In the Presence of a Holy God

Lesson 3 – In the Presence of a Holy God

In some Christian circles people will often speak of being in God’s presence during a worship service. This implies that there must be times when they are not in His presence. How is this distinction possible when we refer to the omnipresent God.

Last lesson, I asked you to consider the difference between being in the same place with someone and being in the presence.

Definitions

PRES'ENCE, n. s as z. [L. proesentia; proe, before, and esse, to be.] The existence of a person or thing in a certain place; opposed to absence. This event happened during the king's presence at the theater. In examining the patient, the presence of fever was not observed. The presence of God is not limited to any place.

1. A being in company near or before the face of another.

2. Approach face to face or nearness of a great personage.

PRES'ENT, a. s as z. [L. proesens; proe and sum, esse, to be.]

1. Being in a certain place; opposed to absent.

I can be present in the same room as a great king and never interact with him. Bring me before him, face to face, for a conversation and later I could say that I was in the presence of greatness. This applies even more so to the great God.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." He fulfills this promise every time His people gather together for prayer, worship, study, or service. He always shows up because He is true to His word. However this does not mean that we are in His presence whenever He is present. In order to be in His presence we must acknowledge that He is there and interact with Him.

So, how is this done?

It would be unfair, (and unwise) to distill this into a few steps that guarantee a successful arrival into the Presence of God. But here are a few things to consider:

1. We need to remember that God is Holy. As such, He cannot stand to have sin in His presence. In Habakkuk, the prophet is complaining to God about the sins that are going on around him. He asks God to do something about it. Chapter 1, verse 13 says,

Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

Habakkuk knew the normal response from God when evil or sin were in His presence – he destroyed it. (Examples: Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron from Leviticus 10, and Uzza from 1 Chronicles 13)

Each year on the Day of Atonement the Jewish high priest would go into the Holy of Holies to make an offering on behalf of the people. Prior to this, sacrifices were made for the priest’s sins and the priest underwent a ritual bathing process to help ensure that He would not offend God. Bells were sewn into his clothing and a rope was tied to his ankle when he went before God’s presence. As he moved about performing his duties the tinkling of bells could be heard. If the bells went silent for a while it was assumed that God had struck him dead, and they would use the rope to pull him back out. This may be why the people were concerned about Zacharias being delayed in Luke chapter 1.

You don’t mess around with the holiness of God.

2. Don’t let this scare you away because you don’t feel holy enough to be with God. Waiting until you have your act together never works. You will never get to the point where you are good enough to be with God. We don’t deserve to be with God at all. The atonement that Jesus made allows us to have access to His Father. Getting what we don’t deserve – that’s grace! According to Hebrews 4 Jesus is our great high priest and this allows us access to the real Holy of Holies where God is.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Please notice that it is the throne of grace, not judgement. We can go before God in confidence, trusting in the grace He bestows. This allows us to pray to the holy God and to draw closer to Him in worship. Still, it is always a good idea not to bring bad attitudes, fleshly motives and such before God. Deal with them before you come so that He won’t have to. (Matthew 5:23,24)

3. Coming into God’s presence in worship is often compared to entering into the Hebrew temple in the NT. The entire temple compound was considered holy, but it became increasingly more holy as one entered farther in, from east to west.

a) To get in, you had to enter through one of the gates in the wall. This brought you into the outer court, the Court of Gentiles. Non-Jews could be in this area but could not go further in.

b) The next area was the Court of Women. It was in this court that people donated their tithes and gifts. Women could not go beyond this court

c) Going through the Beautiful Gate, Hebrew laymen could enter into the Court of Israel, but no further.

d) Next came the Court of Priests. This was the innermost court and was reserved for the priests only. The first thing that was seen as you entered was the great altar of burnt offerings which was aligned with all the gates so that it could be seen from each of the outer courts.

e) Finally, we come to the temple which has two sections

· The Holy Place where priests discharged their various duties, like burning incense. The golden altar, the golden lampstand, and the golden table for the showbread were placed in here.

· The Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies) which was separated from The Holy Place by the Veil. The presence of God dwelt here. There was no furniture at all in this place and only the High Priest could come here once a year on the Day of Atonement. When Jesus dies the Veil between these areas was torn in two from the top down. Why?

Worship is like that. You go into God’s presence in stages. Those who are not saved Christians can come to where God is being worshipped but will not be able to enter into His presence. They know that something is happening here but they don’t get it. They are in the Court of Gentiles, so to speak.

You go further in by doing things like giving thanks, and praising God (Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name ~ Psalm 100:4). This invites God to come and fellowship with you.

The more of yourself and your cares that you leave behind, the further in you can go. There comes a point when you become aware that God Is Here. It isn’t bizarre, or carnal, or man-made. It is the most natural and wonderful thing. You can’t make it happen. You can only draw near to God and He fulfills His word by drawing near to you.

So What Happens Now?

Worship is a two-way communication. We come to God, loving, adoring, and exalting Him. He responds by making Himself known via revelation, insight, joy and peace. He will reveal truth from Scripture, convict of sin, heal us in body, mind, or spirit. Basically, He does what Jesus did while He was here on Earth.

Spirit and Truth

This assumes that we are worshipping the Lord in the way the Bible says. God knows the intents of our hearts and whether we are really worshipping Him or just going through the motions.

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." ~ John 4:23-24

Some thoughts on this passage:

· God seeks worshippers – not so much worship, per se, but He seeks for those people who will really worship Him

· To worship God in spirit means that our worship must come from the inner man. It is not to be superficial or ritualistic. Worship must be a conscious thought process which is sincere. It must be free from insincerity, distractions, and wandering thoughts.

· We should also worship in truth. In the context of this passage the Samaritans were worshipping what they didn’t know or understand. Their worship was no doubt sincere but it wasn’t based on the truth. Our worship should be based on, and directed by, the word of God.

Why Worship God?

Lesson 2 – Why Worship God?

Last lesson, we tried to define worship. This week we will try to get a handle on the reasons why we worship God. Since worship is such a basic part of being a Christian, many believers never methodically think it through.

Last week, I encouraged you to ponder why you worship God. What did you come up with?

Lots of people will state that they worship God out of gratitude for all that He has done or made, out of thanksgiving for their salvation, or simply because God deserves it.

One often overlooked reason for worshipping God is that He tells us to worship Him.

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

(1Chronicles 16:23-31)

Some people have a real problem with this concept.

The famous, nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said “I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.”

Oxford professor, literary critic, and Christian apologist, C. S. Lewis, also had an initial reluctance to praise God. Especially difficult for him was that God, Himself, required that people praise Him. He wrote about this in his book, Reflections on the Psalms. Here are some quotes:

When I first began to draw near to belief in God and even for some time after it had been given to me, I found a stumbling block in the demand so clamorously made by all religious people that we should "praise" God; still more in the suggestion that God Himself demanded it. We all despise the man who demands continuous assurance of his own virtue, intelligence or delightfulness; we despise still more the crowd of people round every dictator, every millionaire, every celebrity, who gratify that demand.

Thus a picture, at once ludicrous and horrible, both of God and of His worshippers, threatened to appear in my mind...Worse still was the statement put into God's own mouth, "whoso offereth me thanks and praise, he honoreth me" (Psalm 50:23). It was hideously like saying "What I most want is to be told that I am good and great."...More than once the Psalmists seemed to be saying, "You like praise. Do this for me, and you shall have some."

Gratitude to God, reverence to Him, obedience to Him, I

thought I could understand; not this perpetual eulogy...

But of course this is not all. God does not only "demand"

praise as the supremely beautiful and all-satisfying Object.

He does apparently command it as lawgiver. The Jews were told

to sacrifice. We are under an obligation to go to church. But

this was a difficulty only because I did not then understand

...that it is in the process of being worshipped that God

communicates His presence to men.

Both Nietzsche and, initially, Lewis had difficulty in offering praise and worship to God. This stemmed from a faulty view of the person of God and a misunderstanding of His reasons for encouraging us to worship Him. Lewis continues:

I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise...The world rings with praise--lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside...I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least...I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: "Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious?"...The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about...I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.

Examples of an invitation to worship:

A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:1-4)

O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

Give to Jehovah the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him; worship Jehovah in the adornment of holiness. (1Chronicles 16:29)

Oh worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)

To summarize, if anyone beside God encouraged you to praise them, you would have grounds to suspect some pride or even conceit. But the Lord is worthy of all praise and worship. He even tells us to praise Him because it is good for us. His motive is perfectly pure.

We become like the object of our worship.

You’ve probably heard that after years of being in the intimate relationship of marriage, a husband and wife become more like each other. They slowly influence each other until they have similar speech patterns, accents, and personal tastes, even thought patterns. Sometimes they even begin to look alike. After decades of marriage my parents were known to swap eyeglasses back and forth.

If the personal intimacy of marriage can influence us in such strong but subtle ways, how does the intimacy of worship affect us?

We become like the object of our worship.

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them. (Psalm 115:4-8)

The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, The work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, Yes, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalm 135:15-18)

An extreme example is what happened to Moses after 40 days in God’s presence.

It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

(Exodus 34:29-30)

2 Corinthians 3:13 tells us that the glory on Moses’ face faded away.

and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.

But a few verses later we are told that we can be transformed with an inner glory.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

(2 Corinthians 3:18)

What we worship and why we worship can have a profound impact upon our lives, our families, and our churches. When we cling to any idols in our lives and give them the attention and status that belongs to God alone, we allow ourselves to become like them. Such idols include wealth, possessions, power, sex, entertainment, careers, food, reputation, and even the computer that I am using to type this list. None of these things will satisfy us in the inner man, none of them can ever fulfill the claims they make.

When we worship the God of the Bible we come into His presence and He has an influence on us. Psalm 22:3 says “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” (KJV) ¹ When we worship God we invite Him to be with us, in a potentially deep, intimate manner. The Lord who sees the innermost parts of our hearts can, and often does, impact us from the inside out.

More on this next week.

Homework Assignment: For next week, ponder the difference between being in the same place with someone and being in someone’s presence.

¹ The NASB for this verse reads, “Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.”

Defining Worship

This was originally a Sunday School lesson on worship. There are 3 other parts that I hope top post soon.

Defining Worship

Recently, I asked some members of my family if they could define the word “worship” for me. It was kind of awkward for them to do so. Not because my kids can’t define words well, but because worship is sometimes hard to define.

Ask people, even Christian people, to define “worship” or “praise” and you will find that most of them will have a hard time articulating a specific definition. The reason for this is that these words represent such large, deep, full concepts that it is difficult to sum them up briefly. When we try to give a concise answer we run the risk of leaving out some important aspects.

There are other considerations that complicate the process of defining worship and praise.

• The Bible shows many outward forms of expressing worship and praise
• God has allowed creative and expressive worship methods to develop over the years
• Even within a single congregation people bring in their own experiences and personal preferences
• Worship, by nature, encourages a person to interact with God on a sometimes-intimate level that cannot be easily vocalized.

Still, it is important that we get a handle on these terms for the sake of clarity and unity in our worship. Worshipping God is the chief business of the citizens of Heaven. As a Heavenwardly –mobile person I want to get a good head start by worshipping God here on earth.

Toward that end I have included some dictionary definitions of praise and worship. Even here the usually concise Noah Webster has turned rather verbose. This indicates that even the writer of America's first dictionary found it necessary to use a lot of words to get the point across.

What is Worship?

Some definitions:

WORSHIP, n. [See Worth.] 1. Excellence of character; dignity; worth; worthiness. - Elfin born of noble state, and muckle worship in his native land. In this sense, the word is nearly or quite obsolete; but hence, 2. A title of honor, used in addresses to certain magistrates and other of respectable character. My father desires your worship’s company. 3. A term of ironical respect. 4. Chiefly and eminently, the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like. The worship of God is an eminent part of religion. Prayer is a chief part of religious worship. 5. The homage paid to idols or false gods by pagans; as the worship of Isis. 6. Honor; respect; civil deference. Then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. Luke 14 7. Idolatry of lovers; obsequious or submissive respect.

WORSHIP, v.t. 1. To adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration. Thou shalt worship no other God. Exo 34. 2. To respect; to honor; to treat with civil reverence. Nor worshipd with a waxen epitaph. 3. To honor with extravagant love and extreme submission; as a lover. With bended knees I daily worship her.

WORSHIP, v.i. 1. To perform acts of adoration. 2. To perform religious service. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain. John 4.

PRAISE, n. s as z. [L. pretium.] 1. Commendation bestowed on a person for his personal virtues or worthy actions, on meritorious actions themselves, or on any thing valuable; approbation expressed in words or song. Praise may be expressed by an individual, and in this circumstance differs from fame, renown, and celebrity, which are the expression of the approbation of numbers, or public commendation. When praise is applied to the expression of public approbation, it may be synonymous with renown, or nearly so. A man may deserve the praise of an individual, or of a nation. There are men who always confound the praise of goodness with the practice. 2. The expression of gratitude for personal favors conferred; a glorifying or extolling. He hath put a new song into my mouth, even praise to our God. Psa 40. 3. The object, ground or reason of praise. He is thy praise,and he is thy God. Deu 10.

PRAISE, v.t. [L. tollo, extollo; pretium.] 1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of personal worth or actions. We praise not Hector, though his name we know Is great in arms; 'tis hard to praise a foe. 2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works. Praise him, all his angels, praise ye him, all his hosts. Psa 148. 3. To express gratitude for personal favors. Psa 138. 4. To do honor to; to display the excellence of. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord. Psa 145.

Worship Whom?

Then God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.(Exodus 20:1-6)

No one but God alone is to be worshipped. He will not abide any other god, angel, person or thing to compete with Him for His rightful place in our lives. (Exodus 20:23, Rev 19:10, Daniel chapter 3) Isaiah 49:11 tells us that God refuses to give His glory to another.

Biblical Examples of Worship

O.T.

Earthly: David worshipped God all through the psalms and had such a heart to please God that he danced with reckless abandon when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to his city. Even when, Michal, his wife, despised him for this David would not turn from loving the Lord. (2 Samuel 6:12 – 23)

Heavenly: The Seraphim flew about the throne room in Heaven, calling to one another” Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." The seraphim emphasized the holiness of God in their speech and in their actions. They did not look upon the Lord but covered their faces and bodies with their wings. (Isaiah 6:1 – 4)

N.T.

Earthly: The Magi came to find the Christ child, and fell on the ground to worship Him. They also brought gifts of their earthly wealth. They had traveled far and put a lot of effort, time, and expense into making this journey. (Matthew 2:1 - 12)

Heavenly: Twenty-four Elders and the Living Creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, and fall down before Him. They continually worship God in His holy presence. (Revelations 4:9 – 11)

From the above examples, we can see worship taking on two general forms: exalting God and humbling ourselves.

David led “all the house of Israel” in bringing in the Ark of the Covenant with dancing and singing before God. He gave no thought to himself or his appearance while dancing before the Lord. When Michal tried to ridicule him, David pointed out that he did this for the Lord and that he would “be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes.”

The Seraphim continually shouted to each other with praises to God. These mighty beings that dwell in the very throne room of God dared not even to look upon the holiness of Jehovah.

The magi traveled far to bring precious gifts to Jesus, but humbled themselves to worship the infant messiah.

The 24 elders worship God with their words and humble themselves with their actions (falling down, casting their crowns before the throne.)

Discussion Questions

1. What is the best worship experience that you have been part of? What made it memorable?

2. There seems to be a relationship between exalting God in worship and humbling ourselves. Is it possible to worship God without humbling yourself? Why?

3. God will not share His glory with anyone. Do we allow things in our life to compete with God? What are they, and what can we do to change this?

will be active again soon --- with a different emphasis

soli deo gloria

Turning the Tables on The USDA

I recently made the acquaintance of Andrea Elliot. She and her husband have a dairy farm in upstate NY. Andrea is an active opponent of the NAIS and recently launched a one-woman anti-NAIS mail blitz that included some NY Ag & Market folks in Albany.

Within a week Andrea’s farm received a visit from an Ag & Market person concerning a “complaint” that just happened to be lodged against them. It’s all highly suspicious and seems to be nothing other than a bullying tactic against this family. The Elliots responded with courtesy and firmness, using a video camera and a Public Servant Questionnaire to make it clear that they were not going to be intimidated.

Here is the whole story as reported by David Gumpert at http://www.thecompletepatient.com/

NY Dairy Farmer Turns the Tables When the Ag Inspectors Arrive for a Mystery Visit

Over the last two weeks, Andrea Elliott has been writing emails to farm associations, her Congressman, and members of the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees—all urging that the upcoming farm bill not include funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). She and her husband, Jim, own a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and she made it plain in her notes that she is adamantly opposed to registering the farm’s 80 cows under the federal program.

Yesterday (Monday) she received a call from an inspector with the New York Department of Food and Markets in Albany that he planned to come by the farm for a special inspection, based on “a complaint” made to the department’s Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services.

Andrea couldn’t imagine who might have complained, and what the complaint might have been about. Her farm, Crystal Brook Farms, sells nearly all its milk to a local creamery for pasteurization. She sells a few gallons of raw milk occasionally to individuals who stop in with their own containers, under New York rules that allow sale of 25 gallons a month without a permit.

Today (Tuesday), the inspector, Bradley Lyle Houck, arrived from Albany, two hours away, together with her regular local dairy inspector, and Andrea was prepared. As soon as they arrived, “I turned on my video camera. I think that made them a little uncomfortable.”

Then, she says, “I asked the state inspector to fill out my form.” Her form is a three-page “public service questionnaire” that asks for the inspector’s identity, his principal reason for doing the inspection, how the information he gathers will be used, and other such data.

“He shook his head and refused,” says Andrea. “He said, ‘I have to be authorized by Albany.’” He tried to make a call on his cell phone, but couldn’t complete the call because the farm area has no cell reception.

Andrea persisted. “I said, This is our property and I can require you to fill it out.'” He offered his state ID and badge.

Andrea moved on. “I asked him why he was here and he said a complaint was received in Albany.”

What was the complaint? “He said he couldn’t tell me.”

Who filed the complaint? “He wouldn’t tell me. He just wouldn’t go any further. He said all complaints that come into Albany are treated as confidential.”

“I asked him what statute allows a complaint to be treated as confidential. He said he couldn’t quote a statute.”

At that point, the inspector asked if they could talk off-camera. Andrea declined.

“He said, ‘I guess the best thing would be for us to come back another time.” The two got back into their car and took off.

Andrea adds, “At no time did I deny him the inspection. I didn’t ask him to leave. All I did was ask him for specific reasons for the inspection…I have a right to know who my accuser is.”

Andrea seems to have added an entirely new dimension to the agricultural inspection. Especially one with such an intriguing coincidence connecting it to NAIS.


Bravo, Andrea!

Jumping back in

Whoa.

It's been about 6 months since I last blogged. Life has been busy and we once again had a good year at the Farmers markets.

The reason that I am starting to blog again has to do a growing awareness of the pressure being put on small farms by various departments of our state and federal governments.It really does seem that all the stuff from the USDA that claims to support small farms and buying local is just a bunch of nonsense. All those web pages and handbooks are contradicted by the actual practices of the department which treats small farms like an annoyance to eliminated.

I have recently spoken with farmers in my area and all of them have "horror stories" of being pressured, harassed, and intimidated by agents of the Department of Labor, or some subset of the USDA. One of these has been driven out of business by some very shady government folks. I hope to post some details soon.

Also, I have become aware of the HUGE impact that locally-raised and locally sold foods can have on family health, the local economy, and the whole mindset of farming on a small scale. More to come on that as well.

So expect posts on farmers rights and the struggle to preserve them, the benefits of locally raised foods, the joy of raw milk and other living foods, and atleast 1post on how NOT to raise turkeys.

Gil

Everything I want to do is illegal

I can get frustrated with our government sometimes. It seems like every time I get a good idea of how to make a living from my little farm there are laws and regulations in place to make it harder than it needs to be. Here are some examples:

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I used to process chickens from my neighbors and friends in the area for a nominal fee. I would do their birds when I did my own. In this way they did not have to travel over a hour to a USDA approved processing plant, and I had to clean up after my own processing anyway.

Well this changed when the chicken hobby grew into my main source of income. Now that am officially operating under the “Producer/Grower – 1,000 Limit Exemption” from the USDA, I can no longer process other people’s chicken. That would require a different exemption, the “Custom Slaughter/Processing Exemption” and according to USDA FSIS, “However, a slaughterer or processor of poultry may not simultaneously operate under more than one exemption” (emphasis theirs).

So, I had to inform the folks that were counting on my family to process for them that I could not legally do so. They were somewhat inconvenienced but they understood that I wanted to obey the law.

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We are currently operating at the 1,000 bird or less exemption level, and as I have mentioned here before pastured poultry does well at the farmer’s markets in our area. I have thought about expanding but once again there are USDA hoops to jump through. In order to go up to the next exemption level (20,000 or less birds) I will need to construct a processing facility with separate rooms for killing/plucking the chickens and eviscerating them. Each room needs a 3-bay stainless steel sink and a hand wash sink, sealed concrete floors with drains (that lead to the required new septic system), and washable wall surfaces. Add in a walk-in cooler also. Quite honestly, this expense is way beyond what we can swing financially. I need to process and sell more birds so that I can afford the facility necessary to process and sell the extra birds. Sheesh!

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For the past few years I have been interested in making sausage. My family likes sausage and I thought that it would be fun to make it and maybe even sell some. Think of it – grass fed meats (beef, veal, pork, poultry even) made into fresh sausage without nitrates, nitrites or weird chemicals – and using good cuts, not just trimmings and such. Yummy! Pass the natural casings.

The other day I contacted our state Department of Agriculture and Markets to see what obstacles were placed in my path this time. This is what I found out:

•  I would need a commercial kitchen inspection and water test to have a 20C license for direct sale to customers. (No problems here since we already do this in order to sell our breads at market.)
  
•  Keep the sausages at 41 degrees F or less (Also not a problem, since we already keep our chickens chilled)
  
•  All animals must be butchered at a USDA inspected processing plant and all meat, whether made into halves, quarters, or recognizable cuts, must be stamped by the processing plant. The man I spoke with was not aware of any such plant in our area but gave me an 800 number where I can ask about it. (Big problem here. I know what those places are like, that is why I do not buy meat at a store and raise and butcher my own animals)
  
•  Separate processing facility for making sausages: 3-bay sink, hand wash sink, washable walls, etc – (Big expense - see above)
  

Sigh.

Years ago, Joel Salatin wrote an article for Acres USA entitled “Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal” I can relate.

It seems to me that our government has lost its sense of proportion. I don’t see why a small-time operator like me needs to go to the extremes deemed necessary for the big guys. I’m not Frank Purdue or John Morrell. I am a very small farm and always direct market to my customers. I do not plan on making a mega-corp out of my farm and do not need to make thousands of pounds of sausage every week. I just want to make ends meet and provide for my family.

I mentioned this to a farmer friend of mine. His response was that the whole idea was to keep the small farmer or businessman from succeeding. Big Farm puts lots of money into lobbying and contributions for political campaigns with the intent of keep the obstacles in the way of guys like us.

Is this true? I don’t know, but someone sure is making life difficult for this small farmer.

Avian Flu Immunity?

Another interesting item from WorldPoultry.net: "Humans may be immune to bird flu."

Tests at St Jude's Children's Research Hospital indicate that most people may be immune to both types of bird flu.
Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/2fu64f

Bird Flu in Britian

www.worldpoultry.net has been reporting on the avian flu outbreak in Suffolk, England. Apparently, 2,600 turkeys died from H5N1 within a few days. As a result the remaining 159,000 are all being gassed to death to prevent the spread of the disease. At first the disease was blamed on the possibility of infection via contact with a wild bird.



Now there is an investigation to see if this is linked to a recent outbreak in Hungary which resulted in thousand of geese being destroyed. According to the Guardian Unlimited web site (http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,2006082,00.html) the Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk is owned by the same company that owns Saga Foods, Hungary’s largest poultry company.



A follow up report by worldpoultry.net shows that this has not effected poultry purchases by British consumers.



OK. Some comments:

 A place with over 161,000 turkeys is not a farm. It’s a factory.

 This factory environment with it’s overcrowding of animals, lack of fresh air, sunshine, and cleanliness is the perfect breeding ground for disease.

 Animals existing (I can’t call it “living”) in these factory farms are under stress and have weakened immune systems already.

 It is no surprise that the feared disease would show up here. I am pretty sure that a wild bird had nothing to do with bringing in the disease. I think it’s a matter of hygiene, proportion, and humane treatment of animals.

 This type of “farming” is a time bomb waiting for an excuse to go off.

 Small sustainable farms are the only viable way to raise safe, nutritious food.

It won’t be the small farm or backyard flock that brings about a pandemic. It will be ridiculously huge unmanageable factory farms.









 

Catching up

   Wow, it's been more than a month since my last post here. Lots going 
on around these parts.

   My wife, Michelle, gave birth to our 12th child on Jan 16th!

 

 We named her Ellie after my mom. She is sweet, gentle, and peaceful! That makes the score to be 5 boys and 7 girls. We are so grateful to God for giving us another child to raise up and encourage. He is so very good to us!

  8 days later, I was rushed to the emergency room and gave birth to a bouncing baby appendix. Apparently, I would have been in big trouble if I had waited any 
longer to come in. I have a high tolerance for pain and did not realize there was a 
problem right away. A few more days and I will be off of the doctor's restrictions
and back to as normal as I ever get.

  It's tax prep time here. It's more complicated than in previous years, since I am self-employed now. This ought to be fun!

  Will try to post more regularly after this.

Gil

The Ambulance Down In The Valley

This old poem reminds me of the attitude of our government , particularly with regards to the NAIS debacle. Rather than diagnose or prevent animal diseases the NAIS simply wants to perform damage control. 48-hour Trace back will not prevent contaminated meat from reaching consumers nor will it keep any supposed pandemic from occurring. It simply ignores the causes and tries to inadequately deal with the effects. Rather than choose a good fence they have opted for an ambulance down in the valley.

The Ambulance in the Valley by Joseph Malins 1895

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke, and full many a peasant.
The people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally.
Some said ‘Put a fence ‘round the edge of the cliff,’
Some, ‘An ambulance down in the valley.’

The lament of the crowd was profound and was loud,
As their tears overflowed with their pity;
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day
As it spread through the neighbouring city.
A collection was made, to accumulate aid
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave dollars or cents – not to furnish a fence –
But an ambulance down in the valley.

‘For the cliff is all right if you’re careful,’ they said;
‘And if folks ever slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below – when they’re stopping.’
So for years (we have heard), as these mishaps occurred
Quick forth would the rescuers sally,
To pick up the victims who fell from the cliff,
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one, to his pleas, ‘It’s marvel to me
That you’d give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.
For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbours and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley.’

‘He is wrong in his head,’ the majority said;
‘He would end all our earnest endeavour.
He’s a man who would shirk this responsible work,
But we will support it forever.
Aren’t we picking up all, just as fast as they fall,
And giving them care liberally?
A superfluous fence is of no consequence,
If the ambulance works in the valley.’

The story looks queer as we’ve written it here,
But things oft occur that are stranger
More humane, we assert, than to succour the hurt
Is the plan of removing the danger.
The best possible course is to safeguard the source
By attending to things rationally.
Yes, build up the fence and let us dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Instead of the ineffeicient waste of resources that we call the NAIS, resources would be better applied to cleaning up the meat processing plants and huge agricorps that breed the diseases that the USDA is so afraid of.

NAIS Meeting in Whitney Point, NY

Report on Today’s NAIS Meeting in Whitney Point, NY

Attendance:

There were about 25 or more people in attendance, plus two ladies from New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, a man representing the USDA, and another man from the county level.

One of the ladies from Ag & Markets did most of the talking with occasional input from the others. She asked up front that everyone be respectful of each other even though the topic was controversial. Folks were respectful throughout the meeting, even during the Q&A/comment period.

Presentation of the program:

• The basics of the NAIS were explained in a slideshow. During the slideshow two things were emphasized:

1. The Voluntary nature of the NAIS,
2. And that NY state is not implementing everything that is being advised by the federal level of the program, (For example, NY will not require the use of RFID tags, and is actively encouraging the use of tags already on the animals).

• It was stated that the NY version of the NAIS is called the New York Animal Health Information Systems (NYAHIS). NYAHIS will attempt to maintain the “positive aspects” of surveillance embraced by the national system, discarding the elements that just do not work with NY State. They believe that in doing this they can still meet the goals of the national program. (Personally, I don’t see how they can do this.)

• The premises number will be 7 alphanumeric characters, and the animal ID number will be 8 alphanumeric characters. (If they were only using numbers that would give the possibility of trying to track over 999 trillion animals. With both number and letter variables in use I don’t even want to think how many that would be. Why does anyone need this many variables?)

• Current status: 51% of premises ID’s registered. (I’m not sure where this number comes from.)

Q&A session

The real heart of the meeting was the Q&A session: Lots of folks had strong opinions and concerns about the state and federal levels of the program. I don’t recall any farmer there who really had much good to say about the NAIS. As I mentioned, everyone was civil and reasonable. This helped us cover a lot of ground.

The main speaker fielded most of the questions, and did well overall. Here is a summary:

Q: How secure is the database?
A. She could only speak of the NY database, which is only accessible via direct physical (cable) connection to the computer storing the database. Only 5 state vets have access to the database.

Q. There were questions about RFID tags and the frequencies to be used. Also there were concerns about the vulnerabilities of the tags to tampering and duplication of the data.
A. You don’t have to use the RFID tags in NY.

Q. I received an information packet in the mail. It included a card that had my premises ID. What’s going on? (A few people there had this happen to them.)
A. Folks who had previously been registered with state animal disease programs were registered automatically. The literature that was sent to you included instructions in how to opt out of the program. (This must be the data mining hinted at in the last NY State Cooperative Agreement document. None of these gov’t folks seemed bothered at all by the blatant privacy invasion that had been perpetrated upon these farmers.)

Q. How can the program be “Voluntary” and still attain 100% participation?
A. Well, I have to admit that it doesn’t sound very realistic.

Q. What is really meant by a “Voluntary program?”
A. In NY State you will never be forced to participate in the NYAHIS. It will always be voluntary.
(This was discussed at some length with lots of comments from farmers. Many doubted that anyone could presume upon the future and guarantee that things would always remain voluntary. My own comments were that even if things remained unchanged that you could not avoid compliance even when you are not registered. State fairs could restrict participation to livestock with NAIS ID, processing facilities could require that ID tags be present before any livestock could be processed, etc. They had no answer for these concerns.)

Q. Have there been any cost analyses performed? Who is going to pay for the personnel needed to track animals, maintain the needed databases, and enforce the NAIS?
A. State level: Pretty sure that these have been done but could not readily reference any info. Did not know total cost (too variable) or who ultimately pays for it. Federal level: The USDA rep had no answer for these questions.

Q. NAIS does not address issues of disease prevention or treatment. Wouldn’t it be better to close the barn door rather than to go chasing the horses?
A. This was not really answered at all.

Q. There are at least 4 different amendments to the U.S. Constitution that are violated by the NAIS (1st, 4th, 5th, and 14th). Care to comment on that?
A. Hey, It’s a voluntary program. You don’t have to participate.
Q. That’s not a good enough answer. How can you as government employees actively support a program that violates the Constitution?
A. (They really couldn’t answer this one either.)

Q. The NAIS will create a complete “paper trail” for the whole life of livestock animals, say, for example, a cow. The cow can change hands several times and eventually be slaughtered in a USDA plant. What if someone gets sick and sues the place they bought beef from. They can now sue everyone who ever had anything to do with this cow, right from the market back to the farmer who first owned her. How does the NAIS handle the increased liability for farmers?
A. This won’t happen in NY. We are too good at preventing disease from spreading. If you see any problems, report ‘em. (This got a few polite chuckles from the group, even though she was sincere when answering.)

Q. How does the NY program protect farmers from lawsuits?
A: I don’t know but I can look into it.

Q. How does the federal program protect farmers from lawsuits?
A. (From NY level) The federal program has ensured that you will not be held liable. (She turned to the USDA rep but he did not say anything to confirm or deny this.)

Q. Every animal sale that is made has to have receipts. Everyone keeps records of their own animals. Plus there are disease prevention and herd improvement programs that keep records. Isn’t the NAIS redundant?
A. Maybe, but it is difficult to pull all this info together to use it efficiently. The NAIS will consolidate this info to speed up tracking of animals. On the state level it will mean being able to shift from thousands of paper files that must be manually searched to an up-to-date computer database. This will save many, many hours of work.

To be fair to our hosts I must say that they did well in the meeting. They had a tough subject to address with a tough audience (very independent-minded farmers). They were professional and friendly throughout, even when some of the questions were very difficult. They were not rapid big government fanatics trying take away our rights. They sincerely believe in what they are doing and want to help. They are good folks but rather naïve for trusting in the program to fix anything. I hope that we gave them some things to consider.

After the meeting some of the more outspoken farmers were able to talk together. A few of us have decided to keep in touch and continue to fight the NAIS.

Gil

But I Don't Want To Be This Protected

I am not quite sure when it started but I have noticed over time that our government has been changing gears from public servant to public protector. Over the course of my lifetime the government has tried to protect me from

• air pollution
• global warming
• killer bees
• work hazards
• swine flu
• communism
  
• mad cow disease
• poverty
• hunger
• lack of health insurance
• weather conditions large and small, (On the radio we now get winter weather alerts from the National Weather Service - why do I need to be warned about snow in December?)
• sexual predators
• deteriorating ozone layer
  
• avian flu
• bacteria in restaurant veggies
• terrorists here and abroad
• potential animal pandemics
  
• and you could probably add a lot more to this list...
  

Now some of these may be legitimate concerns but I am bothered by the government's increasing role as protector since each time it takes up a new "danger" there is a proportionate loss to the freedoms of it's citizens. Even if I wanted this much protection I differ from my elected representatives on the scale in which the government is to be involved. I would use a pea-shooter, they would use a bazooka.

Besides, I never asked to be protected. I am willing to take personal responsibility for my choices and actions, even if there is some risk involved. I grow my own vegetables and raise most of my own meat. I am self-employed and will take care of my own family's welfare. Thank you very much.

I do realize that some government intervention can be helpful at times for people in genuine need. I am concerned at the large number of people who have become totally dependent upon government entitlements. I think that it makes us weaker as a nation and as a people.

I will also admit to some suspicion of our elected officials since they never return the power that was taken to address each danger or emergency. It is especially troubling that they are the ones who always spot the dangers first. Maybe I'm paranoid, but it just seems to be very convenient for them.

Looking Back on the 2006 Farmer's Market Season

Well, 2006 was our first foray into making a living at raising pastured poultry. I am pleased with the results.

The farmer's markets in Binghamton and Vestal, NY were both successful. We developed a loyal customer base that truly appreciated the quality of our chickens and baked goods. Even better than selling out most weeks toward the end of the season, were the relationships we developed with the other vendors and with the customers. We really came to care about the customers as people, and my wife actually shed a few tears (along with a couple of customers) when saying goodbye at the end of October. It was a pleasure to interact with people who care about their food and where it comes from.

We got a chance to see a few of them again when we distributed pasture-raised turkeys for Thanksgiving. That also went very well. I hope to increase the number of turkeys next year, since demand far exceeded our supply.

We learned a lot this year and made continual improvements throughout the season in areas of production, presentation, marketing and record keeping. We will be experimenting with having customers pre-order products next year and hope to introduce a few new value-added products, also.

Looking forward to next year!

Gil

NAIS Meetings in South Central NY

A local farmer recently informed me of upcoming meetings about the
NAIS. He gave me a photocopied page from the Nov 2006 Dairy and Field
Crops Program newsletter (From Cornell, I think.)

Here's the text of the page:

Finally... National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Explained

Featuring:
Sarah Blood-Szentmiklosy, NAIS Coordinator, NY State Dept. of Ag & Markets.

3 Sites in South Central New York Area aimed at commercial livestock operations:

December 14 - Cortland
NYS Grange, Rt. 13 North
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

December 15 - Owego
Treadway Inn, Rt 17C East
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

December 18 - Whitney Point
Aiello's, Jct. Rts 79 & 205 (sic - actually it's Rt. 206)
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

Benefits of becoming informed:

- You'll learn the ins and outs of the program without wandering
around websites wondering if information is up-to-date

- You can register premises on site

- Gain a better understanding of the program's associated standards and regulations

- Most Importantly - learn how you will be able to leverage advantages in your management program.

Please RSVP by contacting Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu

I contacted Sharon VanDeuson via phone today and registered for the meeting at Whitney Point. All that was required was my name and phone number. No other information was requested.

I hope that they will have a Q&A period since I have lots of questions. I plan to strongly voice my opposition to the NAIS. Any input as to issues to bring up would be appreciated.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens

Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens – that’s what I am raising out in my pasture pens. There is something not quite normal about Cornish Cross chickens. Oh don’t get me wrong. They have their good points - they are fast growing, fairly low maintenance, and rather tasty – they’re just odd.

My laying birds eat to live. My Cornish Cross broilers live to eat. The voracious appetites of these guys can be a bit unnerving sometimes.

This is why I think of them as Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens:

Teenage: because they eat like my teenage sons. However, my sons put every calorie to good use, whereas I wonder about the feed efficiency of these broilers. I mean they are always eating and yet they seem to be always hungry. It reminds me of American consumerism.

Mutant: these birds are not a naturally occurring breed, but are specifically bred for their fast weight gain and proportions. Mutations occur with a loss of genetic information and are usually not benign in nature. The overlarge breasts and legs of this breed may seem good for eating but cause some real issues for the birds. Lately, I have been more aware of the health issues that plague the species. I found a few large broilers that had stumbled on some uneven ground and fallen on their backs. They could not roll over to get back onto their feet. Some died in this position. I flipped one that was still alive onto her feet and she immediately skeedaddled over to the feeder, wild with hunger. Weird.

Ninja: There is an air of mystery about these chickens. They grow so fast you can almost see the weight gain happening. Chicken also makes really good oriental stir-fries.

Chickens: Well, they look like chickens and they taste like chickens. They somewhat act like chickens. They must be chickens.

Overall, I am satisfied with the end result of raising and selling these birds.

And yet, I can’t help but feel that there must be a better way, a better breed to try… some way that I can improve the pastured poultry model. I will keep trying new things, experimenting with different feeds, breeds, pens, feeders, waterers, etc…

I just won an Ebay auction for 6+ fertile eggs from Tim Shell’s rare Improved Corndell Cross breed. Another experiment is about to begin.

Farmers Market Update

Things are going fairly well here at Full Quiver Farm. We have had 2 successful weeks at the Vestal, NY farmers market. People are enjoying my wife and daughters’ good breads, pies, and cookies. This is no surprise to me since I have always enjoyed their baked goods.

What was surprising to me is that we nearly sold out on everything even though there was some real competition from other more established vendors. These folks have very professional set ups that make their products look like they came from professional bakeries. They each had a huge selection of wares. Our breads and other baked goods look like they came from a kitchen, which they have.

And maybe that’s what people are looking for – home baked breads and a few old-fashioned cookies that are fresh and good. No high gloss or fancy packaging, just real food.

As far as the chicken goes, it was surprising to me how many people have never heard of pastured poultry. They were generally interested in learning about how we raise our chickens and turkeys. Many were surprised to learn of the lower fat content and greater amounts of vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. We sold a lot of chicken!

But as good as the products are, we would not have done well at all if the Lord did not go before us and give us favor in the eyes of our customers. He is continually showing Himself faithful to provide for us.

Please pray that we will also be similarly blessed when we start a second market in Whitney Point, NY next week.

To God be the glory. Great things He has done.

First Day at Farmers Market & Recommended Poultry Sources

Full Quiver Farm at Local Farmers Markets

This year we will be selling our pastured poultry and fresh baked goods at two local farmers markets. They are located at Whitney Pioint, NY and in Vestal, NY. We really enjoyed our first foray into farmers markets last year in Whitney Point, developing good realtionships with customers and the other vendors.

Today, we start at the Vestal farmers market, which is a lot bigger and busier. There are other vendors competing with us who have already established a solid customer base for the same types of products. I admit to being a tad nervous. This is good though since it adds energy to our efforts.

Recommended Poultry Sources

Moyers Chicks: For best prices on broiler chicks. Excellent customer service.

Cackle Hatchery: Best prices on Turkeys, especially heritage breeds. Also, scores high for customer service.

Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Inc. I plan to order from them soon. They have an large variety of heritage chicken breeds available.

Robert Plamondon has some excellent information on poultry at his family's various sites. www.plamondon.com

More to come later.

Encouragement from Cumberland Books

I recently discovered the Cumberland Book catalog via Herrick Kimball's always excellent The Deliberate Agrarian blog.

The catalog has books that are "carefully chosen, lovingly described." The selection is wonderful.

But even if you do not order any books the catalog is worth checking out just for the insightful reviews and articles.

By way of example, check out these insightful words about why people pursue bizarre belief systems:

Back in my college days (early 70s), I was a major fan of a surrealistic comedy group known as the Firesign Theater. They mostly made albums, and my favorite by far was a satire of conspiracy-minded types, telling the story of Dr. Harry Cox, a fellow who spent his days researching and propagating wacky theories;alien abductions, psychic phenomena, international cabals from his trailer park in the California high desert. He referred to his disciples as "seekers," and pointed out that "there's a seeker born every minute."
The name of the album was Everything You Know is Wrong. About halfway through the recording Dr. Cox finds out something new and important, and breaks in to tell his listeners,"Seekers, I was right! Everything I knew was wrong!"

That joke points up an ever-present danger that faces those of us who deliberately seek out alternatives to conventional thinking.

When we see, hear, or read something very different from what we've always taken for granted; something about worship, or the roles of men and women, or cultural trends, or allegiances to political parties, or how to raise children, or what the word "fascist" means;we suddenly realize that our wisdom is merely received wisdom, that there is no particular basis for our beliefs about the matter.


Sometime, somewhere, we were handed an explanation that sounded plausible, and we accepted it without question. There��s a lot that can be learned when you approach such matters with an open mind, recognizing that your thinking on many topics may be more the fruit of cultural propaganda or a government-designed education than of careful study. But as we see in the example of Dr. Harry Cox, credulousness can cut both ways. We are in just as much danger of embracing a different worldview not because it is true but because it is new and exciting. Our latent gnosticism latches onto oddball ideas in the hope that they may turn out to be secret knowledge, understood only by an elite few. And by signing up for their program, we get to join their club.

This is the territory of the cults. Not just Mormons and Jehovah��s witnesses but full preterists and Oneness Pentecostals base their brotherhood not on the plain teaching of Scripture but on imaginative readings of a few passages. The fact that scholarship, church tradition, informed opinion, and simple common sense are squarely opposed to them does not lead them to rethink their ideas; rather it confirms their belief that powerful and malign forces must be at work behind the scenes, blinding the average man to the truth they've stumbled upon.

It won't do to ignore the dangers that lie in wait for us. Too many times we've seen friends and colleagues begin by rethinking the party line and end up parroting an even more outlandish alternative.

To raise questions about prevailing opinion without wandering off into the fever swamps of gnosticism takes discernment and humility. Many of the books we recommend in this catalog take a skeptical look at the conventional thinking on this or that topic. We think that they present the facts accurately, that their reasoning is clear and sound, and that their conclusions are sober and solid. But we also encourage you to read these books as a Berean would, testing their claims against what you already know and what Scripture tells you, drawing your own conclusions, and drawing them cautiously.

I have seen a number of solid Christian friends pursue off-the-wall heretical beliefs. I could never understand how such intelligent, perceptive people could accept such obvious spiritual nonsense. The wise words from Cumberland Books helped me to understand.

I am thankful to them.