the keen cutting edge of His Word to our lives. It may be unpleasant business for a while. No doubt we’ll struggle and kick about it. We may even get a few cuts and wounds. But what a relief when it is all over. Oh the pleasure of being set free from ourselves! What a restoration!”
As, I said I’m only half way through the book, but in the last chapter we walked through the valley. We are not stopping in the valley of death. We are walking through it to get to higher ground. He mentioned death as the “dark valley opening out into an eternity of delight with God. It is not something to fear, but an experience through which one passes on the path to a more perfect life.”
“The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows. The question is how do we react to them? How do I go through them? How do I cope with the calamities that come my way?
With Christ I face them calmly.
With his gracious Spirit to guide me I face them fearlessly.”
I’ll update you when I finish the book, but I highly recommend this one.
Only about 3 weeks left before we get to meet our baby boy!
Have a great week!
Amy