| Dear Readers,
My son, Justin, decided he wanted to
raise cattle, but not just any cattle, Highland
cattle. In the picture Justin is reaching out to Hero, his bull
calf. The cow in the foreground is -------.
Highland cattle are very
rugged, with long hair and great curving horns. They’re much more
docile than they look. Generally they’re raised for beef, but they
can also be milked (butterfat content up to 7%!). My friend Randy
calls them "prehistoric cows."
Lately, however, they’re something of
a problem. Just to give them a once-over look every day, Justin
began feeding them a tiny bit of sweet feed. Problem is nine cattle,
four feeders, and there is nothing more rambunctious than 1,000
pounds of long-horned cow that thinks it is about to be shortchanged
a snack. This has occasioned a multitude of ruses and artifices to
draw them off while someone sneaks in the pasture with the feed. The
pied piper takes a bucket and bangs it along the fence, moving
away from the feeders, cows following. Despite a multitude of
disappointments, they never seem to catch on. Anyway, Pilgrim, the
3-year old bull who’s pushing a ton, always gets first choice. Bell,
the lead cow, is the only one who will push him aside – or try to.
The cows have a very rigid hierarchy, and whoever gets out of line
quickly gets a horn in the side.
Speaking of animals, we got another
Great Pyrenees pup. Mercy and Ellen named this one Orion,
because he has stars in his eyes.
And something has been killing our
chickens (and some of the new turkeys Zachariah bought to keep Bob
company. Bob is Zach’s first turkey, which happens to be a hen.) We
thought it was the dogs, sneaking around, but last week we finally
moved into our re-furbished cabin, and chickens still
disappeared.
FALLING AWAY
It may be my imagination, but it seems
like something is falling away from me every day, like some lizard
shedding his skin. When I go back to a city, the press of people and
traffic attacks me. No wonder urbanites are sick so much. All that
stress and emotion and speed is bound to make you feel ill.
MOVING YET AGAIN
Since July we’ve all been living in
1,200 square feet – Susan, me, three and sometimes four children,
plus Justin and his wife Ellen and their baby Elijah. I am really
tired of sleeping on a trundle bed. Last week we moved. Since April,
1998, we’ve been moving. This is the third time. I used to say that
I was thankful if I could find socks and underwear in the morning.
I’m past that now. I just go out and buy new ones once a week. No
point in looking, you’ll never find them anyway. We’re also moving
the office once more. The WATS line will remain the same, (888)
218-9226, but the new mail line will be (931) 766-6066. Our new fax
will be (931) 766-1128.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING
The Advent season begins November 28,
and we can meditating on the Incarnation and looking forward to
Christmas, that wondrous season. Christmas is one thing you can’t
hold – to own it you have to give it away. It’s a good time to
remember Christian charity. It’s a good idea to remember first
charities at home like the Salvation Army, but if you’re looking for
someone farther away, consider Frontline Fellowship in South
Africa. Led by Peter Hammond, Frontline Fellowship takes the Gospel,
Christian literature, and Biblical teaching all across southern
Africa, including the most inaccessible and war-torn regions.
In Zambia, where Frontline Fellowship
is very active, a genuine Christian reformation is underway. From
independence in 1964 Zambia was ruled by humanist-socialist Kenneth
Kaunda, who managed to turn a mineral rich nation into one of the
world’s poorest. In 1991 a Christian, Frederick Chiluba, was elected
president, and declared Zambia a Christian nation. In 1996 the
constitution was amended declaring Zambia to be "a Christian
nation." Abortion and homosexuality are now illegal there. Problems
still abound, but Christian people are working to implement biblical
solutions. Frontline fellowship has been busy distributing books and
working in Christian education in Zambia (presenting, for example,
their Biblical Worldview Seminar).
I know Peter Hammond personally, and
one of his fellow missionaries, Robert Zins, is a
Moneychanger subscriber. You can send support to them in care
of In Touch Mission International, Attention: Frontline
Fellowship, P.O. Box 28240, Tempe, Arizona 85285. Be sure to ask
for their newsletter, Frontline Fellowship News.
Rejoice in the season!
Franklin
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