Rock-Solid

Last week during a baby dedication at Sunday church the pastor mentioned the parents were "rock-solid". That got me thinking about what rock-solid means. It means reliable, strong, dependable, trustworthy, grounded, someone you could lean on.

                                 

When Jan and I were first married we harvested together. I built this auger pit in 1980, mostly for safety since we both had our small children helping us in the combine and truck. Our truck and wagon loads were around 300 bushel. The pit has been revamped a couple of times since as augers have worn out.

Today we have grandsons about the same age I was back then driving semis, unloading 1100 bushel in our grain leg pit at our new grain facility. Harvard recently did a study that concluded what we have known for a long time. The study says if you give kids jobs and responsibility when they are young, they will more likely become rock-solid citizens in their communities when they're adults. Solomon said the same thing 3000 years ago. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it". Proverbs 22:6.

We combined a couple of hundred acres of replant soybeans this past week on the South Skunk River bottom. I also cut some CRP acre soybeans planted June 25 with our smaller combine. Below Cassia is slicing her home-made bread that she brought us for supper along with meat balls, cheesy mashed potatoes, and green beans with bacon and brown sugar. A meal like that will keep one going well into the night!

Yesterday morning we wrapped up the last field of our family's crop. Any guesses where this field is at? Nope. Not the front range in Colorado. It's a field next to the Mahaska County Landfill.

I mentioned last week we tried out our pit and leg last Saturday afternoon. This past Monday and Tuesday we filled the new bin with corn from Keith, Karen, and Kathy's farms in northern Mahaska and Jasper counties.

Has God ever communicated with you in nudges, answered prayers, or some other way? This is a little personal but I'm going to try and explain this interesting picture. This past September I asked A.I. (artificial intelligence) on the computer for an image of how to light a grain leg. Is this coincidence or can God speak in nature or even pictures of nature?

Twice I can think of Jesus talking about rock-solid. In Matthew 16, Jesus tells Peter that he is a rock, and on that foundation He would build His church. Also in Luke 19, a week before He was killed the Pharisees told Jesus to tell His followers to be quiet. Jesus replied that even if they kept silent, the rocks would cry out His praise. Or maybe today artificial intelligence. 😊

I'm encouraged by Jesus using Simon Peter as a pillar of faith. Because early on he was just an ordinary fisherman with inadequacies that God repurposed. What about you? Are you and your family rock-solid? We can't be rock-solid on our own. I asked my friend Jon for a definition. He had a good answer and said rock-solid folks get what life is all about. Be rock-solid in a shaky and digressing culture today by leaning on God, our rock. Blessings.