Ever grow weary of being oversold on everything??

It's been awhile since my last blog. In fact, I haven't blogged since before Elizabeth and I went to the International Herbal Symposium put on by United Plant Savers. I couldn't wait to get back and blog about it. That was in mid September. There was so much information, presentations and interesting people. One of the things that I found most interesting is that there is the Lloyd Library in the town where I grew up. I found it to be such an interesting place, but I couldn't help but notice that it had been there the whole time I lived there, right under my nose, but never utilized. The library hosts a vat of information on eclectic medicine that focuses on botanical remedies. They have an old medicine chest (pictured below), a book that dates back to the 1400's, as well as many scanned books that can be accessed online just to name a few. https://lloydlibrary.org

While on that trip, I further discovered our propensity to "buy in" to whatever is being sold. Even if it is harmful to us. I find that this human condition has wide stretching boundaries, to no boundaries at all. We are consumed with infatuation, especially by way of entertainment. We see this prodominately in weight loss crazes, fashion, vocabulary, food, and on and on it goes. In all these areas, we can see the sales pitching that goes along with it. Sadly, it is the "overselling" of something that ends up turning people away from what may be beneficial.

The big 3 areas that I identify this degradation being prominent is food, medicine and faith. All of which are monumental contributors to most peoples make up. Our food is advertised by focusing on appeal and convenience. The Hippocratic oath that I believe doctors still take today is not as binding as it once was, or at least I don't believe so after reading it. You may find it here. https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114995/documents/HHRG-117-IF02-20220719-SD007.pdf Hippocrates once credited with the saying "Let thy food be thy medicine and not medicine be thy food", has some questionability. Regardless of who said it, we can see that the world has ignored it and diet (medicinal or not) has been replaced with the prerequisite of needing to be convenient.

Aspirin is convenient. It can be stored and taken when and as needed, it has been researched for hundreds of years, but what if we went back to the original design? Before the monkeying with what God created? In my very brief research of this, I found this site to give a pretty basic overview of the history. https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/infographics/a-history-of-aspirin As I look at that history, I begin to wonder why we chose to deviate from what we could produce in our own backyards? From what God provided from His creation in the Earth? The best thing I can come up with is convenience and if we can extract (monkey) it, we can take "it" (what we are currently able to identify as of benefit) and sell it. What was "wrong" with the original source (willow or meadowsweet)? It wasn't as convenient as we'd like? My goodness, it grows out of the ground!?!? Was it something foreign to us? Again, it grows out of the ground!?!? What should be foreign to us is this little white circle that tastes bitter and comes in a manufactured box by someone and somewhere I have no idea about! The mentality that we have adopted is one of a "hands off" approach. Slowly some of us are learning that it makes dollars, but it doesn't make sense. With food and medicine.

I see the same type of allure or deception that has come upon what we call the "church". What was in the beginning "a house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11, Matthew 21:13, and Mark 11:17), has been stated multiple times to have been a den of robbers. I'm not trying to call every church a den of thieves, but there are some out there and there's a way they got there. Mankind likes to adulterate everything. Original designs aren't good enough for us. For example: we say that we follow the Creator God who said that His creation was good, while we take the next manmade adulteration. Or we buy our next product that is comparable to "Beyond meat", but we fail to see the hypocrisy?

Our Creator is for us! So much so that He provides instruction through His preserved Word that illuminates the ways that lead to true prosperity and the ways that lead to destruction. I'm not trying to attack anyone here. If I'm honest, I must indict myself in all of these areas and then some. What I must learn to do is to find and speak the truth. To let others know that we must take a look at where we are with these things, or else we're going to end up misled, sick and dead. Leaving history no choice but to repeat itself. Is it really too inconvenient to adhere to the truth?

What we identify as church today, has left a lot of congregants unsatisfied because they are being sold things that can't be bought. Trading charisma for character never ends well. Organizations specializing in a healing ministry, or miracle ministry whilst practicing the attitude of dissatisfaction with God's unadulterated provisions is hypocritical and that also may make dollars, but it doesn't make sense. The gifts from God are an extension of His grace that He sees fit to administer at His discretion and that's okay, He's God! He has given us far more than we can ask for and "deserve" by sharing the love and grace only available through His Son, Jesus Christ. We need to follow His example and encourage others to do the same. Don't misunderstand that I don't believe that God still heals and gives miracles, He does, but is it not miraculous that He designed the Earth to give so many "miracles" to us?

I grow weary of being over sold on things. What I realize is that I recognize my own propensity to be misled and must be careful to make everything pass the smell test. If it smells "funny", then it's probably a little "funky". Many people will resist the sense that it makes because it's not convenient, or easy. It takes awareness and identifying that in many areas, I've got a lot of work to do. I like to say, "We do what we can, where we can" and we believe the Word what it tells us in Luke 16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much." So this leads me to think, I've got to start somewhere...why not here? why not now?

In effort to reel myself back in, what I'm trying to say is we need to care enough about ourselves and the future generation(s), to start being as concerned with making sense as we have been about making dollars. You never see a Uhaul following a hearse, what you do see is the line of cars with people who were impacted by that persons lifestyle.

I'm not trying to "sell" you anything. I just want to encourage some thoughts...To let you know that you're not the only one out there that questions why things are the way they are. To share that there is hope and that hope is found in Christ who is the Author of Truth.

What we do, is steward regeneratively pastured, organically fed, humanely raised and dispatched chicken that we sought for ourselves, and make it available to others. Not because it makes dollars, but because it makes sense.

Farm News

With that being said, we are in the process of restocking our chicken. We are scheduled to do this October 25th. This batch is the Freedom Ranger breed that you may recall I've mentioned in previous communications. Below is the pre-order form link that you can fill out to specify any cuts that you may want. We do this so we don't incurr any unnecessary labor. The form for cuts is required by October 24th.

Pre-order link: https://na2.documents.adobe.com/public/esignWidget?wid=CBFCIBAA3AAABLblqZhDE_YM2bYHAsE8I2DbbW-SKZv7JiMUWyffx6XeTx5fHul-MzLEBwcvsloGO22KLgEM*

Thank you so much for sticking with me in this long unloading of thoughts I've wanted to share. My apologies for it possibly smelling slightly "ranty", but hopefully you've been inspired, informed, and encouraged.

This Friday, October 17th we'll be at the last Saluda Tailgate market from 4-6pm with hard copies of the pre-order form if that's easier and Saturday I'll be at the last Columbus Market on October 18th from 8-12.

I will be speaking at 11:00 service at Full Proof Ministries

199 Jackson Street in Tryon on Sunday October 19th.

I'd love to see you at any of these events!

Your local poultry stewards,

Gordon & Elizabeth