A good day today
It was one of those days where I am able to do the kinds of things that give me a sense of fulfillment, a sense of God’s presence.
There are conversations that are had in which God sometimes just shows up and he fills the room and I know we are on a different ground. There are conversations had and emails written in which I know I’m communicating beyond my ability, and my spirit does a double take, and of course it’s Him in the conversation too.
Today a number of those conversations took place, and light and truth advanced just a bit, in a few peoples hearts. Those are the kinds of conversations that I love, and why I do what I do. Often pastoring is just praying for and waiting for the chance to have those talks.
Today was just one of those days.
A gooder.
We’re at a rodeo - Updated
Ponoka Stampede finals tonight with friends. Another cultural night out, really cool.
The second largest rodeo in Canada, right after the Calgary Stampede which is next week.
Grandpa Thiessen would be thrilled beyond belief to be here.
Updated: We had a blast for the finals. It really was amazing to see.
This week on Twitter 2009-07-01
- Three years ago this morning. http://post.ly/woH #
- Thomas taking out the trash http://post.ly/xDl #
- I’m beneath the quilt in bed tonight staying warm. The windows are open and it’s only +7 C out there. In June no less. #
- I think I need some unseling http://post.ly/zle #
- I just watched Wit. Such a sad movie. Sadder mostly because it was so real. Thats usually how it goes. #
- Watching Top Gear tonight. What a great show & now I can watch it on BBC 2. #
- At costco for the first time. This place is freakin crazy. I want the field. #
- Costco lunch http://post.ly/116U #
- Still at west ed mall. Tired feet but we found the full set of Father Ted. Now home to watch, with chinese food. #
- Gross day. Threw up last night. I haven’t done that since forever. #
- The coyotes are howling up a storm out there tonight. Feels like Autumn. #
“It hasn’t been this bad in 30 years.”
I’ve heard that from a couple of different farmers in the past three weeks, and I gotta say by the kinds of stories I’m hearing, I believe it.
Since we’ve been here we’ve not seen more that an inch of rain fall on any given day. Our grass is brown and burnt to a crisp, especially when you step on it. The small garden we planted has yet to show any signs of life, even after watering it regularly. The locals are saying they haven’t seen a good soaking since they can’t remember when, let alone two or three solid days of drizzle.
This year started off great and much of the seeding was done early. Just as the seeds were germinating and coming through, we got a killer frost which set them back. Then as they started to come through again, there was no water to get them going. The fields look unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, some are even bare with just a few patches of green in the low spots. Some of the fields have stunted crops because of the lack of rain, and they won’t produce enough to harvest.
In short, it’s getting bad. 30 years bad.
Because the grass isn’t growing and the crops are failing, the cattle farms are in trouble. One farmer here was down to no feed, but was able to make arrangements at the last minute to move his cattle to a neighbours empty field, provided he put up fences. He was desperate so he did. Another friend had to sell a bunch of cattle because there was no feed, so they sold at a loss. Because everyone is in the same position, the value of cattle is dropping in price, and the farmers are losing what they invested in the cattle this winter. The same farmer has enough feed for the rest of his cattle to last three weeks. Plenty of the area farmers are in the same kind of hurt. You want to know we are praying hard around here.
One local farmer had to dig a 20ft deep trench for utility purposes, and all the way down, it was dust dry dirt. Amazingly there was no moisture.
Another elderly farmer was telling me that even his garden potatoes are not coming up. He said that in the dirty thirties at least the potatoes would grow. That’s what fed them through those dark days. But not this year.
Even if it rains now, it’s too little and too late for this year. The grain farmers are hurting, the cattle farmers are hurting. The hog farmers have been hurting and going out of business for a couple of years now, and the turkey farmers will have to purchase feed this winter. There will be a bit of help through insurance for the grain farmers, but that just covers the cost of getting the crop in the ground. It doesn’t cover living expenses etc. But even the farm gardens aren’t producing. They often can be depended on to help through the long winters, but this winter might be longer than usual.
And so we have much to pray for here, and we are praying.
Given the situation, I am often surprised by the optimism of many of the farmers around here. They continue to get up and go to the fields, doing what they can to coax a little crop along, day by day. It’s all new to me, so I keep asking questions of them, learning as I go. In a way I feel a twinge of responsibility being the local “Man of God” guy around here. Why didn’t God send the rain when it was needed? Why will this winter be so hard on some of these farmers? And so on. So I keep asking God those same requests. I keep asking him to send the rain on the just and on the unjust, just like it says he will do. And I keep being grateful for the simple things I have. Food, shelter, transportation, and a chance to serve him out here in The Field.
Talking about who is the older son
A couple of Sundays ago I was talking about what it meant to be the older son, when the younger son comes back home after partying his life away.
Sometimes we as a church need to be more like the father than the elder son.
Summer Storm
Last night the clouds rolled in and things got a bit crazy.
The clouds began swirling and a few fingers tried to bend down to the earth but thankfully they kept moving east.
I couldn’t find the camera so I used my phone.
Here are a few shots of the storm.
Then, after the big deal, came the rain.
Sweet sweet rain.
American Goldfinch
Two of these American Gold Finches landed on our windowsill this morning, a male and female.
There they sat for nearly five minutes, clinging to the ledge, chatting one another up a bit.
They were beauties.
