Cheryl's Farm Fresh Wisdom~Knee Deep in Hay!

Hope you wore yer long-sleeved shirts! We're marching out to the back-forty hay field. Cheryl's out there with a touch a humor and a load of fresh straw. Go fetch yer Bible too, cause she's bringing home another of God's truths! In case haven't met her yet, here's Cheryl!

     Here at our farm, we depend on a huge stockpile of straw and hay from summer to sustain all of our many animals during the winter months. We normally cut hay three to four times throughout the spring and summer. However, after an unusually wet and cool spring, our hay fields were ready for harvest. Over-ready would be a more appropriate description really. The hay had just grown and grown, higher and thicker.

     In order to harvest our hay crop, we use a haybine that cuts the hay off at the ground level and then rolls it through a set of rollers that also crimp the stems so the moisture can escape more quickly.  Then it must lay on the ground for one to two days to dry.  After it is dry, then we use a tractor and rake to combine two rows into one large windrow. Then we bale the hay into very large sixty-six inch bales. Each bale weighs around twelve hundred pounds.

     This is a very tedious process which is all dependent upon the weather.  The equipment we use is precise, and the baler is attached to a computer.  For this reason my husband, Darrel, and I are the only ones to operate this equipment. We both have been raised driving tractors and are accustomed to the uneven fields that may result from such a wet spring. With all this unusual rainfall, the local farmers have been forced to delay the wheat harvest as well.  Darrel was cutting hay and the farmers were cutting wheat.  Everything was ripe for harvest all at once.

Luke 10:2 "He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the worker are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" (NIV)

     With all of the crops ready at once, the Lord gave me this scripture. He showed me that so many people are willing and ready to follow Him, but the leaders (workers) are few. We must step up and be the example of Christ to this crazy and lost world.

     Since Darrel was cutting the hay and the farmers were harvesting the wheat all at the same time, then it became my job to bale the straw.  We bale the wheat straw right behind the farmer’s combines.  It was nothing but, go, go, go!

     For many who do  not know me, I am quite short.  I will not mention that I am pretty stocky as well.  Okay, I am sort-of sort and plump!  Anyway, at barely 5’2” tall, it is a stretch for me to operate our baling tractor.  Our tractors are older and designed for taller men, not short-legged women.

To bale the straw or hay, the machine is pulled over the windrow with a tractor.  Each bale is accumulated until it reaches the proper size. Then the operator must depress the tractor’s clutch while the baler wraps the bale with net wrap.  Next, the operator must eject the bale out of the baler.  This is where I have to twist to my right and look backwards in the seat while holding the clutch in with my left foot.  I have to watch that the bale is ejected properly then pull another lever to close the baler and start this process all over again.This is a very difficult position to hold for someone so short.  So as I am baling, praying, and stretching, Prov. 4:27 pops into my head.

“Do not turn from the right or the left:  Keep your foot from evil.” (NIV)

I was barely keeping my foot on the clutch, how, I wondered, could I possibly step on evil? Obviously God has a sense of humor while trying to teach me to follow directly behind Him, step for step. Okay. Lesson learned!

     This baling process goes on and on all day long.  Did I mention that our Indiana weather had turned off hot? And I mean it was hot!  We had three days of 105 degree heat index. I can usually bale ninety to one hundred round bales of straw a day.  So you can imagine how contorted I am after baling four-hundred and fifty bales!  I was stiff in the neck and my back was suffering from muscle spasms.  After ten days straight of baling, except for church on Sunday, I was worn out.  Our tractor’s air conditioner could not keep up either, so I was blowing lukewarm air to boot.  Guess some air was better than none.

     We were, as a team, able to get all of the straw and the hay baled. I am a firm believer that, as Darrel’s wife, I was designed to be his helpmate.  After this harvest I am confident that I have fulfilled this obligation.

     I’m thanking God we are finished for now and all of the hay and straw was harvested with no rain.  We finally go all of the bales out of the field and stacked in rows for winter.  And God said, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10

I can honestly say: 2 Timothy 4:7 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (NIV)

Love and Smiles,

Cheryl

GUEST BLOGGER! Farm Fresh Wisdom with Cheryl~When you Sink in Miry Clay

Peggy: Y'all know where I'm going with this. Done got my fiddle out to play a few rounds of There's a Hole in the Bucket Ole' Liza, Ole' Liza. Only my farm neighbor, Cheryl, had a much better rendition. And she's at the bottom of one humdinger of a hole. Sit down on that there bucket, aim at the spittoon in the corner while keepin' yer boots downwind, and take a listen. 

 Cheryl: Living in a remote area adjacent to a coal mine can be very challenging.  We do not have city water. We get our water from the roof top of the garage behind our home.  The water goes into the gutters and is transported into our cistern, coal mine dust, dirt, and all. A cistern is a large cavity which is dug into the ground about twelve to fourteen feet deep.  Usually the bottom is made of clay or sandstone that is a natural layer in the earth.  From this sandstone the walls are shaped with bricks and mortar up and up to the top until the cistern is in the shape of a vessel; narrow at the top and spreading out at the bottom. The shape is much like an upside down wine glass.  The top of the cistern has a square of concrete about five feet square with a smaller concrete lid that measures two foot square.  The base of this cistern is about ten to twelve foot in diameter. We do not drink or cook with the cistern water.  We use this water for all baths, laundry, and cleaning. We buy our drinking water.

     About two weeks prior to Easter, I began to notice a strange smell in our water, especially the hot water. I was hosting Easter for my whole family. So my husband, Darrel, suggested I put bleach in it.  This remedy worked until the next rain and so on. Rain/bleach/rain/bleach. I was almost to my breaking point when the smell developed into a complete stench! I could not stand it. So my husband and I resolved to pump the cistern dry to find the problem.  Sure enough, we found it!  We were getting so much rain that the ground surface water was also going into our cistern. The heating process made the algae and bacteria bloom and—wow, stink, stink!

     Once the water was mostly out, one of us had to get in and fill the bucket while the other lugged the rope and bucket full of mud up and out.  In I went.  Down into the mud-filled, smelly cave of a pit.  One shovel at a time I stooped this black slime out.  But as I worked, I remembered God’s word.

Psalm 40:2. (NIV)

           “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock            and gave me a firm place to stand.”

     Without my ladder I was hopelessly trapped in a pit that I had knowingly entered. Isn't it just like Jesus to remind me of how many times I willingly jumped into a pit that only He could get me out of? I began to realize how many time Jesus had done this for me—the exact thing I was doing in the cistern. Bit by Bit, scoop by scoop, layer of dirt and filth by layer, He carefully and deliberately lifted me out of the pit. He cleaned me from the inside out. The stench of my carnal nature fell off. The slime and mud I had created began to be replaced with the fruit of His Spirit which bloomed in me.

     

     Galatians 5:22 tells us about His fruits. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  He took my filthy vessel, cleaned it out and replaced it with clean things that please Him and grow His kingdom!

      After the whole afternoon of cleaning, scrubbing, rinsing, and pumping, our cistern was, at last, clean.  We ordered water from a local water hauler, and inch by inch our source of life-giving water was restored to a state of cleanliness.  We have since installed a gutter diverter device on our flow system to better control what type and how much water is allowed in our cistern.

     I would encourage you also to put a trash diverter device on your life to protect your soul.  If you are constantly exposing yourself to situations that will cause toxicity and filth in your life, have God’s Word as your armor.  Be ready, because if you fall into a huge pit, it is very hard to get out.  Call upon Jesus.  He will help you!

Peggy:  If'n ya got a shortage of sludge, give Cheryl a call. She's got plenty. On second thought, scratch that. Nobody needs that kind of filth, especially in you soul! If ya ain't done did it yet, and Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior!

Can't resist adding a little newfangled music that blends Psalms 40 right in. One of my fav's.

 40 by Ginny Owens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_pQ7H7Xia4

Let us know about the miry clay and how Jesus Christ cleansed it away!

GUEST BLOGGER! Cheryl's Farm Fresh Wisdom!

      Well, yeehaw and slap your grandma! We got us a guest blogger here at the Mine and we’re plum tickled pink from our boots to our suspenders! This is gonna be a regular segment, entitled, Cheryl's Farm Fresh Wisdom. She’s a dear friend who truly tries to help others find the “Upper Pasture,” if ya get my meaning. She’s a farmer, so is her better half and her near grown son as well. She’s got so many cattle, you can’t shake a stick at ‘em. Then there's goats, chickens, kittens, a one-eyed rabbit, and even some honery longhorned cattle.So pull up a bale a straw, grab a good green foxtail to chaw on, and settle in to Cheryl’s Farm Fresh Wisdom. (Did I mention ya'all might win a $10 buck gift certificate? I didn't?! Well, bless my soul, 'tis true!) Without further ado . . .

Welcome~

   

     My name is Cheryl. I'm 50 years old. I live on a cattle farm with my 15 year-old son, Matthew, and my husband of 5 years, Darrel; whom I married after being widowed for 8 years. We own several farms and raise 300-400 head of cattle for beef purposes, 30-50 head of goats and 200-300 chickens for my son’s egg business. Needless to say, we are always busy and forever in a hurry. We normally don’t hire for help. We farm corn, soybeans, wheat and mostly hay in addition to our livestock.

     Our farms are located in Southern Indiana, where one thing is for sure, the weather is always changing. Just this week we received almost a foot of snow. My son missed 3 days of school due to the severe weather. This morning was -5 degrees with a wind chill of -15 to -25 degrees Fahrenheit. So keeping these animals warm and dry, fed and watered becomes a challenge. Just getting dressed to go out requires an act of Congress! LOL I start with wool socks and a long-sleeved undershirt. Then comes the insulated jeans, heavy sweatshirt, bib overalls, heavy winter coat, sock hat, gloves, and hand warmers. And finally, insulated green rubber boots. This mental image is killing you, right?

     Well, I usually get about half the way to the chicken yard when the blast of cold air convinces me I need to use the restroom. So back in I go, only to undo all I’ve just described. What an ordeal just to do my daily activities!

     Since patience is not one of my main virtues, I thought I could just skip the hand warmers. This was not a wise move while trying to water animals in sub-zero temperatures. Our barn is about a fourth of a mile away from our house, not an easy distance to run back home. So half way through my chores I scurried back to the house, seeking shelter and crying like a baby. My fingers were frozen and oh, they hurt so very badly. It was at this precise moment when our Glorious God decided to teach me a lesson that I should have already learned.

     He brought it to my attention that if I was going to do his work in a hostile environment, then I had better dress for the occasion. I still remember my Dad getting ready to work in the coal mines. He always wore a long-sleeved denim welding shirt, hard hat, steel-toed shoes, and carried a thermos of coffee and a lunch bucket. 

     Why is it then we go about God’s business ill prepared? Why do we fail to be fully prepared for the work ahead of us? God told us to, ‘ready ourselves!’  How often do we stop at the door, TV, or computer screen and put on the Armor of God before we step into the hostile world? 

     There is no way I'd go out in this frigid weather virtually naked! So I am taking extra steps to ready myself by putting on the full Armor of God.  Ephesians 6:10-18 tell us to put on:

1. The Belt of Truth

2.  The Breastplate of Righteousness

3.  Shoes of Peace

4.  Shield of Faith

5.  Helmet of Salvation 

6. The Sword of the Spirit-which is God's Word!

Maybe by readying myself with the Armor of God, this will prevent me from having to turn tail to the devil, running and crying and injured into my Heavenly Father’s arms. I know I will be fully equipped by putting on the full Armor of God to be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. It is cold and brutal out there!!! Dress Accordingly and ready yourselves!

Here’s some references for you to study on: 

Ephesians 6:10-18

Matthew 24:44

Ezekiel 38:7

Jeremiah 1:17.

May the Lord bless ya, and keep ya,

~Cheryl 

Now we done been to church! Thanks Cheryl! You're the best!  We'd love to hear from ya'all. Leave a comment and one blessed person will receive one of them fancy certificates, fer 10 bucks to your local department store. Thank ya fer stoppin' in, and don't forget to, "be ready!"