When I think about all the economic, environmental and societal trouble that seems to be coming fast and thick as of late in our nation and the world, it’s easy to throw my hands in the air and just trudge along in a fatalistic despair. But even dark days can be days in which we seek to follow GOD’s Holy Spirit as He patiently works towards the reconciliation and redemption of our broken world. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection has enabled us to seek a new future- one in which our sins and troubles no longer hold us back from a wholeness and completeness in our hearts, in creation, in our communities and with GOD- a future that is characterized by GOD’s divine love and presence. We may not see this coming Kingdom of Shalom now but we certainly can taste harbingers of things to come.
A new generation of farmers is springing up. Are you one of them?
As an example of the broken state of our world- agriculture can be clearly seen to be in a state of crisis and in some places-collapse- and yet we see seeds of shalom- small glimmers of healing and abundance. Agriculture in America is in crisis but it is also undergoing a shift towards a more redemptive and sustainable future. On one hand we have the industrial, centralized, mass-scale, chemically-driven, ecocidal, factory model of farming- and on the other hand we have an army of small-scale, beyond organic, restorative, community-driven, sustainably-minded farmers who are looking to reclaim a means of food production that I believe is the future of our nation’s food system. And many of these farmers are new to agriculture. As a generation that grew up on farms pass on – a movement of young adults is returning to the forgotten and failing countryside.
In this growing movement I see a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of GOD- I see restoration- I see healing- I see a new generation returning to GOD’s creation- working with it- cultivating it instead of abusing it. Of all the things in the world, I feel the most hopeful when I see these ‘greenhorns‘ marching across fields with seeds of tomorrow in hand. And in my own way I am on a journey to join them.
(video: The Greenhorns trailer)
(video: The Greenhorns roughcut)
(video: Cooking Up A Story: Food Works)
(video: Cooking Up A Story: Next Generation of Family Farmers- Part 1)
(video: Cooking Up A Story: Next Generation of Family Farmers- Part 2)
