Pasture Parables – Cape Fear Farm Life

Blessings of Blindness

April — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:57:05 +0000

As I navigated through the thick mud, nine sheep followed in my footsteps. They’d never been in the cow pasture before, but I’d noticed a long strip of green grass along the fence line. This would be a real treat in the middle of January. The tricky part would be crossing the ditch full of water to access the unseasonably lush forage. Jumping the ditch wouldn’t be a problem for most of the sheep, but it would be hard for BB, my almost completely blind sheep. Leaping over a water obstacle wasn’t an option for him.

Lottie and Dottie, the twins I bottle raised, are good followers—until they aren’t. Once they gain confidence, they strike out on their own with little regard for their shepherd’s voice. Not BB. He always listens intently for my voice and follows closely behind. Because of his blindness, he knows he must rely on his shepherdess to guide him safely through the twists and turns of everyday life. As I expected, the others jumped the ditch and began eating the sweet green grass. Sweet BB had no idea what a wonderful blessing was in store for him.

As we approached the ditch, he stuck close to me. He never faltered when the water touched his feet. Once we reached safety on the bank, he wagged his tail in excitement as he smelled the green grass—an unexpected treat. As I stroked his head, I realized how much joy a shepherd feels when their sheep enjoy the blessings of obedience.

Imagine what our lives would be like if we could be more like BB and fully relied on our Shepherd to guide our every step?

John 8:12

Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Lord, help us be obedient sheep that enjoy the blessings of your guidance and bring you joy.

Sheltered With the Shepherd

April — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 11:26:54 +0000

The impressive storm rolled in fast. This was the first significant weather event that the sheep had weathered in the new pasture, so I decided to brave the thunder, lightening, and sideways rain, to drive over to check on them. I expected to find them safely tucked away under one of the shelters, but to my surprise all of them were hunkered down under a tree. Sheep are very tolerant of storms, but the loud thunder and sharp lightening had them visibly uncomfortable and nervous. With each clap of thunder or sharp bolt of lightning, the drenched little lambs scrunched tighter and tighter against their mothers.

Storms will always be a part of life, so as their shepherd, I sat and watched to see how they would respond to this uncomfortable situation. As the water began to pool around the flock, those that had been lying down were now forced to stand, and this group of mamas and babies were becoming an island, surrounded by water. Of course, they would survive if I did nothing, but, out of compassion, I stepped out into the storm to show them the way to safety.

As soon as they heard my voice they ran to me, not knowing what I would do, but taking comfort in the fact that the shepherd was now with them in the storm. As we approached the scary, cave-like tobacco bulk barn, the sheep, leary to enter on their own, confidently followed me in. As they shook the rain off of their saturated fleeces, they looked visibly relieved to be sheltered with their shepherd.

As we endure the trials of life, I pray that we remember that our Shepherd is standing in the storm with us. We should listen for His voice, and be ready to follow Him, wherever He takes us. He may not remove our adverse circumstances, but He will offer us comfort and shelter as the storms of life rage.

Psalm 91:2 (NKJV)
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

Trusting the Process

April — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:01:41 +0000

“What’s going on with the newborn calf under the feed shelter?” I asked my husband. “He must have been born last night. He’s cleaned off and alert, so his mama should be back, he said confidently.”

I scanned the pasture, and there wasn’t a cow in sight. The heat was sweltering, and the humidity made it hard to breathe. With the heat index over 100 degrees, the mama likely went to graze before light, and then disappeared into the trees with the others for a much-needed respite from the sun. Calving in summertime is stressful as newborn calves cannot effectively regulate their body temperature. The old saying is to never calve in a month without an “R” in it because the heat can be deadly to newborns. We often buy bred cows, so we have calves all year, but. July and August are the hardest, especially on black calves as they absorb heat more quickly than a light-colored calf.

“Well little fella, you seem content (a good sign that he nursed), and at least your mama didn’t leave you out in the sun,” I said as a looked at him from a distance. Then the inevitable barrage of “what if’s started. What if he didn’t nurse? DId he get enough colostrum? Should I see if he will take a bottle? What if she doesn’t come back? What if he gets dehydrated?

Although this calf was safe, and he was content, I wanted so badly to get in there and do something! I needed to fix this situation, even though in reality, there was nothing that needed fixing. After years of hard, and often painful lessons, I have learned that that sometimes the best, (but the hardest) thing to do is nothing. Sometimes God wants us to trust His process and His plan and stop worrying and trying to push things too fast.

In a couple of hours, his mama came back to let him nurse, and all was right in his world, (and in mine). If I had acted on my first impulse, he could have become frightened and run out into the hot sun. What a great reminder that not only do we need to trust God’s timing, but we need to resist the urge to fix things that are not broken.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Wings of Protection

April — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:12:11 +0000

Matthew 23:37 (NKJV)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
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“Any chicks yet Mama?”I said as I peeped into the stable of my little sheep barn. I don’t know who was more excited for these chicks to be hatched, her or me. The father of these chicks is a red game rooster that won my heart when I nursed him back to health, so I feel like these chicks are special. “Maybe tomorrow will be hatch day Red. You are going to be a Daddy soon!”

Of all of the animals on the farm, a hen is likely the most attentive, protective mother there is. From the moment she begins incubating her eggs in the nest, until her chicks are fully grown, she will be the chicks constant companion, their teacher, and their protector. All hens are protective, but game hens take the term “helicopter mom” to a new level.

Peep peep peep, I heard them before I even saw them. Seven little, yellow fuzz balls were scurrying around mimicking mom as she scratched through the pine straw looking for food. As I approached mom extended her wings and puffed up her feathers to make herself look twice as big as she actually is. In a language that only God and chickens understand, she made a couple of clucks and all of her babies came running to her as she covered all seven with her wings. “What a good Mama hen you are!”I said to the first time mom as I headed off to do chores.

As the sun was setting, I decided to check on the mama hen and her new babies. I arrived just in time to see all but two chicks follow Mom to the nest to settle for the night. The two wayward chicks lost focus on the hen just long enough to enter into the wrong stall. “Not a big deal”, I thought as I hopped out of the Kubota. It would be easy to shoo them out of this stable, and they could run to their mother who was now frantically clucking for them to come to safety.

As I entered the stable, the two chicks were running around trying to find the hen that they could hear but not see. The chicks were not alone. Much to my horror, I saw two, 6 ft black snakes who were just inches from the chicks who had no idea of the danger that they were in. Miraculously, I was able to keep my wits about me enough to rescue both chicks.

How many times have we lost focus on Christ and wandered away from his will for our lives? It is easy to slip up, but when we lose sight of Jesus, like these chicks, we may find ourselves in perilous situations. Thankfully, Jesus is willing to take us back and tuck us under his wings of protection, no matter where we have been or what we have done.

The Power of Presence

April — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 16:29:34 +0000

On our farm, we have twenty egg laying hens and five game chickens that free range. Although Easter egg hunts are fun, hunting eggs every day gets old, so we shut the egg layers up in the chicken yard. We left our game rooster and his four hens turned out to keep the stalls “turned over” and the bug population down. As my husband introduced the new Lavender rooster to our egg laying girls, he said “Now make sure to keep this door closed so the roosters don’t get together”.

Several days later, I was surprised to see my egg laying girls out pecking around under the pine trees. “How did you girls get out?” My heart sank as I remembered the roosters. Through the unlatched, open door, I saw my shiny red game rooster crouched in the corner with his head down. The new Lavender rooster was out in the chicken yard with a few battle scars but he was up and walking. “I bet you wish you hadn’t picked a fight,” I said. I winced as I looked at the bloody, quivering rooster. I held him close to my chest, knowing that he was likely going to die. “Hang on buddy, I am going to put you in a warm, safe place”. As I placed him on on the soft hay and closed the door of the shed, I expected it to be the last time that I would see the pretty red rooster who was raised on our farm alive.

“The roosters got together and I don’t the game is going to live. Could you please go look and see if you need to put him out of his misery?” I asked my husband. I don’t know much about chickens, so I was relived when my husband said, “roosters are tough, I think he’ll make it.”

As I reluctantly opened the door of the hay shed the next morning, I was surprised to see the shiny red rooster was still alive. His head was in terrible shape, but he could stand which was an improvement. He was blind as he had covered his eyes with a protective membrane, but the trauma had caused the membranes to scab over, so his eyes were literally sealed shut. Over the next 5 days, I carried Red (he now had a name), around with me as I did my chores. Although he couldn’t see, I knew he could feel the sunshine and hear the hustle and bustle of farm life that he was accustomed to. I hoped it would lift his spirits, but it wasn’t really working.

“How long can a rooster live without eating?” I asked my husband. “I put food right up to his mouth but he won’t eat. He is barely drinking either.” “He’ll eat and drink enough to live. Don’t worry, he made it this far, he’ll pull through”.

Again, I had my doubts, because he seemed so depressed. “Red Rooster, I have a surprise for you. I am going to give you some company today”. I dug out a wire dog cage and filled it with hay and I put my sad little blind rooster inside the protective cage. I then placed the cage inside a pen full of pullets (1/2 grown chicks).

As the young birds surrounded the cage, the transformation that took place in front of my eyes was nothing short of miraculous. The crest fallen rooster, stood up straight. He puffed out his feathers and he crowed! By then end of the day he was gobbling his food and his eyes that had been crusted closed were mostly open.

What an important lesson for us all! Contact with others is so important! Isolation can be deadly. So reach out those who are alone, or who seem to be withdrawn. We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. We may not be able to turn water into wine, but we may be able to bring healing (and even life) to those who are suffering from depression caused by isolation.

Matthew 25; 35-36, 40 (NKJV)

35-36: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

40: And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

We can learn so much from watching what God shows us through His creations. I hope this rooster will remind us to never take the power of our presence for granted. I hope we all take the opportunity to be a blessing to others!

Fierce Reflections

April — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:46:49 +0000

Judah. He is a perfect representation of the Analolian Shepherd breed standard. He is a fierce protector, but he is gentle as well. He will address any threat without reservation, but he is also a babysitter to lambs and goat kids who often use his body as their playground.

But Judah, like all of us, is not perfect. He was 5 years old when he came to us after being raised on a “sheep only” farm. Being inexperienced livestock guardian dog owners we didn’t realize that proper introductions to other species of animals needed to be facilitated. One day, Judah valiantly defended his flock from a perceived threat. The problem was the threat was our cows.

Judah didn’t know any better. He used his God given instincts to do exactly what he was born to do, but from our human standpoint, he caused harm. Have you ever thought about the fact that the spiritual gifts that God bestows upon us can be misdirected and even harmful depending on how we use them?

For me, it is my words. My words can be used for lifting people up, or my words can sound harsher than they should, and I can unintentionally hurt others. The same traits that allow me to boldly tell others about God (in a world that doesn’t want to hear about Him), are the very same traits that can make me very direct and to the point, and I can easily be perceived as too bold, or too direct.

What are your God given gifts? How can Satan flip them around and use them against you? Let us all be mindful that like Judah, our strengths can also be our weaknesses, but we cannot forget where our gifts come from.

James 1:17 (NKJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Gone But Not Forgotten

April — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:33:33 +0000

Every night I count twenty-one chickens. Sixteen go back to the coop to roost, and five that roost on the trusses in the barn. Four days ago I counted (and recounted) only twenty chickens. ” I have no idea what happened to one of our hens, but she’s gone”, I told my husband. “No telling. Chickens are like people, sometimes they just die.” “OK well, thank you for those comforting words” I thought as I had to smile. Spoken like a true farmer.

In true farmlife fashion, there is always some animal with some issue that needs treating, or at best monitoring. “Easy buddy” I said to my gelding as ran my hand down his back. “Let me take a look under here”, I said as I bent over to check the underside of his belly.

Tap, tap, tap…. “What is that noise?” Tap, tap, tap, it sound like Morse Code, I thought as I stood up. A quick search of the barn revealed nothing. Tap, tap, tap…. I walked over to the half wall that divided the stable from the chicken pen and looked down into the crevice, and there she was.

The hen! It’s the hen! My excitement turned to concern as I realized she had been four days without food or water. I got a syringe out of my medicine box, filled it with water and stuck it between the cracks in the boards of the wall. I had to fill it up twice because she was so thirsty! I dropped some feed down to her as we decided the safest way to get her out.

As we pulled her up with a net, I wondered what, (if anything), she thought about while she was stuck. Did she feel hopeless? Did she feel alone? Did she feel abandoned? My heart sank as I thought about how many people feel this way, especially during the holidays.

If for some reason you feel forgotten, alone, or hopeless, know that God sees you! He loves you! Just as I was at the right place at the right time, God can use people, (and/or His Holy Spirit) to minister to us in times of need. If you are in a tough spot right now reach out to others….reach out to God. He will never leave or forsake you.

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right ha

Be Vigilant

April — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 13:55:10 +0000

When we bought our farm in 2017, the old sand and rock quarry operation had not been active for 17 years. In order to meet the standards to “reclaim” the land, the government required that certain types of vegetation be allowed to grow to stabilize the soil. Coyotes and foxes were everywhere. After a bold fox grabbed my hen (with me standing there in broad daylight), and nonchalantly trotted into the brush with her, I decided we were going to get livestock guardian dogs.

So we did, and after a we survived the steep learning curve of running a pack of independent thinking, powerful, massive dogs, the predators disappeared. Full disclosure, until we pulled a dog to keep at the barn, a fox (or a hawk) would occasionally get a chicken, but the coyotes (and feral dogs) steered clear of our property because according to the GPS collars, our guardian dogs can travel up to 17 miles in a night on patrol if they sense any predator activity.

Unfortunately, as change is inevitable, my dogs who worked so well together, suddenly did not. As the pack hierarchy was challenged, my dogs began fighting, and after a couple of bloody episodes, I seperated them. It stopped the fighting, but it also stopped the nightly patrol. “Turn them out and they will work it out,” was my husband’s advice, but I was afraid of what the consequences would be. “We really don’t have predators anymore” I said as I slammed the gates, separating the dogs to their respective stations.

One night recently, unbeknownst to me, some of my yearling rams got out and were grazing back towards the river. I have no idea why, but I decided to drive 1/2 mile back to check on the sheep in the middle of the night. I attached the GPS to Beau’s collar and he ran ahead of me. All was well with the ewes (Judah was with them), but when I arrived to the ram pasture, I only counted 3 (out of 6 rams).

“Boys! Where are you!?” I called into the blackness of the night. I heard one of the rams answer me off in the distance. As I drove toward him , I checked the GPS and Beau was deep in the woods not far from where I heard the ram. I will spare you (and me) the details, but the ram that was calling to me was safe, but Beau was in the woods with one of the “boys” who was mortally wounded. Apparently he stopped the attack or the coyote/feral dogs would have killed and eaten him. As I was trying to load the wounded ram, Beau found the remains of the other ram about a quarter of a mile away.

As I reflect on the tragic events of that night, I must own the fact that my decision to pull the dogs had deadly consequences. But even more importantly, I realized just how quickly an invisible enemy can rob, steal, and destroy if we let our guard down. A false sense of security is deadly, as Satan is standing in the shadows, waiting for us to relax and become less vigilant.

So my dogs are back on patrol, and I am determined to seek the Lord more diligently. The evil surrounding us is growing stronger every day, so we must grow stronger in the Lord as well. I am thankful that our Shepherd will never leave or forsake us. We can’t afford to walk in this wilderness without him.

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Captive of Captivity

April — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 09:00:32 +0000

Cats, cats, and more cats! Although we have never been “cat people”, we realize that just like our livestock guardian dogs have a job, these feral cats have an important job on the farm too. The problem is they are multiplying!

Where there is livestock there is feed, and where there is feed there are mice. So over the last two months, we realized that we needed to invest in our employees by providing them with free “family planning” services. They are a little skeptical, so we have become quite skilled at the art of “cat catching”. We have rehomed over a dozen kittens and “fixed” the feral adults, who are then released.

After surgery, the adults remain confined for a period of time before they are released to go back to living wild and free. As soon as the door on the cage is opened, some bolt out like a streak of lightening, but surprisingly, the wildest ones don’t. Some are so focused on their captivity, that they never realize that they have been set free.

How many of us struggle with issues that keep us in bondage? Addictions, toxic relationships, fear, greed, envy, our tempers….there are so many ways that we can lose our freedom. How many times are we so focused on our situation (or our sin), that we miss our chance to escape from captivity?

After an hour of sitting in a cage with an open door, I had to show this cat how to be free. So who can show us how to be free? A man named Jesus is the only one who can show us the true way to freedom! He is our open Door. All we have to do is trust Him, and walk through.

John 10:7

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

Won’t you walk through the Door to freedom today?

Feed My Sheep

April — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 08:43:26 +0000

A few years ago, my husband brought home our first flock of 60 mixed breed sheep. At the time, I knew nothing about sheep, but I quickly fell in love with these inquisitive creatures. Although I had never thought of myself as a shepherd, the sheep quickly appointed me as such, and they ran to meet the lady who brought them loose corn to eat every day.

All of the sheep loved the corn, except for one shy, tan-colored weanling. Every day he ran to a pile but he would push the corn around with his nose like a child pushing green beans around their plate. “You are a picky eater little boy!” I said as I watched him trot back over and start eating grass while the others finished their corn.

One morning when I went to get the feed, my husband said “I used the rest of the corn to make cow feed, so feed the sheep this cornmeal.” As I poured little piles of cornmeal around, the sheep looked at me like I had lost my mind. “What is this?”I could almost hear them saying. A few were picking at the meal, others were just staring at it, and some just walked off and started eating grass. “Just try it girls! It’s different, but you will love it. I promise!”

As I turned around was, I was suprised to see that the tan-colored lamb was devouring the cornmeal. Until that day, I had never seen him actually eating, so I never realized that his bottom jaw was malformed. In order for this little fella to eat, his bottom jaw had to slightly dislocate, and then he had to use it like a shovel, and scoop the meal up. He was not able to chew normally, but he was trying. No wonder the poor thing didnt eat the hard, loose corn. He couldn’t chew it up!

As I watched this little one eagerly devouring his breakfast, I thought about the following scripture:

Philippians 4:19

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Thank you Lord for allowing us (unknowingly) to provide the right food for this little one!

I also thought about what Jesus told Peter.

John 21:17 (NKJV)

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Are we as Christians following the command that Jesus gave? Are we feeding His sheep? If so are we feeding them what they need to grow spiritually? If we are feeding them anything but the true, living, Word of God, they will be like the lamb who received no benefit at all from the corn, but once his shepherd provided him the right “food”, he began to grow and prosper.

So I challenge each of us today….. let’s all go out and feed our Shepherd’s sheep. And let’s make sure that we feed them the true Word of God (even if they look at you funny) 😉.