Earlier today my friend Gary Fawver, longtime Christian camping advocate, instructor, and consultant, sent me this testimony from a man in his church.  I pray it will bless you like it blessed me:

Good morning. My name is David Brown, or in some places known as “Farmer Brown.” My wife, Nancy, “Mrs. Farmer Brown,” and I operate Mustard Seed Farms, an organic vegetable farm across the Willamette river in Saint Paul. We raise 20 different kinds of vegetables, such as lettuce, cauliflower, squash, and onions on 65 acres of land. Within those kinds of vegetables we grow many varieties of them. I think there are over 140 lines of text on our seed order list!

In this great diversity of crops is the where I see God’s work. From time to time in recent years the thought has come to me that my livelihood is based on putting seeds in the soil and they grow to produce an edible product! From tiny seeds such as lettuce, carrots, or cabbage through multiple seeds in one unit like beets and chard to large seeds for giant pumpkins, there is life that develops under the right conditions for each one. That is amazing!  Of course Jesus says that in Mark 4:26 & 27: “A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

As much as we can, we provide the right temperatures for germination. Lettuce germination rate drops way down above 80 degrees but cucumbers will still germinate above 95 degrees. They then need good soil to grow in, with adequate nutrients, along with the right temperatures over its lifetime. This year, as many of you may know, has been a cool one, which not only delayed crop maturities, but caused some crops to not set fruit in normal fashion.

Two lessons here: First, we need to know the conditions God designed a plant to grow in and give it that environment as much as possible. The second is that we trust God for the weather we need for the crops and adjust to what he gives us, like we have this year.

At harvest you see the diversity of God’s creation. Think about the unique forms of the vegetables you eat. Leaves of lettuce or greens. Tubers like potatoes or beets or bulbs of onions. Flowers like broccoli or cauliflower. Fruit like squash or tomatoes. Each one has its own taste, nutritional composition, handling needs, and preparation. God planned all of this for our good!

I need wisdom from God in making decisions to grow all these crops. This starts with the winter planning process, as I make decisions on how much of each type of crop to plant. This continues throughout the year as I adjust schedules to weather, etc. When I remember, I say a quick prayer for direction in what to say or do. I am amazed to see how God answers with direction.

Another great blessing that God gives us from our work is the appreciation from others. Many, including some of you, express appreciation for the beauty of our farm as you drive by. I thank you for your kind words. That encourages us to keep working.  Many times you don’t know how God is using you to bless others. Ten days ago we got an unexpected email from a woman we do not know that brought tears to our eyes and was an emotional and physical boost to Nancy and me as we were very tired doing our evening office work. Let me share some of it with you.

“Hello, I wanted to say this on a real card, but reality is that I keep never getting around to it. I finally looked you up on the internet.

“I just wanted to say…how very much your garden of flowers out front with the rows of corn and berries has blessed me in the past two years.

I come from a gardening family. My grandmother grew the nicest garden in the county in Gales Creek. I grew up with bare feet in the soft tilled dirt, planting along side her, weeding on hot summer mornings with lemonade afterward. I did inherit the love of a garden… and the knowledge of the hard work and love and toil it takes to produce, and the taste buds to know store bought can never compare, and loving memories tied to gardening that I will never lose.

I drive past your farm every morning and evening on my way to and from work. I have a very stressful job that never seems to have “completed” tasks, just more emergencies before the last ones are even resolved. My life often seems frenzied and there is not enough time to even breathe some days.

I wanted you to know that the seconds it takes me to pass your garden every morning are some of the most treasured seconds of my day. I can’t help but feel blessed by not only its’ color and beauty but also by remembered love and a simpler life, and things I can’t even put my finger on. It is my moment to “stop and smell the roses”, to refill my soul. And I can’t help but just say “thank you, God, for this blessing” every day.

I am sure that in your own ways you must sometimes feel like your hard work never ends. I just wanted to let you know it blesses more people than you will ever know. I for one can’t wait to come around that corner every fall morning and see that garden, and be overwhelmed by the sentiments and beauty and the knowledge that God puts flowers in our lives even when we don’t have the time to plant them ourselves.

I’ve often wondered if the name “Mustard Seed Farms” comes from the biblical “having the faith of a mustard seed.”  That too is a blessing when I see your sign.  Anyway, I hope somehow knowing that you are blessing me, is a blessing to you also.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for blessing my life with your garden.”

Reminder: RBC’s Day of Discovery TV broadcast has a three-part series on “The Wonder of Soil” that you can view online here or by clicking on the title on the right sidebar.

See you outdoors!

Dean