For Encouragement

To Plant or Not To Plant A short year ago we finished planting on May 4.  Funny how different farming is every year.  It is now May 3 and we probably will not start planting for a few days.  I had the opportunity to talk at a church this past weekend.  It was a service on a family's farm in their barn.  They have this service every year asking for God's blessing on the crops for the coming year.  As I thought about what to say, I had quite a few challenges confront me.  When I ask God for his...

Be A Good Steward Planting is finally completed, at least for the first time. I truly love the opportunity to farm. I take very seriously being a good steward of that which God has entrusted me. It is great to see the "Green" efforts many people are taking to better the land we manage. My brother and I have chosen no-till farming as one practice to greatly help reduce our carbon footprint. It dramatically reduces fuel usage, wear and tear on us and our equipment. It virtually eliminates top soil erosion and minimally disturbs the soil's own microbial activity. This...

Fair Time! It is time for the fair again! I love the fair. I have so many fond memories of the fair. The food and my friends were all great things, but my fondest memory is showing pigs. I showed pigs at the fair for 10 years, and my nieces and nephews have all showed pigs at different times. I can remember every September choosing which boar (daddy) best would match up with each sow (momma). It then seemed like forever waiting those 115 days until those pigs would be born in January. I spent many a long night watching...

A God thing! I remember it like it was yesterday!  But then again, it seems like it was another life ago. There was this fine looking young lady who started coming to our church with a friend.  She was really cute! What I didn't realize was how beautiful she was on the inside! June, 1987 -  She said yes when I asked her to go out! August, 1990 - Married!  Yes! For the longest time when I was in Jr. High and High School, I prayed that God would allow me to meet someone and date them a long time...

If I had only known then, what I know now... A couple months back I was asked to speak at our local high school baccalaureate service. I thoroughly enjoy speaking opportunities. As I reflected on what to share I realized that this would be my 25 year high school reunion. Unbelievable how much time flies and how everybody else gets old! I wasn't real sure what I should share, but had lots of stuff come to my mind, but didn't know how it all tied together. That's when, for some strange reason, God caused me to remember that David Letterman...