Bittersweet Farm

This guy is such a regular on Bittersweet Farm I should give him a name. He calls out all through the day from daylight to dusk. He has an unusual song for an Oriole–very clear, loud, and distinct. One of these days I’m going to get a good, clear, sharply-focused shot. But for now this photo gives you a little idea of what a colorful creature of God he is.

I was studying the Epistle of James today for my message on Sunday, meditating on the thought; “…of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kid of firstfruits of his creatures…” I love his creatures that live with us on Bittersweet Farm.

“–One porch is a blessing–two are an abundance.”

Photos from Bittersweet Farm

I mowed on Wednesday evening and trimmed the whole place on Thursday evening. While I was trimming and starting the weed trimmer over and over (which is my springtime ritual) I kept hearing a beautiful clear birdsong that was new to me. It was as if the little singer was intentionally flying around the place calling whenever I would start back to work.

Eventually I caught sight of him and was delighted to see my first Oriole couple out on Bittersweet Farm. They are regular residents now. The male is a bright orange with jet black wings—a pretty bird.

When I was done on Thursday I was wonderfully exhausted but Bittersweet Farm looked like a park. I planned to enjoy it on Friday and maybe most of Saturday and the Memorial Day weekend from the perspective of one of the porches with iced tea and a good book in hand. We have a back side porch facing east–I call it the Morning Porch. We have another porch facing the south. I call the The Evening Porch. One porch is a blessing. Two are an abundance.

Trouble in Paradise

Things took a different turn, though. On Friday I ended up taking Hope to meet Dale so she could go with them to Kentucky for the weekend. I enjoyed some time hearing Chuk talk through his message for Sunday morning. (An associate pastor often preaches on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend) He grilled me some delicious brats and we had a good talk. I left to get home before dark and took the back way to see some new things.

Lois and I caught up on the day and went to bed. Saturday morning I woke up with my head spinning at four am. I was planning to pray with the Elders at 7 a.m. but every time I stood up for the next 16 hours I emptied the contents of my stomach. About seven on Saturday night I went to the ER and they used some wonderful drugs to get the spinning and hurling under control. I missed preaching on Sunday for the first time in 39 years in the pulpit. I was sad but the men stepped in and did well and God is in control.

Neil Veydt, Chair of the Elders preached in my place and did a wonderful job challenging the folk at Bethel with our Evangelistic Strategy. At the end of his message another of the Elders, John Rockey shared a testimony of an opportunity he had to lead a woman to Christ last week. I watched from home and my heart was glad to see the gem of a church the Lord has allowed me to shepherd.

Here is a video of Neil’s message:

A Humbling Lesson

I serve and I preach at His disposal. This is good to remember. Your whole world can go spinning on it’s head on account of a few crystals out of place in your ear. It’s good for a man to remember these things and walk humbly with God. It’s good to remember that the greatest privilege on earth is to be used of God out of a heart of intimacy with God.

Rich Nibbe and Drew De Vries

Last week I met Rich Nibbe who works with Ada Bible Church and toured with Fernando Ortega in the past writing California Town and I Will Praise Him Still, two songs recorded by Fernando. It was good to meet him. He work with out oldest son on the church staff at Ada.

I was in Grand Rapids to record a podcast for Drew De Vries–The Adventure Deficit Podcast. It was delightful to visit Drew in his beautiful West Michigan home and hear something of his story. When I arrived he immediately told be how much our son Kyle had helped him spiritually. One evening on the White River Kyle baptized Drew. When the podcast drops I will post a link so you can listen to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS9lkj394Og

I don’t complain about the weather. So don’t consider this as complaining—just reporting the facts. It seems like it has been a long, cold, lingering, snowy winter. It’s spring now but it has been a cold spring so far. We have enjoyed some very welcome sun, but it has been cold—unrelenting cold. It’s been hard to get warm. The house is cozy and warm, thank the Lord, so we have spent a lot of time indoors and we really haven’t bundled up and ventured out too much.

Lois and I lie in our bed every night and thank God from the deepest place in our hearts for what God has done in the last year. He has been so good and so faithful to us. We love Him more all the time.

We’re so looking forward to getting out in the yard and tending to the place in the fresh air. Lois has some plants and flowers started.
Soon we will remove the plow from the tractor and attach the mowing deck. The grass will turn green. The flowering trees will open. The trees will bud and leaf. We will turn off our furnace and open our windows to the night air and the night sounds.

We love to take long drives in the beautiful countryside. It is beautiful in every direction even in the cold gray of late winter and early spring.

I’m writing in my reading chair just now where I can keep an eye on the bird feeders and watch the sun as it slips out of site over the hill behind the line of trees to our west. It is such a quieting thing to watch when I’m home in the evening. The line of trees is on the crest of a hill about a quarter mile west of us and when the sun goes down behind them the sky is a little different color every night.
Right now the leaves are bare and the stark branches are beautiful filtering evening sunlight. Tomorrow I’ll fill the bird feeders again. If I do it tonight the deer will have them empty by morning. I love to see the deer so close to the house. They seem like graceful, cautious, creatures. I don’t think they know they are safe with me.

Ken Pierpont
Bittersweet Farm
Summit Township, Michigan
April 10, 2018