Jake, hunting, preaching

As we were on our way home from church last night Jake called his mom and his dad separately. I do not know if Dominique was at work or not but the way Jake started the conversation was hilarious. He said in a very official voice, “This is your John Deere dealer calling. You have not paid your payment for this year and ..” He began to crack himself up at this point because the rest of us – and his dad too – were all laughing. For an eight year old, I thought that was pretty clever.


Every conversation included the time and temperature. He is fascinated by the heat here. I know and you know that it gets equally hot in New Jersey but he has not been so acutely aware of it to this point. Having the temperature display on the little van only encourages the focus. “Mom’, he began, “it is 8:32 and it is still eighty four degrees. Can you believe that?” By the time we got to the farm the temperature had fallen to seventy eight degrees which did not seem to him to be worth mentioning any more.

He also rehearsed the itinerary for today with Mama and Grandma. He has Victoria’s schedule down pat for the next several days and corrected both Mama and Grandma on the hours she was working. He affirmed the activities he and Mama had agreed to and confirmed that I would be leaving for work very early. Then he turned his attention to Chase – who, disappointingly enough – had no plans. At that point Jake started to create some for him.

Grandpa was not feeling well last night so Grandma fed him McDonald’s rather that pizza. I ate neither. I am not sure I ever want to get there –regardless of my age. Grandpa is only fourteen years older than I am so I am not that far away from requiring a special diet; just not McDonald’s. Chase and I ate egg sandwiches the other night. That might be a healthy staple especially since we have a dozen hens laying one per day per hen; just hold the lard or McDonald’s might actually be a comparable fare…not!

As we got home last night the dogs seemed curious about something moving in the field across the road. After some watching we saw what they were seeing, a skunk. We got the shotgun and the .22 rifle and watched but as circumstances would have it, as soon as we were ready to address the problem with lethal force, we could not see it any longer. It was too close to dark to go hunting it, but the whole idea really caught Chase’s attention. So everything is now stored safely where he can get to it more quickly.

Speaking of Chase, we had some good conversation on the trip over and I continue to sense that his heart is aimed in the right direction. Of course, there are always worries of those things unspoken, yet influential, in a young person’s heart so Mama and I will continue to be prayerfully watchful, but I do not have the level of anxiety that she does concerning his direction. I did ask that he would continue to respect the authority Mama and I have been given over him and to trust the experience we have in life as he seeks direction for the many little decisions he must make in the very near future. It will save him a lot of hurt.

In his preaching last night, the assistant pastor expounded Psalms 19. One of the memorable things he said concerning the judgments of the Lord was that he would rather have the correction than the consequences. Correction is embarrassing and sometimes grievous but it is short lived. Consequences can, and often do, last a lifetime. Even the youngest of my children is aware of that truth.

I have decided that, going forward, I will submit to correction. I am weary of enduring consequences.