Sunday Ruminations

Dateline: 26 June 2005

I think that, when I write a Blog entry on Sundays, it will be “Bits & Pieces” of commentary. For example...


What’s An Agrarian

I’ve received a few e-mail messages from folks who have visited The Deliberate Agrarian and told me they are enjoying it. One person asked me what an Agrarian is. I hope to address that question in the future.

Duncan’s War

My 17 year old son, Roy, has just finished readingDuncan’s War, by Douglas Bond. I bought the book a couple years ago, intending to read it to the kids.

I’ve been after Roy to read it on his own; to give it a fair chance. He finally got into it and, lo and behold, liked it. He finished it today and asked me if I would get him the next book in the Crown & Covenant series, King’s Arrow. I was delighted to hear this, and will order it right away. I’ll also get Rebel’s Keep, the third and final book in the series.

No More Fishing

My two youngest sons love to fish. It is not something they got from me because, truth be told, I ‘m not much of a fisherman. They have been fishing at a farm pond about a half mile from our house. Many an afternoon has been spent on the shores of this pond, sometimes with a couple of their friends who live down the road. They typically walk there, poles and bait in hand. Sometimes we go and pick them up, and sometimes they walk home. They catch & release, and come home with great fish stories. It is not unusual to hook a 12” bass. This fishing hole has been a great blessing to my children.

Unfortunately, that all came to an end today. The elderly woman who owns the farm told Marlene that she did not want the kids fishing there anymore. She is concerned about liability. My boys are heartbroken. I am too.

I Heard The Bark

As I got out of the shower this morning, I heard a very strange call.... it was The Bark of The Bog Owl, coming from my living room. It put a smile on my face to hear my two sons practicing the call. It sounds like this:

“Ha-ha-ha-hrawfff-wooooooooo”

And I also heard the “exuberant, singsong battle yell of the feechiefolk”:

“Haaaaaaaa-wwwwwweeeeeeee!”

We are hoping to get the next book in the trilogy, The Secret of The Swamp King,in the mail this coming week.

Today’s Sermon

Today in church, our pastor, Jim Main, preached on the subject of “Learning To Pray.” He said that Christians should be a “temple of prayer” and that we need to pray intelligently. But (and this is something I had never thought of before) How do you talk intelligently to the One who created all and knows all?

He said that the answer was to ask the right questions and listen for that still quiet voice with which God typically speaks to His children. Two of the questions he said we should be asking are: Lord, what are you trying to teach me through the things that are happening to me in my life (the trials), and who would you have me pray for? He ended by making the point that God works to transform the lives of unbelieving people through the prayers of Believers.

Billy Graham

I heard Billy Graham (on the radio) speak during the first night of his current crusade in NY City. I have heard other Christians criticize Billy Graham for various things over the years, but he has always been special to me.

When I was 14 years old, living in the suburbs outside Syracuse, N.Y., I remember watching a Billy Graham Crusade on television for a few night nights with my mom and dad. God used Billy Graham as the instrument to explain to me that I was a sinner, condemned to Hell. And I saw clearly that, in His great mercy, God provided a means (the only means) of salvation through the shed blood of His son, Jesus Christ. This is something that can not be truly understood apart from God, in His providence, revealing it to an individual.

All of which makes me think of Pastor Main’s sermon today. It is very likely that someone was praying for me before I came to know God’s salvation. I believe it was my grandmother Philbrick. I believe she was praying for her children (of which my mother was one of many) and her grandchildren. Maybe it was also someone (or ones) I don’t know. Maybe it was a great, great, great grandfather, praying for the generations to follow him.

This is the substance of powerful Christianity. It is something to consider.

Pseudonyms

After reading the story, My Son Bought An Axe, Marlene commented to me that she did not know we had a son named Paul. I told her that I’ve given the children pseudonyms. One can never be too careful these days. I’m particularly sensitive to these concerns because of my “regular” job, which I’ll tell you about someday.

Scott Terry’s Blog

If you haven’t been over to Homesteader Life, I encourage you to do so. Scott’s Blog was my inspiration for starting The Deliberate Agrarian.