What Are You The Face Of

Good morning friends. Have you ever thought about what are you the face of? What do folks see when they interact with you? These little farm kids helped bring supper to the field south of Pella one evening.

Recognizing our identity, our purpose, and how we can benefit folks is the key to know what our brand is and where we are going.

What gets you going? What are your passions? What are you good at? What makes you unique?

What fuels you up? What energizes you? What do you enjoy a lot? What makes you can't wait to get up in the morning?

Most often we are the face of what we do. We need to be ambassadors of our professions. Hopefully in our work we are willing to share ideas, advice, and equipment if possible with those around us for their good.

Farming has been something I have wanted to do since I was as small as some of our youngest grandkids. God started that desire. He gave abilities. And then opportunities. He gives the energy for accomplishments. And He gets credit for all results. My current goals in farming are to take care of what we have been entrusted with, continue to improve the land for the next generation, pay the bills, have some left over to share, and make others' dream of farming a reality to them.   

Harvesting is moving forward. We finished Andy and Amara's crop near Deep River and then moved to Kurt and Emily's west of Leighton. The mud and down corn in places have been good for replacement parts sales. We have gotten 3 or 4 corn head snouts trying to stay under the corn but above the mud. Also some auger slip clutch parts as the corn head struggles with wet stalks. Our Cat combine ate a small rock and propelled it right through the bottom of the concaves.

We are currently northwest of Pella. We still have mud however the tracks and 4 wheel drives are tackling that. We are also getting ahead of the down corn but there are weak stalks everywhere. The corn yields are still very good. Bean yields are unbelievably exceptional for the summer we had. Unload lines for presold crop delivered to Eddyville for corn and Burlington for beans have been good.

BJ and his son John have been spreading and working in cover crops. I have started spreading fertilizer for next years crop.

Matt has started chiseling for us. Next years beans get no-tilled into stalks. Corn on corn requires much of last years corn stalks get buried so they can rot and turn into organic matter. Otherwise next spring the previous years residue robs all the nitrogen as they decompose from the new young corn plants.

A second area of who we are the face of is folks we live with, hang out with, and work with. Family has always been important to Jan and I and we are blessed with a great family. However as I get older my focus changes from who I was as a Dad to who I now am as a Grandpa. Obviously I'm still a Dad but now I'm watching my kid's families become an asset in their work, in society, and God's kingdom. 

Any of you who have been around me long know I value relationships with family, with landlords, folks we do business with, and with friends. Vern and Ranae are from Texas, stayed at our cabin a week, and became friends. Vern is in the communications business. He and Ranae spent time in Guatemala as missionaries where Vern helped villages communicate. Vern and Ranae, we look forward to your next visit.

My goal in life is to be the face of a relationship with God. That relationship precedes and is part of everything else we do and are. At a recent bank board meeting Molly, a business owner, who is also involved with our Chamber said the top event in 2017 that brought city and county together in our Oskaloosa area was the gospel concert in the square where 3000 folks attended. I hope Central Ref Church sponsors that again next year and our family is more than ready to continue to help out. 

Memorial Day weekend Jan and I visited Michigan. Mark is a second cousin and he and Amy own a landscaping and snow removal business. This past Friday morning Mark lost his battle with cancer and went to meet his Father in heaven. Mark was the face of a leader and a humble servant at the same time. He was an avid and competitive water skier. As he struggled toward the end of his life he still thanked God for every day he was given. Don, Amy, and girls, you and your families are in our thoughts and prayers.

I've got a question for you all. Have you ever broken rules? I have. How long would you sit at a red light in the middle of nowhere with no one around? Would you finally just go? Would you turn around? The intent of the rule is not the light bulb with the red lenses over it. It's for our and others safety.

So many folks, even Christians, think being a Christian is about following all the rules. That's so untrue. Just like the red light, it's not about the rules. It's about what God knows is best for us.

When Jesus was on earth He was asked what the greatest rule was. He said to "love God with everything we got and everything we are". That's who we are. That's who we are the face of. In our traditional churches we often focus on this and we need to. It's half the gospel.

However we often forget that Jesus said "and a second rule is just as important. That we love our neighbor as much or more than we love ourselves". That's surrender. That's what we do with who we are. That's the other half of the gospel. This is what Jesus changed when He came to earth for our benefit. Including this second rule along with the first is the reason the growing churches are empting the traditional churches. It's who we are to be the face of. It's what God put us here to do. Have a great week.