Just a Warning

Hi friends. Before I start this post let me just say, "WOW!" I can't believe I have almost 500 entry's into my little giveaway. Thanks for your support and for sharing. Also, if your new, thank you for 'Liking' the farm. It means more to me than I can say. Honestly, if I could I'd give each and every one of you a book, but I can't so a simple THANK YOU is going to have to suffice. (The giveaway is still going, click to enter ---->)

Thank you.



I am so thrilled with getting the opportunity to raise my children on a farm, I really am. I consider it a great blessing and an answer to prayer. My children get to learn how to work hard, where their food comes from, how to care for themselves in many ways, how to enjoy the simpler things in life, but there is ONE thing that I consider to be of major importance that I wish to teach them. One thing that I think is easily looked over when self-sufficiency is the goal.

Care and consideration for others. If you are puzzled, just hear me out. One of the best ways to get my point across is with scripture:

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

22And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^c 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^d yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his^e kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. -Luke 12:16-34

Do you see it?

I want my words on this blog to be an encouragement to you and be a place where you can come a read about mine and my family's journey farming. But I also want it to be real, a place where you can read about all of my convictions, and a place that has it's priorities straight.

I am a believer and as such I trust that God will care for me and my family far beyond what we need or deserve. I do not want to place my trust in possessions, wealth, people, government, and yes my own ability to grow produce and raise animals for food. That is not where my hope is and I hope that I make that clear. My hope is in Christ and He is sufficient for my every need.

Christ did make me human however and as such, I need to do the work that He has set before me. The work which He has set before me is that I am first a Christian and must serve God (and I'm happy to), but I'm also a wife and a mama. I have a family to care for and children to raise. My convictions are such that farming is the best way to raise kids because I truly believe this is one of the closest ways to get to 'reality'. I think it a wise thing to know how to plant a fruit tree or how to start seeds and in turn get produce in the summer. I also think it wise to have the responsibility of caring for livestock, of overseeing that your animals are bred, and then when the time comes care for the new life and give thanks when that life can in time, nourish both you and your family. Wisdom is something that I pray God would pour out on me on a daily basis and I hope to emulate the Proverbs 31 woman in the way that I live.

So what more you say am I wanting to teach my children?

I want to teach them that they need to care for others like they would care for themselves. That generosity is a great and noble thing. I want to teach my children that there is more reward in helping those in need than there is in keeping all of your talents and possessions to yourself. I don't want to glorify a life lived for self and I surely don't want to be like the rich fool in the above parable. I don't want to build bigger barns to store my possessions, but I want to use the resources that God has given me and my family to help those that have less than we do. After all, none of this is mine. It's His.

My encouragement to you, dear readers, is to learn as much as you can and become well versed in how to care for yourselves and your families. Whether its learning how to catch rain so you have extra water for your Summer garden, whether it's learning how to help an animal give birth, or even if it's dedicating some of your time to help out a struggling family or a new mama overwhelmed by her new blessing. We all can help each other one way or another.

Let's not be like the rich fool that only thinks about his comfort, but lets be a generous people willing to give of ourselves (and our time) to others freely. After all, Christ gave himself for us so we could have hope and spend eternity with Him.

Lord bless every one of you and I hope you have been encouraged!