Fields of Dreams

So here is where Pope Gregory I got the idea that Mary Magdalene was a whore, or worse.

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.' "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. - Luke 8:1-15

If you take twelve men away from their livelihood and give them a mission that doesn't involve pay, the money needs to come from somewhere.

Money may be the root of all evil, but it is also vital for survival.

I know there is a renewed push to go communal, to pool all resources and share, living an agrarian lifestyle. But have you noticed how hard it is for farmers to survive these days?

Eighty percent of farm acreage is being controlled by four companies; the Chinese are looking to buy up those and the other twenty percent. Why? Because food is critical to survival, and China has a large population to feed.

So, agriculture has shifted from the back burner to the front, and it is getting hotter.

Back to Jesus and his money problems.

In his day, the way God provided is to supply willing funders for his mission, and it just so happens many of those funders were women. Thank you, God.

I believe this is how God works. He sends people to fill the needs so the mission can thrive.

I have seen this happen in our feeding program. Do it, and help will come. (Apologies to Field of Dreams).

It is all about food production. If you don't have enough food or can't get it to the people, people go hungry.

So, we can put the blame for the world's ills on the rich. Jesus did it, so why not? But doing something is better than complaining, right?

What can we do?

We can invest in local farms. Sure, it won't put a dent in the China buying up land problem, but it will save the small guy.

It's a start, like when Mary, Joanna and Chuza gave what they could.

Dream big and make it happen. I think that is better than complain a lot and do nothing.

More to come...