We are blessed but it don't come easy

8/27/12 Monday

          The start of another week. Grass and weeds are high from the little rain we got last week so I must break out the lawn mower and attack that. The plow broke last week and needs to be welded back together. This illustrates how weak my welding capability is with the little Harbor Freight welder we bought.

We borrowed a small Harbor Freight wire welder from a friend at First Baptist church Sunday. I plan to use it on the diesel chevy truck flywheel. That will be quite a chore as I put the truck on top of railroad ties (providing I can get it to start with the bad flywheel) and crawl under the truck to attempt welding in metal on each individual tooth of the flywheel that has been chewed off when the starter bolts bent. This means I will have hot sparks of molten metal falling on me as I weld. Fortunately I have a leather welding vest thing to help protect me but experience tells me that a spark will find its way down to my skin somewhere. No biggy, pain I live with anyway so it’s not a big deal. Then after I weld up each of the fifty or so teeth on the flywheel I must try to grind each one into the proper shape by hand. This must be done because we cannot afford to have a professional do it and I do not have the equipment needed to pull the transmission out of the truck in order to install a new flywheel.

The other truck will take a while. This is because we must remove the radiator that was installed in May and have Auto Zone, where it was purchased from, send it to California or someplace. They will then take it apart and determine if the radiator failure was due to poor manufacturing or somehow their fault. If it is then they will be obligated to replace the radiator and repair the transmission that has failed due to the water that leaked into the tranny fluid. Who knows how long that will take and who knows if Auto Zone will accept responsibility for this break down that resulted from the radiator failing. Meantime the truck will be sitting without a radiator and a transmission full of water. I will visit with the mechanic shop that did the job and explain this to see if he is willing to take the risk of Auto Zone deciding to pay him for removing the radiator or willing to have my truck sit at his place while all this is going on.

A friend of ours, who is a professional welder, sent a message on facebook that he would be willing to weld up our plow. He is busy and has been distracted in the past so I don’t know how quick that will happen or even if he will be able to find time to help. I will grind down the areas to be welded in preparation for that and in faith he will show up one of these days. If he doesn’t then I will weld it up with the cheap little welder we have.

Our corn got planted and Lord willing we will have some sweet corn in early November. That requires us to not have a major freeze before harvest time. I was going to plant some of the red corn seeds we were sent from a friend in Kansas but the plow breaking put a halt to that.

One of the seniors we help fell and broke her arm. It is frustrating for me to be unable to get over to her place and help because we are down to one working vehicle. I had started installing drip irrigation for her remaining pecan trees that have not died. Half of her orchard is gone due to her not being able to get water to them by hand. I will take Cherie to her job this afternoon to be able to use her car to do necessary errands like taking garbage into town. I also hope to be able to visit the Stanton jail, where I have developed a relationship with one of the men incarcerated and have been of some help with his spiritual walk. Plus there are always others there I can talk to about the gift of eternal life that Jesus has made available to all who choose to believe. In my mind there is nothing more valuable or important than bringing this message of salvation to those who are bound up in the many chains that entrap us. I preach freedom from all these things and a hope for life here on earth that is good and fulfilling, with a reward at the end. But for now I am trapped here on the farm and it is difficult to go anywhere.

We went to church at First Baptist in Midland yesterday. It is always good to be with people who truly care and do not display the judgmentalism we have faced in so many other churches. Everyone asks “How are you doing?” and anymore I just say “We are blessed” because I have learned that few people want to hear all about all the problems you face. The fact is that we are truly blessed but at the same time we have many hardships. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for others when all they hear about is all the problems we face. I guess that there are some who would avoid contact because of that, but maybe I am being self-conscious. But at the same time I know deeply how Jesus feels about such matters but refrain from speaking those truths because I understand that it would not be received well. Am I wrong for not speaking these truths? What a tight place to be in, a trap of sorts. If I speak the truth I will offend some but if I don’t they will continue walking down a wrong path, which has consequences that are less than pleasant.

 Jesus said "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mathew 10)

Then there are the words of John, who walked with Jesus “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3)

There is a whole lot more that I must say but will do it in a book that must be written soon. In this world the message preached is often one that does not challenge and allows the hearers to keep what is precious to them as well as making it ok to sit on their butts and do only a few comfortable things to fulfill any spiritual obligations. It’s the easy gospel but remember what our Lord said, the one who died a horrible death so that we can have life "Enter through the narrow gate ; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mathew 7)

That is all for now. There is work to do and it won’t get done while I sit here typing, but this is a form of work too so…gotta go.