Economics, Distributism, and Limits Theory

Please check out my article posted on The Distributist Review at http://distributistreview.com/mag/

Grace-berries

It’s that time of year, and one of the favorites for our family. Now almost every day one or all of us are out fighting through the briar patches for wild raspberries. We also call these delicious morsels “Grace-berries” because they just appear like magic on our land! We did nothing to cause them to happen — especially nothing to deserve them! In fact, the less we do to clear away the brambles, the seemingly more plumb and luscious they become every year!   The Analogy of Faith Now, one could use this analogy as an encouragement for sloth. But thank God for our Church, which gives us guidelines and boundaries for our musings, whether it’s interpreting the true meaning of Scripture or gleaning...

“Frogs in the soup, unite! JUMP OUT!”

Sitting here on my back porch, sipping my beverage of choice, I’ve lately been thinking a lot about our finances. What does life on this farm (or more accurately this house in the woods), in the context of Scripture and the entire teaching of our Faith, teach about planning our financial futures? Before I begin: First, I need to admit that I’m not a financial guy, and if at any point in this reflection I sound a bit “preachy,” please know that I am preaching mostly at myself! I have a long way to go in this, and as a seasoned old preacher once reminded me, “Whenever ya point, ya got three fingers a-pointing back atcha!” Lately I’ve been reading through Sirach in my morning devotions....

How Can We Know What’s True?

Because of my work with the Coming Home Network and my 15-years of interviewing converts on the Journey Home program, I’m often asked what are the most common reasons that Protestant ministers “come home” to the Catholic Church? Simply: authoritative truth. This was the core of my own journey to the Church, from being a Protestant pastor responsible not only for my own soul, but for proclaiming the truth to my congregation and family. I won’t review my journey now, but the issue that began my journey was, “How can I be certain that what I believe, preach, and teach from Sacred Scripture is true, and not merely my Evangelical Presbyterian slant, or my personal opinion?” For example, take the following...

Our Farm’s Interpretation of Psalm 104:10-24

      [10] Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,                 [11] they give drink to every beast of the field;                 …the wild asses quench their thirst.                 [12] By them the birds of the air have their habitation;             …they sing among the branches.                       13] From thy lofty abode thou waterest the mountains;               ….the earth is satisfied with...

Seek First

Before a man are life and death, good and evil, and whichever he choses will be given to him. For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything. The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, and he knows every deed of man. Sirach 15:17-19 Jesus said that the central Commandment for His followers was to love God the Father and one another. The rest of the New Testament is essentially about how to live this out. One particular writer put it succinctly: Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14) Holiness is how we live out our loving of God with heart, mind, soul, and strength. And if we cannot “see the Lord” without this...

Kristina on our using her stall for a live Nativity

Five Conversions

Do not hate toilsome labor, or farm work, Which were created by the Most High… Do you have cattle? Look after them; If they are profitable to you, keep them. Sirach 7:15, 22 I’ve experienced five major conversions in my life. When I was seven, I was baptized a Lutheran. This was my first conversion, though at the time, I was so oblivious to this that it hardly took. When I was eighteen, I brashly claimed to be a scientific materialist, with no need for God. I thought Jesus was the child of a space traveler and a primitive earth woman. When I was twenty-one, God had enough of my craziness. Like flicking a speck from His sleave, He belted me with His grace, and mercifully allowed me to see Jesus. This was my second...