March 26th, 2022

Weather/Nature

Chilly as the week went on, but spring keeps coming.

Down On The Farm

Big week on the farm as we are chomping at the bit to continue building a farm from scratch here in Tennessee. The process of building our farm in Florida was similar, with the big advantage now of having learned (hopefully) from our mistakes.

The girls were instrumental in helping me put up the three-strand electric fence around our pasture, which allowed us to finally let out the cows just as the grass starts to grow.

We also started our tomato and pepper seeds in flats, with the plan to transplant them to the garden in early May after the last chance of frost.

Each year we raise a couple of pigs for the freezer, and the plan here in TN is to get them in the spring, feed them to weight, and then butcher them in late fall. The pigs that I’ve seen for sale have not lasted long, so when I saw a group of weaned pigs become available I jumped at the chance. We got four because the breed won’t be as large as what we are used to.

Best Thing We Ate

From Family Worship

We continue to work through Romans at breakfast, wading through chapter 11 and considering the expansion of God’s covenant of grace to now include the Gentiles as well as the Jews. What is the place of Israel after Christ’s arrival? Did God save differently in the Old Testament than He does new in the New Testament age? Revisiting the Westminster Confession Chapter 7, “Of God’s Covenant with Man” was helpful.

Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed, are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.

WCF 7:6

Other Happenings

March 19th, 2022

Weather/Nature

Beautiful spring week. Trees are beginning to break dormancy, and if you look close, the earliest wakers are just starting to unfurl their new leaves. We’ll see if the deep freeze last weekend hurt any early blooms like eastern redbud or the Asian pear.

The warmer weather and longer days have provided the opportunity to eat dinner on the porch a few times, and as we’re outside more, the most noticeable thing might be the increase of birdsong in the air.

Down On The Farm

The cabbage, broccoli, kale and onions all got in the ground earlier this week. We’ve spent so much energy and time getting this garden prepared that to see something green and growing is very satisfying to all of us. Plans laid out long ago back in Florida are starting to come to fruition.

The new tractor continues to be a big hit!

And Quinn helped me put the finishing touches on the garden deer fence when we hung the gates together.

Best Thing We Ate

When I asked, it was a unanimous vote that the best thing we ate was homemade mac & cheese with bacon that Quinn requested for her birthday dinner. (More about Quinn’s birthday below).

From Family Worship

When you’re in deep water, call for the lifeguard. We ran our questions from last week by our pastor, and he had a helpful response. While it is true that Jesus’ divine nature did not die or experience any suffering, we need to keep in mind that at no point after the incarnation have the two natures of Christ ever separated. There is mystery here, just like there is with the Trinity, or how God’s eternal and sovereign decree exists alongside man’s free will. And this, Man’s Free Will, is the next chapter for our consideration in the Westminster Confession of Faith. We are thinking deeply together.

Other Happenings

That’s right, Quinn had a birthday! On Friday she turned 9 years old, and celebrated by going shopping with some friends and spending some time “in town”.

March 12th, 2022

Weather/Nature

Nice week with most days near 70 degrees, then we were slammed with a winter storm last night. We woke up this morning to a few inches of snow, with a high today of 30 and the low tonight close to single digits with the wind chill. It should be a quick warm up though.

Wild flowers continue to show themselves:

And the birds didn’t seem to mind the cold this morning…

Down On The Farm

Concerned that the veggie seeds we started in January aren’t looking so good, we decided to buy some seedlings wholesale. 100 cabbages, 100 broccoli, 100 kale. They came out to $0.25 each and seem to be very vigorous and healthy. We’ll get these in the ground maybe Tuesday or Wednesday once the ground dries up from the snow.

Best Thing We Ate

Split pea soup with ham. Some love it, some hate it. We all love it; well, except for one child who won’t be named. This child says they are physically incapable of swallowing a single bite of the soup.

From Family Worship

In the incarnation, did the humanity of Jesus come down from heaven? Did God die for us on the cross? These are a couple of the questions that confronted us this week as we considered the nature of the God-man, Jesus Christ. We learned that, no, the humanity of Jesus did not come down from heaven, and that, no, Jesus’ divine nature did not die on the cross, as it is impossible for God to die. However, like so many things, one answer leads to more questions. More to come, and our mental wheels are turning.

Other Happenings

We finally demolished the old single-wide trailer in the far corner of the field, and the nice operator even let John and I take the first swing! For a 5-year old boy whose sole occupational ambition is to BE an excavator operator, this was just too much.

March 5th, 2022

Weather/Nature

Beautiful this week, 60’s & 70’s and all sunshine! Appreciation for this is significant after enduring our first winter.

*Correction* What we thought were migrating Canada geese last November were really Sandhill cranes . We did a little research after seeing huge groups of them flying and honking overhead, this time going north. Sure enough, we are right in the middle of their migration pattern!

Down On The Farm

I took Tuesday off work and deer fence assembly began in earnest this week. These guys are amazing, capable partners with me here on the farm. I couldn’t ask for a better crew.

Best Thing We Ate

Strawberry cake with strawberry icing for my 40th birthday – more below!

From Family Worship

We have been swimming in deep water this week as we consider “Christ the Mediator”. In addition to getting sound truth that corrects virtually all early church heresy regarding Jesus Christ being both God and man, we were stirred to deeper appreciation for the Son of God’s office of mediator.

As mediator, he reconciles us to the Father through his perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself on our behalf. And this work he did “most willingly undertake”. And more than just reconciliation to God, Christ makes us co-heirs with him. Erica rightly drew in the parable of the prodigal son, as the response of the father to his returning son is how we should view this rich truth.

Other Happenings

I turned 40 on Friday and my wonderful family made it special. Not only did they surprise me with a little get together at a friend’s house Friday afternoon, they insisted that I get myself a tractor!!