Farms

Caretaking or Caregiving?

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom and gently lead those who are with young. Isaiah 40:11 NKJV

Though I am long retired, I still act as a caretaker for what is something of a gentlemen’s farm. NO, I do not perform any of the physical labor, rather I simply manage the accounts, paying the taxes, insurance and the various men who care for the property. In view of the responsibilities, perhaps the word, “Caretaker” is misapplied, as I do take care from the place, instead, I diligently watch over the various activities with the good of the owner in mind. On another track, my wife and I have also become the “Caregivers” for an elderly friend, whose house was flooded out in a hurricane over a year ago. Her struggles with Alzheimer’s as well as a recent stroke have left her in need of people to guide her through basic daily activities.

Both of these separate duties call for a giving that only dimly shadows the care-taking and care-giving of our Good Shepherd. In today’s verse God says that He gathers the lambs with His arm. No rough shepherd’s rod and even the long staff employed in directing the sheep is pictured here, instead God tells us He gathers us in His very arms, lifts us up and carries us. He does not get tired, impatient, or bored with the mundane duties of seeing to our daily needs. When we ask He provides bread, when we weep in contrition, He forgives, when we plead for the needs of others, He listens. Then in this last part of the verse we catch a glimpse into the heart of our God, as He gently leads us as we gently lead the ones He has placed in our care! What a wonderful Savior and Caretaker! What an amazing eternal Caregiver and Good Shepherd, we have in Jesus Christ our Lord!

As I sat in the hospital emergency room again last night, I was blessed to see that the television in the room was playing a TBN special with Matthew West. This particular song brought me peace and encouragement in the uncertainty of the moment, and I pray it will also draw you heart to our Savior whatever circumstance you are facing today.

The Snickel’s Family Friend

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity
Proverb 17:17 NIV  
In the Spring of ’86 just as the days were turning warm
With the money they had saved they bought the field above the farm
And as their boys ran through the hayfield, they watched the cows below
Then imagined how their house would look and where the garden ought to go

The Snickels watched their home being built as it took about a year
Then they sorted, prayed and planned when they saw the time growing near
For the move out to the country and to leave their friends behind
Oh, what a great adventure, that they pictured in their mind 

But as the seasons came and went, very soon their two boys grew tall
While the garden that they planted filled up the canning jars each Fall
And their work seemed almost endless, so they hardly noticed how things changed
To wake up one day and find their boys lives were being rearranged

The boys left behind their household chores for college and a job
And as the little home grew still, the quiet days just seemed so odd 
It seemed like only yesterday when Snickels pancakes filled each plate
Now looking out they watched as now the empty field fill up with flakes 

But in their sudden loneliness God spoke His promise true
That through the night however long He'd make each sunrise new
And on the pathway that we walk He keeps close onto the end
And through every year that passes He will be our faithful friend

The Snickel's Family Friend 
By Peter Caligiuri 
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