October 25^th

This morning I read Haggai Chapter 1.

I read it in the context of Ezra 5 and 6

The people who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon to rebuild the temple, had stopped doing the work.

Haggai rebukes them.

Haggai 1:5-10

“Therefore here is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says:

‘Think about your life!

You sow much but bring in little;

you eat but aren’t satisfied;

you drink but never have enough;

you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;

and he who works for a living earns wages

that are put in a bag full of holes.'”

“Here is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: ‘Think about your life! Go up into the hills, get wood, and rebuild the house. I will be pleased with that, and then I will be glorified,’ says ADONAI.

‘You looked for much, but it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ asks ADONAI-Tzva’ot. ‘Because my house lies in ruins, while every one of you runs to take care of his own house. This is why the sky above you has withheld the dew, so that there is none, and the land withholds its yield.’”

Here is the importance of this message, for that time, and for now: Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you.

How do we now rebuild his temple—his house—his Kingdom?

By joining in the work of First Fruits of Zion.

Boaz just sent out to us the new FFOZ mission statement: Reconciling Disciples with God’s Prophetic Promises to Israel.

Tim and I are at a turning point in our lives. We have been self-employed all of our lives. For the past 23 years we have been building a business called Grace Harbor Farms. We started with two goats in 1999. We made goat milk soap and lotion. We sold it at the local farmers market.

The business grew and evolved. By 2005 we were bottling milk, making yogurt and cheese. We were selling our dairy products to stores throughout the Pacific Northwest and the skin care products on line. At that time we split the business into two: Grace Harbor Farms makes and sells the dairy products; Grace Harbor International makes and markets the skin care products.

In 2020 we turned the dairy business over to Tim’s son, David. We moved the skin care business off the farm to get out of David’s way as he grows the dairy business.

Now, Tim and I are creeping toward old age. I am 73, he is 66.  We are not able to maintain the level of work that we did in the past. So, we are facing, experiencing, and making, changes.

Proverbs 20:29

The pride of the young is their strength; the dignity of the old is gray hair.

We lack the strength we had in our youth, or even a few years ago. For myself: I don’t hear very well, I need glasses, have little sense of smell, have false teeth, and recently my hands failed me. My hands have served me like two unpaid slaves for more than 70 years. They have picked thousands of salmon out of nets, dressed uncountable numbers of halibut, loaded and unloaded tons, and tons of fish into the holds of boats, and off again. My hands have made innumerable meals, baked bread, canned fruit and vegetables, milked goats and cared for their young, built fences, cared for horses and cattle, planted gardens and trees, wrote a book on a typewriter,  but most importantly raised my daughters and tended my grandchildren. One day I even delivered a baby goat with my toddler granddaughter who was sick with a cold,  wrapped around my waist. For the past 22 years my hands have made soap, lotion, cheese, and yogurt; packaged and shipped thousands of packages of soap, lotion and MSM cream,. A few weeks ago, my hands quit. Their strength was gone. I couldn’t finish doing the morning goat milking. I put my equipment away and told myself “I’m done.” I came to the house expecting to fall against Tim’s chest and cry, but as I came through the door, he met me with his phone in his hand.

“Seth is on the phone,” he said. “The offer they made on the property has been accepted. They want us.”

Tim’s son, Seth and his wife Jessica, had been talking to us about coming to Montana and joining them on their new property. They were looking for a place where they could have the grandparents come and be part of their family. They plan a little farm with goats, chickens and a garden. Seth had told us that this is what God intends for families. A friend of mine told me that a home with grandparents, parents, and children is a three stranded cord. Ecclesiastes 4:12 . . . an attacker may defeat someone who is alone, but two can resist him; and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.

The timing was perfect.

We put our house on the market. We plan to go to Montana when it sells. In the meantime we are making steps to move Grace Harbor International. Next week, Lord willing, we will move the shipping part of that business over to Grace Harbor Farms in Custer. For now, the manufacturing part of the business will stay here in Sequim. Laura, our faithful production person, will stay with it. When/if the house sells we will move the manufacturing, and Laura, over to David’s place, too. Until then, we will be able to send the finished products over to GHF via their truck. It makes deliveries to our area every week.

Back to the building of the Kingdom:

Tim and I host four meetings a week for disciples of Yeshua seeking the Kingdom. It is the most exciting work we have ever done. Every week there are “ah, ha” moments as Truth penetrates our hearts, and the hearts of the people who meet with us in our home and on line. This is the work of re-building the temple and seeking the Kingdom that we can do, are called to do, commanded by Yeshua to do, right now. We can continue to do this work from here or in a new home in Montana as long as the Lord provides.

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.