JM,
I figure the banjo with me playing it should do wonders keeping the coons out of the sweet corn patch if nothing else. Really, I’m just a beginer and am slowly learning some bluegrass picking, very slow at that.

KSMM,
I know what your saying about creating programs for people to get together, well said by the way. In the Christian Agrarian culture that I am reading about there were no programs, the lifestyle of helping came as naturally as breathing. There could be no other way than the one described when a community is following the Lord. And these people didn’t have one modern distraction to tear apart these close communities like nowadays. I just dream about this way of life returning.

Brother Dan,
Welcome!! I used to play Mandolin in my younger days. I was going to buy one last year but they sure are pricy nowadays. Maybe I’ll get another one when we hit oil on the farm. I see on your blog we’re darn near neighbors. Glad you found this group.

Another wonderful post. I wanted to say I enjoyed hearing your voice on the clips on Rick’s website. I still have yet to order my copies. I am so glad you did these recordings. You have so much to offer. I listened to the clips and knew through and through you were genunine. I am failing to express myself here. But, I simply can’t wait. I have tremendous respect for you.

The topic of this post was brought up in my conversation with Rick. We love spending time together as a family working together. We have the greatest time and learn so much about God during those times. On the recording I mentioned JFC’s post on the processing and how inspired I was that working can be socializing and praising God. Today we create contrived programs to get together with people in church. We have a pizza party and sit and chat. Ultimately the effort to bring lives together fails. Even getting together to rake leaves for a shut in doesn’t bring a sustained result of people getting together. BUT, We always have to have food, shelter etc. If we would just go back to the 90 perecent of people farming we would have less reason to create psuedo social activities to bring our lives together. We just sit back and watch t.v. and let corporate ag kill us physically while t.v. kills us spiritually. We do this all for the sake of “progress”. I am sorry. Please lets go back to primitive work for the true progress.

Save some time on that computer… Good Farmer John will just put you to sleep anyway! Thanks JFC.

By the way, how interesting that you practice the banjo… Hmmmmm, I have no musical talent, but have often thought of picking up the banjo. My wife tinkers with the guitar a bit and our kids would love to play some as well..

We have always thought about our family playing music together, just for us really, to enjoy each other, and to worship the Lord together.

How very interesting that you of all people, in a little corner of Minnesota play the banjo..

Tom, this is amazing, it really is. God is good, so good,

I can’t agree more with your post, as usual. I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but the community you describe and what JFC describes is essential. God’s people can affect a real change in the world, all the rest is secular humanism…

JM

And about working together … we had a grand old time at the Bechard Family Farm when we processed chickens the first week of November. Nothing beat the fellowship. The last part of this post describes the work party where we processed their final 100+ turkeys. It was, again, incredible.

I join you in hoping that God’s people will return to being satisfied with godliness and contentment, instead of striving after the world’s trinkets and baubles.