Share in joy of Jesus' victory

Just imagine your favorite team in the Super Bowl.

In the run up to the big game they went undefeated, beating every team by at least 30 points. Even before the championship game everybody was ready to crown them as champs as nothing could stop this invincible juggernaut.

When the game is finally played this unbeatable team gets crushed by its opponent. They take a tremendous beating and embarrassed in every facet of the game. Trailing by 35 points at halftime, most of the team’s fans leave the stadium and they are left alone in their humiliation as the other team and its supporters are hurling insults at them.

For a sports fan such a scenario would be heartbroken, now put it at a more personal level and try and understand how the followers of Jesus were feeling after Jesus gave up his life on the cross. Even before Jesus went to the cross he knew the deep sadness that would be felt by some, and the rejoicing by others.

“Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” — John 16:20-22

The Bible is not clear about the disciple’s state of mind during those three days Jesus laid dead in the tomb, but we have a good idea of the grief they were feeling.

They had given up everything to follow Jesus. They had left family and friends to be with the one who they believed to be the Messiah, now he was dead and worse yet, he suffered humiliation on the cross.

They were thinking all those things Jesus had told them were not true. They were thinking Jesus had brought them a false hope and they were ready to toss the last three years of their lives aside and go back home to their old lives.

The gospel according to Luke gives us the best look into the minds of the followers of Jesus when we are told about the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Emmaus was a town about 7 miles from Jerusalem, a roughly two-hour walk. We know from the account in Luke it must have been late in the day when they got to Emmaus as they urged Jesus not to keep going as evening was approaching.

As they were walking, Jesus came to them and heard their discussion, and though they did not recognize him, Jesus walked with them.

“He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’

“They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’

“What things?’ Jesus asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.’” — Luke 24:17-24

Then, Jesus reveals to the disciples God’s redemptive plan from the beginning of time and he points out to them, starting with Moses (Genesis in our reckoning) and outlines through all the prophets that God had a plan and the culmination of this eternal plan was the cross on a hill called Calvary.

Then finally, as Jesus sat down to eat with them and broke the bread his disciples recognized him. In my feeble mind I imagine Jesus traveling with them, walking along in His glorified body, with maybe a cloak over his head. The men are grief stricken and hardly pay the looks of the stranger any mind. Then finally when Jesus sits down to eat with them he removes the cloak from his head and grabs the bread with two nail-scarred hands, and it is at this moment the two disciples begin to realize what they were seeing.

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’

“They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” — Luke 24:30-35

Their champion was back and they could no longer hold it in, so they ran back for two hours to Jerusalem to share in the victory.

Jesus had left the disciples in Emmaus in a hurry, it seems he had to get back to Peter, as Peter also had seen the risen savior, then while they were talking Jesus came to all of them and ate with them.

Truly, their grief had turned to joy. Today, there are many people grieving. The causes are innumerable; even followers of Christ can be and are overcome with heart-rending grief.

Many times the grief is unbearable because we let it come between us and our Savior, others grieve without understanding because they do not have Jesus in their life.

There is comfort in knowing the cross was not a defeat, but a victory not just for Jesus, but for all who believe on him; still we sometimes ask, “What is that doing for me now?”

Well, everything. The entire history of the world pales when held up to the cross.

Remember what Jesus told them in the gospel of John? Jesus told them he would see them again and they will rejoice, and no one will take away their joy.

Over the course of the next century there were many who tried taking away the joy of the disciples — even unto death. In spite of that cloud hanging over their heads they never lost their joy.

That joy is there for us as well. Jesus’ resurrection from the grave is as real today as it was that day nearly 2000 years ago. Time has not lessened the victory of the cross.

Their joy was muted that morning because they did not understand the cross, but Jesus revealed to them “The Plan.”

The cross had to be there, because without the cross there would not be the joy of the resurrection.

“The whole of the tremendous debt was put upon his shoulders; the whole weight of the sins of all his people were placed upon him,” the great preacher Charles Spurgeon taught. “Once he seemed to stagger under it: ‘Father, if it be possible.’ But again he stood upright: ‘Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.’ The whole of the punishment of his people was distilled into one cup; no mortal lip might give it so much as a solitary sip. When he put it to his own lips, it was so bitter, he well nigh spurned it — ‘Let this cup pass from me.’ But his love for his people was so strong, that he took the cup in both hands, and ‘At one tremendous draught of love He drank damnation dry,’ for all his people.

“He drank it all, he endured it all, he suffered all; so that now for ever there are no flames of hell for them, no racks of torment; they have no eternal woes; Christ hath suffered all they ought to have suffered, and they must, they shall go free. The work was completely done by himself, without a helper.”

We are rescued by the cross and because of it we can share in the joy of Christ’s resurrection.

On this Easter, forget about bunnies and eggs and instead think about the joy this day should bring for all believers. Remember the victory and the righteousness given to us by way of the cross.

Texas drought hurting, leading to prayer

To say it’s dry right now is akin to saying Charlie Sheen seems unstable.

Neither description does enough to get the point across. By most accounts Texas is in its worst drought since 1917. Unfortunately, there are precious few people left from 1917 to show us the way through this heightening problem.

Talk to the people who have been around a few years and they will talk about the 1955 drought, now weather people are telling us we are way past that.

So far the state, and the region, is receiving less than 50 percent of normal rainfall, with many areas receiving approximately 10 percent of normal rainfall. Meteorologists blame the weather pattern, which has seen the storm-carrying jet stream stay north of Texas, on the La Niña phenomenon — a cold patch of water in the Pacific Ocean.

The effects on the state are crippling, now for agriculture and soon for everybody else.

As of April 12, just over 10 percent of the state is in the severest of the drought conditions, considered exceptional, with parts of Houston County and Central and East Texas included in information released from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Weather Service. Almost 61 percent of the state is in the “extreme” drought category.

There is no part of the state considered to be in normal conditions.

Water is something most of us take for granted. We turn on the tap and expect the life-giving liquid to come out in a flowing stream; without ever giving a thought to how precious a resource water truly is.

Ask a farmer or rancher this year how important water is. See the grimace on their face when hay prices reach $100 a bale or more coupled with diesel over $4 per gallon. Go outside of East Texas and ask a Texas farmer how hard it is to make a crop without rain — it can’t be done. Prices for food stocks are already through the roof and the specter of a series of failed crops from Texas, a leading agriculture producer in the nation, could add considerably to grocery bills.

Fires are the other costs. As of Tuesday over a million acres of land in Texas has gone up in flames with hundreds of homes included. Such devastating fires are not something most Texans are used to as most of us are used to watching flames engulf California every year, now we are seeing it play out here every night on the news.

Unfortunately there is no immediate relief on the way as continued hot and dry conditions are expected, along with strong winds.

Those not in agriculture will soon get an awakening as well — and not just from higher grocery prices. Water rationing is a tool water suppliers can use to make sure there is enough water to go round for everybody. Folks can still shower and drink all the water they want, they just may be asked not to water the lawn and wash the car quite as often — a minor inconvenience for some and a tragedy for others.

The doom and gloom, hopefully, is only temporary and there are things everybody can due to blunt the effects of the drought. The first thing is to be responsible for water usage and understand it is a precious resource. Work to conserve water at home and design a yard landscape that doesn’t require copious amounts of water — like maybe a rock garden.

Agriculture producers may have to resort to more painful options, such as major herd reductions for cattle producers and the abandoning of crops for farmers.

Hopefully, with a lot of prayer, the rains will come again soon. 

New Magazine Out

The May edition of the Texas Farm & Home is being distributed this week and next. I invite everybody to pick up a copy at a business near you. If you have trouble finding one give us a call here at the office to subscribe at (936)687-2424.

Featured stories for this edition include a Longview hatmaker, a rancher specializing in Black Herefords, Sausage and Strudel making in South Texas and a look at Texas Czech heritage. Plus recipes and a visit to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage.

Jesus, the basis and hope of our faith

How many redeemed, blood-bought Christians out there understand why they are redeemed, blood-bought Christians?

Before writing it off as a dumb question, ask it and answer it honestly. If you cannot answer the question for yourself then how can you tell another person why they must put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ?

The apostle Peter wrote, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” — 1 Peter 3:15-16

You may say, “I have faith,” but faith in what? Do you have faith in church ritual; do you have faith in your own goodness? You may even say you have faith in Jesus Christ — which is my hope.

Even if that is your answer to the question, we must ask what is the basis of that faith in Jesus Christ? The question must be asked, because an unbeliever will want to know why they should choose Christ over Allah, Buddha or a tree in the backyard. They will want to know what makes Christ so exclusive over the other religions.

The answer is simple, but few dare to speak of it and truly get to the root of what makes Jesus different — the blood.

Beginning with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, we begin to see a pattern through the rituals of sacrifice and offerings, with the main impetus being that sin could not be forgiven but by blood.

First, we have this picture of the sacrifice under the law, then of Christ’s perfect work in the epistle of Hebrews 9:7,11-14, “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.”

In Hebrews 13:12 the writer tells us, “And so Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”

Now you may be saying, “That’s great, but if an unbeliever does not believe Jesus is who he said he was, and does not believe the Bible, then how can you convince them?”

First, it is not up to us to convince, only to tell, but it is in the proper telling where the Holy Spirit can go to work and do the convincing.

There are varying pictures of Christ the world continually paints. Most are unsuccessful in trying to convince people Jesus never existed; so they try and turn him into something else. This was true even in Jesus’ day when he was traveling the land doing things the world had never seen.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

“But what about you?’ Jesus asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” — Matthew 16:13-16

This same Peter, 30 years later, again is answering questions and telling people who Jesus is and why we must put our trust in him. Thirty years of being hunted down and tortured did not blunt the disciple’s testimony.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits — to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” — 1 Peter 3:18-22

There are deep spiritual truths Peter and Paul go in great detail to tell us — even at the peril of their own lives. Time and again they strive to let us know there is nothing we can do to gain access to God.

That is what makes Christ different. Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, Shinto, Druidism and a whole host of other beliefs require work on the adherents’ part to earn their salvation. Their salvation, they suppose, is to be earned by works.

Now is where we can turn the tables. If God is perfect, how can the imperfect (human beings) work to be made perfect? Even the most beautiful of diamonds have flaws. The same is true of the living. No amount of work can wipe away the stain of sin from our lives.

Enter Christ.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,” — 2 Corinthians 5:21

Herein is our hope, and the hope for those who are lost. The righteous blood shed upon the cross was and is sufficient to cover all of the greatest of sins ever committed.

Albert Barnes in his notes on the Bible wrote, “It is not improper to appeal to them by the conviction of duty; to appeal to their reason and conscience; to remind them of the claims, the power, the goodness, and the fear of the Creator; to remind them of the awful consequences of a continued hostility to God; to persuade them by the hope of heaven, and by the fear of hell… but, after all, the strongest argument, and that which is most adapted to melt the soul, is the fact that the Son of God has become incarnate for our sins, and has suffered and died in our stead. When all other appeals fail this is effectual; and this is in fact the strong argument by which the mass of those who become Christians are induced to abandon their opposition and to become reconciled to God.”

Every evil ever conceived was poured out upon Christ on the cross, every lie told in secret, every abortion, every murder, every lustful glance was placed upon Christ and that is the burden he bore — for us. Now, turn to him and be free from yours.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net

Texas Farm & Home on Facebook

Let's just say sometimes it is hard for old country folks like us to keep up with the times.
We don't have high-speed Internet access at home, our phone lines are barely above party-line status. We have electricity, but we try not to use it too much. The best tools to use in the garden are still a shovel and a hoe. If an EMP came and knocked out circuit boards and electricity around the area, let's just say we have old enough equipment to still drive and do the things we need to do.
In spite of all of our technological deficiencies, the Texas Farm & Home magazine has finally gotten a Facebook page.
Christina will probably be handling it mostly, as I all but refuse to go there. If I want to keep up with folks I will generally give them a call, but Facebook provides a wonderful avenue of helping followers of Texas Farm & Home get updates on what we are doing and any exciting news we may be passing along.
So, go over to our page and see what we are up to — meanwhile we'll be cleaning the outhouse and changing the tubes in the radio.

Thanks,

Wayne

May magazine sent to printer

The May edition of Texas Farm & Home magazine has been sent to the printer.
As always, we are excited about it. We have feature stories about cattle, hat makers, sausage and strudel, along with great recipes, new puzzles, gardening tips and notes about life in general.
We hope you enjoy it.
It should be back from the printer next week and start arriving at stands the week of April 18. Subscribers also should be receiving the magazine around that time period.


Thanks,

Wayne

A Diamond in the Rough

History is a big part of our Houston County farm.
My wife's family has been here since before there was a Texas and much of that history can be found around the farm.
Sitting nearby our home was a relic from the recent past, a 1955 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan.

The car was last driven in the early 1970s, so for the past 40 years its home has been a pine forest alongside a dry gulley.
It took three days of work to get the old car out of its old home. Much of the time was spent cutting a path to it to get a trailer close. Then there was the digging and getting some semblance of rolling stock under the frame to get the car onto the trailer.

Once it was on the trailer it was hauled out of the woods by a 1966 Chevrolet C-10 pickup, part of my own family's history. The truck was bought new by my grandfather in 1966 for a whopping total of $1,700 and it has been in the Stewart family ever since. My 2-year-old daughter is now the fourth generation Stewart to ride in the old truck, and hopefully like her old dad, her first driving experience will be behind the old three-on-a-tree traveling down a red-dirt road.

Forty years of sitting in the dirt is a long time, and there definitely was some decay present, but it all was in the usual places, but overall the car is pretty solid. The one problem spot was the front end.
In the fords the engine mounts to a cross member, which also serves to hold up the lower control arm along with the front cross member.

The front cross member was rusted out, while the other one was removed along with the engine to service a sawmill. Most of the front suspension was missing as well.
The good news is the engine is still around and in good shape, it will get a rebuilding, but it id definitely in good running condition. The front end, well, that's a different story.
The lower control arm was missing on both sides, although the coil springs were there. There is nothing money and patience can't get, though, as a three-week search on eBay turned up the needed parts. They all are currently rolling in, and in a couple of weeks with the help of my expert-welding brother-in-law, the car should be put back together and rolling.
Keep your fingers crossed on that one as that is the main push for the restoration at this time. Once completed, the car will have a new front end and actually be improved from the original, while still keeping the same look and feel as the original.
Once that is complete, hopefully by May, a rebuilt Hi-Pro engine will be installed. It will be a 272 V-8, just like the original, but the engine comes with a 7-year 100,000 mile warranty. Those V-8s weren't packed with stump-pulling power, but they did the job. This particular version of the engine is rated at 172 horsepower, which is more than adequate for us, and it keeps the car in matching numbers.
The list of needs seems endless for the old car, but once they start happening the work begins to roll as the sheet metal work will be delicate, but not overly difficult, and hopefully by this time next year, folks will get to see it on the highway.
We will give updates on the old car as the work progresses. The front end parts should all be in by Easter and hopefully there will be updates and requests for advice along the way.

Thanks,

Wayne

Welcome to the Farm & Home Blog

Good afternoon readers of Texas Farm & Home.
This initial posting is about 10 days before the May edition of Texas Farm & Home hits the streets, so there will be a few postings before most folks actually know this blog exists.
I would like to thank all of our readers who have been faithful to us the past six months. We finally got a little rain in the area, so the Lord has blessed us, hopefully He will continue to shower down his blessings upon us.
Our main focus of Texas Farm & Home is rural Texas and all that entails. We have had the pleasure of visiting with ranchers, quilters, farmers, artists, artisans, historians, travelers and just plain ol' country folk, who in my mind are the best in the world.
As for our life outside of Farm & Home, it consists of life around the farm with Christina and our 2-year-old Claire and the many projects we take on, from a small cow and goat herd to our restoration of a 1955 Ford Fairlane.
The main focus of our life, though, is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom nothing in this life would be possible. Many of the posts on  this blog will deal with our daily walk with Christ and our waiting upon Him for our final redemption from this world.
There also will be plenty of photos posted on here of projects and neat things we see that don't quite fit in our magazine. We hope you enjoy spending a little time with us.

Thanks,

2-year-old Claire Stewart feeds some goat.

Wayne Stewart