God's Solution - Elisha and the Widow's Oil - Lesson 4

In our last lesson about Elisha and the Widow's Oil we saw that a widow was in distress because of a debt, and she reached out to the church for help.We looked at her situation and the main points to consider for us today:

1. She does not have any close family and so she comes to Elisha as her pastor and in the role of kindsman redeemer. Leviticus 25 describes this process.
2. Her husband was a Godly man, "one of the sons of the prophets" part of Elisha's team. Bad things can happen to godly people.
3. The young couple had gotten into debt, perhaps student loans to tide them over until he could get a job as a prophet, or a home loan that was underwater. 
4. The seriousness of debt hits home. The children are to be sold to pay the debt obligation.
5. The young husband did not have adequate life insurance or an emergency fund to care for his young family.
6. Elisha asks the widow to identify her need. 
7. Elisha asks what resources she has inside the house. He asked her to make a simple budget. 
8. Elisha asks the widow to go outside the house for part of the solution. Seems like an odd request. Go get some empty containers from your neighbors
9. She is responsible for both the searching the house for resources and for going outside the house to find vessels. 

In this lesson, let's look at  how God provides for the widow.

Elisha's Identifies the Need - Elisha and the Widow's Oil - Lesson 3

In our last lesson about Elisha and the Widow's Oil we saw that a widow was in distress because of a debt and reached out to the church for help.We looked at her situation and the main points to consider for us today:

1. She does not have any close family and so she comes to Elisha as her pastor and in the role of kindsman redeemer. Leviticus 25 describes this process.
2. Her husband was a Godly man "one of the sons of the prophets" part of Elisha's team. Bad things can happen to godly people.
3. The young couple had gotten into debt, perhaps student loans to tide them over until he could get a job as a prophet or a home loan that was underwater. 
4. The seriousness of debt hits home, the children are to be sold to pay the debt obligation.
5. The young husband did not have adequate life insurance or an emergency fund to care for his young family.

In this lesson let's look at  how Elisha handles the situation.

Debt In the Old Testament - Elisha and the Widows OIl - Lesson 2

The cultural parallels to young people today who are deeply in debt are stark and startling in the story of Elisha and a young widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7. Debt is as old as history itself and legally has had serious consequences, including enslavement of the debtor. The young widow's husband was in seminary in Elisha's "school of the prophets" he was under Elisha's authority and was Elisha's "servant or apprentice". She does not have any close family and comes to Elisha her pastor and as a stand-in for the role of "kinsman redeemer". He is not obligated legally in this role but he has a moral obligation as the young man's mentor and calls on God to help.

Israel had a revolutionary set of laws, given by God, about debt that were a much more civil approach than the oppressive laws of the countries around them. Let's take a look...

Provision - Elisha and the Widow's Oil - Lesson 1

I have been doing some study on one of my favorite topics generosity and the provision of a loving God. I was reminded of the story back in 2 Kings 4:1-7. The story is about Elisha and the widow's oil.

It says...

Winter Broccoli

Minnesota winters are brutal to annual plants, with Zone 4 winters reaching subzero temps by late November and the temps may not relent until March. I picked the last of our field broccoli in November.

I have been growing broccoli since then in a different venue. I don't have a green house or a grow light, or...

You can do it too and here is how.

Market Menu January 24, 2015

Candy carrots with great flavor and sweetness. Just before the great freeze-up we had several hard frosts and that is just what the doctor ordered to turn normally sweet carrots into something magical. We will have a few bags of juicing carrots each week during the late fall and winter.

We will have about 20 pie pumpkins at market this week.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Carnival. Spaghetti, and Pie Pumpkins. 

Wonderful Garlic Crop This Year

Reed took this picture of garlic a few weeks ago, and it's one of the best tasting crops we've had! I guess those minerals in the compost bring out the exceptional flavor and quality. The heads are nice and big, with cloves about the size of your thumb. As always, organic and fresh. Reed planted the garlic for next year during MEA break.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, January 10, 2015 (New items are in Bold Print)

Chipolini Onions
Sweet Spanish Onions
Red Onions
Leeks

Candy Carrots
Parsnips

Cabbage - Fresh Green, good for slaw, kraut or kimchi (see 8 delicious recipes on our website.)

Shallots
Cipotle Smoked Peppers
Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes

Garlic

Charcoal (home grown, home made)

Superbowl Recipes from the Farmer's Market

Entertaining for the Superbowl is a time honored tradition of good food, good friends and fun. You may not have considered getting the good food part of the Superbowl equation at the Farmer's Market. True it is winter and some vegetables are not available locally. There are still many many options for the creative host.

Here are some Superbowl recipes where at least some if not the majority of the ingredients can be found at this weeks farmers market.

The Olive Tree

We aren't too familiar with olive trees here in Minnesota because they can't survive our harsh zone 4 winters.  I was reading about olive trees earlier this week. It takes 15 years for a sapling to reach olive bearing maturity. (In contrast fruit trees will typically bear in 3-5 years.). 15 years is a long time to dedicate space and nurture to a crop before getting any pay back at all.

However, once the root system and the scaffolding of the plant is in place olive trees can bear fruit for 2000 years. There are trees in the middle east that are this old. I've heard the analogy of slow and steady personal growth if we want to be  "a squash or an oak tree", Based on these new facts I guess I rather be an olive tree.

Learning about the olive tree made me think about the task of parenting and the parallels between olive tree husbandry and raising children. Here are 5 principles of raising children gleaned from the olive tree.

The Supper Table

As a father and a farmer I have learned that the supper table isn't just for eating it is also for leading. Many examples, values, and instructions are transmitted at the table. This won't happen if you are watching TV or talking on the phone. You need to pay attention and be intentional.

Here are five principle of "The Table".

The Rear View Mirror

We spend about 99% of our automotive driving time looking out the windshield and 1% of our time looking in the rear view mirror. The rear view mirror is important but relatively unappreciated.

But what happens when you want to back-up...